Village of Constantine
Regular Council Meeting
November 1, 2010
7:30 PM

President Weiss called the Regular Monday, November 2, 2010 meeting of the Constantine Village Council to order at 7:30PM.

Present at Roll Call: Trustees Robert Brewer, Mark Brown, Willie Harder, Cindy LaFluer, Gary Mathers, Sarah Moore and President Patricia Weiss. Other elected officials present: Treasurer Donna Strawser and Clerk Ruth Strawser. Village employees present: Manager Mark Honeysett, and Administrative Assistant Diana Lammott. The pledge of allegiance followed Roll Call.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion by Brewer, Seconded by Moore, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion passed by Roll Call 7 – 0. Voting YES: Brewer, Brown, Harder, LaFluer, Mathers, Moore and Weiss. Add: VIII. New Business. D. Trick or Treat

MINUTES
Motion by Brown, Seconded by LaFluer, to approve the Regular October 18, 2010 meeting minutes as presented (with two typographic corrections). Motion passed by affirmation 7 – 0.

NEWSLETTER MINUTES
Motion by Mathers, Seconded by Brewer, to approve the abridged version of the Regular October 18, 2010 minutes for newsletter printing as presented. Motion passed by affirmation 7 – 0.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
No one rose to speak.

UNSAFE BUILDING – 325 S. WASHINGTON
Manager Honeysett announced he has scheduled the Unsafe Building Hearing for the property at 325 South Washington Street for November 15, 2010 at 9:30AM at the Village Office.

PROFORM CURED-IN-PLACE LINING (UPDATE)
Manager Honeysett announced two lengths of cured-in-place sewer lining has been installed on East Water Street. ProForm will fix a gap between the two linings and perform a pipe repair, if necessary, at no additional cost when they return to continue previously approved sewer lining on Race, Canal, Birch and Locust Streets, before the end of the year.

VACATION OF 100 BLOCK OF DEPOT & ADJOINING ALLEY
Michigan Milk Producers (MMPA) petitioned the Council asking the Village vacate Depot Street between East Water and East Second Street, including the alley west of Depot Street for possible business expansion. MMPA would bear the cost for the preparation of legal documents and proposes an agreement regarding the modification of existing water and sewer infrastructure and rights-of-way. Two residential property owners on the west half of the block could be directly affected.

Motion by Brown, Seconded by LaFluer, to set a Public Hearing to receive comment on the proposed vacating of the street and alley at the 100 block of Depot Street at 7:35PM at the Regular December 6, 2010 Council meeting. Motion passed by Roll Call 7 – 0. Voting YES: Brewer, Brown, Harder, LaFluer, Mathers, Moore and Weiss.

MDOT ROAD PROPOSAL
MDOT announced that in order to create access for persons living east of the planned US-131 Bypass mainly on Nermann and Timm Roads – when the 131 Bypass goes through, it will cut off Timm Road and its access to North River Road – MDOT plans to build a road to connect Jeremy Lane and Timm Road. Trustees suggested the Village and MDOT officials talk not only to the owners of the land wherein the proposed road would be built, but also owners and residents of Jeremy Lane, Nerrmann Road and Timm Road. Manager Honeysett said he would send notices to residents on Jeremy Lane if MDOT reaches a purchasing agreement, although Attorney Bush said it would not be legally necessary to hold a public hearing on any part of the proposed action.

CHECKING ACCOUNT RESOLUTION – SOUTHERN MICHIGAN BANK
At the request of Village Bookkeeper Boulette, Manager Honeysett asked that the General Fund Checking Account be moved from Bank of America to Southern Michigan Bank since current fees exceed earned interest on the approx. $1.3 million account. The transfer would be done in two stages to ensure daily operations,

Motion by Harder, Seconded by Weiss, to adopt the Account Agreement and Bank Resolution with Southern Michigan Bank, Constantine, Michigan, dated October 29, 2010. Motion passed by Roll Call 7 – 0. Voting YES: Brewer, Brown, Harder, LaFluer, Mathers, Moore and Weiss. (This begins the transfer of village monies from the Bank of America account to Southern Michigan Bank.)

TRICK OR TREAT
Trustee Brown commended the whole Village for a successful Halloween.

President Weiss declared the meeting adjourned at 7:50PM.

Ruth Strawser
Village Clerk