Board tables $25 Wayne County FOIA invoice and tightens interim-payment authority

At the Sept. 22 Grosse Ile Township Board meeting, Trustee Margaret Bartlett asked to remove an invoice (invoice 9122025) from the consent agenda after spotting a $25 charge from Wayne County for a FOIA request related to a foreclosed property.

Bartlett said she did not believe the township needed to FOIA county records in that instance and asked for an explanation before the township paid the invoice. Multiple trustees expressed concern about an individual elected official initiating a FOIA or directing payments without board authorization.

Board discussion covered the consent-agenda item that authorizes township staff to process and distribute payments between meetings. The board clarified the interim-payment authority applies only to checks listed in the register through Oct. 3 and confirmed that checks issued between meetings require both the clerk’s and treasurer’s signatures.

Teresa, the township treasurer, read the township’s reimbursement rule aloud and the board referenced its elected-official expense reimbursement policy, noting that board members may be reimbursed for “reasonable expenses actually incurred on behalf of the township.” Trustees said the $25 FOIA fee did not appear to be an expense incurred on the township’s behalf without further explanation.

The board amended the motion and voted to table action item No. 3 (the $25 Wayne County invoice) until the treasurer or the treasurer’s designee can explain the FOIA request and the administrative steps that led to the charge. Tabling prevents the invoice from being paid at this time and places the item back on a future agenda for further action.