City Council

Watson Township Board Meeting 1895 118th Ave. Allegan, MI 49010 February 8, 2024 Call to Order: 7:02 P.M. Present: Kevin Travis, Tera Davis, and Kelli Morris. Absent: Michelle Harris and John Caras. Agenda: Clerk Morris made a motion to approve the agenda, Treasurer Davis supported, all in favor, motion carried. Minutes: Supervisor Travis made a motion to approve the minutes from January as presented, Treasurer Davis supported, all in favor, motion carried. Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Davis gave the Treasurer’s report of account balances. Supervisor Travis made a motion to approve the report as given, Clerk Morris supported, all in favor, motion carried. Bills: Treasurer Davis made a motion to pay the bills in the amount of $19,744.11, Clerk Morris supported, all in favor, motion carried. 2024 Election Candidates: Mike Villar introduced himself and his wife Becky. He let the board and audience know he was running for Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney position. He gave everyone a little insight on the status of the office he is running for. He does not believe the county is winning enough cases and is overcharging offenders. He also explains that his position on the ballot will be determined in August Primary. Lastly, he encourages everyone to vote in the August election and he would absolutely appreciate everyone’s support. PUBLIC COMMENT: Open- 7:26 P.M. Resident at 1657 20th Street let the board know he was looking for options or advice on what he should do about his property being so wet. There was discussion on the topic including digging a pond for run off. Other suggestions included contacting the Allegan County Road Commission or Drain Commission to clean the ditches, or even allowing the resident to clean the ditches himself. Ordinance officer Davis suggests petitioning the drain commission first. The board also suggested contacting EGLE for a permit before digging any sort of pond. Closed 7:42 P.M. REPORTS: A. County Commissioner Report: None. B. Planning Commission: The planning commission had no new business and had a re-organizational meeting. C. Martin Fire Department: Martin Fire Department gave the board an oral and written report of fire/ emergency calls over the past month, as well as totals for the year. The highlight for the report was the department has three new cadets in the fire program and all are doing well. D. Hopkins Fire Department: Assistant Chief Beilby gave the board a report from the Hopkins Fire Department for the past year. He highlighted that the response times have been way below the national average.  E. WAEMS: EMT Trevor Bielby gave a report for WAEMS. Highlights were approving the budget for building two more bedrooms, for the department. Also, they are able to build a weight room through the receipt of outside donations. F. Libraries: Reports were emailed. G. Sexton: Mark Simpson introduced Cory Irish, who he has recruited to take the position of Sexton, with the approval of the board. Mark will get him started and be available to assist with any questions so that the transition is smooth. The board thanks Mark for his service to the township and wishes him the best in his future. H. Code Enforcement: Ordinance Code Enforcement Officer Jim Davis reported on the open cases and explained that a few cases had been extended due to inclement weather. Old Business: A. NorthStar Ag v. Watson Twp. Et.al: Supervisor Travis made a motion to approve the settlement of NorthStar Ag v. Watson Twp. as proposed, Clerk Morris supported roll call vote: Davis-yes; Morris-yes; and Travis-yes; motion passed by a vote of 3-yes and 0-no votes (with two members absent). New Business: A. Budget Workshop Date: The Budget Workshop date will be Tuesday March 5th at 7:00 P.M. B. Re-Appoint Owen Ramey – Planning Commission: Supervisor Travis made a motion to re-appoint Owen Ramey to the Watson Township Planning Commission for term ending February 1, 2027; Treasurer Davis supported, all in favor, motion carried. Adjourn: Supervisor Travis made a motion to adjourn, Treasurer Davis supported, all in favor, motion carried. Adjourn: 7:55 PM ___________________________________________________ Kelli Morris