By David Hutchinson
The Regular Meeting was held in the Surrey Township Hall on February 10. All five board members were present—Dixie Adams, Mindy Campbell, Mike Coon, Glenna Bradbury, and Paul Ghinelli. Around 20 people attended. The board discussed ordinances, a new audit, and scheduled a town hall meeting for March 24 at 6 p.m.
The board started with approving the agenda and the meeting minutes from January 13 and January 27.
Then payment of bills was approved. Bills included BS&A Software and Central Restoration. It was explained that the restoration expense was an insurance deductible for repairs following a flood in the township hall.
For the Treasurer’s Report, Clerk Bradbury said data was not yet finished transferring from BS&A to Cogitate.
For the Fire Report, Dave Williams stood at the podium and said January “wasn’t too bad.” He added that the fire department might get new pagers in the near future, but prices had gone up.
An attendee asked Williams to speak into the podium’s microphone because she could not hear him clearly. It was noted that the meeting room’s microphones were not charged that day.
For the Zoning Report, Tom Grabmeyer was absent, but he sent a letter to be read in his place. There were zero permits, one citation, and more citations expected. The cell tower project was “ongoing.” His MSU course work was nearing completion. Wade Trim of Mount Pleasant had an update regarding the Master Plan. GFL had reported $15,000 in donated dumpster services for blight cases. Ghinelli disagreed on the calculation for GFL’s donation.
For the Planning Report, Dixie Adams said a public hearing was held on the ordinance regarding the cell tower project.
For the County Report, Jacob Gross said the last meeting covered “policy stuff.” The State of Michigan required counties to contribute funds for veterans’ funerals.
Supervisor Coon asked about the county’s ambulance service situation, saying there had been no update for a year. Gross had little information, but he said “medical control” meetings were held in Mount Pleasant.
For Unfinished Business, board members looked through papers reviewing bids for testing of landfill monitoring wells. There was “a lot to read.” Looking at the bids, it was noted they were “all more than our current company.” The board tabled the matter until March.
Regarding the Master Plan update, Wade Trim had bid $18,500. There was another bid for $19,080. The board accepted Wade Trim. It was noted that the cost was better than the earlier estimate of $27,000. The board passed the matter to the planning commission for review.
Regarding the fireworks ordinance, the board discussed fees. One concern was that $500 might be too little, and businesses could “peel off” money for such “scratch.” The fee schedule was approved, the first resolution for 2026.
Regarding road repairs for 2026, it was noted that David Bondie was unavailable lately. The township had already spent $40,000 last year which was a “great deal.” The board agreed there was nothing to do about the matter until there was “proof” of funds.
Regarding tree damage in the township cemetery, the board discussed the cost of repair and whether or no to use insurance. The township library had one insurance claim, and the township had two claims. No headstones were damaged. The board received a bid for $2,800 to fix recent tree damage in the cemetery plus previous damages. Board members decided not to use insurance, and they approved payment for repairs.
Then the board discussed possible movement of funds from monitor well testing to General Fund. Three wells were associated with the Transfer Facility, the rest with the old landfill.
Ghinelli had done some research and shared his findings. “We need advice.” There was a possibility that the township would have to refund some money to taxpayers. He cited a 5% profit threshold, where anything above that had to go back to taxpayers. “We can’t be profitable.” Trustee Adams read a document aloud regarding the rubbish assessment. The board approved “sending it to Bloom.”
The next topic was the Michigan State Housing Development Authority grant. The board noted that the public hearing could not be held tonight because only four days notice were given. Regulations required a minimum of five days. The board rescheduled the public hearing for March 10 as part of the regular meeting at 6 p.m.
For New Business, the board discussed hiring a forensic audit. Members looked through papers and engaged in soft-spoken conversation. They considered dollar-per-hour rates, retainer/deposit, and document file formats. The Raymond Group handled Excel and CSV files, but charged extra for PDF documents. The firm was recommended by the township’s auditor and lawyer. The board approved hiring the Raymond Group.
Regarding the township’s money-borrowing status from the State of Michigan, the board explained that they were not “suspended.” They were no longer “pre-approved” for loans. The township did not normally take loans so the matter was not considered an emergency.
A laptop was needed for Board of Review and management of the upcoming MSHDA grant. The computer would need to be able to print “property cards” and access BS&A Software services.
The board had four price quotes. All choices had 14-inch screens, similar storage and memory, and “comparable” processors. “They’re all the same.” The main difference was the brands. The cheapest one was Dell. The board approved purchasing the Dell laptop for $1,150.
Then the board addressed amending Ordinance 17 regarding cell towers. Rod Williams of the Planning Commission was absent, but he sent a letter for the board to read. He reported a public hearing for Ordinance 17, Article 5, Section 502, “wireless communication support facility.”
The amendment would take effect eight days after publication, and it removed the previous allowable height of cell towers.
Steve Byers of the Planning Commission was present in the audience, and he provided more information to the board. He said the amendment allowed cell towers in agricultural areas. A Michigan-licensed engineer would determine “setback” and height.
The board approved the ordinance amendment.
For Public Comment, an attendee objected to township officials “disparaging” citizens’ participation in meetings. She quoted statements from various meetings, including “very mean,” “same four people,” “you are snotty,” “out of control,” and “treats them so poorly.” She said that officials should use more “objective language.”
Byers said the township’s ordinances “need to be reviewed” because they were out of date regarding technology. Modern issues included solar farms and “short-term rentals.”
Byers had suggestions to improve the Transfer Facility for nearby residents. Evergreen plants could provide a “buffer” from noise and smell. Most of the “beeping” noise was from inside the barn so insulation could help that.
Another attendee said she did not receive “lottery” money or government assistance. Seeing her hard-earned money go to taxes which were not spent “correctly” was upsetting.
Someone else talked about the township’s situation regarding borrowing money. He objected to “wipin’ sweat from our head” and not being alarmed about the matter. “I give you the money to pay the bills!”
Bradbury explained that she was not trained to process W-2 and 1099 forms with the new BS&A system. She said bills were paid on time, but filing forms at the end of the fiscal year was delayed due to software problems. That situation “never happened before.”
Another attendee said the forensic audit was a “long time coming.” She agreed about some township officials’ negative “attitudes” towards attendees’ questions. She added that tonight’s meeting was “very nice.”
For Board Comment, Ghinelli expressed “hate” for how much money was spent by governments. He came from a “business world” and “family of Italians.” Numerous expenses and regulations were “hard to swallow.” Data centers were “going all over the state” as well as solar panels.
Ghinelli said township board meetings were “gettin’ better.” Being on the board was a “tough spot.” He expressed unhappiness spending taxpayer money. “Take, take, take!” Property values and taxes kept going up. “We just take, and it’s hard!” “You’re my neighbors.”
Bradbury said a government job was “unlike any other job.” Officials had to put “logic aside and follow the laws.” “The short way is never the way.” 2025 was a rough year for her, both personally and professionally. “It was hard.” “It was horrible for a lot of people.”
Treasurer Campbell said there was a policies meeting scheduled for March 5 at 6 p.m. There were 17 pages for board members to read before that meeting.
Ghinelli said government “tipped me over” with “confusing” rules. The audit was the “craziest thing you ever saw!”
Coon said, “We are trying to make things smoother.” The board was trying to “keep things moving forward.” Government was “so screwed up” because it “takes forever to do anything.”
Coon also said that Ghinelli, as Deputy Supervisor, was “very unique” because of the diverse people he knew. For many different fields of expertise, Ghinelli knew somebody.
Coon had a new house so he knew firsthand that “taxes are crazy.” Road improvements made property values increase.
Coon said that Waste Management wanted to bid against GFL for the township’s next rubbish contract. Getting public input on the matter was important. He added that GFL wanted to buy the Transfer Facility.
The township’s “loan issue” was not taken “lightly,” according to Coon. “We have to live with it.” He said it was “very difficult sitting here” in a government position. Regulations had “our hands tied” regarding productivity.
Regarding “snide comments,” Coon apologized on behalf of the board to attendees. He explained members’ frustrations with how much they could accomplish outside of meetings. Board members sometimes irritated each other or “we have a bad day,” but they were trying to be as open and transparent as possible.
Ghinelli expressed interest in Heartland Materials Management “consortium meetings.” “People in the industry” told him the Transfer Facility was “extremely valuable.” “The numbers would scare you!”
It was noted that the township’s contract with GFL would expire in April 2027. Bradbury left the room to check a calendar. The board scheduled a town hall meeting for March 24 at 6 p.m. to discuss the Transfer Facility and contract. Coon encouraged as many residents to attend as possible. The more “the merrier.”
The board discussed ways for improving meeting efficiency. Ideas included “work session” meetings and setting deadlines for getting relevant documents in advance of regular meetings.
Board members also discussed correspondence with the Raymond Group for the forensic audit. It was hoped the audit would be finished this summer. The firm’s hourly rate was “kinda scary.”
The meeting adjourned about 8 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for March 10 at 6 p.m.
