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No. 15
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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April 10 – 16, 2014
w w w . a s s o c i a t e d n e w s p a p e r s . n e t
Hours at the Wayne Library
have been reduced to 31 hours
a week due to a severe drop in
revenue which is based on a
dedicated 1mill in the city.
See page 4.
A new agreement with the
Environmental Quality (EQ)
Co. in Romulus will bring in
thousands of dollars of addi-
tional revenue to the city.
See page 5.
Members of the Plymouth
Canton Board of Education
are facing a projected $5.3 mil-
lion budget for the 2014-15
school year.
See page 3.
The 2nd Annual Cabaret for
a Cause, a fundraiser for the
Northville Public Schools
"Sprouts" program is planned
for April 17.
See page 3
.
Motorists in Van Buren
Township will see their feder-
al tax money at work begin-
ning this month and continu-
ing all summer.
See page 2.
Vol. 129, No. 15
Vol. 67, No. 15
Vol. 67, No. 15
Vol. 14, No. 15
Vol. 129, No. 15
Vol. 67, No. 15
Vol. 67, No. 15
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland Mayor William R.
Wild presented city council
members with the first ever
three-year balanced budget at
a study session last week.
See page 4.
Another IRS phone scam
was reported to police by a 66-
year-old Canton woman who
lost nearly $5,000 to an individ-
ual claiming to be an IRS
employee.
See page 3.
Vol. 14, No. 15
It's taken himmore than a year,
but Wayne resident Ron Roberts
was finally successful last week in
his quest to have two city charter
amendments placed on the ballot.
On a 4-3 vote, members of the
Wayne City Council approved the
inclusion on the August ballot of
an amendment for term limits for
both the mayor and council mem-
bers and a new precinct voting
plan. Wayne voters will have the
opportunity to decide the ques-
tions during the primary election
Aug. 5.
Roberts said he was notified by
phone by City Clerk Matthew
Miller about two weeks ago that
the ballot language he had pro-
posed had been approved by the
office of the state attorney general.
That notification followed months
of work, he said, including the col-
lection of more than 700 signa-
tures and several missteps by the
city council and administration.
“I admit I was annoyed and I
told them so during the citizens'
portion of the meeting last week,”
Roberts said. He said the council
members discussed placing the
345 millage question on the
August ballot. That millage, a spe-
cial levy to pay the unfunded
retirement costs for city public
safety department employees,
failed with voters last November.
Roberts said he submitted all his
required petitions and paperwork
to the city offices and they were
responsible for acting in a timely
matter to get his questions on the
ballot in November. He was irked
that the council members would
suggest immediacy for the millage
question while his proposals
seemed to be bogged down by
bureaucracy.
“I complied with the dates set
forth by the attorney general
when I turned my signatures to
the city last year. It was then up to
them to get this done in a timely
manner. I can't do it,” he said.
Roberts was also critical of the
council members' failure to
understand that their vote on
placing the questions on the ballot
was perfunctory. Any refusal or
vote restricting the proposals from
the ballot would now violate the
HomeRuleAct inMichigan.
Four council members, howev-
er, did initially vote no on allowing
the question of dividing the city
into six precincts with a council
representative elected from each
of those districts. Councilman
John Rhaesa rescinded and
changed his vote on a second bal-
lot in an effort to comply with
state law as explained by the city
attorney.
Voters will also be asked to
approve term limits of 16 years for
the mayor and council seats, past
and present. That would restrict
any one individual from serving
as either mayor or council repre-
sentative for the 16-year term,
Roberts said.
Current terms are 2 years for
the mayor and 4 years for mem-
bers of council, although those
terms are staggered so that three
expire every two years.
I admit I was annoyed and I told them
so during the citizens' portion
of the meeting last week.
”
Charter amendments OK’d for Wayne ballot
Dismissed
Vietnam veterans out
of 4th of July parade
More than 10 families were
left homeless last week after a
fire ignited by embers from a
barbecue grill destroyed a sec-
tion of the Dartmouth Square
Apartments.
See page 4.
The City of Inkster will receive
a total of $486,754 from the State of
Michigan to fund the consolidation
of the municipal police depart-
ment with the Wayne County
Sheriff'sDepartment.
Themerging of the departments
is reportedly due to be complete in
October of this year, according to
documentation provided by the
State ofMichigan.
Officers in the department and
police union leaders have heard
nothing official about the merger,
which will be funded by the
Michigan State Competitive Grant
AssistanceProgram.
Police Chief Hilton Napoleon
said that the merger was in the
“very beginning stages” and that
therewas “a long way to go” before
the city would have details about
themerger.
Police officers union official Lt.
Phil Randazzo said he “didn't
know how to answer questions”
about the take over of the depart-
ment, but had several questions of
his own. He said questions regard-
ing dispatch, the number of part-
time officers currently on the
force, seniority and benefits would
need to be addressed.
“The city has stopped talking to
When the Fourth of July Parade marches
down Main Street in Plymouth this year, rep-
resentation from one era of American history
will bemarkedly absent.
Members of Chapter 528--VietnamVeterans
of America will not be marching in the event
as they have for the past 20 years, a decision
the group did not make easily. To some of the
veterans, the decision was based on health
issues, but others feel parade organizers have
demonstrated a lack of respect for the service
they provided to their country.
It's a long one-mile walk from the railroad
tracks on Main Street to end of the
Independence Day parade route for some of
the aging veterans, said Ron King, a Vietnam
veteran and retired Air Force Major with 22
years of service. The walk is far more difficult
for the vets when they must stand in line for
more than an hour, waiting for their slot near
the end of the parade.
King said he wants some relief from that
long wait for many of his comrades who are
among the more than 320 members of
Chapter 528 who have marched in the
Plymouthparade on July 4th for two decades.
King said taking their position near the
end of the line for the parade and the long
wait is getting to be too much for many of the
aging members of the color guard who carry
the flag and banner of the organization. For
some, King said, thewait hasmade it impossi-
ble for them to participate in the patriotic
event.
“This August we will mark the 50th nation-
al anniversary of the Vietnam War and many
of our members are experiencing physical
problems.” said King, the chapter president
who served with the 38th Air Rescue and
Recovery Squadron in 1971 - 1972.
“Last year we were number 51 in line and
the guys just can't march this distance after
the long wait. We'd like to be up near the
front, so we could march and be done. It's a
long time to spend standing before the parade
and thenwalk the distance…We'd like to be in
the first to 10th positions…after all we've sup-
ported the Plymouth community 4th of July
Parade for years, and we're humbled for the
Michigan State Police are
investigating a collision last week
that caused a Van Buren
Township Police patrol car to roll
over and come to a stop resting on
the roof of the vehicle.
The patrol officer was still
inside the vehicle when it was
struck by a 2013 Hyundai driven
by a 50-year-old woman from
Toledo, OH, according to police
reports.
According to police reports of
the incident, Ofc. Fred Sweet was
attempting to make a traffic stop
on Belleville Road when his
patrol vehicle was struck on the
passenger side rear door by the
Hyundai, which was being driven
eastbound on Ecorse Road by
CamerinaSmith.
The impact caused the patrol
car to roll over and slide, stopping
upside down, resting on the roof
of the vehicle. Sweet was able to
extricate himself from the patrol
car with the aid of several
passersbywhowitnessed the acci-
dent which took place at the inter-
section of Ecorse Road and
BellevilleRoad.
Immediately after climbing
from the patrol car, Sweet
checked the Hyundai to deter-
mine the condition of the driver.
He relayed information about her
medical condition to emergency
medical personnel en route to the
scene. Huron Valley Ambulance
transported Smith from the inter-
section to St. Joseph Mercy
Hospital. According to reports of
the incident, Smith was suffering
neck andback injuries.
At the request of Van Buren
police, Michigan State Police also
responded to the scene to conduct
an independent investigation.
State investigators will complete
an accident report of the incident,
officials said.
The Van Buren Township
Police Department is also con-
ducting a review of the incident
for internal auditing of VanBuren
Township policies and proce-
dures.
The accident remains under
investigation and anyone with
questions or concerns about the
incident should contact Lt.
Kenneth Floro at the Van Buren
Township Department of Public
Safety (734) 699-8915.
See
Vets,
page 3
The merging of the departments is reportedly
due to be complete in October of this year.
”
Inkster police may merge with county sheriff
See
Police,
page 2
Crash rolls, upends police car, officer uninjured
Ron King, 69, president of Chapter 528--Vietnam Veterans of America, says the group will not be
marching in the 4th of July Parade in Plymouth this year.
Photo by Don Howard