The Martin Township Board continues to grapple with a proposed cost recovery ordinance and would like a more simple and specific law.

Board members Wednesday evening discussed the proposed ordinance, which would allow the local fire department to recoup costs associated with services provided. Officials are stressing they don’t want any township residents to have to pay additional costs since they already pay taxes.

Township Treasurer Sue Tiemeyer said she read the draft of the proposed ordinance and commented, “I don’t like this. There is no verbiage about non-residents… This could really get expensive for our residents who are already paying taxes and that’s not fair.”

The fire department has insisted it doesn’t want to make local residents pay more for services. The impetus for the ordinance is that Consumers Energy summons firefighters who watch over downed power lines and sometimes they have to be at the scene for several hours.

Martin Township Fire Chief Earl Wykstra has said he wants to find a way to recoup these kinds of costs in terms of hours and manpower.

“I don’t want to open a can of worms here,” Tiemeyer said, “I just don’t want us to get in trouble.”

Board members agreed to ask Wykstra to come up with a more simple ordinance that would be more specific about who would be liable to pay and for what services.

In other business, Township Board members:

• Tabled for more information an inquiry from an unnamed credit union about purchase price for the Grinage lot in downtown Martin Village.
• Learned from Wykstra that the fire department will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, for Halloween safety checks and hot dogs, chips, doughnuts and cider will be available.
• Adopted an ordinance amendment acknowledging rate increases for sewage system customers of the Gun Lake Area Sewer Authority. Supervisor Glenn Leep said the increases for connections was the first in 10 years. Yankee Springs, Orangeville and Wayland townships already have adopted the rates.
• Were told by Alice Kelsey that the new sign for the renovated JC Wheeler Library entrance is expected to arrive sometime next week. The entrance was damaged by an errant vehicle last year and repaired.

PHOTO: Township Clerk Rachelle Smit received praise from Treasurer Sue Tiemeyer for presenting a clean audit in just her first year on the job.

PHOTO: Scott Kuykendall, a local storyteller and historian, will be guest speaker at the Wheeler Library at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, with the intriguing topic, “Scandalous Allegan County.”