The Dorr Township Board Thursday night voted to rescind its action last month to have bank statements included in board packets before their meetings.
Board members had voted 4-3 in September to have bank statements included after Trustee Chandler Stanton raised objections to a budget shortfall of $8,250, about $5,000 of which was reimbursed by United Bank. Stanton said such poor stewardship of taxpayers’ money should not be tolerated.
Dorr Township has a general fund budget of more than two and a half million dollars.
But Thursday night the vote was 5-2 to back off the practice after Supervisor Jeff Miling got in touch with the township’s attorneys, auditors and web site manager. The attorneys and auditor recommended last month’s action be rescinded because it could only create more problems.
Stanton said the budget shortfall had existed since January and nothing had been done to correct the issue.
Treasurer Myrna Marr said the account had been hacked and she didn’t even begin her duties until last December after being elected for the first time.
Miling, while moving to rescind last month’s action, said, “I don’t feel comfortable with bank statements on line. If the public wants that information they can come into the township office and ask for it.”
Stanton disagreed, saying, “It’s a sad day, a disgrace that we don’t follow what we pass… I was hoping there would be disclosure about it (the money) being stolen. So why would we inhibit discussion?”
Miling said that when the proposal was made to provide the board members with bank statements, “It was not well thought out.”
He said the discrepancy was well disguised and a trained auditor found it because he knew what he was looking for.
Trustee John Tuinstra, who voted last month in favor, but reversed himself in light of new information, said he believed Miling did the right thing by investigating the next move with the attorneys and the auditor, but he agreed with Stanton’s attempt to get to the bottom of why there has been a shortfall.
“We have a moral obligation to look at these things,” he argued.
But he noted the deputy treasurer permitted him to look at the statements Thursday morning and he appreciated it.
Clerk Debbie Sewers tried to make a motion to have the treasurer provide her and the supervisor with bank statements before each meeting, but it went nowhere because the board was in the midst of debating the rescinding of last month’s action.
Miling, Tuinstra, Dan Weber, Pat Champion and Marr voted to rescind the action, but Sewers and Stanton dissented.
In other business at Thursday night’s meeting, the board:
- Welcomed new Library Director Jeffrey Babbitt, who fills a position that had been vacant for the past year. A new Hopkins-Dorr Library Director was hired in January, but she chose to work only at Hopkins before leaving last month.
- Approved the rezoning request from Kraig Koroleski to change a B-1 commercial plot to mixed use planned unity development. He plans to use the parcel for a house, accessory building and landscaping business. His request was recommended earlier this month by the Planning Commission.
- Was told by Fire Chief Gary Fordham that the department continues to be busy, handling 198 calls compared to 138 by the same date a year ago.
- Agreed to granting Paws with a Cause a license to hold raffles in the next year. Tuinstra dissented because of his moral opposition to gambling.
- Noted there now is a sign that calls attention to the third voting precinct in the township, at Dorr Christian Reformed Church in addition to St. Peter’s Church and the township hall.
