By By NORMA LERNER / Edwardsburg Argus
EDWARDSBURG -- Newly elected and appointed officials to the Edwardsburg Village Council were sworn in Monday night before taking office.
Elected to four-year seats were Scott Mackling and Mary Ann Schoenfeld, and re-elected were Jacque Tighe to a two-year seat and James Robinson to a four-year seat. Appointed to fill vacancies were Lana Eash, four-year seat; former Trustee George Pabreza, two-year seat, and Bruce Campbell, two-year seat, was not present to be sworn in.
Clerk Bernadine Tilbury administered the oath of office and reported there were 32 ballots cast in last week's election with 31 votes cast for Mackling, 32 for Robinson, 29 for Schoenfeld and 31 for Tighe. She said the cost to run the election amounted to $37.31 per vote.
The council proposed to set the 2004-05 millage levy at 4.6917 operating mills subject to the Headlee reduction fraction, reported Tilbury. She said the figure for setting the actual millage was not available, but the rate is expected to be passed at the council's June 21 meeting.
The council also adopted its 2004-05 budget after a lengthy public hearing and reducing figures in heat, electricity, printing and publishing and the president's salary to replenish funds in the police department that were lowered from $55,000 last year to $49,455. Trustee Robinson questioned, "We approved a contract with the police department, now we are cutting funding. I'm not sure it is the right thing to do. We should still contribute the same amount every year. I don't think we should be cutting the police contribution when we support police contracts."
He also questioned the proposed $3,000 for the president's salary which is the same as last year but is up $1,000 more than the chartered amount. Following a discussion, the $1,000 was added to other adjustments to make up the police amount.
Tilbury said this is the first year it has been a tighter budget. She referred to training in the budget at $1,500, up from $500 for newly elected officials. She said in her 19 years a clerk, she has never attended training. It is offered two or three times a year and is good for those new to attend. It stayed in the budget at $1,500 and was approved for those who could attend to go to an elected officials academy-core weekend June 18 and 19 at Traverse City.
The budget general fund adopted was balanced at $368,368, down from last year's at $392,960. The major street budget was $59,846, down from $206,771; local streets, $52,872, down from $62,300; cemetery, $42,400, up from $22,413; water department, $288,506, up from $287,539; and motor vehicle pool, $59,350, up from $56,988.
The total expenditure budget was $871,242, down from $1,098,109.
Other business conducted was as follows: