MONTAGUE — New White River Township supervisor Ron Bailey was sworn in to his new position Tuesday night at the township’s monthly board meeting.
Bailey will officially take office Monday, Nov. 20, once the county board of canvassers have certified the Nov. 7 election. Bailey was elected supervisor in a recall election against Mike Cockerill, who served the township board for 35 years.Clerk Patti Sargent oversaw the meeting - Cockerill was not present, nor was trustee George Dufresne, who has been ill - and opened it by thanking Cockerill for his years of service to the township, which brought a polite round of applause from those in the hall.
Bailey’s election came largely as a result of township voters’ displeasure at Cockerill’s land being among the land leased by Lakeside Solar LLC, which planned to partner with National Grid Renewables to build a 1,700-acre solar energy facility in the township. Plans for that facility are in limbo after the township changed its solar ordinance this year to limit the size of renewable energy facilities, resulting in litigation by Lakeside Solar against the township.
Further complicating the issue is the passage this week of a new state bill that would forbid local authorities from enacting stricter limitations on renewable energy facility construction than those that exist at the state level. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign the bill, as it has been a top priority for her administration. Township treasurer Deb Harris said Tuesday that the bill will not go into effect for a year after it is made law.
However, there was no movement on those issues Tuesday, and in fact the board said it did not know more about the issue than the public does. Last month, the board formally joined the Michigan Township Association in opposing the legislation. The MTA, added Harris, is expected to have some sort of public comment on the new law in the near future, but nothing specific has been announced.The only formal votes taken during the board meeting involved appointments. First was the appointment of William Schmiege as zoning administrator to replace Dufresne, who has stepped down. The board unanimously approved his hire. Schmiege, who is retired after a 37-year career at Parker Aerospace, said he’s looking forward to taking the position, which he will formally do next month.The other appointments made involved replacing Cockerill on the White Lake Fire Authority and White Lake Ambulance Authority boards as White River Township representatives. The board unanimously approved trustee Laura Anderson to the latter board on an interim basis, and also approved Bailey to the former.
Cemeteries were discussed during the meeting, as the board said it had received a request to maintain Mouth Cemetery, something it has not done in the past. A local Boy Scout troop annually removes tree limbs that fall in the area, and the Catholic Heart work camp cleaned up the cemetery over the summer. The board said it would support the idea of a group of citizens forming a committee to keep the cemetery clean but would not be enacting one itself.The board was also asked about Hubbard Cemetery, saying the township does mow the lawn there, but does not do other maintenance.
Planning commissioner Marisa McGlue spoke during the meeting, noting that the commission is still working on its periodic updates to the master plan. The commission is hosting informal town hall meetings each month, starting Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m., for locals interested in sharing their input.
