By Bruce Rolfe
The Climax Village Council expects to fill a vacant Lawrence Memorial District Library Board seat at its February 6 meeting.
The library board trustee and treasurer position became vacant when former library board member Jim Swarthout resigned recently. The Village Council must appoint someone who resides in the Village.
Wendall Stoeffler expressed interest in filling the vacant Library Board position at the Council’s January 2 meeting. Stormy Cook, who said she is an avid reader and is employed by the C-S School District, expressed interest in filling the vacant library board position at the January 16 Village Council meeting.
Council President Jim Cummings requested a resumé which Cook said she would provide.
Lawrence Memorial District Library Director Bill Lewis told the Council he was hoping the Council would appoint someone at the January 16 meeting so there could be some time for training before the Library Board presents its 2024-2025 budget at the January 24 Library Board meeting. Lewis adds the board doesn’t want to make any committee adjustments until there is a full board in place. The proposed budget will be reviewed at the February Library Board meeting where any changes could be made and then be adopted at the March Library Board meeting.
Lewis adds it is very rare for someone to approach the library board about volunteering to fill a library board seat like Stoeffler did. Plus, he has a strong accounting background and working with Quickbooks as a retired individual who worked in the banking industry, which is why the Library director wanted to introduce him to the Council at the previous meeting, hoping there would be a recommendation at the January 16 meeting.
Lewis adds he could hire a treasurer but that additional cost is not in the new proposed library budget and would require extra time the board doesn’t have to make budget adjustments in a short period of time before the new budget is proposed.
Cummings said there was another candidate interested in the position but the candidate hasn’t been available recently to visit with the Council and he will contact that individual again.
The Village Council President asked the Council at the January 16 meeting to search for any candidates that may be interested in the library board trustee position and there will be a decision at the February 6 meeting.
Village Councils Approves Purchase For New Pickup
With a 30 day window approaching to hold a price on a 2024 Ford F-250 Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson secured through Michigan’s MiDeal Extended Purchasing Program that bids out municipal vehicles and allows local governments to purchase vehicles at a lower price, and place an order by April 1, the Council unanimously approved the purchase of the pickup for $48,327.
Gibson said he was told the MiDeal representative if the pickup truck is not ordered by April 1, the next pickup truck might not be available through the MiDeal program for five months and the expected 3 to 5 month time frame to receive the new pickup after it is ordered, puts the DPW well into next winter when the pickup could be used as a back up snow plow truck.
Gibson said because there isn’t enough money in the 2023-2024 budget to replace an older 1990s dump truck that is used as a back up snow plow truck, he suggested upgrading the every day pickup truck the DPW currently uses that is also getting older.
Village Council Clerk Linda Coburn said 60 percent of the cost will come out of the 2024-2025 Water Fund budget and the other 40 percent will come out of the 2024-2025 General Fund budget, however the Council will need to draft a commitment letter, noting the purchase will not take place until after April 1 when the new fiscal year budget begins for the Village.
The DPW manager said a new larger plow truck, similar to what the DPW currently uses, would cost $150,00 to over $200,000. However a larger pickup truck with a plow can be used as a back up in case the department’s other vehicle with a plow has maintenance issues. The new pickup truck will also serve as an every day DPW vehicle.
Because the 1990s plow truck was mostly used during the snow removal season, Gibson said funding to cover maintenance costs on the truck could only be pulled from the Village’s Roads Fund.
However with the new, every day pickup truck that would also serve as a back up for snow plowing, the Village’s General Fund, Cemetery Fund, Water Fund, Parks Fund and Roads Fund could be used, offering more budget options for maintenance costs.
Gibson adds there have been times during the snow removal season when the Village had to contract out snow removal services because of equipment break downs, which he said has been very costly.
The DPW manager adds the current every day Ford F-150 pickup truck has 130,000 miles but still carries value.
He adds a local Ford dealer told him the Village could expect to get $4500-$6500 on a trade in for the current Ford F-150 or by selling it on its own. Any money the Village saves by selling the vehicle on its own, could be used to outfit the new truck for a plow and for the purchase of a new snow plow.
In other business covered at the January 16 meeting:
• Public Safety and Fire Chairman Nick Ludwig told the Council Captain Bishop of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Office provided the number of citizen initiated calls for service and direct patrols from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff office in 2023. He said there were 155 citizen initiated calls for service in the Village. In comparison, Bishop said the Village of Vicksburg had 1,430 citizen initiated calls for service. Some of the higher categories in the Village of Climax were alarms, and trouble with subject followed by 9-1-1 hangups and mis-dials that were followed up with welfare checks. For 2023, there were 143 days of directed patrol in the Village. There were 34 traffic stops. The County Sheriff Department presence in the Village was much higher in 2023 compared to 2022.
• The Council held the first reading of a new parking ordinance, however there will be some revisions before the Council approves the new ordinance.
The Climax Village Council expects to fill a vacant Lawrence Memorial District Library Board seat at its February 6 meeting.
The library board trustee and treasurer position became vacant when former library board member Jim Swarthout resigned recently. The Village Council must appoint someone who resides in the Village.
Wendall Stoeffler expressed interest in filling the vacant Library Board position at the Council’s January 2 meeting. Stormy Cook, who said she is an avid reader and is employed by the C-S School District, expressed interest in filling the vacant library board position at the January 16 Village Council meeting.
Council President Jim Cummings requested a resumé which Cook said she would provide.
Lawrence Memorial District Library Director Bill Lewis told the Council he was hoping the Council would appoint someone at the January 16 meeting so there could be some time for training before the Library Board presents its 2024-2025 budget at the January 24 Library Board meeting. Lewis adds the board doesn’t want to make any committee adjustments until there is a full board in place. The proposed budget will be reviewed at the February Library Board meeting where any changes could be made and then be adopted at the March Library Board meeting.
Lewis adds it is very rare for someone to approach the library board about volunteering to fill a library board seat like Stoeffler did. Plus, he has a strong accounting background and working with Quickbooks as a retired individual who worked in the banking industry, which is why the Library director wanted to introduce him to the Council at the previous meeting, hoping there would be a recommendation at the January 16 meeting.
Lewis adds he could hire a treasurer but that additional cost is not in the new proposed library budget and would require extra time the board doesn’t have to make budget adjustments in a short period of time before the new budget is proposed.
Cummings said there was another candidate interested in the position but the candidate hasn’t been available recently to visit with the Council and he will contact that individual again.
The Village Council President asked the Council at the January 16 meeting to search for any candidates that may be interested in the library board trustee position and there will be a decision at the February 6 meeting.
Village Councils Approves Purchase For New Pickup
With a 30 day window approaching to hold a price on a 2024 Ford F-250 Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson secured through Michigan’s MiDeal Extended Purchasing Program that bids out municipal vehicles and allows local governments to purchase vehicles at a lower price, and place an order by April 1, the Council unanimously approved the purchase of the pickup for $48,327.
Gibson said he was told the MiDeal representative if the pickup truck is not ordered by April 1, the next pickup truck might not be available through the MiDeal program for five months and the expected 3 to 5 month time frame to receive the new pickup after it is ordered, puts the DPW well into next winter when the pickup could be used as a back up snow plow truck.
Gibson said because there isn’t enough money in the 2023-2024 budget to replace an older 1990s dump truck that is used as a back up snow plow truck, he suggested upgrading the every day pickup truck the DPW currently uses that is also getting older.
Village Council Clerk Linda Coburn said 60 percent of the cost will come out of the 2024-2025 Water Fund budget and the other 40 percent will come out of the 2024-2025 General Fund budget, however the Council will need to draft a commitment letter, noting the purchase will not take place until after April 1 when the new fiscal year budget begins for the Village.
The DPW manager said a new larger plow truck, similar to what the DPW currently uses, would cost $150,00 to over $200,000. However a larger pickup truck with a plow can be used as a back up in case the department’s other vehicle with a plow has maintenance issues. The new pickup truck will also serve as an every day DPW vehicle.
Because the 1990s plow truck was mostly used during the snow removal season, Gibson said funding to cover maintenance costs on the truck could only be pulled from the Village’s Roads Fund.
However with the new, every day pickup truck that would also serve as a back up for snow plowing, the Village’s General Fund, Cemetery Fund, Water Fund, Parks Fund and Roads Fund could be used, offering more budget options for maintenance costs.
Gibson adds there have been times during the snow removal season when the Village had to contract out snow removal services because of equipment break downs, which he said has been very costly.
The DPW manager adds the current every day Ford F-150 pickup truck has 130,000 miles but still carries value.
He adds a local Ford dealer told him the Village could expect to get $4500-$6500 on a trade in for the current Ford F-150 or by selling it on its own. Any money the Village saves by selling the vehicle on its own, could be used to outfit the new truck for a plow and for the purchase of a new snow plow.
In other business covered at the January 16 meeting:
• Public Safety and Fire Chairman Nick Ludwig told the Council Captain Bishop of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Office provided the number of citizen initiated calls for service and direct patrols from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff office in 2023. He said there were 155 citizen initiated calls for service in the Village. In comparison, Bishop said the Village of Vicksburg had 1,430 citizen initiated calls for service. Some of the higher categories in the Village of Climax were alarms, and trouble with subject followed by 9-1-1 hangups and mis-dials that were followed up with welfare checks. For 2023, there were 143 days of directed patrol in the Village. There were 34 traffic stops. The County Sheriff Department presence in the Village was much higher in 2023 compared to 2022.
• The Council held the first reading of a new parking ordinance, however there will be some revisions before the Council approves the new ordinance.
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