Issues and Leadership Decisions/ meeting Monday, June 23, 2014 @ 7pm

Hi All,
Below is the AGENDA for the Board of Trustees meeting @ 7 PM on Monday, June 23, 2014.


Here are some items of concern:

Item # 2:
Survey Results COST $13,000.  The minutes of April 17 say...  "The purpose of the survey is to educate the voters on the 2014 millage renewals.  A 12 minute survey of 300 likely voters in Bloomfield Township is proposed. "   WELL, DID YOU GET $13,000 worth of information?  Or, is this just another leadership mismanagement of our funds?  See the BOARD PACKET (Board of Trustees/June 23, 2014) for the DETAILS of the survey and the responses.... by the way.... this is the age group of the survey participants as noted in the report:   Only 6-8% of the participants  were under the age of 50.  I think the questions/positive and negative statements presented were poor and reflect the attempt to SCARE the older voters.  My opinion.


Item #3:
Please take the time to read the Annual Report found in the Board Packet for the Department of Public Works.  What I didn't see was ALL the costs for wages/health/pension separated as a line item for the various departments.    All other ANNUAL REPORTS that have been previously submitted can be found  on the Township website.

Item #4:
Another vehicle purchase, a forestry truck with aerial lift.   This time most of the money was in the budget.  However, often when there is a new work vehicle/ the specifications that the township bid requires, is often only met by one or a few companies.  Is the DESIRED vehicle and bid specs a form of pre-determined outcome for a specific company?
The Road Division just keeps increasing the amount and kinds of specialized equipment... just last May 12, 2014, the Board of Trustees authorized the purchase of  a skidsteer loader with a cold mill attachment for asphalt repairing... which was NOT in the budget... but the "mystery money" (as I call  the money that is found to pay for the item)  was unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees.

Item #5:
West Nile Treatment costs... a reimbursement for a small part of the costs to be approved.  The same company has been doing this for decades.  Isn't it time for re-bids of the over $100,000 contract or for ending this program altogether?  The neighboring communities have long stopped doing this kind of  treatments.

Item #6:
A proposal to award a 2014 Safety Path contract to Italia Construction, the ONLY bidder.  The township should NOT award the contract.  Many reasons.

Here is another example of questionable township leadership in my opinion.  Why spend almost a half a million dollars to duplicate what already exists on the south side of the road?  WHY pave both sides of Maple Rd. along the section of Oakland Hills Country Club?  You can tell from the costs that there are many issues and costs to place a safety path on the north side.  See the BID sheet found in the Board Packet pages 86-92 of the pdf.   From what I could determine, there are 17 residential properties and one commercial property on the north side of Maple Rd.  or about $26,073 per assessed lot to place a safety path in their front yards.  Do the residents even know the safety path is planned?   What about the properties on Squirrel Rd.?  Do they know a safety path is planned?

Another leadership questionable act:  The township REQUIRED Life-Time Fitness/ and the adjacent building's  developer  to install, at their cost, a safety path along Telegraph Road. That is a short safety path in front of the newly constructed buildings that I doubt anyone will ever use....so... in great wisdom... the leadership has decided that the new safety path needs to be "extended" and go in front of another existing building to get to ... where else?... THE Township OFFICES.
Taxpayer Cost: $72,295.

• Maple Road – north side from Gilbert Lake Road to Lahser Road. (.7 miles) cost/ $469,315.00
• Squirrel Road – west side from Square Lake Road to I-75 (.4 miles) cost/ $158,070.50
• Telegraph Road – west side, north from Exeter Rd (.1 miles) cost/ $72,295.50
• Replacing sections of existing safety paths at miscellaneous locations  cost/ $55,258.00  unfortunately, no details on the location of the repairs were given... why not?

FYI:  The SAFETY PATH millage has expired with the tax collection in 2013.  Please do NOT vote to continue this millage on August 5.    This issue could be revisited in a new November election. 
 

Item #7 and Item #8:
Take from TABLED.... to ON THE AGENDA:   Upper Long Lake Sewer Extension Project:
Keep putting the same issue on the agenda until the residents give up the fight?  or changes made to make the project worthwhile?  I don't know... read the most recent letter by the township on this agenda item.  I do NOT believe the people will be RE-NOTIFIED  that an item is now back on the agenda. Let your neighbors know it is back on the agenda.
CAUTION:  Read the Board Packet  for June 23, 2014 from pages 93-202/ out of 207 pages of the PDF.   Know what is being presented and what documents need to be signed...