Skip Schulz/For the Gazette During Monday night’s Ontonagon Village Council Meeting, the issue regarding the alleged removal of property from the former Wagers Restaurant, which was brought out at the last meeting, was not in the minutes. Council members shown (from left) Gerard Waldrop, Joe Erickson, Don Chastain, Junior Marks, Mike Mogen.

estion as to the legality of the removal of property at the former Wagers Restaurant in downtown Ontonagon continues to be a topic at Ontonagon Village Council meetings. During Monday’s meeting, an issue arose as there was an omission of a question from a council member, as the question was not in the minutes of a previous meeting.

“At the last meeting, people were talking about the incident that had taken place and I haven’t heard what any resolutions were,” said Council Member Sarah Hopper to President Pro Tem Tony Smydra during the May 13 meeting, “and I was wondering if you have an update.”

“The matter is under consideration,” Smydra replied. “It would be inappropriate to talk about this. There’s legal issues.”

Village President Gerard Waldrop did not attend that May meeting.

The incident Hopper was referring too was an alleged removal of property from Wagers Restaurant during the early morning hours by a local construction company.

None of the council members at that May 13 meeting commented on the incident or Hopper’s question, but instead they all immediately voted to accept a grant. The multi-page grant went over the specifics of what could and could not be done to the property as the community acquired a $50,000 Demolition Grant from the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority to help with the expenses to demolish the former restaurant.

The council voted to table the approval of the minutes after they review the audio recording of the meeting.

The council unanimously accepted the bid of $3,000 from GEI Consultants of Iron River to provide professional engineering services to the village for preparation of bid documents. The bid was to cover the repairs to the Tin Street Sanitary Sewer Lift Station and replacement of two flocculation mixer gear boxes at the water treatment plant.

OHM Advisors of Hancock submitted a bid of $8,300.

Council member Don Chastain asked the council about the council adopting a policy regarding the sales, manufacturing, and/or processing of recreational marijuana, an issue that numerous communities around the western Upper Peninsula have already addressed. One of which is fellow Ontonagon County Township, Carp Lake, which unanimously voted to not allow a business to sell marijuana within the township.

Fellow council members did not comment, nor was any action taken at Monday night’s council meeting.

Village Manager Joe Erickson reported on the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference in Lansing, where the constitutional portion of revenue sharing was discussed. Erickson stated that the report anticipates an increase of 1.7%.

“For the statutory revenue sharing in the next State Budget, increases of 3%, 2.3%, and 0% have been proposed,” he said.

With the village working around a substantial Michigan Employee Retirement System (MERS) funding hurdle, Erickson reported on a MERS meeting in Lansing in May.

“Financial consultant gave presentations on the legislative changes to the bonding process and financial planning for long term liabilities,” he said.

The village continues to pay into the MERS program for the years the village owned and managed the local hospital.

“I have also received information from MERS on the hospital plan change options and the actuarial valuation report for 2018,” Erickson said.

Erickson stated that he has received an application for a zoning variance and conditional use permit. However he did not state who made that application.

During public comment, Sue Lockhart questioned the ownership of the road on Rose Island. The village had the road re-paved in the past and questioned that if the village pays for the paving of a road that they do not own.

“Will they pay for one to have their driveway re-paved?” she asked.

No one from the council remarked on her comment and the question as to who actually owns the road on Rose Island.