Countdown to Ecstasy

Countdown to Ecstasy audio

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((((((((( Audio from the meeting )))))))))

The fiscal year is over (almost)! Long live the fiscal year!

Now is the time in the Village when council reviews and approves the annual budget, which takes effect March 1 (it’s a Pisces).

At this meeting on January 27, President Wilkins and the Budget, Grant, Finance, and Audit Committee (BGFAC) decided they will have a rough draft of the 2026–27 Village of Elberta budget ready for the public to see on February 5, but they will have a meeting to review final budget amendments for the year February 6 at 1 p.m. The public hearing on the budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. on February 19, before the regular council meeting at 7.

This January meeting, held early on a snowy Tuesday morning, was attended by the usual crew of Wilkins, clerk Rachel Perkins, Chris Cervantes (DPW Superintendent), Brett McGregor (Frankfort resident and former council member who resigned in March 2025), and new additions trustee Ryan Fiebing (appointed to the committee in December) and treasurer Melanie Cederholm (hired in October). Members of the public were Arlene Sweeting, me, and some donuts and coffee.

It’s a great idea to attend these meetings, which are open to the public. This one was posted on the Village website home page, but BGFAC meetings haven’t had a regular posted time since Brett McGregor has been on the committee, *I think* because of McGregor’s unpredictable schedule (he’s a pilot). They usually take place at the Village Office, but this one was at the Community Building.

If you choose to venture out to these meetings, you’ll see how your tax dollars are being spent and how your elected and appointed officials are allocating funds for the future. What kind of staffing changes are being contemplated? What capital improvements are in the works? What’s going on with the new development? Now that we have a bit of money in reserve, it’s only going to get more interesting. In addition to the line-by-line fund details, you can hear about the daily challenges and tough choices the staff and president face dealing with software, equipment failures, building maintenance, and emergencies large and small. Maybe it will inspire you to get more involved or run for office!

Try to listen to the rather poor audio above for the complete picture, but I’ve put together some highlights below, in no particular order.

• Wilkins proposed budgeting money for a Village manager as a part-time, 32-hour-per-week salaried job, with funds for trainings and mileage. (She presented a Village manager job description at the December meeting.)
• She said the allocated deputy clerk wages (this job isn’t filled right now) may be eliminated or absorbed into the UB clerk wages if a Village manager is hired.
• Melanie Cederholm is learning how to do bank reconciliations in our system; we use BS&A Cloud and she is used to working with BS&A.net. McGregor felt his PTSD being tweaked at the mention of “bank recs” and said help or money should be made available to make sure we remain current.
• Now that UHY has completed the previous backlog of bank reconciliations, Wilkins is eager to have UHY do our annual audit again, because she likes their detailed and thorough work.
• Community Building Wilkins had budgeted $5,000 for a drop ceiling. She said the quote she received for drywall repair was $17,000. A backstop and shed were needed for the ballfield. It is thought the current shed (which is “growing trees”) was built by Carl [Noffsinger?] and the softball team.
• Our liability insurance has gone up by about $2,000. The only claim was the Elberta sign that was struck by a driver on 9/11. Our insurance ended up paying for it. The driver could not be located.
• Sidewalk replacements are in the budget, carried over from last year, Wilkins said: “Steele, Grant, Cartwright, whatever can get done for $45,000.” The repair/replacements are concentrated where service lines were redone. As more service lines are replaced, more new sidewalks will be installed.
• Trash collection: Wilkins had tried to get a deal like Frankfort’s spring cleanup, where they go around to residences picking up items, and was refused. Rachel said the original 1993 contract and current contract mention a recycling container, which we do not have, and that it would be good to have recycling in the Village, perhaps even curbside. McGregor would like to see our contract end on the same day as Frankfort’s and have the same terms.
• Planning Commission Fee for code enforcement is budgeted, though Jim Baldwin said he would not be charging. Specific projects is at $1,000.
• Wilkins would like to go over the Capital Improvement Plan with Planning Commission and DPW in September.
• Waterfront Park “The Amphitheater is falling apart,” Wilkins said. There is one proposal to reroof the Amphitheater and encase the sides in metal, for $10,000, and she is seeking 2 more proposals. The new Life Saving Station doors are to be installed this spring for $5,000. Kristi Mills is doing very well with rental contracts so Wilkins has projected accordingly.
• Penfold Park restroom cleaning fee is going up. Potholes will probably be an issue (expense) again.
• Elberta Beach The Porta Potties expense line is just for July 4. Other expenses include a restroom cleaning fee and possible need to seal the improved road.
• Wilkins presented some revisions to the purchasing and disbursement procedure and policy, with a summary of changes, for discussion (it sounds like some of the changes are related to the new BS&A software). The committee voted to approve a concise version and send it to the Personnel and Policy Committee for their OK. (It will then go to the attorney and Council.) The ACH policy has to do with how the Village pays its own bills, which Rachel would like to do electronically as much as possible, she said, because of the increasing unreliability of the mail. It is taking time to get the routing information from the various vendors and enter it into BS&A, but once it’s done, it will save time; the policy will be updated when more of this data is in place. Wilkins said she has been researching investment policies and talking to other treasurers about theirs. McGregor mentioned that our lack of this policy has been flagged in previous audits, so it was good that we had made a start. There was a brief and humorous discussion of some IntraFi confusion. McGregor summed up the policy as “Don’t let the Treasurer buy Bitcoin on a Saturday night.” The capital asset policy is on hold, Wilkins said, while she focuses on the wage and compensation resolution for the employees for the new fiscal.
• The proposed draft budget includes the service line replacements discussed by Ken Mlcek in the January meeting.
• The new “Terminus” park (16 acres now owned by GTRLC) has a line item in the budget with a placeholder of $10.
• Act 51 shares may be increasing, but it will be gradual, per a little birdie, said Wilkins.
• The Park Fund is budgeted according to what was approved by Parks & Recreation.
• Chris and Melanie have some expertise in finding vehicles, so they will be looking into getting a new Village truck, and the old one will still be used.
• As of now, we can’t track our MiClass investments in our version of BS&A.
• The sewer fund money may be moved to Honor Bank. The sewer fund is doing well, Wilkins said. We have two loans. One stretch of infrastructure needs to be redone, she said, in preparation for the development. On Crapo starting at Cartwright it’s all clay, going all the way north. BLUA took on more debt, so we took on more debt.
• The water fund is in deficit, or close to it. The snow is part of the problem with the water meter reads, along with meter failure, and this has resulted in lost revenue. The bulk of the budget goes to paying off loans. Wilkins said water rates will probably need to be raised above the normal annual cost of living increase. But because the water fund is in deficit, and we have approval of our water fund deficit elimination plan, Wilkins said we may be eligible for a Financially Distressed Cities and Villages Grant, which could pay for all the water meters to be replaced. Wilkins said she and Ken Mlcek had discussed submitting two applications, one for the water meters and one for the LSS roof. The committee agreed that should happen.
• During public comment, I asked if there were plans for any brand-new sidewalks (sidewalks where there haven’t ever been any). (No.) I asked if there would be a formal decision to approve a Village Manager, say by Council vote, and Wilkins said yes. McGregor said, “I imagine one of the biggest questions Council will have is, Can we even afford this, so we’ll have to show what the tradeoffs are.”
• Arlene Sweeting said, “Are you projecting a net income for this year, and if so, what would that be?” Wilkins said, “I would certainly hope so. I don’t have that right now.” McGregor said, “For general fund certainly, for water fund, we don’t know.” Sweeting said, “The park grant, the land and water fund, that was an acquisition grant? I’m trying to figure out what exactly that was for.” Wilkins said yes, it is an acquisition grant, but she didn’t know yet if the money was going to GTRLC as payback. Regarding the Community Building, Sweeting said she supported putting money into it, but thought it would be fun to repair or paint the walls as a community project.

Elberta Commons Website

Elberta Commons is what Artemis Companies, the developer selected by the Village Council at the November 20 special meeting, is calling the new 9-acre development, and you can sign up to be notified of the latest development developments on the new website they’ve launched. (Read the Benzie County Record Patriot coverage.) On the Meet the Team page, you can see an aerial photo of the actual 9 acres, to get a better sense of the property, as well as the faces of the State Land Bank Authority representatives, Artemis staff, Lisa Canada (our community rep), and Susan Wenzlick, the environmental consultant and someone well known for good works in our area. I talked to her for a little bit after the November 20 meeting and am hoping to do that again. I feel very good about her presence on this team (I hope to be backing that vibe up with some actual wordfacts for you soon). We’re still in early days, so that’s why you haven’t heard about any more meetings at this point. See this handy chart!

Staffing the Planning Commission and Council

On Monday at 10 am at the Community Building, I’ll be interviewed for a spot on the Elberta Planning Commission if anyone would like to attend! Right after, at 10:30, Arlene Sweeting will be interviewed for the open seat on the Village board of trustees. There were also interviews posted for today, which were open to the public, but I didn’t spot the notice until it was too late.

Sunset

In more somber news, on Saturday I learned of the passing of Russ Mix. I first met Russ in 2010 when he was the friendly, no-nonsense head of the Elberta Planning Commission. He ran a tight meeting, and when it was over his smile always lit up the otherwise grim library space. For some years he let Parks & Rec run its Christmas tree sale fundraiser on his lot next to Lane Plumbing. He is already missed by those who regularly crossed paths with him and his little canine companion on the way to the post office, and by many others.

Correction/Addition! Note some updates to the section on HTB from the January Council meeting report. I have been told there will be homemade chili, cornbread, and hot chocolate at their event at the Mills on February 11.