Another packed Ontwa Township Hall erupted late Monday night when the board appointed Jerry Bolock to the Wastewater Board on a 5-2 vote.

Several board members questioned Ontwa Township Supervisor John Brielmaier’s decision to appoint Bolock to the board to replace Larry Banghart, who resigned.

One of the chief concerns expressed was that Bolock lacked the background that several other applicants who had originally applied for the wastewater board.

Trustee Jerry Duck even offered up a resume that he tried to get to Brielmaier before he made his decision.

Duck became very agitated when Brielmaier said he had not seen the resume.

“What did you think she was applying for? To pick up garbage?” Duck said.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Brielmaier answered.

Trustee Nathan Brousseau asked Brielmaier why he felt Bolock was the right person to appoint to the position.

“I believe he will serve this community well,” Brielmaier answered.

The vote to approve the appointment was 5-2 with Duck and Jerry Marchetti casting dissenting votes. Meryl Christensen, Paula Ralph, Norm Krupp and Brielmaier voted in favor of Bolock.

Once the final votes were cast, several members of the crowd started shouting at the board and most of the standing room only audience stormed out of the township hall.

The board also discussed asking the Cass County Board of Commissioners to go ahead with the sale of the anticipation bonds for the sewer plant.

The commissioners stopped the sale of those bonds back in September, but Ontwa Township officials wanted to ask the county to change its decision so that they may sell the bonds in order to pay bills that have been incurred during the planning and designing of the sewer treatment plant.

The board voted 5-2, with Duck and Marchetti voting against the motion to ask the county to sell the anticipation bonds.

Brielmaier announced that township officials would meet with officials from the City of Elkhart to try and work out its issues over sewer fines.

According to Ontwa Clerk Paula Ralph, Elkhart has canceled the meeting and it has not been rescheduled.

In other action:

• The board purchased insurance that would help the township pay for any damage caused by a sewer backup like the one it had over Labor Day weekend.

• Heard from Wightman and Associates about the potential of increasing its sewer rates by approximately $10. No action was taken.

• Approved paying an insurance increase for township employees.

• The board voted against removing Jim Robinson, from both the Wastewater Board and the Planning Commission. The vote was 4-3.

• Paid Wightman and Associated $111,720 for work down on the sewer plant project.

• Announced that trick or treat hours will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.

• Announced that the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the Nov. 4 General Election.

•Ontwa will purchase a new ambulance thanks to the approval of a loan from the township. The board unanimously approved loaning the ambulance service the money to buy a new rig. The total cost will be $156,200 and the new ambulance could be in service as quickly as next week.