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March 5, 2015
CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF CANTON
INVITATION TO BID
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Charter Township of Canton, 1150 Canton Center S, Canton, Michigan will accept
sealed bids at the Office of the Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, March 19, 2015 for the following:
PAINTING SERVICES FOR THE BARTLETT-TRAVIS HOUSE
Bids may be picked up at the Finance and Budget Department, on our website at
, or you may contact Mike
Sheppard at: 734/394-5225. All bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked with the proposal name, company
name, address and telephone number and date and time of bid opening. The Township reserves the right to accept or reject any
or all proposals. The Township does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability
in employment or the provision of services.
TERRY G. BENNETT, CLERK
Publish 3/05/2015
EC030515-1081 2.5 x 2.106
CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF CANTON
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Charter Township of Canton, 1150 Canton Center S., Canton, Michigan will accept
sealed proposals at the Office of the Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, March 19, 2015 for the following:
CONSULTING SERVICES TO DEVELOP PARK, RECREATION AND
OPEN SPACE FIVE YEAR MASTER PLAN
Proposals may be picked up at the Finance and Budget Department, on our website at
, or you may contact
Mike Sheppard at: 734/394-5225. All proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked with the proposal name,
company name, address and telephone number and date and time of opening. The Township reserves the right to accept or reject
any or all proposals. The Township does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disabil-
ity in employment or the provision of services.
TERRY G. BENNETT, CLERK
Publish 3/05/2015
EC030515-1084 2.5 x 2.203
P
LYMOUTH
Pair takes plea deal
in shooting death
While voters in the City of
Plymouth turned down the
request for a public safety mill-
age by 44 votes, township voters
approved two requests for pub-
lic safety funding by a landslide
last week.
In the city, voters were asked
to approve a property tax of up
to 1.5 mills, or about $1.50 for
every $1,000 of taxable value of
property. The tax would have
generated about $708,000 annu-
ally. Only 1,203 votes were cast,
with 594 against the newmillage
and 550 in favor of the tax. The
total votes represented only 16
percent of total registered voters
in the city, according to the office
of the city clerk.
City officials asked for the
new funds to add two new offi-
cers to the force and pay for
other public safety expenses.
Currently, the City of Plymouth
has 16 officers, one hired last
month. The millage, if approved,
would have helped fund the
expense of the newest officer
and paid for one more toward
the goal of reaching a total of 17
officers. City officials said the
new officers would allow the
current force to spend more
time on patrol in local neighbor-
hoods rather than spend as
much time in the downtown
patrolling establishments that
sell liquor.
Officials said the new officer
would be funded through the
general fund and money from
the Downtown Development
Authority.
In Plymouth Township, how-
ever, voters took an entirely dif-
ferent approach and approved
the first proposal, a 20-year
renewal of 0.5631 for police and
fire funding, was approved by a
resounding 83.88 percent of the
votes cast. According to results
posted from the office of the
township clerk, 3,138 voters cast
yes votes on the question while
only 603 voted no. The second
police and fire public safety
millage, a 20-year renewal of
1.6348 mills, proposal in the
township was approved by 79.87
percent of the votes with 2,987
voters saying yes and only 753
voting no on the question. The
proposals will allow the current
levels of staffing in the police
and fire departments to remain
at current levels. The two ques-
tions will cost a township prop-
erty owner about $2.20 per thou-
sand dollars of taxable value of
their property. The taxes are
expected to generate about $3.7
million annually, or about 40
percent of the public safety
budget of $8.9million.
the township were unsuccessful. In
January, attorneys for both the City of
Detroit and Plymouth Township filed for
summary judgment andmotion calls were
heard last Friday beforeColombo.
After three years of continuing investi-
gation and legal wrangling, Colombo ruled
in favor of the City of Detroit. In his ruling,
Colombo rejected the Plymouth Township
motion and granted summary disposition
to the City of Detroit based on their argu-
ment that state laws forbid the foreclosure
of public land. Attorneys also argued that
the City of Detroit was never correctly
notified of the tax arrearage.
Also named as defendants in the suit
were the Wayne County Treasurer's Office
and Wayne County Treasurer Raymond
Wojtowicz.
“Detroit was not given an equal oppor-
tunity,” Colombo said inhis summation.
Colombo continued, citing a Supreme
Court ruling, “An individual needs to be
given reasonable effort to beheard.”
Wayne County attorney Jack Ghannam
said the county relied completely on infor-
mation received fromPlymouth Township
regarding the foreclosure proceedings.
Timothy Becket, former supervising
assistant corporation counsel in the
Detroit Law Department Real Property
and Tax Appeals section, filed an affidavit
in January 2013 in the Wayne County
Register of Deeds in hopes of reversing
the transfer of the property without legal
action. Detroit attorneys said that at that
time the LawDepartment representatives
met with Plymouth Township Supervisor
Richard Reaume and Clerk Nancy
Conzelman but were unable to reach any
reasonable resolution.
With the court ruling the township now
owns only the 133-acre portion of the 323-
acre parcel and nearly 77 acres of that
land are in a flood plain or are wetlands
and unsuitable for construction, according
to property records.
Township officials have been actively
involved in the proposed Five Mile
Technology Park which includes
Northville Township. Sources close to the
project reacted negatively to the decision
Friday and noted of Plymouth”…they
would have little to bring to the table for
participation,” in the proposed develop-
ment.
The township borrowed the purchase
price of $606,149.98 from Bank of Ann
Arbor and continues to make monthly
payments of $17,691.90. As of December
2014 the balance on the bank loan was
$429,269.30 at 3.10 percent interest with 27
payments remaining.
Kindle Walker said she was pleased
and called Colombo's ruling, “…a correct
assessment of the law.”
Sharland said he was elated at the
court decision.
“I think the whole plan from the begin-
ning was to steal the property from the
city,” he said. “I was confident it would
turn out this way. I'm very pleased to see
justice prevail.”
The Westland man accused of murder-
ing a 76-year-old Plymouth Township resi-
dent has accepted a plea deal which will
send him to prison for 25 to 60 years for
the killing and another two years for using
a gun in the commission of a felony.
According to police reports, Andrew J.
Nutt, 22, of Westland, entered a guilty plea
last Thursday in Wayne County Circuit
Court admitting responsibility in the
death of Kenneth LaBita who was found
shot to death in his Gilbert Street home on
Oct. 27. Nutt was charged with one count
of second-degree murder and using a gun
during a felony inLaBita's death.
Police said that LaBita had been shot
in the back of the head when discovered
in his living room by police officers who
had gone to his home following calls from
his neighbors concerned that his dog had
been outside for two days and his garage
door open, an unusual situation for
LaBita.
LaBita, who had lived in his Gilbert
Street home for more than 40 years,
became a widower in 2012 when his wife,
Myrtle, died. He had grown up in the area,
according to neighbors and was a retired
employee of DunnSteel.
Police said that Nutt, who was
acquainted with LaBita, had gone to his
home in the company of Miriah N.
Pisarski, 20, of Wayne, on Oct. 24 to pur-
chase firearms and other items LaBita
was selling as he prepared to move out of
state. Prosecutors alleged that the guns
and other items, including cash, were
taken from LaBita's home after he was
killed.
In exchange for the guilty plea, prose-
cutors agreed to drop charges of first-
degree murder, felony murder and larce-
ny of firearms againstNutt.
Pisarski entered a guilty plea to single
counts of accessory after the fact in the
killing and larceny of firearms. The plea
agreement stipulates that Pisarski spend
two to five years in prison for her part in
the incident. In exchange for her guilty
plea, charges of felony murder were
droppedby prosecutors.
Nutt is scheduled for sentencingMarch
12 by Circuit Court Judge Mark Slavens
who is also expected to sentence Pisarski
the next day.
Both remain inpolice custody.
City voters reject millage, township gets OK
Land
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