By Bruce Rolfe
After adopting an ordinance to form a Planning Commission recently, the Climax Village Council approved the five-members who will serve on the new Planning Commission by a 4-2 margin and one abstention (Joline Chaney and Janet Sutherland voted no and Denise Pyle abstained) at its regular council meeting August 19.
Three village residents, one resident who resides outside the village and one Village Council member will serve on the commission.
The Council approved Chris Bowshow, currently a code enforcement officer for the City of Portage who lives outside the village but is a Climax Township resident, Cathy Weissert, Haylee Rice and Marcia Lewis and Village Council trustee Denise Pyle as members of the newly formed Planning Commission.
Village President Bill Lewis said Murat Bates also submitted a letter of interest however he is already serving on the Climax Township Zoning Committee and the Village Ordinance/Zoning/Planning and Development committee felt there may be a conflict of interest if the same person served on both commissions.
The terms are for up to four years and will be staggered. The zoning committee will determine the terms for each member.
Lewis said training for the new zoning committee members will be provided.
Considerable Ordinance Discussion
Ordinance/Zoning/Planning and Development Chairperson Carolyn Kelly said there are currently 22 ordinances pending to process, including 12 that relate to information letters that were recently mailed to village residents about the State of Michigan’s requirements for above ground or below ground pools that could hold up to 24 inches or more of water. A copy of the State of Michigan’s pool requirements was attached to the letters sent. The Village requested the Village residents with pools contact SafeBuilt to discuss the State of Michigan’s fencing requirements around the pools.
Kelly said according to current Village ordinances, when a resident installs a fence, approval is needed by the neighbor. She said her committee is working to modify the ordinance to remove the language that requires fencing approval by a neighbor.
She said four letters were sent to village residents for ordinance concerns dealing with blight and nuisance. She said one resident has already corrected the violation.
She adds there were four zoning concerns, which will be reviewed.
Kelly said two additional ordinance issues are related to court action.
The Chairperson reminded the council and public photos for ordinance violation complaints must be current and if a photo is taken in the driveway or property without permission of the property owner the photos are not valid.
Hazmat Agreement Rejected, then Approved
After initially voting against a motion to sign the Intergovernmental Fire Protection Hazardous Materials Incident Response Agreement, the Council modified the motion and carried a motion by a 4-3 margin (Carolyn Kelly, Bill Lewis, and Denise Pyle voted no) to sign the Hazmat agreement.
Earlier, the Council defeated a motion to have the attorney review the agreement 3-4 (Joline Chaney, Nick Ludwig, Ben Moore and Janet Sutherland voted no).
Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith approached the board about signing the agreement, which allows the Intergovernmental Fire Protection Hazardous Materials Incident Response team to operate within the Village if needed.
The Climax Township Board signed the same agreement at its August 12 meeting.
Amended Contract with Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department Approved
Public Safety/Fire/Law Enforcement/Disaster Planning Chairman Nick Ludwig presented an amendment to the Village’s police protection agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department.
The Council unanimously approved the amended contract that changes the effective dates of the agreement to June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026.
Because the Council’s fiscal year budget ends March 31, 2026, the Council will consider next February appropriating funding for the final two months of the contract in the next budget.
The Village used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for the agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department that ended June 1, 2025. The Council has budgeted funding for the Sheriff service through the end of the current budget, March 31, 2026.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department will provide up to 40 hours of patrol per month.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department will provide monthly reports to the Village of Climax through a Sheriff liaison or command officer assigned to the village. The reports will reflect call volume and type of calls monitored. The reports will show trends and tracking relating to the village.
Ludwig said his committee met to discuss risk management for the Memorial Day parade.
He proposed having a Memorial Day link on the village website and within that link, a map could provide the parade route, the Run To Climax route and a parade entry form. He also discussed having an emergency response list of contacts available on the website as well.
Ludwig said applications for the Kalamazoo County Citizens Academy are now available. To apply, visit kalcounty.gov or kalcounty.gov/832/Sheriff
DPW Report
DPW Manager T.J. Gibson said he and full time employee Lucas Piper are signed up for fall water classes in Lansing in October.
Estimates for striping Main Street and Maple Street after chip and fog sealing, were reviewed.
The Council accepted a quote from P.K. Contracting of Plainwell for $6,656.85 for striping all of Main and Maple Streets and both railroad track crossing approaches.
The council also secured an estimate from Ace Parking Lot Striping of Plainwell for $4,979.63. It was noted even though the Ace Parking Lot Striping quote was lower, P.K. Contracting specializes in municipal road striping.
Legal Issues with 2 Properties Tabled
The Village tabled issues surrounding 329 West Maple Street and 110 South Main Street.
Village president Bill Lewis said the Village is trying to recover $15,000-$16,000 in demolition and legal expenses associated with 329 West Maple Street. Lewis said the Village put a lien on the property that stays with the property. He said the property was recently sold on a Quick Claim Deed.
“At this point, because it has already been sold, and it was sold last year, it has been sold and it was not taken care of at that time, at this point our best bet is to have our attorney get involved and set stipulations. It needs to be paid with a time line so the Village can try to recover that fee,” said Lewis.
Pyle noted many times perspective property purchasers do not perform a title search and the county is not required to provide notification about a lien on the property.
Lewis said there are fees a judge ordered at 110 South Main Street, however there are some circumstances that took place with the permit process he said brings questions.
The unresolved issues surrounding the two pieces of property were tabled until the next meeting. Lewis said he expects to discuss the two properties with the village attorney as the Council attempts to navigate through the process.
When discussing the permit process overall, Lewis said when the Village Council started with SafeBuilt, which provides building permit, ordinance and zoning services to the Village, there were 47 permits from 2021 that had not been completed. That number has been reduced to 22 permits that not been completed.
Tree Removal Issue Solved
After a resident at 131 North Church Street paid $2,800 to have a tree that was in the village right of way removed in front of the property owner’s home and requested reimbursement of 50 percent, the Council learned there was only $625 remaining in the budget for tree maintenance.
After a short discussion the Council approved to pay the resident 50 percent of the cost at the location with the money coming from monthly revenue generated from a contract with T-Mobile to have their equipment on the Village’s water tower. The money will come out of the water fund and moved into general fund.
Part of the approved motion adds as of August 19, no tree removal in the village prior to August 19, 2025 will be considered for reimbursement.
The Council will consider an ordinance for tree removal and maintenance in the future.
In other items covered at the August 19 meeting:
• The Council received communication from Galesburg Scout Troop #265 asking permission to use the former Harvester lot the village owns for a Scout Recruitment event. The local Scout troop would like to set up a mock camp site with tents, and a camp fire using a steel wok like elevated fire pit for roasting marshmallows. The Scout troop requested to use the site September 16 starting at 6 p.m.
The item was tabled until more information about potential liabilities for the village are obtained, whether a signed waiver would be needed, if the Scout troop planned to have a fire extinguisher and a fire permit and length of time the Scouts plan to use the lot.
• There was general consensus that the Council proceed with committee meetings in a manner that follows the Village Charter after Trustee Carolyn Kelly offered the suggestion.
• Lewis handed out information recommended by the attorney to codify ordinances that will be reviewed at the next council meeting.
• Cemetery and Parks Chairman Ben Moore said parts have been ordered for a drinking fountain in the Village Park that does not work. The drinking fountain was broken last summer.
• Water, Recycling and Spring Cleanup Chairperson Joline Chaney said the Village’s water billing with BS&A software will go live March 30, 2026.
Village Treasurer Sydney Cope and clerk Linda Coburn will be involved with training and implementation the entire week.
• Finance/Insurance and Administration Chairperson Denise Pyle said the Village would like to see Job descriptions and handbooks for employees updated.
• The Council unanimously approved a $200 a month stipend for full time DPW employee Lucas Piper, who has decided not to be covered under the Village’s health insurance plan, which is $356 a month for a savings of $156 a month.
• The end of the contract with Safebuilt, which provides permits, code and ordinance enforcement services for the Village, is approaching. Lewis said he would like the committee to meet to address concerns or offer any other input to determine a recommendation whether to continue with Safebuilt or look for another company.
After adopting an ordinance to form a Planning Commission recently, the Climax Village Council approved the five-members who will serve on the new Planning Commission by a 4-2 margin and one abstention (Joline Chaney and Janet Sutherland voted no and Denise Pyle abstained) at its regular council meeting August 19.
Three village residents, one resident who resides outside the village and one Village Council member will serve on the commission.
The Council approved Chris Bowshow, currently a code enforcement officer for the City of Portage who lives outside the village but is a Climax Township resident, Cathy Weissert, Haylee Rice and Marcia Lewis and Village Council trustee Denise Pyle as members of the newly formed Planning Commission.
Village President Bill Lewis said Murat Bates also submitted a letter of interest however he is already serving on the Climax Township Zoning Committee and the Village Ordinance/Zoning/Planning and Development committee felt there may be a conflict of interest if the same person served on both commissions.
The terms are for up to four years and will be staggered. The zoning committee will determine the terms for each member.
Lewis said training for the new zoning committee members will be provided.
Considerable Ordinance Discussion
Ordinance/Zoning/Planning and Development Chairperson Carolyn Kelly said there are currently 22 ordinances pending to process, including 12 that relate to information letters that were recently mailed to village residents about the State of Michigan’s requirements for above ground or below ground pools that could hold up to 24 inches or more of water. A copy of the State of Michigan’s pool requirements was attached to the letters sent. The Village requested the Village residents with pools contact SafeBuilt to discuss the State of Michigan’s fencing requirements around the pools.
Kelly said according to current Village ordinances, when a resident installs a fence, approval is needed by the neighbor. She said her committee is working to modify the ordinance to remove the language that requires fencing approval by a neighbor.
She said four letters were sent to village residents for ordinance concerns dealing with blight and nuisance. She said one resident has already corrected the violation.
She adds there were four zoning concerns, which will be reviewed.
Kelly said two additional ordinance issues are related to court action.
The Chairperson reminded the council and public photos for ordinance violation complaints must be current and if a photo is taken in the driveway or property without permission of the property owner the photos are not valid.
Hazmat Agreement Rejected, then Approved
After initially voting against a motion to sign the Intergovernmental Fire Protection Hazardous Materials Incident Response Agreement, the Council modified the motion and carried a motion by a 4-3 margin (Carolyn Kelly, Bill Lewis, and Denise Pyle voted no) to sign the Hazmat agreement.
Earlier, the Council defeated a motion to have the attorney review the agreement 3-4 (Joline Chaney, Nick Ludwig, Ben Moore and Janet Sutherland voted no).
Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith approached the board about signing the agreement, which allows the Intergovernmental Fire Protection Hazardous Materials Incident Response team to operate within the Village if needed.
The Climax Township Board signed the same agreement at its August 12 meeting.
Amended Contract with Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department Approved
Public Safety/Fire/Law Enforcement/Disaster Planning Chairman Nick Ludwig presented an amendment to the Village’s police protection agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department.
The Council unanimously approved the amended contract that changes the effective dates of the agreement to June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026.
Because the Council’s fiscal year budget ends March 31, 2026, the Council will consider next February appropriating funding for the final two months of the contract in the next budget.
The Village used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for the agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department that ended June 1, 2025. The Council has budgeted funding for the Sheriff service through the end of the current budget, March 31, 2026.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department will provide up to 40 hours of patrol per month.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department will provide monthly reports to the Village of Climax through a Sheriff liaison or command officer assigned to the village. The reports will reflect call volume and type of calls monitored. The reports will show trends and tracking relating to the village.
Ludwig said his committee met to discuss risk management for the Memorial Day parade.
He proposed having a Memorial Day link on the village website and within that link, a map could provide the parade route, the Run To Climax route and a parade entry form. He also discussed having an emergency response list of contacts available on the website as well.
Ludwig said applications for the Kalamazoo County Citizens Academy are now available. To apply, visit kalcounty.gov or kalcounty.gov/832/Sheriff
DPW Report
DPW Manager T.J. Gibson said he and full time employee Lucas Piper are signed up for fall water classes in Lansing in October.
Estimates for striping Main Street and Maple Street after chip and fog sealing, were reviewed.
The Council accepted a quote from P.K. Contracting of Plainwell for $6,656.85 for striping all of Main and Maple Streets and both railroad track crossing approaches.
The council also secured an estimate from Ace Parking Lot Striping of Plainwell for $4,979.63. It was noted even though the Ace Parking Lot Striping quote was lower, P.K. Contracting specializes in municipal road striping.
Legal Issues with 2 Properties Tabled
The Village tabled issues surrounding 329 West Maple Street and 110 South Main Street.
Village president Bill Lewis said the Village is trying to recover $15,000-$16,000 in demolition and legal expenses associated with 329 West Maple Street. Lewis said the Village put a lien on the property that stays with the property. He said the property was recently sold on a Quick Claim Deed.
“At this point, because it has already been sold, and it was sold last year, it has been sold and it was not taken care of at that time, at this point our best bet is to have our attorney get involved and set stipulations. It needs to be paid with a time line so the Village can try to recover that fee,” said Lewis.
Pyle noted many times perspective property purchasers do not perform a title search and the county is not required to provide notification about a lien on the property.
Lewis said there are fees a judge ordered at 110 South Main Street, however there are some circumstances that took place with the permit process he said brings questions.
The unresolved issues surrounding the two pieces of property were tabled until the next meeting. Lewis said he expects to discuss the two properties with the village attorney as the Council attempts to navigate through the process.
When discussing the permit process overall, Lewis said when the Village Council started with SafeBuilt, which provides building permit, ordinance and zoning services to the Village, there were 47 permits from 2021 that had not been completed. That number has been reduced to 22 permits that not been completed.
Tree Removal Issue Solved
After a resident at 131 North Church Street paid $2,800 to have a tree that was in the village right of way removed in front of the property owner’s home and requested reimbursement of 50 percent, the Council learned there was only $625 remaining in the budget for tree maintenance.
After a short discussion the Council approved to pay the resident 50 percent of the cost at the location with the money coming from monthly revenue generated from a contract with T-Mobile to have their equipment on the Village’s water tower. The money will come out of the water fund and moved into general fund.
Part of the approved motion adds as of August 19, no tree removal in the village prior to August 19, 2025 will be considered for reimbursement.
The Council will consider an ordinance for tree removal and maintenance in the future.
In other items covered at the August 19 meeting:
• The Council received communication from Galesburg Scout Troop #265 asking permission to use the former Harvester lot the village owns for a Scout Recruitment event. The local Scout troop would like to set up a mock camp site with tents, and a camp fire using a steel wok like elevated fire pit for roasting marshmallows. The Scout troop requested to use the site September 16 starting at 6 p.m.
The item was tabled until more information about potential liabilities for the village are obtained, whether a signed waiver would be needed, if the Scout troop planned to have a fire extinguisher and a fire permit and length of time the Scouts plan to use the lot.
• There was general consensus that the Council proceed with committee meetings in a manner that follows the Village Charter after Trustee Carolyn Kelly offered the suggestion.
• Lewis handed out information recommended by the attorney to codify ordinances that will be reviewed at the next council meeting.
• Cemetery and Parks Chairman Ben Moore said parts have been ordered for a drinking fountain in the Village Park that does not work. The drinking fountain was broken last summer.
• Water, Recycling and Spring Cleanup Chairperson Joline Chaney said the Village’s water billing with BS&A software will go live March 30, 2026.
Village Treasurer Sydney Cope and clerk Linda Coburn will be involved with training and implementation the entire week.
• Finance/Insurance and Administration Chairperson Denise Pyle said the Village would like to see Job descriptions and handbooks for employees updated.
• The Council unanimously approved a $200 a month stipend for full time DPW employee Lucas Piper, who has decided not to be covered under the Village’s health insurance plan, which is $356 a month for a savings of $156 a month.
• The end of the contract with Safebuilt, which provides permits, code and ordinance enforcement services for the Village, is approaching. Lewis said he would like the committee to meet to address concerns or offer any other input to determine a recommendation whether to continue with Safebuilt or look for another company.
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