Leighton Township Supervisor Steve Wolbrink plans to have a meeting soon with Kirk Scharphorn of Professional Code Inspections about recent complaints of poor constituent service.
The move, announced Thursday night at the Leighton Township Board meeting, comes 24 hours after resident Richard Post appeared before the Planning Commission to present critical comments about PCI.
Township Trustee John Hooker, who represents the board on the Planning Commission, said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him (Post) like that before.”
“He was not pleased last night, I could tell that,” said Steve Shoemaker, a commission member.
The complaints Hooker said he’s been getting are about PCI’s lack of responsiveness to questions and complaints in a timely manner.
But Shoemaker said there also was a discrepancy in what Post was told he could or couldn’t do with a project.
Treasurer Jacie Bultsma said, “The needs of the township are not being met,” and suggested that if corrections are not made soon, the township may need to seen zoning enforcement services elsewhere.
Fern Oldeshaw, who sits on the Dorr-Leighton Sewer Authority, said, “It’s like pulling teeth to get adequate and correct information.”
In other business Thursday, the Township Board:
- Was told there will be a special Fly-In celebration at Clark Galloway’s Air Park Saturday, June 19, featuring as many as 200 single-engine planes and the sale of fund-raising shirts to benefit the Fire Department.
- Learned that the Planning Commission Wednesday night took no action on inquiries by Steve Oetman on prospects for initiating a residential development between 142nd Avenue and Ninth Street. The site actually is listed on the master plan as preference for being zoned agricultural.
- Approved Clerk Rachel Fennema’s appointment of her daughter, Ellie, to the deputy clerk’s position, with pay at $15 per hour.
- Renewed membership in the Michigan Township Association with the annual fee of $4,818.95.
- Approved the hires of Tim Rose and Greg Bultsma as new firefighters. Chief Matt Weston said the department now has 30 members, the highest it has been in some time.
“We lose them quicker than we can train them,” Weston explained about department personnel turnover.
The chief also noted that things finally have slowed down to normal levels of calls, just like with other area departments.
- Was told by Library Board member Faith Miedema that bids for the work on expanding the Township Library will be opened June 23.
- Approved a request from Surf Broadband to install non-exclusive fiber optic cable in the township.
We are losing our farming community in agricultural area. someone needs to say no to all these new developments out here. you want to live in a development there’s a city just to the north called Grand rapids.