By Bruce Rolfe
The Climax Village Council welcomed a new attorney, reversed a decision that was made a month ago, and revealed that a new ordinance violation form is now available to the public at its first meeting of 2025.
After going more then a month without an attorney, the Climax Village Council selected Craig Rolfe, of Craig A. Rolfe, PLLC, Vicksburg, as its new attorney at the January 7 meeting.
Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman, & Koches PC, who served as the village’s ordinance enforcement attorney and limited general counsel attorney, submitted a letter of resignation effective November 20, 2024.
Finance/Insurance/Administration Committee Chairperson Denise Munez Pyle said after considering at least five different attorneys, the committee felt Rolfe was the best fit for the Council.
Rolfe told the Council he has been a municipal attorney since 1980, specializing in township law. He actually got his start with the village’s former law firm and remained with the law firm until 2008 when he broke off and started his own practice.
He does not represent any villages, however he said much of municipal law is some what common covering villages and townships.
Rolfe said his hourly rate is $300, which Pyle said was below what many other attorneys charge. He said he does not expect to increase that rate in the forseeable future.
The new Village attorney has previously served Climax Township and currently is the Charleston Township attorney.
Council Reverses Decision on Tree Removal Near C-S Jr./Sr, High School
After unanimously denying what was initially thought to be a request by the Climax-Scotts School District to have the Village remove 12 black locust trees on Village right of way near the C-S Jr./Sr. High School at is December 17 meeting, the Council unanimously approved a motion to allow the school district to remove the trees after it was learned the school district will pay for the entire cost.
The approved motion adds the tree removal work will be performed by a licensed and insured tree removal company hired by the local school district.
Climax Village Council president Bill Lewis said there was some miscommunication that led to the earlier decision to deny the request in December. He said initially, the Council was asked to pay for 50 percent of the cost and the school district later agreed to cover all of the cost, which was not noted at the December 17 meeting.
C-S School Board Vice President Trent Piper told the Council the C-S School District School is willing to pay 100 percent of the cost to remove the 12 trees. He adds the school district would also be willing to pay the cost to plant up to 12 trees in other locations in the Village at the Village Council’s request.
Piper told the Council January 7 the school district feels the 12 trees could create challenges in an area where bond project work is taking place.
Piper said new fencing near the baseball field being renovated will replace the existing fencing that runs next to the trees. A new sidewalk will be poured near the 12 trees as well. He said if the trees remain in place there will be a grade issue because the height of the sidewalk will determine the grade that will lead into the village’s ditch.
He adds with regular student and citizen activity expected on the new sidewalk, the risk of minor injury from falling or fallen black locust tree limbs with thorns on the branches, is eliminated if the trees are removed. He adds having the trees removed also takes away the possibility of future damage that could occur from falling limbs on the new fencing and sidewalks or from tree roots that could create damage to the sidewalk.
Piper adds he understood there will be some type of retaining wall to retain soil near a fire hydrant near the main entrance to the Jr./Sr. High School after the trees are removed.
Lewis felt the school district’s request would be a win-win for both sides, and could eliminate future village expense if one or more of the trees needed to be removed because of a safety issue.
New Ordinance Complaint Form Now Available for Citizens
A new ordinance complaint form the Village Council approved December 17 after modifications were made, is now available for the public.
Ordinance/Zoning/Planning & Development Committee Chairperson Carolyn Kelly said the Village will not accept anonymous complaints. The complaint form will ask for the citizen’s signature and a photo(s) of the alleged ordinance violation.
The committee will review complaint forms that will later be discussed at regular council meetings.
Ordinance complaint forms are now available in the Village Hall.
Library Lease Will Be Reviewed
Now that the Village has legal representation, Finance/Insurance/Administration Chairperson Denise Munoz Pyle asked the committee to meet to discuss any adjustments and recommendations for a new lease between the Village of Climax and Lawrence Memorial District Library regarding the library.
The previous lease ran from July, 2022 through December 31, 2024.
The current rent the Library Board pays the Village to lease the library building is $1 per year. Lawrence Memorial District Library Board President Jamie Camp told the Library Board in December the board should expect the yearly figure to increase because the Village pays for the building insurance and she expects insurance costs to increase.
The Village of Climax owns the library building. Besides paying for building insurance, the Village of Climax is responsible for building maintenance. The Lawrence Memorial Library Board pays for energy costs. The Library Board pays for insurance on contents inside the building.
The lease also allows the Prairie Historical Society to use the PHS room in the library and the Village Council to use the PHS room for meetings.
In other items covered at the January 7 meeting:
• The Council approved a motion by a 4-3 margin (Joline Chaney, Nick Ludwig, and Janet Sutherland voted no) to approve the bill package minus two invoices from the attorney Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman, & Koches PC totaling $798.18, until detailed clarification for the attorney services performed in November have been explained.
• Public Safety/Fire/Law Enforcement/disaster Planning Chairman Nick Ludwig reports the Village will be working with Lieutenant VanZile at the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department.
Ludwig adds a suspect has been identified and taken into custody regarding a stolen vehicle at the Climax Market.
Ludwig said there were 11 citizen initiated calls for service in December, 26 officer initiated calls for service including 21 directed patrol, four traffic stops and one suspicious occurrence.
• Village President Bill Lewis said he plans to hold office hours Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-11:30 a.m.
• The Council unanimously approved Clerk Linda Coburn as the Freedom of Information Act coordinator.
• The Council unanimously approved authorization of the Village President and the Village President Pro-Tem to provide check signatures if needed.
The Climax Village Council welcomed a new attorney, reversed a decision that was made a month ago, and revealed that a new ordinance violation form is now available to the public at its first meeting of 2025.
After going more then a month without an attorney, the Climax Village Council selected Craig Rolfe, of Craig A. Rolfe, PLLC, Vicksburg, as its new attorney at the January 7 meeting.
Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman, & Koches PC, who served as the village’s ordinance enforcement attorney and limited general counsel attorney, submitted a letter of resignation effective November 20, 2024.
Finance/Insurance/Administration Committee Chairperson Denise Munez Pyle said after considering at least five different attorneys, the committee felt Rolfe was the best fit for the Council.
Rolfe told the Council he has been a municipal attorney since 1980, specializing in township law. He actually got his start with the village’s former law firm and remained with the law firm until 2008 when he broke off and started his own practice.
He does not represent any villages, however he said much of municipal law is some what common covering villages and townships.
Rolfe said his hourly rate is $300, which Pyle said was below what many other attorneys charge. He said he does not expect to increase that rate in the forseeable future.
The new Village attorney has previously served Climax Township and currently is the Charleston Township attorney.
Council Reverses Decision on Tree Removal Near C-S Jr./Sr, High School
After unanimously denying what was initially thought to be a request by the Climax-Scotts School District to have the Village remove 12 black locust trees on Village right of way near the C-S Jr./Sr. High School at is December 17 meeting, the Council unanimously approved a motion to allow the school district to remove the trees after it was learned the school district will pay for the entire cost.
The approved motion adds the tree removal work will be performed by a licensed and insured tree removal company hired by the local school district.
Climax Village Council president Bill Lewis said there was some miscommunication that led to the earlier decision to deny the request in December. He said initially, the Council was asked to pay for 50 percent of the cost and the school district later agreed to cover all of the cost, which was not noted at the December 17 meeting.
C-S School Board Vice President Trent Piper told the Council the C-S School District School is willing to pay 100 percent of the cost to remove the 12 trees. He adds the school district would also be willing to pay the cost to plant up to 12 trees in other locations in the Village at the Village Council’s request.
Piper told the Council January 7 the school district feels the 12 trees could create challenges in an area where bond project work is taking place.
Piper said new fencing near the baseball field being renovated will replace the existing fencing that runs next to the trees. A new sidewalk will be poured near the 12 trees as well. He said if the trees remain in place there will be a grade issue because the height of the sidewalk will determine the grade that will lead into the village’s ditch.
He adds with regular student and citizen activity expected on the new sidewalk, the risk of minor injury from falling or fallen black locust tree limbs with thorns on the branches, is eliminated if the trees are removed. He adds having the trees removed also takes away the possibility of future damage that could occur from falling limbs on the new fencing and sidewalks or from tree roots that could create damage to the sidewalk.
Piper adds he understood there will be some type of retaining wall to retain soil near a fire hydrant near the main entrance to the Jr./Sr. High School after the trees are removed.
Lewis felt the school district’s request would be a win-win for both sides, and could eliminate future village expense if one or more of the trees needed to be removed because of a safety issue.
New Ordinance Complaint Form Now Available for Citizens
A new ordinance complaint form the Village Council approved December 17 after modifications were made, is now available for the public.
Ordinance/Zoning/Planning & Development Committee Chairperson Carolyn Kelly said the Village will not accept anonymous complaints. The complaint form will ask for the citizen’s signature and a photo(s) of the alleged ordinance violation.
The committee will review complaint forms that will later be discussed at regular council meetings.
Ordinance complaint forms are now available in the Village Hall.
Library Lease Will Be Reviewed
Now that the Village has legal representation, Finance/Insurance/Administration Chairperson Denise Munoz Pyle asked the committee to meet to discuss any adjustments and recommendations for a new lease between the Village of Climax and Lawrence Memorial District Library regarding the library.
The previous lease ran from July, 2022 through December 31, 2024.
The current rent the Library Board pays the Village to lease the library building is $1 per year. Lawrence Memorial District Library Board President Jamie Camp told the Library Board in December the board should expect the yearly figure to increase because the Village pays for the building insurance and she expects insurance costs to increase.
The Village of Climax owns the library building. Besides paying for building insurance, the Village of Climax is responsible for building maintenance. The Lawrence Memorial Library Board pays for energy costs. The Library Board pays for insurance on contents inside the building.
The lease also allows the Prairie Historical Society to use the PHS room in the library and the Village Council to use the PHS room for meetings.
In other items covered at the January 7 meeting:
• The Council approved a motion by a 4-3 margin (Joline Chaney, Nick Ludwig, and Janet Sutherland voted no) to approve the bill package minus two invoices from the attorney Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman, & Koches PC totaling $798.18, until detailed clarification for the attorney services performed in November have been explained.
• Public Safety/Fire/Law Enforcement/disaster Planning Chairman Nick Ludwig reports the Village will be working with Lieutenant VanZile at the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department.
Ludwig adds a suspect has been identified and taken into custody regarding a stolen vehicle at the Climax Market.
Ludwig said there were 11 citizen initiated calls for service in December, 26 officer initiated calls for service including 21 directed patrol, four traffic stops and one suspicious occurrence.
• Village President Bill Lewis said he plans to hold office hours Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-11:30 a.m.
• The Council unanimously approved Clerk Linda Coburn as the Freedom of Information Act coordinator.
• The Council unanimously approved authorization of the Village President and the Village President Pro-Tem to provide check signatures if needed.
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