Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Ironwood Township board, fire department discuss donations

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Ironwood Township — After failing to find any clarity regarding the state of donations to the township’s volunteer fire department, the Ironwood Township Board of Trustees voted to “outsource” the matter to an outside agency Monday night — meaning the matter is likely soon to be referred to law enforcement.

“My recommendation is we outsource this to an outside agency to get the answers. Whatever the truth is, they’re going to let us know,” Supervisor Jim Simmons said. “We just want to get at the truth, whatever the truth is.”

“At this time, I believe there are just entirely too many questions,” Simmons said when he first proposed the idea of bringing in an outside agency.

At issue is the question of whether all the donations the fire department receives, especially any they may get for filling swimming pools in the township, are being turned over to the township treasurer’s office and properly accounted for.

Fire Chief Scott Carlson said the department doesn’t keep its own financial records and said everything is turned over to the treasurer’s office. He denied any wrongdoing.

“I’ve got nothing to hide, I’ve done nothing illegal,” Carlson told the Daily Globe after the meeting. “I can prove I did nothing wrong.”

Although no direct accusations were made during the meeting, the board’s motion came after it became evident the confusion surrounding donations received on behalf of the department wasn’t going to be cleared up Monday.

Several board members said they’ve been told in the past that filling pools was one of the department’s biggest fundraisers, however, township Treasurer Maria Graser said she could only find records for one or two pools filled in the past few years.

Several people in the audience connected to the fire department disputed these numbers, during a back-and-forth conversation with the board. However, they indicated the number wasn’t that much higher.

“One person says this is their biggest money maker, another person is saying, ‘Well, we only filled one pool,’ and now you’re saying there’s money missing and I deposit every single dime I get into this office into those accounts where I’m told,” Maria Graser said.

Carlson said during and after the meeting that the department has filled some pools in the past, but said the practice was only done in locations where they could serve as a water source during a possible fire when there wasn’t another practical source of water.

While there weren’t any direct accusations on the matter, members of the board indicated this meant that either the practice wasn’t as large of a fundraiser as some indicated or the money wasn’t being turned over to Graser’s office as it was supposed to be.

“It’s public money, it needs to flow through the treasurer’s office,” Trustee Kevin Lyons said.

There was also some discussion as whether donations for the pool fillings were being lumped in with general donations to the department as to the apparent discrepancy between the department’s position and the treasurer’s records, with Graser saying there have been times that donations have been left on her desk and the only notation was that they were intended for the fire department, rather than listing a specific source.

Carlson indicated that many of the department’s donations are intended for its annual Christmas for Kids event.

“Anything that’s labeled Christmas for Kids goes into Christmas for Kids; anything that’s labeled a donation, goes into donations. But we’ve had multiple people say this is the biggest fundraiser for (the department), so you have that on one side and you have somebody saying, ‘Well, we’ve only filled a couple pools,’ on another side. I’m getting, ‘You’re not depositing all of our money,’ on my side when all of the money I’m getting put on my desk is deposited. We need to figure out is there more money that’s supposed to be coming into this office? Or is there not? Because I’m responsible for all of the money,” Graser said, summarizing the confusion that led to the board’s motion.

Mark McDonald, the township’s attorney, told the board that if the department can’t account for all of its donations — regardless of whether they were for filling swimming pools or other sources — contacting law enforcement is the only option.

“This is just a disaster waiting to happen,” he said, referring to the confusion around the department’s finances.

The township treasurer is responsible for the public funds, according to McDonald, as they are public funds.

If the department wanted to do some fundraising, McDonald suggesting a fire department auxiliary group, such as the Fire Belles, be restarted.

After the meeting, Simmons clarified the board’s motion meant the matter would likely be referred to the Michigan State Police.

“We just want to get to the truth,” Simmons told the Daily Globe.

In other action, the board:

—Learned there will be a letter available for township residents at the Gogebic Range Solid Waste Management Authority’s transfer station on U.S. 2 allowing them to bring items to the transfer station as the township’s fall clean-up event. Township officials decided not to hold its regular event where residents bring items to the township hall due to COVID-19 precautions. Instead, residents will be able to bring a load of garbage to the transfer station over the two-week period between Sept. 15 and Sept. 30.

Although the letter enables residents to bring the load of items to the transfer station, certain things — such as mattresses, tires, electronics and appliances may have an extra fee for their disposal.

—Tabled a decision on whether to purchase a pair of LED signs for the township hall until next meeting in an effort to receive more bids. The signs would be used to provide residents with township information, according to information presented to the board.

—Heard the township was the high bidder on the purchase of a pick-up truck and snowplow from the Powderhorn Area Utility District. The board also agreed to put the township’s current plow truck up for bid.

 
 
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