Board approves new police clerk role, junior therapeutic recreation position; appoints member to Board of Ethics

The Canton Township Board of Trustees approved three personnel‑related actions: creation and filling of a Clerk 4 (Secretary 4) position in the Police Department, adding a junior therapeutic recreation program leader to the part‑time wage scale, and appointing Haris Ahmad as the township board’s appointee to the Board of Ethics.

Police staff told the board the Clerk 4 position responds to large and growing demand for FOIA and discovery processing — a workload increase driven in part by body‑worn camera records and rising request volumes. Director Baugh said the position has been needed for about eight years and that funding is included in the 2025 police budget; the board voted to create the union position and to allow posting and hiring under human resources and TPOAM procedures.

The board also approved a junior therapeutic program leader role aimed at 16‑ and 17‑year‑old employees to expand the department’s hiring pool, strengthen succession into senior counselor roles and support summer camps. Director Lefevbre said typical hours are summer camp hours (about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), with additional nights and weekends for special events; the positions may be seasonal or year‑round depending on hiring.

On appointments, trustees nominated and appointed Haris Ahmad to fill the township board vacancy on the Board of Ethics after the previous appointee resigned. Trustees said the ethics board’s duties are minimal unless a complaint is filed; the board will hold an organizational meeting to set rules and procedures.

Why it matters: the Clerk 4 position addresses legal and administrative workload (FOIA/discovery), the junior therapeutic position creates a youth employment and training pathway into recreation staffing, and the ethics appointment fills a statutory board vacancy created after the prior member’s resignation.

All three actions passed by board vote at the meeting.