A recent letter to Editor published in the Cheboygan Tribune
Before some local visionary labels the Tribune a naysayer for the factual 4/7 report of Mullett Township's budget hearing, please remember what a budget hearing is supposed to be. By law: “The property tax millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be a subject of this hearing”.
Instead, the Mullett Board refuses to defer any capital spending, pushing through an unneeded TDA sponsored M27 “Streetscape” project and plans to spend TWICE the amount the taxpayer approved millage supports. Previous versions of the TDA “Streetscape” ranged from $1.6 million to $2.8 million dollars. After years chasing every conceivable grant opportunity, the Board and specifically Supervisor Gale are now proceeding with influence from the TDA to fund it entirely from accrued local budget surpluses ignoring their fiscal responsibility to all Mullett taxpayers.
Previous Mullett Board actions have demonstrated waste, legal, and ethical issues. Ignoring needed repairs on existing roads, hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent upgrading little used Quail Trail Rd and South Extension Rd. A deposit to CCRC was forfeited after Cook Rd residents protested the scope of their road project. Special Meetings, some contravening Michigan's Open Meetings Act, have been held on every day of the week including Saturday and Sunday evenings in an attempt to limit public participation and input. $8,000+ was spent without full Board approval in another failed attempt chasing a USDA Grant to renovate the “old” schoolhouse. The Board approved paying an employee via another employee's paycheck to avoid a court ordered wage garnishee. The Board adopted a Resolution endorsing hiring and paying themselves for any work they choose to do beyond their statutory duties, including cutting grass and installing docks. That would contravene state law in any jurisdiction except a General Law township. The list goes on.
Here is this week's example. At the March 4th Board Meeting Supervisor MaryAnne Gale finally got the last TDA Park payment to Team Elmers approved. She in fact seconded the motion. Although the minutes say Fleis and Vandenbrink, the TDA Park engineering firm, I am sure the payment was owed to Team Elmers.
Motion by Dennis Dombroski to pay Fleis and Vandenbrink the $49,130.50 as a final payment which is owed if the donation amount in the revenue account can be used on the expense line item 101902970 in order to pay this invoice, seconded by Mary Anne Gale, opposed by Rachel Osborn. Motion passed.
Fourteen (14) days later, the Board has to convene a Special Meeting because, ta-da, there is not enough money in the appropriate account to pay the bill.
The agenda item:
To discuss and approve the payment of
the final invoice from Elmers for the Topinabee Beach Park Improvement.
The final invoice is for $49,130.50 and the capital Account does not have the funds in the budget to pay this invoice.
To discuss the movement of money from
the parks equipment budget line item in the amount of $15,500.00 to
DNR-Beach Capital Outlay.
To approve a budget amendment of $15,500.00 from line item 101751980 to 101902970.
Really? Is this accounting 101 or accounting 001?
Before you decide to pay a bill Supervisor MaryAnne Gale, do you look at the checkbook balance to see if there are sufficient funds available?
Apparently not. Another MaryAnne mulligan. From hearsay, this Special Meeting was so inconsequential that Supervisor MaryAnne Gale did not attend. A mulligan is one thing. Asking others to take the stroke for you is the definition of incompetence: not having or showing the necessary skills to do something successfully.
Happy Day or not, we have Bad Government.
The forecast for the next post. We travel back in time to January 2011 as the Topinabee Development Association publicly promises what the wonderful new TDA Park will offer and then look at the Mullett Township 5 Year Rec Plan.
Plan: a diagram or list of steps with timing and resources, used to achieve an objective.
