The Clarkston City Council extended the intergovernmental fire agreement with Independence Township for three years, but several council members want at least an explanation of where administration fees the city is charged go.
Council members discussed the administration fee at the Jan. 9 council meeting as they were approving bills, which included the payment to Independence Township for services rendered and administration fees for those services in 2005.
The amount approved for payment totals $216,084.97, including fees for fire, library, police and spring clean up, as well as approximately $19,621.36 in administration fees.
‘I’m just trying to justify the (administrative) fee to us. If it costs them 10 percent, then we will pay 10 percent,? said council member Cory Johnston during the meeting.
Fellow council member Dan Colombo agreed, ‘I’d like a justification, it would be fair.?
Administration fees set at 10 percent since 1993 cost the city $13,506.13 for fire, $3,373.61 for library and $2,741.62 for police in 2005.
‘It makes perfect sense there is an administrative fee, but what we’re trying to understand with the situation is. When the fee was initially put in place about 13 years ago, the 10 percent equaled an amount less than $10,000,? said council member Scott Meyland, who worried about the potential of the fees to double again during the life of a seven-year contract.
In a recap provided to The Clarkston News by City Manager Art Pappas, administration fees for only the fire services now cost $5,079.02 more than in 1995 when fees totaled $8,427.11.
While the ten percent fee remains the same, the increase occurs because the taxable value of property in the village used to calculate the percentage, rises.
According to numbers provided by Pappas, the taxable value was $28,090,370 in 1995, but rose throughout the years to $44,981,456 in 2005.
The council’s decision to approve the agreement for three years rather than seven came after city attorney Thomas Ryan advised the members that the administration fee won’t go away. Ryan suggested making a shorter agreement and encouraged the council to speak with Independence Township officials to see if something more equitable could be created.
Due to earlier council concern, city attorney Thomas Ryan wrote a letter to township attorney Carl-G Karlstrom with minor basic changes discussed at the Dec. 12 meeting asking for the 10 percent administration fee be removed.
According to a response letter from Karlstrom, the fee will not be eliminated.
‘We want to protect ourselves. The percent hasn’t changed, but the amount has,? said Meyland. ‘For the benefit of our citizens and budget, if we pay $20,000 on anything, we’d put the same scrutiny on it.?
Meyland said a cap on the total amount of dollars or an altered percentage would be an equitable adjustment in the eyes of the council.
The council previously approved the tentative fire service agreement at the Dec. 12 council meeting with the final language to be ironed out on Jan. 9.
Pappas confirmed that the contract for library services is coming up in the near future.

In other city council news?
? City manager Art Pappas was authorized to sign a lease agreement with clients on 3 East Church Street for a five-year period from Jan. 1, 2006 to Dec. 31 2010.
? Representatives of St. Daniel Catholic Church attended the meeting to discuss traffic problems caused by the Greenfield Triathlon hosted in the village this past August. Barbara Bartos, appearing on behalf of Pastor Chris Maus, said the event made attending church difficult for members and suggested the triathlon be rerouted, held at a different time or on a different date. The council agreed to look into the issue.
? Clarkston resident Anne Clifton suggested conducting a survey of resident usage trends in Depot Park in order to implement proposed natural plantings so as not to prevent any interruption of use. Clifton discussed proposed plantings adjacent to the walking bridge and on the banks of the stream which would enhance and reduce maintenance in these areas as well as providing a filter for runoff. Clifton also discussed plantings near the Mill Pond and other places.