Patty Senneker says she has once again filed the petition language to recall all for 4 Dorr Township trustees.
Paper work has been turned in to the Allegan County Clerks office on Wednesday September 30, 2009 with the language that will be used on the petition to recall 4 Dorr Township trustees. The clarity board will set a date for the hearing to make their determination if the language is clear and understandable to the electorate when they read the petition. This is the clarity boards only purpose, to determine if it is “clear and understandable” and nothing more.
Board decision ignores residents’ sewer wish
CLICK THIS LINK for Allegan News Online
where you can read the whole story!
Recall of the Dorr Township board has only begun says Patty Senneker who is heading up this recall!
Clarity Hearing is set again to recall Tammy Vanhaitsma and Jodi Brummel from Township Board
Clarity Hearing set for Friday October 9, 2009 for 3:00pm for language to recall Tammy Vanhaitsma and Jodi Brummel at the Downtown County Building in the Probate Court Room.
Dorr Twp. recall starts again
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY at Allegan News Online
Dorr Twp. recall starts again
Trustee Paul Davis is not being honest with himself or with the people of Dorr township.
Paul Davis is a trustee who says he would not vote for this $1.6 million dollar sewer project if they could not find any stimulus money. You see him say it in his own words. They did not find any stimulus money. What they did do is, the township board went to the DDA (Downtown Development Authority) to borrow the money to pay for the sewer and the township board will force the people who signed the petitions to stop the sewer to pay that loan back to the DDA with accrued interest. Paul is just another “good ole boy” playing games with the people he was elected to serve. Even though Trustee Paul Davis and the others may be very likable people, they do not represent the people. Those in elected office hold the peoples trust, so even if someone has a likable personality like Paul, that alone does not mean they can be trusted to hold public office where they are suppose to represent the people’s business, who contradict what they say by their actions. Elected officials should work for the majority of people (unless its illegal or immoral) and not those self serving individuals who are part of the “good ole boys” network.
By watching this video and listening to Paul Davis in his own words, his words and his actions (voting record) cannot be trusted to make decisions for the majority of people who live and have businesses in the sewer district for their best interest. It surely does not look like he is working for the “people.” The majority of landowners petitioned this project down twice now within the last 21 months. Only 1/4 of landowners support this sewer. Guess who they are? Click here and I will show you everyone of them, then you decide! Why doesn’t Mr. Davis work for the other 3/4 of landowners you ask? Thats a very good questions which I have asked the same question many times and get no answers from any of these self serving people who sit on the current Dorr Township board!
This board found NO STIMULUS money, yet on Thursday night, September 17,2009 this board voted in a resolution of intent to proceed with the public improvement of the sanitary sewer down 142nd ave. and down the private rd. of Hickory Rd. owned by County Commissioner D. Mark DeYoung. (More “good ole boys”) to get the sewer into the back door of Dorr Elementary school. (More “good ole boys”, the Wayland School board)
Paul Davis along with the rest of this Dorr Township board should be ashamed of themselves for not standing by their words. Their words they each spoke one week before they were elected not even 1 year ago. A mans word is everything, whether in the political arena, in business or in your everyday personal lives, but obviously, these peoples words mean nothing to them. There is an old wise saying: say what you mean and mean what you say. These board members dont know that old wise saying I guess.
Not one of these 7 board members will pay 1 penny of their own money for this multi million dollar sewer project! They don’t care if they spend other peoples money though! Tammy, Jodi, Larry, Josh, Dan, Janice and Paul, get your hands out of the people pockets who petitioned this and said NO, would you please! Go spend your own money and leave theirs alone! If you want this sewer project so bad, go steal Bob Wagners, Harold Schumakers, D. Mark DeYoungs, Billy Fifelskis and the other 22% of land volume owners who want the sewer, but get your sticky fingers out of the peoples pockets who won and legally stopped this with petitions, you bunch of unethical corrupt politicians!
Dorr Sewer loses support, but township board proceeds in spite of the majority of land owners! This townboard has stolen away the peoples “right” to object under the Public Improvement Act.
I attended the DDA meeting on 9/9/09 and the sewer project in Dorr was discussed.
Trinity Properties, owners of (the old Dicks Mall) have withdrawn their signed assessment agreement due to financial difficulties. They own a total of 2 parcels with 11.5 & 4.13 acres for a total of 15.63 acres.
This now decreases the land volume down to only 22% who are IN FAVOR of this sewer project.
The total land volume for this whole sewer project includes 121 acres, so after withdrawing 15.63 Trinity Property acres from the sewer agreements signed by a few select who want this sewer, which as of September 4th was 42.5 acres, that leaves those who WANT this sewer with only 26.87 acres out of the total of 121 for this project. 22%!
So now that Trinity Properties has withdrawn their 2 parcels, who will pick up the difference for the cost of the project?
The DDA is riding a fine line on paying this debt back. They currently have just enough funds coming back from Property owners in the DDA (Downtown Development Authority) BUT if property values continue to decline the question remains, is the DDA going to meet their financial responsibility?
The DDA is HOPING Dorr Township will bring more revenues and tax dollars to cover this Bond. (A bond is a loan as normal people would call it.)
We don’t have a very good track record on bringing NEW businesses into Dorr. Hillcrest Mall is a perfect example.
If the town board keeps spending the taxpayers money like they are, the township could go Broke! Our rate of foreclosures in Dorr alone is averaging 3-4 a week.
We the people of Dorr have petitioned this sewer district twice now and legally stopped this fair and square using the petition process both times, in Ranchero and Litchfield in 2008 and now in 2009 down 142nd through downtown Dorr to the parks and down Hickory, a private road into the back door of Dorr Elementary.
This current town board keeps spending the taxpayers money on attorney fees to try everything possible to get this multi million dollar sewer project in.
I don’t know how you township board members can sleep at night with a clear conscience knowing you are putting a huge financial burden on the residents of Dorr Township.
I would hope that this township board would reconsider this Multi Million dollar sewer project before Dorr Township is financially strapped.
As for our current Supervisor, Tammy VanHaitsma, she needs an education in finance.
Patty Senneker
Recall started for most of Dorr Township board. The recall effort targets board supervisor Tammy VanHaitsma, clerk Jodi Brummel, and trustees Paul Davis, Larry Dolegowski, Josh Otto and Dan Weber.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY at Allegan News Online
Offer of peace to the Dorr Township board concerning the recall of 6 board members!
This letter was read to the township board in public at the board meeting September 3, 2009 on behalf of many residents who feel the townboard is not listening to their concerns.
By this time you are aware of the recall effort that has been started for most of the board members. This is a serious matter and we take it seriously. We believe it is possible to collect enough signatures to put this on the ballot, and we currently plan to do so. This, of course, is not a pleasant matter. We realize that it has the potential to become very unpleasant and to cause hard feelings for many years. But, we also realize that it has the potential to bring significant improvement into our local government.
There is a lot of work ahead to carry this through to actual removal from office. But the real goal is to improve our local government. If that goal can be reached with the existing members of the Board, then we will all be satisfied. If current members of this board are willing do things like being more open and transparent with public information, things like putting all agendas, records, ordinances, disbursement journals, and the complete board packets all on line for viewing and downloading from the township web site, (*as other townships do to show their constituents they are open and transparent, click this link) that would be considered an improvement. If current members of the board are willing to do things like stopping all efforts to expand the public sewer system, click this link we would consider that an improvement.
If current members of the board are willing to pursue ways to substantial lower the per unit cost of the sewer project, or stop the project that we democratically defeated, we would consider that an improvement. We all know that “Voluntary” is eventually going to be mandatory and our concern is still the cost!!!!
If some members of the board are willing to be responsive to our wishes, we may be willing to put less effort on their recall, and concentrate our efforts on those who are not responsive. Efforts to carry this recall through to ultimate removal from office, or for remaining in office, will be influenced by what changes we see along the way.
Sincerely,
Bob Senneker, spokesperson
*link added for this article
No need for sewer for Dorr BP say Greg and Rick Damveld. We can do this for $3500 instead of $46,784. NO SEWER! WE DON’T WANT IT!
Greg and Rick Damveld of Dorr BP in downtown Dorr have no need to spend thousands of dollars for the sanitary sewer that the township board is pushing through at the objections of businesses and residents who petitioned against this mulit million dollar project. So, after the public hearing in May, Greg and Rick Damveld went to the Allegan County Health Department and got a permit to install a new drain field that could last them for the next 25 years, even though the one they have now currently works with no problem. They know that once the sewer pipes go under the road, the county has a code that states no repair permits will be issued to any new or existing structures where sewage originates, if a sewer is within 200ft. So they have decided to install a brand new one because theirs was getting old, and wanted to be sure they had one in place to get them through the next decade or so before they retire. They, like many businesses do not want to pay the huge assessment, plus the connection fee, which would run $17,684 plus the contractors fee to run the pipes from your structure to the sewer on the main trunk, which would run anywheres from $3,000- $4,000 plus pay all those quarterly fees, which would amount to $1447 per year at todays rate. Instead Greg and Rick thought it would be more feasible to install this “NEW” drain field that will cost them just $3500, including the permit, which should last them for an average of 20-25 years. This is what they are paying Duane Fifelski Excavators to do this drainfield for them. In addition to that, they will not have to pay quarterly fees which would have cost them $1447. So just the savings of those quarterly fees at todays rate of $1447 per yr. times the minimum of 20 years this “NEW” drain field should last, based on their previous drainfield, Greg and Rick figure they will save appoximately $29,000 in the next 20 years in usage fees alone, not to mention they will not pay the $17,784 for their assessment for a grand total savings in 20 years of $46,784.
But because the township board is calling this voluntary, which it is not, whoever owns BP when this “NEW” drain field fails in 20 years from now, will be forced to pay for this so called “voluntary assessment” with accrued interest on top of this, because the county may not issue any repair permits once the sewer is under the road, so this board will shaft the owners of BP down the road, if they can’t do it now. This is unethical to say the least. Having the town board do this to the very people who elect them to represent their needs, they disregard the majority of land volume owners and vote to move
ahead with this multi million dollar project which will force those who opposed this project, even after they collected enough signatures to legally stop it, to come on board under the laws of the county code, and then will be required to pay for it down the road. To ALL the people of Dorr, this is not a voluntary project at all, you are being deceived by this very disgraceful and unethical township board!
If you don't wake up, your neighborhood, like Ranchero and Litchfield could be the next neighborhood (victim) to have a multi million dollar sewer project forced upon you after this one is constructed under 142nd Ave. by more unethical maneuverings of this corrupt township board!
Work being done on a new drain field for Dorr BP to ensure it is finished before the sewer gets installed under 142nd before the Allegan County Health Department quits issuing septic permits which they have authority to do under the Allegan county health code. Dorr recinded that from their ordinance, but the county code overrides the township ordinance anyway, so the authority was and still is at the county level, and they still have that code in effect. Even if Bill Hinz, the Allegan County Health Director states right now he will not force you to hook up, he has all the legal authority to enforce this with the code that is on the books, whenever he so desires. If the sewer project needs funds to operate, the townboard can call the county and ask them to enforce this code. If the county enforces this in all the other townships and they complain, then he can enforce this code to be fair across the county. If Bill Hinz is replaced sometime down the road for whatever circumstances, the next Health Director can enforce the code on the books and everyone within 200ft. of this sewer line can be forced to comply with this county code on the books. This is why this sewer must never go under 142nd. unless those who want it get to their majority of over 51%, or the County Commissioners recind that county health code to protect those who do not want to ever connect to this sewer. But as we all know, they are playing word games to get this through for the special interest of the few, and if this proceeds, just mark my words, they will force everyone to hook up if you are within 200ft. If the government can get money, they will use all the tools at their disposal to collect as much money as they can legally steal from the taxpayers. You know that and they know that! That is why the less government we have, the better off everyone is.
