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Pentwater council approves village manager contract, authorizes sale of 2018 police SUV
Summary
At a Sept. 23 special meeting, the Pentwater Village Council approved an updated village manager contract with a planned Oct. 21 start, authorized sale of a 2018 Ford Explorer police vehicle and voted to enter a closed session for attorney advice under section 8(h) of the OMA.
The Pentwater Village Council on Sept. 23 approved a contract for a new village manager and authorized the sale of a 2018 police Ford Explorer, and voted to enter a closed session to receive attorney advice.
Mitch Foster of Double Haul Solutions presented an updated employment contract and explained changes requested by council members. After questions and stated modifications to be forwarded to the candidate, Ms. Witherspoon, the council approved the contract in a 7–0 roll-call vote on a motion by Frame, supported by Palmer. The minutes state Ms. Witherspoon’s planned start date is Oct. 21, 2024.
Interim Village Manager Brock told the council that ACO Engineering work already under way had been negotiated down from $17,000 to $13,000 and that the council had previously authorized up to $20,000 for the project. Brock said the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is satisfied with progress and willing to adjust the timeline if needed; the Village Manager will oversee documentation to maintain a clear paper trail.
Police Chief Hartrum reported the new Ford F-150 is now in service and requested authorization to sell the 2018 Ford Explorer and its associated equipment. On a motion by Palmer, supported by Nugent, the council voted 7–0 to allow Chief Hartrum, with assistance from Interim Village Manager Brock per policy, to sell the Explorer.
Later the council voted, on a motion by Palmer supported by Frame, to go into a closed session to discuss a memorandum of advice from the village attorney, invoking section 8(h) of the Open Meetings Act; the roll call to enter closed session was 7–0. The closed session began at 7:08 p.m., ended at 8:00 p.m., and the meeting reopened without additional public action recorded in the minutes.
During public comment, resident Bart Zachrich of 1217 W. Adams Street asked the council to reconsider moving the next regular meeting to Oct. 7, noting the Service Club had Park Place reserved that night for a "Meet the Candidates" event with 22 candidates. The council decided instead to keep the Oct. 14, 2024 meeting date and move the start time to 7:00 p.m.
Trustee Palmer publicly thanked Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Renee VanNortwick, who is leaving for Ludington, for her service. President Hodges opened and closed the special meeting, which was called to order at 6:00 p.m. and adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Next steps: the approved manager contract will be finalized with the candidate (Ms. Witherspoon), ACO work will continue under village oversight, and staff were authorized to proceed with sale of the retired police vehicle per policy.
