Wakefield council grants raise to campground hosts

By P.J. GLISSON

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Wakefield - The Wakefield City Council voted Monday evening to double the compensation of campground hosts for the Eddy Park Campground on Sunday Lake.

According to city manager Rob Brown, the city in past years has paid the hosts $1 for each reservation generated. As of Monday's vote, that rate now will be $2 per reservation.

Jim Anderson was the only council member to vote against the raise, but he said afterward that it was only because he expected the matter to be discussed before the vote.

Mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro explained that the council had discussed the matter in the past, and council member Dale White added that they regarded the issue merely as "unfinished business."

Speaking from the audience, planning commission member Marco Movrich said campground hosts James Favero and Joanne Popkowski have worked to increase campground revenue year by year.

"These people do such a fantastic job," said Movrich, adding they go out of their way to address any campground needs.

Mayor John Granato said that, in years past, the council typically gave the hosts a bonus at the end of the year, but reminded that council members agreed last year it probably would be better to raise compensation rather than to continue with the bonus system.

In other news, the council also:

-Voted to pay no more than $2,067 for city membership in the Michigan Municipal League. The cost also includes assistance, as needed, in "litigation and other legal matters" via the MML's Legal Defense Fund.

-Voted to authorize city utility charge-offs totaling $5,901.68.

-Voted to authorize the city's placement of liens on summer tax bills for accounts at least six months delinquent and which comprise a sum total of $12,369.44

-Voted to opt out of Public Act 95, which allows the city to charge a $1 per month fee on all utility bills. Collected funds then are distributed by the state's Department of Human Resources, which does not guarantee that all funds collected in a given region will result in benefitting that same region via coverage of unpaid utility bills.

At the end of the meeting, the council went into closed session to discuss progress toward a collective bargaining agreement with the city's union employees.

The council will meet next on June 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the council room of the municipal building. The public is welcome.