Manchester Township to hire three more firefighters by spring

by Sybil Kolon

All board members were present at the September board meeting except Mike Fusilier. Also present were fire chief Mike Kouba and a few members of the public.

Kouba provided the monthly report for August. There were 46 calls for service, including 33 EMS responses, two fires, and two hazmat incidents. Painting and new carpet has been installed in the fire hall’s report-writing room. They have interviewed three firefighters and plan to hire all three. The board approved the hiring of Lee Root and Wes Hansen. The third firefighter will start in the spring.

Supervisor Ron Milkey reported that zoning permits were issued for one barn and one pool. One zoning violation for building without a permit was issued. Ron Milkey also reported finalizing the agreement with the engineer and contractor about repairs to address flooding on the trail along Austin Road, east of Grossman, that goes to Watkins Lake State Park County Preserve. There will be no cost to the township for the work.

Treasurer Kim Thompson reported that the annual Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority household tax assessment for recycling services will not include the $24 debt assessment. Only the operating assessment will be included in the winter tax bill.

The board discussed the township fire/rescue protection contract that defines the terms for fire protection service provided to surrounding municipalities. Minor changes had been suggested and were approved. Additional changes may be made in the future. The contract will be provided to those municipalities for approval.

The township board adopted a new fee schedule for various requests, applications, and permits. The requirement for an escrow for large projects was clarified and will be determined during the application process to provide funds for professional review of technical documents. This will ensure the township does not incur expenses for review of these project proposals.

During comments from board members, Mike Walter brought up planning commission priorities. The master plan is in the process of final approval. The planning commission is planning to work on revising the planned unit development ordinance and create a new data-processing ordinance to address this intensive land use. Both of these are important and will require significant time to address. The board passed a resolution to have the township attorney draft a moratorium for one year on applications for data-processing facilities.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.