Hayes, Other Districts, Facing Voter List Obstacles

By DIANNE ALWARD-BIERY

Cleaver Senior Staff Writer

HARRISON – The March 24 Hayes Township General Board meeting saw all members present.

Commissioner Reports included offerings from County Commissioner Gabe Ambrozaitis and Road Commissioner Bill Simpson.

Ambrozaitis informed that the county budget would normally be at 50% expensed, but that it currently was at 40.08% expensed. He also provided an overview of the actions taken at the March Board of Commissioners meeting [as reported in the March 25 issue of the Cleaver], as well as informing about the Airport Committee meeting which preceded that evening’s Hayes Township meeting.

Simpson’s report was brief, beginning with stating the 2026 Weighmaster Training at Robbin Harsch Excavating in Clare went well, and that the road commission building was all closed in with office flooring installed. His hope is that next year the weighmaster training would be done at the new CCRC facility, which was “coming along really well.” Simpson  said other road commission work is simply “waiting on the weather.”

Supervisor Brendan Powell reported having attended the previous week’s Clare County Board of Commissioners meeting, accompanied by Hayes Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer Andrew Goodman, who had introduced himself to the commissioners.

Treasurer Savannah Cavanaugh gestured to the crated long pile of blue plastic tubes and other pallets of items in the parking lot, all covered with clear plastic, which had been delivered the previous Tuesday. This, she said, was the playground equipment that had arrived March 17. Cavanaugh said that at the next meeting she would be able to provide a digital rendering of the playground for all to see.

Cavanaugh also reported on the Comm Night Harrison Rocks rock painting event held the previous Thursday at The Venue n Main in Harrison, noting it had been very successful. She said the rocks were being sealed with Mod Podge and would be distributed throughout the Harrison community, as well as at the Hayes Municipal Complex. Finders can admire and replace them, snap a photo to upload to the Harrison Rocks Facebook page, add to them and even place them somewhere else to expand the puzzle.

She said the first Parks and Rec Committee would be meeting at 10:30 a.m. April 13. Additionally, Cavanaugh said that CMF was offering the option for recognition plaques in relation to the Spark Grant playground project.

Cavanaugh also noted the change in scheduling for the April 11 Egg-Stravaganza at the airport, moving it from the morning to the afternoon due to the unforeseen conflict with the monthly food distribution at the Clare County Transit.

Further noted was that during the week of April 20 the offices and gym would be closed due to employees’ and Board members’ attendance at the MTA Annual Conference in Traverse City. They will return that Thursday for BS&A training. The offices will reopen at noon April 27.

Clerk Deb Hoyt said the Pleasant Plains Cemetery cleanup would be posted soon. She then moved on to the ever-changing elections rules.

“Elections have been challenging lately,” she said, and then went on to describe the new Administrator’s Rule which dictates that any voter registered for 20 years or more and not voted must be canceled.

Hoyt also spoke of the problem of returned mail, which includes the election voter information cards clerks are mailing out regarding early voting. Those are being returned from the post office as undeliverable – 341 cards so far.

“It puts a lot of our voters on a cancellation countdown,” she said.

Deputy Clerk Pam Voelker described some of the reasons for the returns as Snow Birds, forwarding outside the area, or no forwarding address, all of which she said is causing constant paperwork.

It is also required that the township include a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and Voelker said the postage estimate is $300 so far, plus $900 in staff time. And another round of returns is expected.

In describing the ongoing and deteriorating postal service issues, Hoyt added that one voter ID card had been sent out in June of 2024 and been returned back to Hayes on March 17 of this year.

Trustee Bob Buckley offered no report.

Trustee Rob McKay reported having the gym open the previous Saturday, with 20 people attending, which he described as a good turnout. He added that the JV coach and his assistant coach had attended and worked with a group of “little fellas” who hung on every word.

Andrew Goodman said he had been closing out a lot of permits from previous years.

In addition to approving the Consent Agenda of Bills to be Paid, Bills paid Prior and the Treasurer’s Report, the Board also approved one  New Business item: an Erskine Enterprise LLC change order in the amount of $500 [which resulted from the ordering of extra bricks to ensure their availability should the canopy pillars be damaged again in the future].

Discussion centered around the Gym Use Survey and gym hours. Cavanaugh said there really hadn’t been much commentary from Hayes residents, and the Board agreed that establishing something was not currently pressing. Goodman offered to be available during his possible Friday office hours for the summer – being onsite to enable gym use. Other Board members also spoke of how they might possibly step up to fill some gym time. It was decided a summer gym/office schedule would be drafted for approval at the next Board meeting.

Under Public Comment, resident Pat Adams informed the Board that he would be running for election to the office of Clare County Road Commissioner and offered his apologies for not being able to serve as an election inspector as his being on the ballot would create a conflict of interest.

The Hayes Township Board meets next at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 14 at the Hayes Municipal Complex, 2055 E. Townline Lake Road.

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