Newton Township Annual Meeting
3% Raise for Board Officials, Cemetery Upkeep Decided
By Ryan Schlehuber

Newton Township officials, meeting Saturday morning, June 30, following the township's annual meeting, approved a 3% salary raise for the board and accepted the township budget for the next fiscal year, which began Sunday, July 1. Discussions took place about the supervisor's salary compared with other board members' salaries, and maintenance of the local cemetery.

Newton Township's budget for next year includes revenues of $371,159.05 and expenses of $371,104. This year, the township collected $303,099.58 and spent $146,388.45. The township's fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30. Annual meetings are held the last Saturday in June.

At the annual meeting that morning, residents of Newton Township were eligible to vote for a proposed 3% cost-of-living salary raise for board members, however, as there was no protest to the raise from the six citizens attending the meeting, no vote was taken.

Supervisor Bob Brotherton's pay will be increased from $6,719 to $6,923, Clerk Alice Zdebski's salary will be raised from $8,254 to $8,769, and Treasurer Marilyn Strickland's salary will be increased from $6,399 to $6,810.

In addition, Mrs. Strickland's summer education tax collection compensation will be increased from $1,841 to $1,902, boosting her total salary to $8,712.

Part of the raise for Clerk Zdebski includes a wage for managing the school election, which she has done voluntarily for the past three years, owing to the township's tight budget. She will now receive an hourly wage of $6.95.

Trustees Rick Frisch and Frank Kuehnl will receive raises, from $96 a meeting to $100 a meeting.

One person questioned why Mr. Brotherton's salary is lower than that of the clerk and treasurer, and was told the salaries are commensurate with workloads for those positions. Mrs. Zdebski and Mrs. Strickland explained that their two positions require lots of paperwork, while Mr. Brotherton's duties are more ceremonial, including talking with people and relaying information to the board.

"He doesn't have the hours of paperwork me and Alice do," said Mrs. Strickland. For example, as reported in The St. Ignace News last week, Mrs. Zdebski reported working 35 hours to operate the school election this year.

Newton Township does not hold regular office hours and all of its officials are considered part-time workers, Mr. Brotherton said.

Some members of the audience expressed disapproval of the maintenance at Newton Township Cemetery, pointing out that graves are left improperly maintained after a funeral and items at gravesites are being stolen.

Vivian Blanchard, one of the concerned citizens in the audience, suggested the newly hired sexton should resign.

Richard Oliver, the township assessor, was hired as the sexton for the cemetery this month. He was one of two bidders for the job. He charges $215 for a regular burial and $115 for a cremation burial.

This is the first time the township has bid out the sexton duties, Mrs. Zdebski said. The township sexton position is now a two-year term.

Mr. Oliver, who was not present at the meeting, replaced Ted Poli, who had resigned.

Defending Mr. Oliver, Mrs. Zdebski said he had intended to clean up the gravesites, but rainy weather delayed operations. Grass does not grow well in certain parts of the cemetery, she said, so some graves are harder to maintain than others.

Ms. Blanchard said she only wished the board could have hired a local person as a sexton.

Mr. Brotherton informed her that Mr. Oliver has moved from St. Ignace, an hour's drive away from Gould City, to Curtis and is also the assessor for Portage Township.

"It was his first burial," said Mr. Brotherton, responding to the complaint. "He is the only sexton I've known that has put more effort into a burial afterwards. Give him a chance."

Some of the damage to graves may have been caused by delivery of a concrete vault, said Mr. Brotherton.

Mrs. Zdebski will contact the local funeral director and the vault delivery company to discuss the situation.

Mr. Oliver will be available for questions at the board's next meeting Wednesday, July 11, Mr. Brotherton said. Regular meetings begin at 7 p.m.

The township has an opportunity to purchase two 40-acre parcels of land five miles south of Gould City on South Gould City Road for $2,300, a considerably low offer, from Mackinac County, Mr. Brotherton said. The land reverted to the county when the owners failed to pay property taxes.

While the township is eligible purchase the land, it must be used for public use, said Sue Dionne of the county treasurer's office. At the meeting, board members considered making the land into a park or a nature trail route for recreational use, but no formal decision was made.

The land will be auctioned Tuesday, July 17, if the township opts not to purchase it.