Morrice president Todd Scott off Nov. ballot, will run as write-in

Morrice Village President Todd Scott told the village council on Aug. 11 that his name will not appear on the November ballot and that he will run as a write-in candidate instead. According to the approved minutes, Scott said the omission happened "through several errors." He also said the county clerk had advised that Trustee Jacob Saint Amour should likewise run as a write-in.

The minutes record no further explanation of what the errors were and no council action on the matter. Saint Amour was seated on a vacant council seat earlier this year, as The Current reported from the village's spring minutes.

The council's one big spending vote of the night was Britton Road. Members voted 5-0 to spend $20,000 to chip seal Britton Road from Morrice Road east to the village limit, piggybacking on a county contract. Scott told the council the shared arrangement was "much less costly than it would have been to do it separately." Voting yes: Jacob Saint Amour, Philip Hruska, Maggie Saint Amour, Robert Peterson and Todd Scott. No one was absent.

Treasurer Linda Hudecek asked the council to walk through the budget at the halfway point of the fiscal year, saying some line items are off. Scott listed what the village still has lined up to pay: $20,000 for the Britton Road chip seal, $11,780 for the transfer station ramp, $16,000 for the remainder of the pavilion payment, $33,556 for Diamond Way road repair, $3,850 for Diamond Way drain repair and $23,850 for the South Street sidewalk. That is roughly $109,000 in planned work. The budget committee meets Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. to take it up in detail.

Two other costs are still open. Consumers Energy has quoted $8,500 to run a natural gas line to the park building, the minutes say, and Scott is checking on a timeline and getting estimates for both a furnace and a furnace-and-air-conditioning unit. Scott is also collecting estimates for the library window.

Public works reported a sinkhole forming on Purdy Lane by the school. The crew plans to fill it in and watch what happens. Work on the South Street sidewalk — awarded to SA Smith Paving of Owosso for $23,885, as The Current reported — was set to begin the week after the meeting.

Most of the rest of the meeting was the village's 150-year celebration. Maggie Saint Amour reported that Dave Roberts got the most online votes for grand marshal and Ted Scott the second most; the council voted to name Roberts, with Ted Scott as the fallback if Roberts is unavailable. The council also approved spending up to $800 on t-shirts to sell at the event, 5-0. Saint Amour listed community groups lining up to take part without selling anything: Studio 1555 renting cotton candy and popcorn machines, the library running a kids' craft, Perry Church of the Nazarene making snow cones, Habitat for Humanity handing out homeowner assistance information, Reynolds grilling hot dogs and Wildfire Ministries distributing flyers. Zootopia 2 leads the movie vote. Murals at the park building are due by Sept. 7.

Police Chief Matt Balsley told the council the school homecoming parade will run Sept. 25, with Main Street closed from South Street to Mason starting at 5 p.m. until the parade ends. The council approved the closure and parade permit on a voice vote. Balsley also said the school extended its parking lot to keep cars off the street.

County Commissioner Cindy Garber told the council during guest comments that a $14 million Pleasant View expansion should be finished in January or February, adding 40 beds. She said there is a staffing need and a waiting list of 60 to 70 people.

Scott announced that D. Olsen had died, with a celebration of life held Aug. 15 at the Perry VFW.

What happens next: The budget committee meets Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. to review line items and the big-ticket projects. South Street sidewalk work is underway. The homecoming parade closes Main Street the evening of Sept. 25. These minutes were approved at the council's Aug. 25 meeting.