The Township Board is the center of Township government. The Board is normally made up of three elected officials: the Supervisor, Treasurer, and Clerk and four elected Trustees. Pere Marquette Township's Board positions are currently filled by the elected Supervisor Gene Jorissen and elected Clerk Joanne Kelley, and appointed Treasurer Sara Shelly. Sara was appointed to her position when Connie Andersen retired in November 2006. The trustees are Pamela Beal, Henry Groendal, Paul Piper, and Henry Rasmussen.
December
2006
The Township Board poses for
our web photo in front of one of several murals to grace our Townhall.
Front row, from left, Treasurer Sara Shelly, Trustee Pam Beal, and Clerk Joanne
Kelley; Back row, from left, Supervisor Gene Jorissen, Trustee Henry Rasmussen, Trustee Paul Piper, and Trustee Hank Groendal.
The mural, which was completed in the late summer of 2007, showcases
the creation of the Consumer's Energy Pumped Storage Plant on South Lakeshore
Drive.
The Supervisor presides at meetings of the Board. Typical items for consideration and discussion at Board meetings include budgets, the tax levy, special assessment districts for water and sewer projects, tax abatement matters, sale or purchase of Township real property or other merchandise and equipment, etc. Issues of running the Township offices, rules regarding the rental hall, Township building construction, and management of the various Departments and committees also come under the jurisdiction of the Township Board.
Pere Marquette Township’s Regular meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. All agenda items consist of discussion and a vote. Board members are provided extensive information on each item in advance of the meeting.
Meetings held on the fourth Tuesday are also considered "Committee of the Whole" meetings. This portion of the meeting is used for in-depth discussions on the various issues. This is a discussion forum for the Board and no action is taken during Committee of the Whole discussions.
The Board is eager to receive public comment and respects the rights of citizens to participate in the legislative process. Two "Public Comment" times are provided for people to comment on items listed on the Agenda. Early in the meeting, there is a time for comments that will take less than two minutes. At the end of the meeting time is scheduled for longer comments on the issues.
You can access recent Board minutes with the links at the left. If you're looking for older minutes, or for something specific, please contact the Clerk's office.
Because there are so many aspects to Township government, the Board has many committees and related Boards that assist in gathering information and making recommendations. You can learn about some of these by exploring our other web pages.