A proposal to set aside $26,0
00 in the budget to buy an electronic sign at the township hall was tabled indefinitely on a 6-0 vote of the Dorr Township Board Tuesday night.
Clerk Brian Boot said the idea was to purchase a sign a lot like the one at the Dorr Township Library and use it as a way to tell citizens about what’s going on in the community and promote coming events. He also said the current manual sign is difficult to change, especially in the winter when there is snow on the ground.
Midwest Signs provided three options, the cheapest at $13,740, the most expensive at $20,280 and the one between them at $18,930.
The proposal was opposed almost immediately by Trustee John Tuinstra, who said the $26,000 instead should be moved to another budget area to handle fire equipment. A half-mill request for fire equipment replacement was defeated in the special election May 5 and two other fire equipment millage requests were turned away in 2012.
Earlier in the same meeting, Fire Chief Gary Fordham told the board the department’s 1995 tanker had two leaks needing repairs, a battery needs to be charged for the 2000 unit and a bad valve needs to be taken care of in the department’s main vehicle, a 2003 fire truck.
An audience member joined Tuinstra’s protest, saying, “I don’t believe we need to spend that kind of money on a sign.”
Tuinstra told his board colleagues, “I can’t believe that it’s difficult to change the sign unless it’s in a snow bank.”
He added that the township maintenance man could be called in to change lettering and if necessary he’d do it himself on occasion. He insisted the current sign in front of the township hall is adequate and can be maintained “at nowhere near the expense of an electrical sign.”
Office Manager Vicki Fifelski said an electronic sign should be viewed as a potential asset to the community because it could provide essential information about service club activities, township business and coming events such as blood drives.
Trustee Dan Weber then asked, “Why not save the $26,000 for something like roads?”
He moved to table the issue indefinitely, and the board agreed on a 6-0 vote with Trustee Josh Otto absent.
