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April 4 – 10, 2019 NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST 75¢

No. 14 www .associatednewspapers.net

THE BELLEVILLE Romulus preserves retiree health benefits
ENTERPRISE
ENTERPRISE
Vol. 134, No. 14 Scott Spielman ” Anyone hired after 2014 is not eli-
Special Writer We're not taking away gible for retiree healthcare,
More than 300 teachers in either.
the Van Buren Public Members of the Romulus City any health care benefits. Those steps have reduced the
Schools are expected to vote Council voted to reduce the sub- annual costs, but not enough, he
this week on ratification of a sidy for city workers' healthcare We're asking for help. said.
new union contract with the last Monday, but left retiree bene- “We have a problem. This isn't
district. fits intact. going to go away. We can't do
See page 4. City administrators sought Romulus Mayor LeRoy Burcroff. and is only about 7 percent fund- nothing,” he said. “If we don't do
relief from the cost of those bene- “That's really what we're doing. ed. Burcroff said the city has anything, it's not going to be sus-
fits for current employees, We don't want to have, at some taken steps to reduce liability tainable.”
THE CANTON retirees younger than 65 and reg- point in time, these benefits to go since he's been in office, such as Residents and former employ-
EAGLE ular retirees in an effort to allevi- away. “ getting savings through self-fund- ees balked at the change. Some
EAGLE
Like many other municipali-
ate the burden on the city budget.
said it would mean an additional
ed Teamster benefit plans, offer-
Vol. 72, No. 14 “We're not taking away any ties, Romulus is grappling with ing buyouts for retirees that expense of up to $800 monthly.
Three young Canton resi- health care benefits. We're asking obligations to retired workers. saved about $25 million and Others likened it to a pay cut and
dents hope to convince the for help. We're asking for help to The city is currently obligated for offering employees payments in
board of trustees to approve help sustain the program,” said about $57 million in legacy costs lieu of health care coverage. See Cuts, page 4
a new skate park in the town-
ship. First-ever library union contract is ratified
See page 5.

Employees at the William P.
THE INKSTER Faust Westland Public Library
LEDGER STAR and the city have ratified the
LEDGER STAR
first-ever union contract
Vol. 72, No. 14 between the two.
Michigan State Police are Members of the Westland
searching for 20 recruits Library Union SEIU Local 517M
from Inkster to participate in and city officials jointly
the free Michigan State announced the 3-year agree-
Police Youth Leadership ment March 21.
Academy this year. “While collective bargaining
See page 5. is never easy, we have emerged
from the process with an agree-
ment that both sides can be
proud of, unanimously support-
THE NORTHVILLE ed both by union members and
EAGLE the library board. This first con-
EAGLE
Vol. 19, No. 14 tract established a structure that
will allow our staff to continue to
Maybury Farm will have grow and thrive in service to this
some “eggstra” attractions community,” commented Katie
this month as the Parks Dover-Taylor, chair of the
Partnership Committee pres- Westland Library Union.
ents the Northville The agreement was reached City Council President Jim Godbout, left, Mayor William R. Wild, Library Director Ishwar Laxminarayan,
Eggstravaganza April 13. March 4 following eight months Library Union Chair Katie Dover-Taylor and Library Board President James Higgins announce the first-
See page 3. of negotiation and was ratified ever union contract with Westland library employees.
by the union membership and
the members of the library paychecks with the new pay rate nerstone to building towards the with appointing a new library
THE PLYMOUTH board of trustees March 13. will be issued April 5. future to make the Westland director and negotiating a con-
EAGLE Library employees voted to The contract also establishes Library the benchmark of its tact with the employees who
EAGLE
Vol. 19, No. 14 unionize two years ago. new classification grades for peers and best in class,” com- had voted to unionize.
Details of the agreement, employees and establishes a mented Library Board Ishwar Laxminarayan, who
Plymouth Township offi- which will be in effect until June clear process of discipline and President James Higgins. “It's was appointed to serve as the
cials recently joined other 30, 2022, include a wage grievances if the contract provi- been a pleasure to serve and we library director in June of 2018,
neighboring communities in increase for non-supervisory sions are violated. will continue to do so.” commended the efforts of the
approving a new no charge employees during the contract The new agreement also stip- The new agreement follows a negotiation team.
to residents ‘soft recyclables’ and most other employees will ulates that employee discipli- complete overhaul of leadership “At the end of the day we
curbside collection program. receive an immediate pay nary action requires an investi- at the library which began in should all be very pleased with
See page 3. increase. The contract calls for a gation and just cause. August of 2017. An entirely new what we were able to accom-
yearly pay adjustment of 1 per- “There was a lot of talk about board of trustees was appointed plish, which is an agreement
cent on July 1, 2020 and July 1, the past when we first came in, by Mayor William R. Wild and that serves both parties very
THE ROMULUS 2021. Wage increases will go into but we look at it as a unique approved by members of the well, I am especially excited for
ROMAN effect during the pay period opportunity to highlight the pos- Westland City Council. The new
ROMAN
Vol. 134, No. 14 beginning March 18 and the first itivity of using the past as a cor- board members were tasked See Library, page 2
Tomorrow is the deadline Identity of ‘mystery’ developer is questioned
to register for the annual
Brunch with the Easter
Bunny in Romulus which is Don Howard ” “enhance” the development of
followed by the annual Staff Writer This is not a re-zoning the decades-long vacant proper-
Easter Egg Hunt. ty and provide the possibility of
See page 4. The sudden interest in never- of any sort…this is a tax incentive to manufactures
before developed Plymouth for tax abatement purposes... to build new facilities under a
Township land and the secrecy state Industrial Facilities
THE WAYNE surrounding the identity of the Exemption (IFE).
EAGLE
EAGLE new commercial/industrial and scrap dealer. Some of the who expressed concern about IFE certification entitles the
Vol. 72, No. 14 neighbor to the Brecken Ridge land is controlled by consent the property appeared at the facility to exemption from ad val-
agreements and has remained
and Lake Pointe subdivisions
meeting of the board of trustees
orem real and/or personal prop-
Ryan Strong, who has prompted some questions from untouched for more than 50 last week, and those who attend- erty taxes for a term of 1-12 years
been interim police chief for residents last week. years according to Lake Pointe ed found few answers about as determined by the township
about three months, was offi- A recent legal announcement residents. reputed plans to facilitate a tax officials, subject to review at the
cially named as Wayne published in three local newspa- Township records reveal one abatement for a yet-to-be state level by the Property
Police Chief March 19. pers called for a public hearing parcel of the undeveloped land announced industrial firm. Services Division and the
See page 2. to establish an Industrial is owned by Campbell-Manix Rumors have been circulating Michigan Economic
Development District (IDD) for and is home to 91,000 square feet that township officials are court- Development Corporation.
the three parcels of land, two of Master Automatic Machine Co. ing a prominent international Township Treasurer Mark
THE WESTLAND which are vacant, located at at 40485 Schoolcraft. The compa- automotive supplier and have Clinton said there are currently
EAGLE Haggerty and Schoolcraft roads, ny, built at this location in 1999, granted the business confiden- 21 IFE-type business entities set-
EAGLE

Vol. 72, No. 14 running north and east of the machines stainless steel compo- tially for unsubstantiated rea- up within the township to
receive a 50 percent tax reduc-
sons.
nents for automobile steering
CSX railroad crossing, totaling
The Senior Alliance pre- 35.5 acres. The area, named and transmissions systems from Markers from a recent survey tion for a period of 10 years.
sented Westland Director of Schoolcraft Business Park, is steel rods. Benzing Properties of the parcels of virgin land in Township Supervisor Kurt
Senior Resources Barb less than one mile from the two LLC, 29233 Haas Road, Wixom, question remain in place on the Heise prefaced the hearing by
Marcum with a 2019 residential neighborhoods, owns the other two parcels. The property, although the for-sale stating, “This is not a re-zoning
Meritorious Service Award according to township plat maps. properties have a combined signs have been removed. of any sort…this is for tax abate-
at the 39th Annual The surrounding property on State Equalized Value of nearly According to statements by ment purposes even though it
Luncheon. Haggerty Road is now being $4.3 million. township officials, the new dis-
See page 2. used variously as a storage yard, Not many of the residents trict (IDD) will help to See Zoning, page 3

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