They covered many items at tonight's meeting:
A. Special Orders
1. Public Hearing General Fund Budget Fiscal Year 2015 starts at 3:25 in the video.
2. Set Special Town Board Meeting for November 17, 2014 starts at 4:10
The Public Comments start at 5:10
Under New Business they covered the following items. This starts at 14:25 You can see the budget here 2015 Bridgeport Budget Report
1. General Fund Budget FY2015
2. Cemetery Budget FY2015
3. Refuse Budget FY2015
4. Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Budget FY2015
5. Buildings & Codes Budget FY2015
6. Drug Enforcement Budget FY2015
7. Williamson Acres Budget FY2015
8. Construction Fund Budget FY2015
9. Equipment Pool Budget FY2015 (this was scratched from the list for tonight)
10. Resolution R14-20 Foreclosed Properties Saginaw County
11. Resolution R14-21 General Fund Appropriation Act FY2015
12. Resolution R14-22 Designating County Drainage District/Petition-Southfield Village
13. Sidewalks 5 year assessment at 1.25% interest rate
14. 2015 Township Attorney list
15. 2015 Township Board Meeting Schedule
16. 2015 Township Designated Holidays
17. 2015 Financial Institutions
18. 2015 Planning Commission Schedule
19. Set Public Hearing Date for Public Safety Assessment for Police and Fire starts at 29:10 in the video.
20. Sale of 1999 Malibu starts at 29:55
21. Special land use 5195 Dixie Hwy. #09-11-5-05-4003-000 starts at 31:24
22. Special land use Roedel Rd. #09-11-5-13-3003-004 starts at 33:12
23. Resignation of Trustee Vanessa Guerra starts at 34:30
Comments by the board members starts at 37:00
Even though I do not have children in the Bridgeport Schools I still try to follow what is going on in the school system here since this is my hometown and I did attend school here. With all the talk about the problems lately concerning the schools I decided to attend my first school board meeting. I was disappointed by some of the things I saw there. I don't know all the facts, I don't personally know any of the people involved, so I will keep my opinion to myself on many of the items brought up at this meeting.
There are a few things though I would like to comment on:
These problems did not happen overnight, not even over just the last three years. They have been building for many many years.
The DREADED 3 minute rule for public comments! I think the more diplomatic way to handle that matter would have been to politely say something like "We request that you keep your comments to 3 minutes so that everyone will have a chance to get up and speak". The way that it was handled by the board president was not tactful.
Marti Sageman, I believe you love this community and especially the schools. You have served your community for many years, but maybe it is time for you to step back and let others step in and lead.
I was very impressed that there were so many students that showed up at the meeting and of the ones that got up to speak. It is always good to see young people care and get involved.
I was impressed to see so many residents come to the meeting! I would love to see that kind of interest in our township government meetings.
One thing that I found distasteful, disrespectful, was when some audience members got up and walked out while the superintendent was speaking at the end of the meeting. It appeared to me that one of the audience members was raising his arms and motioning for the audience members to get up and leave. Was that meant as a protest against the superintendent or just disrespect towards him, toward the board? I found it disrespectful to all of us that were attending. There is no room for grandstanding by anyone when there is so much at stake.
If the residents, students, teachers, want to be heard and be respected, to work on solving the problems, you need to start with listening and showing respect and a willingness to work together.
There are so many problems in the schools it is going to take a lot of work, a lot of cooperation, to straighten them out. It is going to take time and patience.
Good Luck to the superintendent, the board, the staff, the students, the parents, in solving the problems that the school system is facing.
On the agenda was:
- High School Principal Recommendation/Appointment which begins at about 3:40 into the video.
- 2013 Audit Presentation by Yeo & Yeo begins at 4:35
- Brucker Roof Discussion begins at 32:20
- Staff and Student of the Month Recognition begins at 33:55
- Special Education Update begins at 42:18
- Martin G. Atkins Elementary Update begins at 59:25
- Martin G. Atkins Middle School Update begins at 1:08:55
- High School Update begins at 1:15:50
- Citizen Participation/Public Comment begins at 1:25:20 and lasts for about 1 hour.
Battle of the signs and common sense in Bridgeport..........
I see these two signs while out and about here in Bridgeport. To me they represent the two paths that Bridgeport residents can take on November 4th.
The Yes Path will lead to a safer and better community for our residents. I have posted videos and blog posts concerning the police and fire departments special assessments. You can find all the facts and figures there.
This was a presentation given by Police Chief Dave Duffett and Fire Chief Patrick Nelson in October at the Bridgeport Gun Club http://bridgeportmusings.blogspot.com/2014/10/bridgeport-township-police-and-fire.html
They both post updates on their departments and what is going on in the community. You can also sign up for the Constant Contact emails from the township government. They include the logs of all the police and fire department calls every week, what meetings are coming up and the minutes of the meetings. If you have any doubt that we need more money for the two departments, just read the weekly list of calls. I know that in my neighborhood crime continues to increase. You can see all the past call logs on the township website under the departments. http://bridgeportmi.org/ The link to sign up for the emails is at the bottom of the website.
The Bridgeport Township Government also has a Facebook page you can follow. They post updates for the community, the police and fire department call logs, etc..... https://www.facebook.com/bridgeporttownship
The information is out there for the residents, in the meetings, online, in the weekly Birch Run/Bridgeport Herald newspaper, or you can contact any of the township officials or the police and fire departments. It is up to the residents to make the effort to seek this information out, to get involved in our community.
The No Path is a path into the past really. It is not the path to a better future for our community, a safer path for the members of our police and fire departments that we expect to be there to protect and serve our community; it is a path into the bitterness of the past, of the battles that took place in our community and divided our community. There is no hope for a prosperous future on this No Path.
I was reading a article online about social media and there was a comment in there that struck a chord with me when thinking about the future of Bridgeport: "Instead, it’s that we’re a culture of complainers. We use complaints as icebreakers or to bond with others: What’s with this weather? What’s with our boss? We use complaints to establish rapport. Studies have suggested that complaining adds years to your life by helping us release tension. But we also complain because it’s in our nature, and we’re more apt to complain than to do something about it."
It was especially the last line that reminded me of the problems in Bridgeport, that we are more apt to complain than to do something about it. I had become one of the complainers and haters, was doing nothing to make this a better community. It is time for some of our residents to let go of the past and move forward if we want to have any hope for the future of our little community. Do something positive, make a difference!!
I am not saying that we should just blindly accept everything that goes on. If you see something you don't like, think is wrong, stand up, fight for change. BUT there is a difference between fighting for a better future and just bitching, complaining, being negative towards everything in our community. Some peoples energy would be better spent doing something positive instead of the same old worn out tiresome hate.
Bridgeport Township Police Chief Dave Duffett and Fire Chief Patrick Nelson gave a presentation at the Bridgeport Gun Club of the details for the Police and Fire Special Assessments that will be on the November ballot.
There are several things I would like to point out right up front.
First is the language on the ballot that seems confusing to most people that I have shown it to. It states "Shall the entire unincorporated portion of Bridgeport Charter Township...". Some people think that means that only part of Bridgeport will be assessed or that it is some kind of subterfuge language. It is not subterfuge it is just legalese language. The assessment will be on ALL tax parcels in Bridgeport that have one or more structures on the parcel, not on any vacant parcels.
Second is that the Bridgeport Downtown Development Authority does not capture any monies from special assessments like these. So no matter what anyone may say, the DDA will not be getting any of this money, it is just for the fire and police departments.
Lastly, these proposals on the ballot will just be to approve the special assessment district. The ballot language does list the proposed flat rate cost for the police and fire departments, but after the assessments are approved, then there will another public hearing on November 17th, 2014 to set the rate. The public can come to this special hearing and have their say on what the costs for the assessment should be. The cost WILL NOT go any higher than what is listed on the ballot. This is my understanding of the technicalities and hopefully I have that correct!
Chief Duffett and Chief Nelson provide such good information on their departments and on the special assessment in this meeting. Please take the time to watch it!!
Here is some information from the handouts they provided at the meeting.
For the Police Department:
The proposed rate is $37.80 per tax parcel with one or more structures for a 5 year period.
The money raised will be used to bring back 2 full time Police Officer positions, and to fund their uniforms and gear.
Their current staffing level includes 1 Police Chief, 1 Sgt/Uniformed Investigator and 6 Patrol Officers. At their current staffing levels there are times when there is no officer on duty due to things like vacations or illness. With two more officers they will be able to maintain 24/7 coverage.
In 2011, they responded to 7,240 calls.
In 2012, they responded to 6,807 calls (the decrease was due to their low staffing levels at that time).
In 2013, they responded to 8,159 calls.
For 2014 they are on pace to respond to approximately 8,800 calls.
With the two new officers they would be able to be proactive in trying to prevent crime in Bridgeport, instead of just reactive.
If you have any questions you can contact them at 989-777-2800 or by email - dduffett@bridgeportmi.org
The township website is www.bridgeportmi.org
The Police Department Facebook page is Bridgeport Township Police Department
For the Fire Department:
They have a lot of information about their department and their needs so it will just be easier to post a copy of the pages of information they provided. Just click on each photo to see a larger version of it.
If you have any questions you can contact them
Fire Chief Patrick Nelson
989-777-2400 ext 233
email - fire@bridgeportmi.org
The township website is www.bridgeportmi.org
The Fire Department Facebook page is Bridgeport Township Fire Department
MY THOUGHTS ON THE ASSESSMENT
I am hoping that our residents will get out and vote for these two assessments!! Anyone that lives in this township knows that we need more police protection. I know right in my neighborhood the crime has increased. Chief Duffett quoted some FBI stats about the police levels for similar population size townships and they have 18 police officers, we only have 8. We need these two other officers and it would be nice to be sure we always have 24/7 protection.
The Fire Department is in need of support from our community. They have a long list of the things they need to just maintain the fire station, their apparatus (vehicles) and their equipment.
The men and women from both of these departments literally put their lives on the line to protect all of us in our community and we need to support them.
PLEASE VOTE YES ON NOVEMBER 4TH FOR THESE TWO ASSESSMENTS
Discussed at the Downtown Development Authority meeting: Under Old Business: 1. Canoe Launch which starts at 1:55 in the video. 2. Great Lakes Discovery Center which starts at 5:50 in the video. 3. 2015 Budget which starts at 7:35 in the video. 4. 6001 Dixie Hwy - Update which starts at 18:53 in the video. 5. Beautification - Update which starts at 22:50 in the video. 6. Christmas Decorations which starts at 25:45 in the video.
DDA Coordinator's Report starts at 30:20 in the video. DDA Board Member Comments begin at 35:00 in the video.
Items discussed at tonight's meeting were: Public Comment period which begins at 3:05 in the video. Under New Business: 1. Resolution R-14-14 Canoe/Kayak Launch Committed Funds which begins at 5:15 in the video. 2. Resolution R-14-15 Southfield Village drain district which begins at 6:25 in the video. Saginaw County Drain Commissioner Brian Wendling gives a report on the drain subject. 3. Set public hearing date for General Fund Budget 2015 which begins at 11:22 in the video. 4. C.E.O. Energy Company presentation by Tom Maher which begins at 12:30 in the video. 5. ROWE Professional Services Company - Zoning Update Services which begins at 26:28 in the video. 6. Proclamation acknowledging Jimmie Sanders which begins at 27:55 in the video. Board Comments begin at 32:45 in the video.
Discussed at today's meeting: Under New Business - 1. Beautification Meeting Update which begins about 2:30 in the video. Under Old Business - 1. Canoe Launch begins at 23:38 in the video. 2. Public Meeting Update - 4422 Williamson property begins at 38:12 in the video. 3. I-75 Billboard Update begins at 53:10 in the video. 4. 2015 Budget begins at 56:18 in the video. 5. DDA Sidewalks begins at 58:20 in the video.
DDA Coordinator's Report begins at 1:15:48 in the video.
This was a special meeting open to the public to discuss future development plans for a parcel of property in downtown Bridgeport next to the Historic State Street Bridge that is owned by the DDA Board. The property was at one time the Bridgeport Oil and Gas Station, most recently it was the
B & S Heating and Cooling building.
Carl Hamann and Steve Dobis, the DDA Coordinator, gave a presentation to some of the DDA board members and other Bridgeport Township Employees.
Items discussed at tonight's meeting were: First up were a few
members of the community speaking about the sidewalk repairs during the
public comment period. There was also a brief discussion/explanation
about the sidewalk repairs. Begins at about 2:30 in the video.
Under New Business: 1. R-14-3 Revising Grant Application - Canoe/Kayak Launch begins at 15:30 in the video. 2. Township Committed Funds - Canoe/Kayak Launch begins at 17:20 in the video. 3. Sidewalks - Agnew Construction begins at 19:35 in the video. 4. Halloween Hours begins at 22:25 in the video. 5. Deputy Clerk Resignation begins at 23:33 in the video. 6. New Deputy Clerk Appointment begins at 24:50 in the video.
Closing comments by board members begins at 29:12 in the video.
Items discussed at the meeting were: First was that the public
hearing for the Public Safety Special Assessment for the Police and Fire
Departments has been moved to November 17th.
Under Special Orders - Public Hearing for Sidewalk Repairs starts at 4:25
in the video. The hearing lasts about 44 minutes with many good
questions, discussions, suggestions, interaction by both the residents
and the township.
Public Comment starts at 48:36 in the video. Saginaw County Commissioner Cheryl Hadsall spoke.
Committee Reports from the Building and Grounds Commission is at 52:35 in the video.
Under New Business: 1. Parks and Recreation Report by the Parks and Recreation Director Bill Wheeler starts at 53:25 2. Townline Road Project - Blackmar to I-75 starts at 01:00:36 3. Sidewalk Repairs starts at 01:04:40 in the video. There was also more public input on the subject that lasts about 40 minutes. 4. Bids on 2000 Chevrolet Malibu starts at 01:40:05 5. Ballot Language Proposal - Public Safety - Police starts at 01:40:45 6. Ballot Language Proposal - Public Safety - Fire starts at 01:43:00 There are closing comments by Manager Rose Licht and the Township Board members, these start at
01:45:07
