The Leland Township Board is considering a move to bring sewer operations in-house.
Sewer administrator Steve Patmore appeared before the township board Monday and presented a proposal to hire a sewer technician to take over the daily operations of the Leland Township sewer, which serves Leland and the unincorporated village of Lake Leelanau.
The move was recommended by the township sewer commission. Patmore explained the current company contracted to assist the township with technical sewer issues, IAI (Infrastructure Alternatives Inc.) proposes to increase the annual contract amount from $108,000 to $178,000.
Patmore, with backing from the sewer commission, has recommended the township bring on the IAI technician who has been working in the community for several years. He is Mitch Gawrysiak “By doing it in-house I believe that we’ll break even and/or save money,” Patmore said. “The township will also have more control over repair and maintenance.”
There will be some out-ofpocket costs for the township if the board decides to bring the operations in-house. The first need, if the township decides to make the move, is that of a truck to carry equipment and chemicals used in the operation and maintenance.
There are several options being considered, among them the purchase of a used truck from the county Road Commission.
Meanwhile, township Supervisor Susan Och suggested that a written separation agreement between the township and IAI be prepared.
“There is no bad will between us. I think IAI had intended to establish themselves more in the area and it just hasn’t happened,” Patmore said of the Grand Rapids area company. “They’d like to wrap this up by sometime in March.”
In other business during the monthly meeting the board:
• Authorized the clerk to apply for the annual permit from the Michigan Department of Transportation for permission to close M-22 for the July 4 parade.
• Approved summer tax collection agreements with Leland Public School, Suttons Bay Public School and Northwest Education Service.
• Approved payment of $8,521 to Jim Tiffany for preliminary engineering work on proposed reconstruction of the seawall along the Leland River.
