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No. 49
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
December 8 – 14, 2011
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
TheWayne Goodfellows are
halfway through their annual
fundraising events to support
the annual goal of No Child
Without A Christmas but need
morehelp.
See page 6.
City councilmembers voted
unanimously last week to
extend amoratoriumonnew
medicalmarijuana clinics in
the city to allow time to devel-
opproper regulations.
See page 6.
The Kiwanis Club of
Colonial Plymouth is now
sponsoring the Annual
Gourmet Nut Fundraiser. Nuts
can be purchased by the can,
case andpallet.
See page 3.
Northville Township has
been recognized for its work to
foster entrepreneurial growth
and economic development as
a four star community.
See page 3.
Haggerty
Elementary
School recently received
National School of Distinction
status from the Schools Fight
Hunger program. Fewer than
2,000 schools nationwide
earned this level of distinction.
See page 3.
Vol. 126, No. 49
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Vol. 64, No. 49
Vol. 11, No. 49
Vol. 11, No. 49
Vol. 126, No. 49
Vol. 64, No. 49
Vol. 64, No. 49
Chief Judge Sylvia James
will face a disciplinary hearing
before the Michigan Supreme
Court justices, despite her
attempt to have all seven of the
jurists disqualified.
See page 6.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland will use approxi-
mately $20,000 in Energy
Efficiency and Conservation
Block Grant funds to pay for a
LED lighting project in the his-
toric Annapolis Park neighbor-
hood.
See page 6.
The Citizens Action Group of
Plymouth was successful with a
second lawsuit in Wayne County
Circuit Court last week.
JudgeWendy Baxter ruled that
the Citizens Action Group had, in
fact, submitted the necessary
petition signatures to place a ded-
icated tax assessment to fund the
fire department on the Feb. 28
ballot.
Members of the Plymouth
Township Board of Trustees, who
have opposed the proposal to
place the issue before voters, met
in a special closed session last
Sunday but did not indicate what
action they planned to take in
light of the court decision.
The board members were
scheduled to meet again Tuesday
evening in a regular session, but
the outcome of that meeting was
unknown at press time thisweek.
Baxter scheduled another
hearing on the matter for yester-
day morning, pending the actions
of the elected officials following
her ruling.
Township officials have
claimed, and township attorney
Tim Cronin argued in court, that
the petition language signed by
nearly 4,000 residents, was mis-
leading and unclear. The petition-
ers are seeking a five-year 1-mill
dedicated assessment to fund the
fire department. Cronin argued in
court that dedicated millages are
unlimited for operations and
maintenancehave no time limit.
Retired Circuit Court Judge
Marvin Stempien represented
the citizens group in both law-
suits. He told the judge that the
ballot issue is a, “constitutional
right of the people who want to
have some input into their serv-
See
Vote,
page 2
Last month, Canton Police
Sgt. Robert Smedley success-
fully
completed the Eastern
Michigan University's Police
Staff andCommandClass 27.
See page 3.
Retired Circuit Court
Judge Marvin Stempien
represented the citizens group in both lawsuits.
”
Westland is going to beSAFER.
City officials received notifica-
tion last week that Westland will
receive $1,854,772 SAFER
(Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response) program
federal grant.
Mayor William R. Wild said he
welcomed the funding.
“I'm really pleased to hear that
theWestlandFireDepartment was
awarded this important grant. This
funding will not only allow us to
hire additional firefighters thus
increasing the life safety capabili-
ties of our fire department, but
more importantly, it also creates
an opportunity to provide more
training for our current firefight-
ers in the department giving them
the ability to respond using quick-
er and safermethods.”
The SAFER grant will pay 100
percent of the wages and benefits
to hire nine additional firefighters
by the end of 2011 for 2 years and
will raise the department staffing
level from 54 to 63. All new hires
will be under a new concessionary
program that was recently negoti-
ated with the city and the firefight-
ers unions to include expanding
the pay scales from 5 years to 7
years for 100 percent pay, the elim-
ination of longevity pay and less
costlymedical insurance coverage.
In addition, pension reform was
agreed to by reducing a fire fight-
er's average final compensation.
“Acceptance of this grant will in
no way impact our budget, nor
does it require any changes to the
city's current agreements with the
Westland Fire Fighters Union L-
1279.
“With the retirements of many
of our senior personnel in the fire-
fighting ranks over the next sever-
al years, this grant provides the
city with the additional benefit of
being able to completely train new
personnel giving them 2 years of
valuable experience. The rein-
forcement of manpower will help
the Westland Fire Department
increase the number of trained,
front-line firefighters, preparing us
for the future and the departure of
the senior members of the force,”
saidWild.
Judge upholds fire millage petitions
I'm really pleased to hear that the Westland Fire
Department was awarded this important grant.
”
Grant to fund hiring of 9 Westland firefighters
Following a preliminary review
of the City of Inkster financial con-
dition, Gov. Rick Snyder has
appointed a seven-member team
to examine the city finances. This
is a precursor to the appointment
of a state-appointed financialman-
ager in the city.
Inkster Treasurer Mark
Stuhldreher said last week that he
expected the review team to be
appointed following the audit
ordered by the state several weeks
ago. That review was complete
and the findings submitted to
Snyder's office in early November,
Stuhldreher said, and he had
expected the city to be notified of
the findings even earlier.
The preliminary audit of the
city finances concluded that there
was probable financial stress
including fund deficits and cash
shortfalls, prompting the appoint-
ment of the review team.
Stuhldreher said the review
teamwould come into the city and
review the books and finances to
determine the factors involved in
the current estimated $2 million
budget deficit.
Last week, Inkster officials laid
off 12 police officers and two cleri-
cal police staff members as a cost
cutting measure. The police force
was reduced from 59 to 47 mem-
bers. Mayor Hilliard Hampton
said that this was part of the city
effort to cut costs and reduce the
budget deficit.
Councilman Marcus Hendricks
said that the current financial con-
dition of the city continues to fluc-
tuate and the deficit numbers he
hears go from $2-$3 million as
more analysis continues.
“We're trying to handle the
deficit reduction plan ourselves,”
Hendricks said. “We're under
pressure from the state. We're
looking at ways to save money to
try andbring the budget in line.”
“I've been on the council for 12
years and these are some of the
hardest, most difficult choices I've
had tomake,”Hendricks said.
Hampton said that the budget
deficit was a surprise to the
administration and that until July,
city officials thought the numbers
they had been given were accu-
rate. After the resignation of for-
mer CityManager Ann Capela and
former City Treasurer Peter
Dobrzeniecki, charge backs from
Wayne County indicated that there
was a growing deficit in the fund
balance.
The initial examination of the
city finances came after Capela
wrote to the state treasurer,
Hampton confirmed, suggesting
therewere irregularities.
“While we were negotiating her
severance package and at the
same time attempting to secure a
state emergency loan, the letter
went to the state treasurer,”
Hampton said. “Any time the chief
operating officer of a municipality
writes to the state, there will be
action,”Hampton said.
The city discovered that many
of the assets on their books were
not cash or liquid but in property,
Hampton said, which was a prob-
lem. He also said that Inkster is a
city disproportionately dependent
We're under pressure from the state. We're looking at
ways to save money to try and bring the budget in line.
”
State team named to audit Inkster finances
See
Finances,
page 2
On the record
Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-
Canton, at left and Canton
Township Municipal Service
Director Tim Faas, at right, lis-
ten as Canton Township
Supervisor Phil LaJoy testifies
in support of Senate
Concurrent Resolution 19
before the House Transporta-
tion Committee Nov. 30. The
resolution, which urges federal
support for a proposed I-
275/Ford Road project, was
adopted unanimously by the
committee and will now go to
the full House for approval.