Area Realtor Brian Silvernail Monday evening took the Hopkins Township Board to task, accusing it of going against the will of the people by creating a DDA District and making an agreement with the Village of Hopkins for sewer services.
The Township Board last week in a special meeting voted to approve a 425 agreement to establish conditions under which the village will supply sewer to 13 properties along a corridor on 12th Street, just to the west of the U.S.-131 expressway.
Silvernail last winter announced a majority of the property owners in what is now a Downtown Development Authority district had signed a petition to hook up water and services to the City of Wayland.
He accused the Township Board of ignoring the wishes of constituents and proceeding headlong into an agreement with the village after a similar proposed arrangement with Dorr Township failed last summer.
He asked board members, “How do people hear anything, outside these four walls, about what’s going on (in the township). I didn’t see in the minutes a summary of discussion and comments (on the issue).”
Silvernail contended that virtually everyone who spoke at the special meeting Oct. 5 was opposed to the plan, but that wasn’t reflected in the minutes, which presented information only on who spoke and how long during public comment.
“I haven’t seen nor heard anyone who has said anything positive,” he continued. “No one wants this, but it’s going through.”
Citizen Kalvin Schultz asked, “How do you notify people before you start humping their property?”
Supervisor Mark Evans replied that all meetings on the issue have been noticed properly according to the law.
In another matter, the Township Board received copies of the new county commission districts after redistricting now is complete and approved.
One district includes all of Leighton, Dorr and Wayland Townships, including the City of Wayland The incumbents living in that area are Mark DeYoung and Rick Cain.
Another district, the largest of the five, goes all the way from Hopkins to Saugatuck and takes in Fennville. The incumbent for that area is Gale Dugan.
The Allegan County Redistricting Committee, which included the county clerk, treasurer and prosecuting attorney and chairs of the two parties, said the goal was keep intact the municipalities.
The number of districts was reduced from the current seven to five.
COVER PHOTO; The new political map of the five commissioners’ districts in Allegan County.