A Regular Meeting of the Dundee Township Board was held Tuesday November 25, 2025. Clerk Ziesmer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All present recited The Pledge of Allegiance. Due to the absence of Supervisor Lewis, Clerk Ziesmer moved to appoint Treasurer Ost to chair the meeting. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion carried.

 

Present were Trustees: Alana Horkey, Ken Jaworski, Tim Miles, Gary Lazette, Clerk Karla Ziesmer, and Treasurer Lisa Ost. Clerk Ziesmer did roll call. Supervisor Roger Lewis was excused.

 

• Treasurer Ost moved to revise the agenda to strike "on non-agenda items" from the public comment section so it reads "public comment limited to 4 minutes. Clerk Ziesmer seconded. Motion carried.
• Trustee Miles moved to approve the regular meeting minutes held on October 28, 2025, and waive the reading of such. Clerk Ziesmer seconded. Trustee Horkey abstained. Motion carried.

 

CORRESPONDENCE:

Two items of correspondence were presented:

1. Notice from the Village of Dundee Planning Commission informing the Township that they are preparing an update for the existing master land use plan.
2. Letter from State Representative Reggie Miller declaring her opposition to the proposed data center from Cloverleaf. Trustee Lazette read the letter aloud. The letter expressed strong opposition to the proposed data center, citing concerns about strain on local utilities, potential higher utility costs for residents while large facilities receive discounted rates, environmental and quality of life impacts including noise pollution, and the fact that data centers create very few permanent jobs while typically seeking tax abatements that reduce funding for schools and other essential services.

Clerk Ziesmer moved to approve these two items of correspondence. Trustee Lazette seconded. Motion carried.

                                   

PUBLIC COMMENT: Before opening public comment, the board addressed an issue from a recent meeting where an individual was denied his right to speak by citizens in attendance. Trustee Lazette read a response from the township attorney stating that per the Open Meetings Act, a person must be permitted to address a meeting of a public body under established rules, and no member of the public can interfere with another person's right to public comment. If such an incident occurs in the future, the meeting will be paused until the disruptive person leaves voluntarily or is removed by a sheriff's officer for breach of peace.

 

Several residents spoke during public comment, with the majority expressing concerns about the proposed Cloverleaf data center project:

OFFICIAL REPORTS:

LIBRARY:  No report at this time.

 

ASSESSING: No report at this time

 

BUILDING DEPARTMENT: No report at this time.

 

FIRE DEPARTMENT: No report at this time

TREASURER LISA HUNT: Reported that winter tax bills have been submitted to the printer and residents can expect them the first week of December. She also noted that the deadline for board members to bring items for inclusion in a data center ordinance was moved to December 9th to allow more time to gather information. Regarding the master plan, she explained that it was not sent to local municipalities as required, so the process needs to be restarted, with notices sent on November 17th and a public hearing scheduled for January 21, 2025.

TRUSTEE GARY LAZETTE: Reported that the light above the front entrance to the library was burnt out, has been replaced under warranty, and a remote photocell was placed outside. He also noted the rear parking lot light at the Township is out and will be addressed. Additionally, he mentioned that the Code Red system is down due to a data breach, but they anticipate it will be back up soon.

CLERK KARLA ZIESMER: Reported that an election for the college was held on November 4th, and the township passed an audit. She also shared that Mike Evans from Cloverleaf wants to set up small group sessions (approximately 1.5 hours with a maximum of 10 people) on December 8th and 9th. Information is available on the township website and flyers. She also noted that an agenda packet link has been added to the township website.

SUPERVISOR LEWIS: Excused absence

TRUSTEE TIM MILES: Shared correspondence from Jerry and Lisa Smith expressing concerns about the data center proposal and requesting a one-year moratorium extension. He also proposed an alternative to a formal vote on the data center issue: sending a postcard to every residential address in Dundee Township with a voting option and QR code to a website, at an estimated cost of about $4,000, which would be less expensive and quicker than a formal ballot.

TRUSTEE KEN JAWORSKI: Reported that Bill Root brush hogged around the perimeters and that the cemeteries are in good shape. He also commended efforts to increase transparency by making meeting packets available online.

TRUSTEE ALANA HORKEY: Expressed her thanks to Board members and their continued efforts.

 

OLD BUSINESS: None at this time.

 

NEW BUSINESS:  

• The board discussed a request from the Monroe County Road Commission regarding a drainage issue on Kent Road. The township had previously approved a contract with the Monroe County Drain Commission to resolve the issue, which included two homeowners signing contracts to pay for driveway tiles. Although the project was completed, the tiles remain unpaid, and the Road Commission asked if the Township would cover the cost ($1,239.14 total; $619.57 per homeowner) and pursue collection from the homeowners. Trustee Jaworski moved to not pay for the driveway tiles. Trustee Miles seconded. Motion carried.
• A quote was presented from Neil Coats of Maumee Print and Graphics for antivirus/anti-malware security for all office computers, with a total startup cost of $415 ($265 for a 10-user license and $150 for installation). After discussion where Trustee Miles suggested there were less expensive and equally effective options available, and Clerk Ziesmer expressed urgent need due to recent email security issues: Trustee Miles moved to install an alternative anti-virus/anti-malware protection at a cost limit of $100, with a backup option to go through Neil Coates at $415 if needed. Clerk Ziesmer seconded. Motion carried.
• A quote from Neil Coats for a speaker system for the boardroom was presented, with a total estimated cost of $2,070, including installation and testing, a one-channel mixer, two Alto professional powered speakers with stands, seven pile desktop microphones, one wireless microphone system with a stand, and seven microphone cables. Trustee Horkey moved to approve the quote of $2070.00. Trustee Lazette seconded. Trustee Miles noted that a separate quote for video streaming capabilities was still being prepared. Motion carried.
• Trustee Miles explained that the Watershed council's approval was needed to accept a $5,000 grant from Amrize, to be given to the Bigelow Creek clean-up crew, who cleared the logjam. The grant funds will go to the River Raisin Watershed Council who will then forward them to the appropriate recipients. Trustee Miles and Clerk Ziesmer agreed to contact the grantor to avoid a $200 credit card processing fee by setting up River Raisin Watershed as a vendor.

 

Additional board comments:

• Trustee Jaworski clarified that no board members own property in the area of the proposed data center and would not benefit financially. He also explained that the board cannot share their "game plan" regarding the data center situation as it would put them at a disadvantage.
• Trustee Lazette discussed concerns about power capacity for multiple data centers in Monroe County, noting that DTE's current and planned capacity seems insufficient to power all the proposed facilities. He suggested alternative locations for power plants, such as the old Ford plant in Monroe. He concluded by reminding everyone that the board members are residents of the community trying to collect facts before making decisions.
• Trustee Miles mentioned an upcoming virtual public meeting on December 3rd about DTE's ability to meet the demands of data centers. He also disclosed that he has a potential conflict of interest as he lives close to the proposed data center location on Ann Arbor Road, but stated he is still researching and has not made a decision.

Trustee Horkey moved to pay bills from November 6, 2025, in the amount of $99,124.31. Trustee Miles seconded. Motion carried.

 

Trustee Lazette moved to pay bills from November 20, 2025, in the amount of $196,361.36. Trustee Miles seconded. Motion carried.

 

Treasurer Ost motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:06 p.m. Trustee Lazette seconded. Motion carried.

 

The next meeting will be December 9, 2025, at 7:00PM. 

 

 

Attested:                                                                       Respectfully Submitted,

Treasurer Ost                                                                Karla Ziesmer

Dundee Township Treasurer                                        Dundee Township Clerk

 

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