New gazebo approved, pickleball grant proceeding, and streaming meetings briefly discussed

Agenda and documents

Meeting Highlights

Councilors Will Lytle and Whitney Warstler were absent from the meeting and excused by the other councilors.

Hancock’s audit report: “best opinion you can get”

The audit report from Rukkila, Negro and Associates came back as an “unmodified opinion”, which the presenter said was the best possible option.

Fence meets its match

During City Manager Mary Babcock’s administrative report, she informed the board of damage to the fence at the ballfield within the driving park sustained because of wind blowing the equipment shed over. The wind damage happened on Dec. 17, but this is the first time the council has met in 2022.

Photos from meeting information packet, courtesy of the City of Hancock.

Babcock said the repair should be largely covered by insurance.

New Gazebo approved for Klondike Park

The council approved up to $6,000 for the Industrial Arts class from Hancock High School to build a new Gazebo in Klondike Park where the old water tower was located.

Photos clipped from meeting information packet, courtesy of the City of Hancock

Council approves grant application for new pickleball courts

The council voted to submit a grant application to Portage Health Foundation for the construction of four new pickleball courts at Laurn-Grove Park, which would replace the tennis court there. The grant is for a maximum of $20,000. The city intends to cover the remaining cost with other grants or from recreation millage funds.

The vote was supported by a public comment earlier in the meeting.

Hancock commits funds to technology upgrades

The city council approved spending a total of $6,933 on new security cameras for the city hall and the police department, and $9,842.20 for a new server, both from Up and Running. Councilor Ron Blau dissented on the vote for the new server, suggesting the city should investigate using the cloud for their needs instead. City Manager Mary Babcock said that may be difficult because of legal constraints on the police department’s use of informationc technology.

Council discusses returning meetings to streaming video

At the end of the meeting, the council asked the city manager to inform them of the cost of returning to streaming the council meetings and add the item to their next meeting’s agenda.

Other notes:

One ballot initiative down, one to go

Note: In my concern about the weather, I left without my tripods for my cameras and audio recorder. Without time to return for them, I propped one camera up above a doorway and just did my best.

Agenda and documents

Meeting Highlights

Path for ordinance repeal revealed

Jim Tercha, village legal counsel, spoke to the council on the progress they were making on the missing ballot petition to repeal the ordinance that allows the village council to appoint a clerk.

County Clerk Jennifer Kelly told Geisler that copies of the petitions held by an interested citizen could be substituted for the lost originals under certain conditions. If those conditions are satisfied, then the ballot question can appear on the May ballot.

The petition concerning the ordinance that allows the appointment of a treasurer is already approved for the May ballot.

Other notes:

There will be a public hearing for the proposed new Zoning Ordinance on Feb. 2 in the 2nd-floor ballroom of the village hall.

The council approved the proposed Village of Calumet Rules of Procedure for the council.

The council added the village manager’s administrative assistant to those village employees who will get federal holidays off.

The council agreed to investigate the potential of returning public access to meetings via streaming video.

Village Manager Amber Goodman announced that the Calumet Theatre’s breach of their lease has been resolved, meaning they now once again have insurance.

The council approved the road closure for the CopperDog 150 on March 4, which will only start in Calumet this year.

Ontonagon Village Council welcomes new year, same old MERS problem

Photo by Dennis Buchner on Unsplash

A major part of the Village Manager William DuPont’s report to the Ontonagon Village Council was in reference to the seemingly eternal problems with the Municipal Employee’s Pension System. This item is the growing obligation to the pension fund of the former employees of Ontonagon Memorial Hospital which the village sold the Aspirus of Wausau in 2007.

The purchase agreement between Aspirus and the village of Ontonagon specifically listed under “Liabilities not Assumed,”  stated “Seller and Buyer acknowledge and agree that except as specifically set forth….Buyer has not assumed and will not assume any liabilities or obligations of Seller or the Business arising from the Hospital employee retirement plan or the Municipal Employers Retirement System (MERS) of Michigan….” This purchase agreement included a provision that Aspirus would maintain “critical access or a substantially similar cost-based reimbursement hospital within the Village limits of Ontonagon….through October 31, 2012.”

In short, the assumption of the MERS pensions was understood to be the Village’s obligation and this was effective Nov. 1, 2007.

DuPont reported that the village currently owes MERS $203,670.84 of which $82,165.52 was due on Oct. 20, 2021. The village made a payment of $15,000 on Dec. 1, 2021.

Regarding the MERS buy-outs, only seven individuals eligible have requested information. A total of 28 former employees are eligible for buy-outs.

The village manager also had a Zoom meeting with Senator Ed McBroom (R) and Rep. Greg Markkunen (R) on Dec. 17 and their recommendations were for the village officials to put together a narrative that would build a case for assistance from the legislature. It should point out that the MERS situation is a result of circumstances beyond the village’s control or planning.

It turns out that there are more than a few other municipalities in the same situation with MERS pension plans and MERS treats these as businesses rather than non-profit municipalities. Possibly forming an alliance with some of these other communities would strengthen the case for help for all.

US Senator Gary Peters (D) has made a commitment to help the village through an amendment to the Butch Lewis Act.

Village President Tony Smydra pointed out that Congressman Bergman (R) has voiced support for the village, but he has voted against the Butch Lewis Act that established funds for helping pension funds that are in trouble. 

Enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan, a plan passed by the Democratic majority in Congress, the current Butch Lewis Act provides a bailout to fund multi-employer pension plans for 30 years. The bill restores pensions to their full amount and increases the national pension insurance cap. Finally, it requires regular reports to Congress on the status of these pension plans as a preventative measure against future collapse.

The plight of the Village of Ontonagon with MERS goes on, but now it appears that Ontonagon is not alone in those problems.

Red and yellow sign leads to the blues, officers get hairy for charity, rules of order reviewed

Agenda and documents

Meeting Highlights

Council candidate hopeful makes comments to the board

During the public comment session, Craig Waddell stood to address the council. Waddell put his name forward for the council seat vacated last year by Dan Salo and intends to run in the May election for the seat, too.

Among the items Waddell spoke on was what he felt was an unwillingness on the council to address suggestions from the public.

At the end of the meeting, Councilor Mike Needham addressed some of Waddell’s comments. He said comments and suggestions from the public are not ignored, but not all of them are accepted after consideration.

Editor’s Note: Councilor Joan Suits also addressed Waddell’s statements, but is unable to be heard clearly on the recording. This is due in part to an inadvertently changed setting on the recording microphone.

AT&T line location hangs up pier project

Due to “fuzzy” rules on easements for utility cables, the city hasn’t been able to get AT&T to locate the lines that run under the construction area for the new city pier. The city is now considering the possibility of altering the construction design to work around the unlocated lines to avoid breaking them.

Councilor Mike Needham asks some follow-up questions on the situation later in the meeting.

City update on Fire Station Co sign on Sharon Ave

I recommend either watching the video or reading this quite thorough write-up from the Detroit Metro Times which includes interviews with both the owners and City Manager Eric Waara.

Houghton officers grow beards for Project Lifesaver

If you were stopped by a hairy Houghton City police officer late last year, it was part of a fundraiser they did for “No Shave November”. The fun activity raised $180 for the local Project Lifesaver fund to help families enroll in the project to find lost wanderers quickly.

“From here on out, they need to shave,” Chief John Donnelly said.

Administrative subcommittee presents on suggested rules change

Councilor Mike Needham, as chairperson of the Administrative Subcommittee, presented their opinions on rules of order changes that have been suggested to them. He mostly defended how the council currently operates but did accept three suggestions, at least in part. One of them he said a slight wording change. Another confirms that the mayor has the power to call other councilors to order. The council also now plans to formalize how correspondence to the council is limited when read aloud.

The council took no immediate action on the rules changes but intends to take the matter up after the next November election.

Capitalization limit raised to $5,000

The council, under advice forwarded from their auditor, raised the capitalization limit from $500 to a more standard $5,000 limit. This limit is the monetary dividing line between an expense and an asset when something is purchased by the city.

FOIA appeal denied, Zoom attendance reinstated for public, opioid settlement moved forward

Agenda and documents

Meeting Highlights

Chairperson Al Koskela was not present at this meeting.

Approval of bills

The board unanimously approved the payment of $1,094,926.50 in monthly bills to unknown persons and companies. (The check register or other summary of bills paid is one document Copper Beacon has been unable to regularly obtain.)

Jennifer Kelly’s comments on the conclusion of Matthew Smith’s trial

You’ve probably heard about the case by now, which involved a late-night phone call made to County Clerk Jennifer Kelly during 2020. The sentencing was earlier this week, and Kelly said she feels safe for the first time in almost two years.

Opioid settlement approved

The draft settlement is in the documents posted above. While no estimated dollar amount was shared with the board, County Administrator Elizabeth Bjorn said the settlement would be “sizeable”, and paid out over a set period of time.

Bjorn told Commissioner Glenn Anderson that she would potentially have a rough dollar amount at the next meeting.

Board approves two union contracts

The commissioners voted to approve proposed contracts with the airport employees union and the AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) without any discussion.

Open Meetings Act rules are designed to allow for closed-door negotiations with unions and can be used to also keep unapproved drafts from the public. These contracts should be made public once they have been ratified by all of the involved parties.

Return to using Zoom for interaction with the public, county officers

At the request of a constituent, the commissioners agreed they should restart facilitating the public attending and interacting in the meetings via Zoom. They cited COVID-19 precautions and hazardous winter driving over Houghton’s geographic area as reasons for wanting to return to using Zoom. The commissioners are still expected to meet in person.

During 2020 and 2021, the county used Zoom regularly and still has the necessary equipment and software.

The constituent’s letter is available in the document packet linked above.

1988 rules of order renewed with small change

The board renewed the rules of order that it has used since 1988, with one alteration. The original rules held that the chairperson was to be chosen each year, but the new rules hold a new chairperson is only selected in January of odd years.

Copper Beacon FOIA appeal denied

I briefly addressed my appeal to the FOIA request denial during the early public comment session. I prefer the written word to speaking, but you can hear my comment to the board here in the video.

During new business, the council referred to my appeal letter, which was part of the council packet (but not shared with the public), and then voted unanimously to deny the appeal with no discussion of the points therein.

You can read my appeal letter, the original request, and the county administrator’s denial at the link below.

FOIA request, response, appeal

Group forms for vigil despite cold Jan. 6 weather

About 50 people came together to remember the Jan. 6 attack on the capitol Thursday at 5 p.m. Photo by Allan Baker

Coinciding with gatherings across the country, around 50 people came together near the south end of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge to recognize the seriousness of the attack in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.

Speakers encouraged attendees to contact their representatives to encourage passage of voting rights legislation, especially at the national level with the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Organizers said that the vigil was bipartisan and that voter’s rights should not be a partisan issue. Speakers reminded attendees that Republican presidents had renewed the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 for decades until recent court cases weakened it. The new voting rights act would renew old rules and more.

The vigil was sponsored and organized by the Justice Ministry of the Unitarian Universalist Church with strong support from the League of Women Voters. Photo by Joshua Vissers

Mary Marchaterre and Kristine Bradof, both leaders in the League of Women Voters of Copper Country, said their attendance at the vigil had everything to do with protecting the American system of voting, not with any politicians or party.

Marchaterre said joining an active organization like the LWVCC is one way to amplify your voice and help keep American democracy strong. While non-profit and by extension non-partisan, the LWVCC keeps several public positions on things from fluoridation in water to the construction of a new Houghton County Jail. They meet regularly and actively promote their goals.

Most of the signs at the vigil focused on the importance of voting and voting rights. Photo by Joshua Vissers

Bradof said she felt politicians being beholden to their political party, be it Republican or Democrat, is stifling debate and compromise.

“I actually think the political parties are ruining our country,” she said.

Growing up in the Chicago area, she saw good and bad politicians in both parties.

“So I was looking for who is the person who’s running who represents my views and looks at things fairly,” Bradof said. “Instead of just following whatever the party line happened to be.”

LWVCC President Barry Fink addresses those gathered for the vigil. Photo by Joshua Vissers

“In America, the voters decide the outcome of elections,” said Barry Fink, LWVCC president, during her remarks. “The promise of democracy is not a partisan issue but a calling that unites us as Americans.”

She decried misinformation promoted by people in danger of losing power that said the election was unfair or rigged, highlighting the many investigations and court cases that found far too little evidence to support such a conclusion.

“The participants [in the Jan. 6 insurrection] were urged to take action, to ignore the evidence that supported the fairness of the elections, and to believe instead the deluge of mis- and disinformation that the election was not fair,” she said.

She expressed disappointment in the failure of Michigan politicians to validate the duly elected officials from the 2020 election both on Jan. 6 and since then.

“The events in Congress and many state legislatures across the nation since January 6 have sadly shown that a large fraction of politicians sees opportunity in tampering with election laws for partisan gain,” Fink said.

The vigil included a moment of silence for the police officers and National Guard members who were called to protect the Capitol on Jan. 6, some of whom lost their lives as a result.

After the vigil, Fink said that Americans have been imagining that the electoral process was somehow sacrosanct, secure, and self-sustaining.

“And in fact, its vulnerabilities have been exposed,” Fink said. “And we need to be mindful that there are factions that actually want to dismantle the way we conduct elections and that means the demise of democracy.”

She said moving beyond the hyper-partisanship that is damaging our country is going to require people to want to run the nation as a collaborative effort, and not be all about who is holding on to power.

Valorie Troesch makes her remarks to the gathered people. Photo by Joshua Vissers

Valorie Troesch, a member of LWVCC, Houghton County Democrats, Voters Not Politicians, and a former candidate for Houghton County Commissioner, also spoke at the vigil. No current county commissioners spoke or made their presence at the event public.

After the vigil, Troesch said the insurrection is the first time in history the loser of a presidential election has tried to overturn the results of that election.

“That’s never happened,” she said. “And we should never forget that because there are people that are still trying to… pass laws that not only suppress voter rights but also will make it easier to overturn future elections.”

Troesch said there would be a lot of opportunities in 2022 for people to work with organizations like LWV and Voters Not Politicians to get involved in keeping American elections fair and open.

Photo by Allan Baker

Serious snow, serious tools

Snow is a reality everyone living in the Upper Peninsula deals with in some way or another. For public streets and sidewalks, however, city employees have to go well beyond using a “yooper scooper” to keep people safe and traffic moving through the winter.

One of Hancock’s salt trucks heads out of the garage to make daytime rounds of the city streets. Each of the sanders can hold up to 9 tons of sand or salt.

John Erickson recently became Hancock’s new director of the Department of Public Works. He previously worked for the Houghton County Road Commission for more than 20 years and graduated from Houghton High School. He’s now lived in Hancock for more than 27 years.

“I jumped ship,” he said with a laugh.

During the winter, he manages a team of nine unionized full-time employees and two part-time employees to clear the snow in the city. The crew works regular shifts from 11:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. clearing the snow, longer if the snowfall requires it. During the day, they keep one of the sander trucks on the road until about 9 p.m. The same drivers that work through the night are also on call for weekend sanding shifts.

“So sometimes they could be here for 12, 13, 14 hours before they can go home,” Erickson said.

The drivers are assigned routes in the city, and the schedule stays flexible to make sure plows are on the road when they need to be.

When they use a snowblower attachment on the front end loaders, they blow the snow into a dump truck and haul it to a snow dump near the Houghton County Fairgrounds. Before they can clear the main streets in Hancock—Quincy and Hancock Streets, North Lincoln Drive, and any other stretch of road that is part of US-41—the city has to get permission from the Michigan Department of Transportation.

“It’s one phone call,” Erickson said. “Usually if a snowbank is two feet or higher they’ll let us do it.”

The grader blades are regularly replaced, as they grind down from use on the roads. They start with fresh yellow paint, and by the time they are removed, the paint is scraped clean and the width of the blade is more than halved. The blade in the inset picture is upside down, displaying the ground-down “cutting edge” after it has been used.

When a storm is expected, like midway through this week, the full-time employees already know they’ll be coming in, but Erickson does have to call in the part-timers, who mainly work when there is extra snow to clear.

This year, the DPW has had some help clearing the city sidewalks, too.

Ariens Co, based in Wisconsin, has been testing attachments for their Mammoth 850 tractors in an arrangement with the city of Hancock.

Douglas Kortbein, Senior COE Manager at Ariens, runs the testing program for their snow equipment in the Keweenaw area, and for their lawncare equipment in Sebring, Florida. He said they’ve been expanding their snow-testing program recently to make it more true to what people are using the machines for.

“People tend to use the machines when there’s a big snow,” Kortbein said.

The Keweenaw area is one of the few places in the United States where heavy snow falls consistently, which is why Ariens tests here.

“Plus, it’s just good people,” he said.

Kortbein is originally from Wisconsin and said he didn’t really get the local idea of “sisu” until he moved here.

“When you have this much snow all the time, you have to have that attitude,” he said.

Ariens is testing a power broom, salt and sand spreader, a plow blade, and a brine spray unit for the Mammoth 850, mainly along Quincy and Hancock Streets.

“This is the end of about two years of testing on the tractor,” Kortbein said.

The tractor and power broom have also been tested in Florida to make sure they can withstand warm weather as well as cold. The Mammoth has a 4-wheel hydraulic drive, with skid-style steering controlled with two levers (with heated hand grips).

“They’ll spin right on their own center-point, they’re pretty maneuverable,” Kortbein said. “You get great traction for pushing snow.”

Ariens has a regular line of snowblowers, but the benefit of the Mammoth is its changeable attachments that allow for different applications.

“It’s a four-season, multi-purpose piece of equipment,” Kortbein said.

Kortbein admitted he has hopes the city of Hancock might be a future customer, but the current sidewalk work Ariens is doing comes at no cost or obligation from the city. Ariens pays the drivers and supplements the snow removal the DPW is already doing for the benefit of their product testing program.

“We really appreciate the support of the community, working with the city of Hancock, and people in the area have shown great support,” he said.

Erickson said he thinks the Mammoth 850 machines are doing a good job but doesn’t think his drivers will want to switch from the sidewalk machines they already have until there is an enclosed cab available for the Mammoth.

Kortbein was non-committal about whether an enclosure attachment was in development for the Mammoth.

“That would sure be a nice accessory to have,” he said.

As winter continues, Erickson asked that people have patience with plow drivers and remember that breakdowns, stuck vehicles, and other issues happen to everyone, including them.

Erickson said the 25,000-pound dump trucks get stuck pretty regularly, and they send a front-end loader or a grader to pull them clear. The graders weigh around 45,000 pounds, according to Erickson. The blades on them are 14 feet long, and a wing adds another 12 feet.

The city’s three front-end loaders lined up in the garage. The oldest of sports the classic DPW logo and a little rust as signs of its age (The 938G Series II stopped production in 2008). It weighs over 14 tons (28,000 pounds). The newest, in the center, is rust-free and weighs in at 35,778 pounds, according to statistics on CAT’s website.

During the day, the DPW mechanic maintains the vehicles and keeps them ready for plowing at night, and an assistant mechanic is on call at night if something breaks.

“Have patience with us if we’re not there every day at the same time,” Erickson said.

Tales from Lansing

This update is compiled from official records held at legislature.michigan.gov.

Sen. Ed McBroom listening to a constituent at an office hour meeting in Ontonagon. November 2021.

Sen. Ed McBroom

Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov

Phone: 866-305-2038

Sponsored bills introduced

In November, Sen. Ed McBroom introduced only one bill, SB 0728, which had the main goal of clarifying that the Open Meetings Act also applies to the independent citizens redistricting commission. The redistricting commission was recently ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court to release notes and audio recordings from a meeting it held that was closed to public observers. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and 100 to 2 in the House. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the bill into law on Dec. 23, 2021.

Sen. McBroom introduced no bills in December.

Votes of note

At the beginning of November, Sen. Ed McBroom voted in favor of Senate Resolution 86. The resolution condemns a U.S. Department of Justice memorandum that announces action on organizing the FBI with local law enforcement to prevent harassment and violence against civil servants, particularly school board members. The resolution says such action inhibits the free speech of parents. The resolution was adopted by the senate strictly on party lines, with 20 Republicans in favor (one not voting) and 16 Democrats against.

Sen. McBroom was the lone vote in the Senate against House Bill 4921. It changes the annual required financial reporting for licensed marijuana sellers to a three-year requirement. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Whitmer on Dec. 7, 2021.

In December, Sen. McBroom was also the only senator to oppose the authorization of “robo-bartenders” - alcohol dispensing machines. The bill contains limitations on volume and human monitoring. It was received in the House and waits for review by the House Regulatory Reform Committee.

Sen. McBroom was one of just three senators to oppose authorizing the deduction of gambling losses. The bill received bipartisan support in the House and was signed into law by the governor on Dec. 23, 2021.

Sen. McBroom split from most of his party and voted against House Bill 4294, which allows school employees who are otherwise unqualified to act as teachers to be hired as substitutes for the rest of the 2021-2022 school year. The bill narrowly passed the House mostly on party lines with Republican support and was signed into law by Gov. Whitmer on Dec. 23, 2021. Sen. McBroom has a history as a school teacher.

Editor’s note: This is not an exhaustive list of votes. Routine bill packages, many party-line or unanimous votes, and bills being followed by mainstream media are generally not included. The intent is to spotlight votes our local legislators have made that might be unexpected or otherwise unnoticed by Lansing-based media. If you’d like a more complete record of your representatives’ votes, I recommend MichiganVotes.org, which has a fairly up-to-date and easily searchable summary.

Rep. Greg Markkanen speaking to a constituent in Ontonagon. November 2021.

Rep. Greg Markkanen

Email:

GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov

Phone: 517-373-0850

Sponsored bills introduced

Rep. Greg Markkanen introduced no bills in November or December.

Votes of note

Rep. Greg Markkanen voted in favor of House Bill 5097 in November. The bill prohibits the promotion of “any form of race or gender stereotyping”, including “anything that could be understood as implicit race or gender stereotyping”. It also includes the below definition for race and gender stereotyping:

Excerpt from HB 5097

All the Republicans present voted for the bill, while no Democrats cast a vote at all. The bill was passed on to the Senate and has been in the Committee on Education and Career Readiness since.

Rep. Markkanen cast his vote in favor of House Bill 5368, which specifies that court records cannot have the name or date of birth redacted when supplied to the public. The bill passed the House early in November with some support from Democrats and has since been in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

Rep. Markkanen was one of about half of House Republicans that joined with Democrats to approve Senate Bill 103. The bill “provides for the rights” of electric transmission line owners to construct transmission lines under certain conditions. It was signed into law on Dec. 15, 2021.

Rep. Markkanen voted in favor of House Bill 4232, which would lower the legal age for selling or serving alcohol to 17 years old. The bill is now in the Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform.

Rep. Markkanen voted against Senate Bill 0245 and Senate Bill 0242, which have been signed into law. It makes the terms for county commissioners 4 years long, instead of the two-year terms they had before.

Rep. Markkanen, formerly a school teacher, voted in favor of House Bill 4294, which allows school employees that are not otherwise legally qualified to teach to be hired as substitute teachers. The vote was very near a strict party-line vote.

Rep. Markkanen also voted for Senate Bill 0764, which allows for the deduction of gambling losses from an individual’s taxes. The bill has been signed into law.

Editor’s note: This is not an exhaustive list of votes. Routine bill packages, many party-line or unanimous votes, and bill packages being followed by mainstream media are generally not included. The intent is to spotlight votes our local legislators have made that might be unexpected or otherwise unnoticed by Lansing-based media. If you’d like a more complete record of your representatives’ votes, I recommend MichiganVotes.org, which has a fairly up-to-date and easily searchable summary.

Work continues on 5th Street fire property remediation, starts on Short Term rental ordinance

Meeting agenda

Meeting Highlights

Council votes to exempt itself from health insurance caps

The village council exempted the village from PA 152, which limits the amount a government unit can spend on healthcare for employees. The village meets the requirements that the law gives for opting out of the law, which includes a population of less than 600,000. As long as they vote each year to exempt themselves, they can continue to do so.

$250,000 to spend on fire site, committee formed to explore expenses

Among other funds, the village has received an earmark from the State of Michigan’s budget for $250,000 toward remediating the 5th Street fire site for redevelopment. Concerned that the money may not be able to cover everything they want, the village council intends to form a committee to evaluate options for the property and the costs of securing those possibilities. Jeff Ratcliffe, the executive director of the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance, spoke during the meeting and will be working with the committee.

Roof collapse insurance payout underwhelms, soda fountain reconstruction considered

The village’s insurance agent attended the council meeting to speak about the insurance claim on the roof collapse and damaged soda fountain. The insurance company is only offering cash for about a third of the insured value of the property — $20,000. Because of the low offer, the council is considering trying to replace and rebuild the items, which they could get up to about $68,000 to do.

Calumet Theatre attains coverage, waiting for policy to take effect

The theatre has reported to the council that their insurance is straightened out and it’s simply a matter of time for the coverage to take effect. A representative from the theatre board was unable to attend the meeting.

Village to move forward with Short Term Rental ordinances

Under advice that HB 4722 would not be a quickly-passed bill, the council decided to initiate the process of implementing a Short Term Rental ordinance. They also intend to consider a resolution against HB 4722 at their January meeting.

Other notes:

The council voted to spend $450 on three new pagers for the fire department.

The council voted to give full-time village employees the same federal holidays that are in Village Manager Amber Goodman’s contract.

Another council openly opposes state-level STR rentals

The Ontonagon Village Council adopted resolution 2021-21 in Opposition to Short Term Rentals as identified in Michigan at their Dec. 13 meeting, with all six of the present council members voting yes. The vacant seat of former Trustee Mike Mogan has not yet been filled.

The STR bill has been of grave concern to village officials since it was passed by the Michigan House and then sent on to the Senate. The issue is that “short-term rental” is defined as a residential use of the property and a use permitted in all residential zones.  This house bill was co-sponsored by 110th District Rep. Greg Markkanen, (R). State Senator Ed McBroom, (R) has not voiced support for this bill, though it is about to be placed before the Senate.

The Ontonagon Village Council wants to be able to regulate the short-term rental of residential properties and is very much opposed to HB 4722 as it now exists.

Smydra pointed out that Rep. Markkanen had intimated that Hancock was in favor of HB 4722 but Smydra said that this was not quite true. A large number of other communities in the region have come out as opposed to HB 4722 including Houghton, Hancock, and others.

A similar bill in Arizona was made into law and this has had a negative effect on the economy of that state.

It was moved by Councilor John Hamm, with enthusiasm, to approve Resolution 2021-21 and this was carried on a unanimous roll call.

In unfinished business that the Council addressed;

The Ontonagon Memorial Hospital MERS status

The village currently owes the Municipal Employees Retirement System $218,670.84 of which $5,887.51 was due on Sept. 20. The village managed a payment of $15,000 on Dec. 1 and it is planned to make an additional $15,000 payment by the end of December.

A meeting with State Senator Ed McBroom and 110th Dist. Rep. Greg Markkanen took place on Nov. 22 and the MERS situation was called to their attention.  The Senator suggested contacting several members of the State House Appropriations Committee.

An additional meeting with McBroom and Markkanen has been scheduled on Dec. 17.

The village manager also reported that he had a discussion with Terra Langham, the MERS representative, regarding the village’s past-due status with the result that a tentative arrangement whereas the village will pay $15,000 per month until the tax season.

East Pier Walkway

A letter from Matt Wiesen reminded the council that at a meeting with an ad hoc committee representing the village, he had been assured that steps would be taken to effect repairs to the walkway which borders Wiesen’s riverfront property in the village. Wave action coming up the Ontonagon River has all but destroyed the concrete walkway. The US Army Corps of engineers do not recognize that the damage was really caused by modifications they made to the breakwaters some years ago.   Wiesen stated;

“repairs need to be made, or the easement must be released. Here we are at the end of 2021 and the only thing that has changed is more erosion has occurred and not been corrected. As I have watched the river rolling over the walkway the last two weeks I am afraid of what springtime is going to look like down there. Everyone agreed over a year ago that this cannot go on for another year. Respectfully, I request this be remedied ASAP.” 

The Manager has contacted the MDNR about the matter. The general consensus of the council is that the easement that allows for the walkway should not be surrendered, but the village is in no position to pay for repairs/restoration at this time. Though the village has promised to rectify the situation, there are no promised timelines in which to get this done.

Under new business;

The Ontonagon Village Council now considered adoption of Resolution 2021-20 entitled Deficit Elimination Plan.  Previously, the council had adopted deficit elimination plans to address issues with the Marina Fund and the Street Fund. A third fund deficit involving the General Fund was much more comprehensive and Village Manager William DuPont needed to work through budget amendments in order to complete this plan, which the council now had before it for consideration.

Without going into detail, the plan moves from a deficit of $223,514 as of April 2021 to solvency in 2025. The nearly three-page list of adjustments laid out specific line items to be adjusted, and the deficit will actually increase until 2023 and then be all but eliminated in the last two years.

This, of course, does not eliminate the chronic MERS problem with the pensions of employees of Ontonagon Memorial Hospital, which is a separate and very special issue.

The resolution before the council addressed the General Fund insofar as it maintains village services. 

It was moved by Rebholz, supported by Chastan, and on a roll call vote, the resolution 2021-20 was adopted, fulfilling the mandate by the Treasury Department to correct the three fund deficits.

In another matter, illegal parking was discussed. Vehicles in the way of snow removal have been a problem. The authority to have the vehicle towed will be researched.

The Dec. 27 meeting was canceled on motion by Hopper and this was carried by a voice vote.