A brilliant fireworks display lit up the Cal Zorn Recreation Center on Saturday during the 8th Annual Mending the Sacred Hoop Pow Wow. The event was sponsored by the Leh Nah Weh Native American Organization and the City of Tecumseh.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Members of the Tecumseh Public School (TPS) Board approved final budget revisions Monday night for the district’s 2008-2009 budget, with the general fund projected to be $25,378,314. Business and Finance Director Bill Wright said revenue had increased by approximately $258,945 through various local revenue sources and those revisions were incorporated, along with a few expenditure adjustments.

Like other school districts around the state, Tecumseh also had to work in last-minute figures from a recent Senate version of the state aid act for its 2009-2010 budget, also approved Monday night following a public budget hearing, with the general fund projected to be $24,275,528.

The budget includes a reduction of $110 per student, which equates to a projected loss of $341,232, and the loss of categorical funding for declining enrollment of $60,959, which reduces the TPS foundation allowance to $7,206 per student. Wright said the school district also is projecting a decrease of 120 students for the 2009-2010 fiscal year for a projected loss of $828,690, with the projected state aid revenue loss totaling $1,230,881. School districts had expected the state to use federal stimulus funds to shore up the state’s school aid fund, keeping per-pupil aid the same this year, but the state used the funds on the state’s 2008-2009 budget instead.

Wright pointed out that the budget development process began in January 2009 and that a Budget Advisory Committee met several times throughout the school year as part of this process. He said the projected fund equity of $933,974, or 3.77 percent of expenditures, was getting low for what state guidelines like to see.

By DEB WUETHRICH

At Monday night’s special school board meeting, following a public budget hearing, Tecumseh School Board members had an opportunity to review applications for three candidates who were interested in filling the one-year remainder of Gary Urban’s seat. Urban resigned from the board on June 8.

 
The three candidates included: Dr. Edward Tritt, DVM, who formerly served on the board for eight years and also has held board offices; Barbara Lesko, a laboratory technician and community member who has served on educational and corporate boards; and current board member and president Debbie Johnson-Burges, whose term was expiring.

Berges was appointed with a 3-2 vote with no votes from Jason Sines and Lou Englund. Newly elected board member Jimmie Rice will be sworn in on  Monday, July 27, when the board holds its next meeting to include an organizational meeting to begin at 6:30 p.m. There will be no meeting July 13. Officers for the coming school year also will be elected at the organizational meeting.

Board member Kevin Packard stated that it was great to have three candidates to choose from, especially during a time when it’s difficult to find qualified people who are willing to serve. Packard also thanked the audience for its comments. A final public comment period had included a woman pointing out a news item about how the district’s administrators had turned down the coming year’s raises. She said the administrators were not heroes for doing this.

“Be fair,” she said. “You expect us to take a 15 percent pay cut, and some have lost their jobs. I really think the administrators should lead by example.”

By DEB WUETHRICH

The Tecumseh School Board approved a resolution Monday night authorizing the district to participate in the Michigan Municipal Bond Authority state aid note loan program for funding a projected shortfall in cash flow for the 2009-2010 budget year. Business and Finance Director, Bill Wright, said the fact that the school district does not receive a state aid payment for the month of September each year and still has to make the payroll and other expenditures puts the district in its weakest position in cash flow during that time.
Last year, the district borrowed $1,800,000 and the year before that, $1,600,000. Given the fact that the district continues to experience declining revenues due to declining student enrollment, Wright noted, the 2009-2010 projected cash flow borrowing requirement would be $2,400,000.  Wright said the district would be utilizing a different repayment plan this year, utilizing a “set-aside” program for the loan. He said the plan would lower the cost of borrowing due to the proceeds being fully secured by theMunicipal Bond Authority resulting in lower interest rates.

Wright also outlined the budgeting process, stating that the projected deficit for the 2009-2010 fiscal year is $431,423, and talked again about the challenges being faced by the district. A budget hearing will be held on Monday, June 29, at the Administrative Service Center, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with opportunity for public comment. Wright said that State Aid cuts of $110 per student and a categorical funding loss due to declining enrollment are projected to take $402,191.85 out of the district’s budget.

Organizers of a recall petition targeting four seats on the Tecumseh School Board took a step on Wednesday, June 24. During a 9 a.m. meeting with the Lenawee Election Commission it was determined that wording on the petitions was clear. The meeting took place in Judge Gregg Iddings probate courtroom at the Lenawee County Courthouse. Judge Iddings, along with Lenawee County Treasurer Marilyn Woods and Lenawee County Clerk Roxann Holloway, make up the board.

“Basically we were in and out,” said the recall’s organizer, Tecumseh resident Dave Govro following the meeting. “Everything was clear and the petitions are ready to be made.” He said there would be 10 days to appeal the clarity hearing, but noted that there were no members of the school board in attendance.

Govro said that the Commission provided forms for the petitions, which would be made for each of the four board member seats. Those currently are held by Lou Englund, Dan Gunder, Karen Januszek and Kevin Packard. Petitions also must include the name of the correct township at the top, with the district serving a constituency of several townships.
Govro said that several individuals have approached him about circulating petitions and that a meeting would soon be held to coordinate the process. Petitioners will have 180 days to gather 1,695 signatures to force a recall election, or 25 percent of the voter turnout in the last gubernatorial election.

By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT

CLINTON — Discussion quickly boiled into argument during Friday’s regular meeting of the Lenawee County Road Commission, when Village of Clinton Manager Kevin Cornish asked that language be removed from a maintenance agreement that will redraw jurisdictional lines on Tecumseh-Clinton Road.

The agreement was created after Cornish requested that the two government bodies redraw the jurisdictions, giving each maintenance authority over whole portions of the road within the village limits. Based on a 1982 agreement, the village and road commission split the road in half from the Clinton-Macon Road to the south village limits.

Cornish objects to language in the agreement that stipulates that all future improvements on Tecumseh-Clinton Road must be done to Class A standards and that the village return $685,000 in federal stimulus money that was allocated by the Rural Task Force earlier this year. Both Cornish and Lenawee County Road Commission Managing Director Orrin Gregg sit on the three-member Rural Task Force board.

“What gives you the authority to require us to build the road to Class A standards and to require us to return money awarded by another governmental body?” Cornish said.
He told road commissioners that the Tecumseh-Clinton Road must be built to Class A standards, according to requirements outlined by the federal grants funding much of the project. “You talked about how we are going to build the road to an inferior standard. You all know, Orrin [Gregg] knows that the federal grants hold us to a Class A standard,” said Cornish.