By: Dean Vaglia | Fraser-Clinton Chronicle | Published August 22, 2023
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Two routine committee appointments may turn out more critical to the future of said committees after comments made at the Aug. 14 Board of Trustees meeting.
The Compensation Commission was the first committee to come under fire when Robert Hogan’s reappointment application was being considered. As a roll call vote of trustees was being taken, Township Supervisor Robert Cannon raised a question about a “no” vote cast by Trustee Mike Keys.
“Historically, I have voted against the creation of the Compensation Commission as well as the appointments; it has nothing to do with the qualifications of the individuals that come before us,” Keys said. “I firmly believe that this township board should consider a resolution each year or each term that applies to the term that comes after us, so that way we are not in a position of having to raise or lower our own pay.”
Cannon agreed with Keys’ assessment of the compensation commission and discussion began about possible action that could be taken to change how salaries for trustees and elected officials are determined. Elected official compensation was a topic fresh in the minds of Clinton Township’s board members after raises were voted on at the prior meeting on July 31, with trustees receiving a new salary of $14,690; the clerk and treasurer, $85,850; and the supervisor, $89,288.
Hogan was reappointed to the commission despite the board’s discussion, though how much of the five-year term he is set to serve remains to be seen.
The second committee under fire was the Cultural Diversity Committee, though Trustee Tammy Patton disputed whether even calling it a committee made sense given how it has been over a year since it last met.
“There’s no chair, there’s no vice chair, there’s no secretary, there’s nothing,” Patton said. “It’s not active at all.”
The subject was broached after Crystal Higginbotham’s application to join crossed the board’s path. Unlike Hogan’s application to the possibly doomed Compensation Commission, Higginbotham’s application was tabled as the board reconsiders the role and existence of the Cultural Diversity Committee. According to Clerk Kim Meltzer, Higginbotham would have been the committee’s second member.
METRO Act permit amendment
Fiber optic internet services are on the way to northeastern Clinton Township as the board approved a request by 123.Net Inc. to amend their existing agreement to include right of way access to lay cable along northern Gratiot Avenue and the surrounding area.
The board approved the request, though Keys asked township legal counsel whether there was any way for the board to compel internet companies to service certain parts of the township or adjust their cost of service. Under the METRO Act, local governments have little say regarding what telecommunication companies can and cannot do or how much they can be charged for right-of-way access.
Board vacancy update
Ripples from Josie “Joie” West’s resignation at the previous meeting were felt at the beginning and end of the Aug. 14 meeting. West’s seat on the Water Supply Advisory Council was filled by Trustee Julie Matuzak, while one applicant to fill West’s vacant seat spoke during the public comment period.
Claudia McCrackin grew up in Eastpointe, is an avid kayaker and has lived in Clinton Township for five and a half years.
“The reason I applied for the appointment is because I wanted to get more involved in the community and be part of the continued development and the improvement of Clinton Township,” McCrackin said.
With the application deadline closing on Aug. 18, the new trustee applicants will likely be brought before the board at the Monday, Aug. 28, meeting.