How will the Bloomfield Township Supervisor Savoie.... present this issue at the Monday, August 24, 2015 @ 7 PM Board of Trustees meeting? How will the Trustees vote?
Bloomfield Township has many ordinances, one is for SIGNS
Those ordinances also specifically address signs located at schools.
Click here: then click on "Adopted Bloomfield Zoning Ordinance": then go to Sec. 42-5.9: specifically for schools see p. 149 of the pdf.
FYI: Electronic signs are NOT permitted anywhere in the Township.
Some township employees, township trustees, township leadership, Bloomfield Hills school superintendent, school board members, and some school employees and perhaps even the construction contractor....should ALL KNOW that there are sign ordinances in the Township.
So, why has the new Bloomfield Hills High School officials and the Township officials ... not followed the procedures for sign approval? Why is the sign already installed? What is happening at the Monday, August 24, 2015 Board of Trustees meeting?
QUESTIONS:
- Was there a permit application for the high school sign? It was not shown in the Board Packet.
- IF so, why didn't it go to the DESIGN REVIEW BOARD? The first step for sign approval. Again, no meeting minutes are shown in the Board Packet.
- IF the sign didn't meet the requirements for approval, why didn't it go to the Planning Commission or the Zoning Board of Appeals? No minutes from any of those committees found in the Board Packet.
- Why wasn't there a public hearing, if needed? This AGENDA item is NOT listed as a Public Hearing. That would need 15 days noticing... this agenda was posted late on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015 with the Township offices CLOSED on Friday... so no questions could be asked or documents gathered.
- Why did the township attorney hold a "closed meeting".... about the sign issue... when "closed meetings" for attorney/client reasons should be for discussion on a PENDING LAWSUIT? That meeting was held at the end of the Aug. 10, 2015 Board of Trustees meeting. I objected to that closed meeting...as being illegal. Go to hour: @2:01 of the meeting and again at 2:15 of the meeting. Notice that Leo Savoie takes over before the attorney answers as to the reason going into closed session. WHAT pending litigation? I see no evidence that the school district even applied for a sign permit. I want to know what the attorney and the Board are hiding !!!
- Why on earth is the township considering a "MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING" instead of holding the school district to the criteria of the written sign ordinance? THIS IS A MUST READ DOCUMENT...please ... read it.... THIS IS WHAT IS BEING VOTED UPON...
- Go to: Board of Trustees/ Board Packet/ 2015/ August 24, 2015/ AGENDA # 6 to read the entire proposed document: http://bloomfieldtwpmi.minutesondemand.com/
Why did Patti Voelker, Township Planning Director, make it her job to "propose" alternate criteria?
Since when did the Township hold "behind closed door " meetings to NEGOTIATE different criteria for ordinances and change the permitting process? Why has there been no public meetings on this issue?
There is an ISSUE "claimed" ... which I don't believe is an issue....and I believe the TOWNSHIP officials should fight for compliance to our sign ordinance. This is not only about the school sign... ELECTRONIC SIGNS will change the look of the township with future requests for all buildings. Where are the attorneys representing the taxpayers of this township? We have ordinances....I, for one, want them upheld! I don't want to see ELECTRONIC SIGNS all up and down Telegraph Rd./Woodward/ and other neighborhood corners. IF the township so clearly and blatantly circumvents the ordinance for the schools...who is next?
IF the Board of Trustees approve this "Memorandum of Understanding".....I believe they will have betrayed their position and trust of the citizens.
There has been such a SEVERE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY with this issue...
I believe those that have "negotiated" to "change/corrupt" the sign ordinance are arrogant and "want what they want" and I also believe that they are confident that they can get away with this corrupt activity. MY OPINION.
You can watch this meeting LIVE on your computer (you will need to click again/see the bottom of that page) or watch it LIVE on Bloomfield Township Comcast Channel 15 @ 7 PM.... on Monday, August 24, 2015. Can't do that? The entire meeting will be archived (again, another click on another link Board of Trustees Meetings) a few days after the meeting.
Better yet, come to the meeting at Township Hall.
What will the Trustees do? It is time to tell Supervisor Savoie.... no ...we will NOT go along with this "deal" you have participated in... The taxpayers deserve to have their ordinances defended and upheld.
