The long legal dispute between St. Joseph Township and Lincoln Township over the Maiden Lane sanitary sewer line could soon be over.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincoln Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a settlement with St. Joseph Township for use of the line. That’s after the board met with its attorney earlier this month and instructed him to enter discussions with his counterpart at St. Joe Township.
Following Tuesday’s vote, Lincoln Township Supervisor Glenn Youngstedt told us the proposal will be sent to the St. Joseph Township Board of Trustees. If they approve it, the two will issue a joint announcement.
The St. Joseph Township Board of Trustees will likely hold a meeting to determine if it wants to accept the proposal. That could be at its next regular meeting or at a special meeting before then. Youngstedt couldn’t tell us more, but Trustee Dick Stauffer said Tuesday his vote in favor of the settlement was “a resounding yes.”
The two townships have been sparring over Lincoln Township’s use of the sewer line owned by St. Joseph Township with the latter saying the former needs to pay its fair share. Lincoln Township leaders have also said any arrangement will have to be fair.
Also Tuesday, Lincoln Township Trustees voted to name Clerk Michael Brown as interim township manager following the resignation of Kacey Dominguez last week. Brown previously served in the post, following former Manager Ralph Bansen’s departure and the start of Dominguez. He told us he’s up to the task.
“The first go around went pretty smoothly, this one will be just as smooth,” Brown said. “They’ll find another qualified candidate to be the manager of Lincoln Township. We have good department heads, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Brown will be paid hourly for time spent working as interim manager while continuing to serve as clerk.
Dominguez resigned after a dispute with the fire chief that led to the chief’s 30-day suspension in March. However, the specific reason for the resignation of Dominguez has not been publicly stated.
