HOWELL — The Howell Township Council has adopted an ordinance reducing sewer user charges.
According to the ordinance, sewer user charges will be for residential dwellings with kitchen facilities, such as a singlefamily or multifamily dwelling and mobile homes.
The minimum sewer rental charge will be $736 per year per residential dwelling with kitchen facilities. That amount is $56 less than the current $792 fee.
For a residential dwelling without kitchen facilities, including a hotel, motel, boarding house, cottage or tourist cabin, the minimum sewer rental charge will decrease by $28 from $396 to $368 per year.
Churches, fraternal organizations, service organizations, public buildings and schools will have a minimum sewer rental of $780 per year, per unit. Commercial and industrial businesses will have a minimum sewer rental of $780 per year, per unit.
In other business at the March 16 meeting, the council adopted an ordinance that amends the township’s ethics and code of conduct ordinance.
According to the ordinance, the township manager is prohibited from hiring a member of his or her family to any open position in Howell.
In addition, any family member of any member of the council is prohibited from being hired by the municipality during their family member’s term as an elected official.
That prohibition will not apply to family members of a council member if the person is seeking part-time municipal employment and is under the age of 25.
In addition, political party officials are prohibited from being hired by Howell for 12 months after they terminate their appointment or official position.
That same prohibition applies to their family members, with the exception of family members who are seeking part-time employment and who are under the age of 25.
The amendment to the ordinance was raised by Councilman Bob Walsh, who said his oldest child works part-time for Howell during the summer assisting children who have special needs.
Walsh said the ethics law should not be applied in cases such as that.
“We are not talking about full-time employment, but part-time employment and children under the age of 25. I believe everyone on the governing body agrees with me that this is reasonable and I do not believe that when this (ethics law) was put into place that it was meant to have a negative impact on a child, no matter whose child that may be,” he said.
— Taylor M. Lier