Village of Douglas Council Proposed Minutes

THE CITY OF THE VILLAGE OF DOUGLAS
MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
MINUTES
Monday, January 19, 2009
7:00 p.m.

1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Balmer

2. Roll Call
Members Present: Bailey, Balmer, Harvath, Hoexter, Sapita, Urquhart, Waddell
Absent: None
Also Present: Manager Kowal and Clerk Neve

3. Pledge of Allegiance – Mayor

4. Closed Session
Consideration by City Council of a Motion to go into Closed Session with the
City Attorney for the Purpose of Discussion and Reviewing Matters of Pending
Litigation and Settlement; 1). City of the Village of Douglas vs. City of
Saugatuck and Kalamazoo Lake Sewer & Water Authority; and 2). Lakefront
Properties, LLC vs. the City of the Village of Douglas.

Motion by Bailey with support from Sapita to go into closed session at 7:07 p.m. for the purpose of discussion and review matters of pending
litigation. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.

Motion by Hoexter with support from Waddell to end the closed session
and return to the regular meeting at 8:39 p.m. Motion carried.

5. Changes/Additions/Deletions to Agenda
A. Add: Item #9B-4, SABA Business Meeting Minutes from 1-7-09
Motion by Harvath with support from Waddell to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried.

6. Approval of Minutes
A. Committee of the Whole Meeting of January 5, 2009
B. Regular Meeting of City Council of January 5, 2009
C. Closed Session Minutes of January 5, 2009
Motion by Hoexter with support from Bailey to approve meeting minutes from January 5, 2009 City Council Meetings as presented. Motion carried.

7. Appointments /Resignations
A. Motion to Appoint Mr. Samuel A. Kendall to the Downtown Development
Authority (DDA) Board (term commencing January 2009 and concluding
January 2013.
Motion by Bailey with support from Sapita to approve
the appointment of Samuel Kendall to the DDA. Motion carried.

B. Motion to Appoint Mr. Jeffrey D. Blandford to the Downtown
Development Authority (DDA) Board (term commencing January 2009
and concluding January 2013.
Motion by Bailey with support from Sapita to approve
the appointment of Jeffrey Blandford to the DDA. Motion carried.

8. Proclamations/Awards
None scheduled

9. Public Communications (Limit of three minutes for comments regarding
agenda items)
A. Verbal:
No comments

B. Written:
1. Letter from Ms. Judy Anthrop to City Council dated December
29, 2008.
2. Statistical Information from Saugatuck Township Fire District (“STFD”); Minutes from the STFD Regular Meeting of December
8, 2008 and Workshop Meeting of December 22, 2008 are Available for Inspection in the Office of the City Clerk; STFD
Financial Statements and Independent Auditor’s Report for the
Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2008 are also Available for Inspection
in the Office of the City Clerk.
3. Application from Ms. Linda Anderson, Douglas Board of Review (Ms. Anderson was reappointed to the Board of Review by the City Council at its meeting of January 5, 2009, for a 3-year term
ending January 2012)
4. Saugatuck/Douglas Area Business Association Meeting Minutes of
January 7, 2009.
Written communications noted as received and filed.

10. Unfinished Business
None scheduled.

11. New Business
A. Motion to Adopt Resolution No. 03-2009 Approving a Lot Combination
(Parcel Nos. 03-59-016-072-10, 03-59-016-072-12, and 03-59-016-076-00
444 W. Wiley Road, Douglas, MI)
Motion by Waddell with support from Hoexter to approve
a lot combination at 444 W. Wiley Rd. Motion carried unanimously by
roll call vote.

B. Motion to Adopt Resolution No. 04-2009 Amending the Budget of the
2008/2009 General Appropriations Act.
Motion by Waddell with support from Bailey to approve
Resolution No. 04-2009 amending the 2008/2009 budget. Motion carried
unanimously by roll call vote.

C. Discussion and Review by City Council of Request Made by Ms. Judy
Anthrop RE: Plaque (see agenda item no. 9B-1 above.
Balmer recalled a letter of November 22, 2005 to the Douglas Historical
Preservation Commission in which a recognition plaque was promised in front of Dutcher Lodge. Balmer apologized that this recognition has been overlooked and related he would work to find and install a plaque. He thanked Ms. Anthrop for reminding him of his promise.

12. Staff Reports
A. Building/Planning/Zoning/Enforcement
Letter dated January 15, 2009 from Planning & Zoning Consultant,
Ryan Kilpatrick, to Mr. Blaine McLeod, Director of Equalization, Allegan
County.
Letter to Mr. McLeod requesting review of lot split/combination process
by Allegan County Equalization.

B. Finance/Budget
1. Revenue/Expenditure Budget Summary Report for the Period
of 7/1/2008 to 12/31/2008
2. Investment Schedule as of 12/31/08
3. Wire Transfer/ACH Payment Summary for the Month Ended
December 31, 2008
Kowal indicated there would be more amendments to the 2008/2009
budget forthcoming.

13. Committee Reports
A. Planning Commission - Waddell
At the January 14th meeting the Planning Commission recommended
approval or the zoning ordinance.
An indoor segway track was approved for the Saugatuck Brewing
Company building.

B. Community Recreation Advisory Board - Bailey
(See accompanying report prepared by Councilperson Bailey regarding
the Tuesday, January 13, 2009 meeting of the Community Recreation
Advisory Board)
Bailey reminded everyone of the Poker Night fund raiser at Poker Zone in
Holland on February 25, 26 and 27.

C. Kalamazoo Lake Sewer & Water Authority Board - Urquhart
The January 19th meeting has been rescheduled to January 26th.

D. Police Commission - Bailey
The Police Commission approved adjustments to the budget.
A recommendation for hiring will be coming after interview with police officer candidates.
A discussion was held regarding the number of assistance calls the
department responds to that are actually within Saugatuck Township.

14. Council Comments
Urquhart commended the excellent job of pavement crack sealing on Blue Star
Highway.
Bailey offered congratulations to Felicia Fairchild for submitting the application
to the National Trust that resulted in the award for the 2009 Dozen Distinctive
Destinations.
Hoexter offered compliments on the English Tea Reception.
Bailey, Sapita and Hoexter attended the Community Leaders Meeting on January
14th.
Harvath commented he appreciates the financial reports each month. And the
City is looking great.
Sapita complimented the DPW for excellent snow plowing removal services.

15. Mayor’s Report/Comments
Balmer related the tea reception turned out very well and thanked Felicia
Fairchild for filing the application for the award.

16. Approval of Invoices
A. Consideration of Approval of Invoices dated 1/16/09 in the
amount of $117,038.36.
Motion by Bailey with support from Urquhart to approve invoices dated 1/16/09 totaling $117,038.36. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
Manager Kowal noted approximately $80,000 was for the new plow truck.
Hoexter asked whether the DPW would someday have the equipment to
install and remove the banners, wreaths and decorations themselves.

17. Manager’s Report
A. Received an email reminder of the Allegan County Transportation
Stakeholder Group meeting in Otsego on Wednesday. Kowal and
Balmer are unable to attend.
B. A special council meeting is scheduled for next Monday, January 26th,
to talk with Paul Galdes, Fleis & VandenBrink about establishing ready
to go projects. We need to be prepared with projects when there may be Federal funding available soon. Meeting will commence at 5:00 p.m.

C. Both suspended Officer Long and terminated Officer Zerbe have filed
for an arbitration hearing. The Union will pay their fees. The city’s
legal fees may be estimated at $10,000 if both cases are heard as one.
D. Kowal and Chief Giles have concerns with the roll the Police Department
will play if the City of Saugatuck acquires the Denison property.
E. Thanks to Felicia Fairchild for the work done on getting the National
Trust award and staff for putting together the tea reception.

18. Hear from the Audience (Limit three minutes for general comments)
A. No comments.

19. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by:

Jean E. Neve, CMC
City Clerk

Approved by: ____________________________________________________________
Matt Balmer, Mayor

Certification of Minutes

I hereby certify that the attached is a true and correct copy of the minutes of a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of the Village of Douglas held on January 19, 2009. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.

________________________________________ __________________
Jean E. Neve, City Clerk Date