Quick Hits: Township Board Approves Deal with Sylvan Lake, Retiree Benefits

Though much of the attention was understandably centered on Leo Savoie's appointment as Bloomfield Township supervisor, the following decisions were also made at Monday night's board of trustees meeting:

Township department to service Sylvan Lake

The Bloomfield Township Planning and Building Department will now provide services to Sylvan Lake. The department will be able to absorb the workload anticipated from the city without any additional costs, said Patti Voelker, planning director for the township. The department expects to collect more than $30,000 in permitting fees from Sylvan Lake residents, who will now have to pay the Bloomfield Township fee schedule.

Resident Marcia Robovitsky addressed the board and questioned whether township employees should be spending any time outside of their jurisdiction. Savoie and Township Supervisor Dave Payne said the department was acting on the board's directive to identify potential revenue opportunities through consolidation, which Gov. Rick Snyder has emphasized since taking office.

Board OKs retiree plan

The township board unanimously approved the employee retiree health savings plan. Treasurer Dan Devine explained that it was part of reducing overhead costs for health care coverage.

"It's the last piece in a jigsaw that we've been working on for some time as we try to eliminate our legacy costs," Devine said.

Employees will now pay into a fund that they will be eligible to use for health care needs upon retirement, rather than the township covering the costs alone.

Township to join Woodward Avenue association

The board also approved membership in the Woodward Avenue Action Association for 2011-12. The association is an economic development group comprised of all the communities along the 26-mile Woodward Avenue corridor from Detroit to Pontiac, said Payne, who is on the group's executive board. The township has benefited from grants used for roadway beautification in the past through the association, which has an annual fee of $3,379, he said.