SOUTH WAYNE - The chairman of Wayne township has until the township's annual meeting April 9 to answer to a number of concerns brought up at the Town Board meeting last week.
Herb Tornow was the subject of a number of incidents introduced by Steve Lee, another member of the three-person board.
Depending on Tornow's response to the concerns, Lee said the options he is considering are asking Tornow to resign or seeking a petition for a recall vote.
The petition would need to be signed by 25 percent of the number of township voters in the last election for governor, which Lee estimates to be about 50 names. Lee said the recall would be a special election and its date would depend on the quickness of collecting names.
Last week, the agenda item "Performance of the town chairman," elicited a presentation by Lee, who has been a town supervisor for about a year. Lee provided information that hinted Tornow had a hand in a premature bridge repair, extra seal coating done on township roads, the purchase of a front end loader and an accident involving a township vehicle.
"Townspeople are getting upset," Lee said. "People I know in Monroe think it's a joke out here in Wayne township."
Tornow returned a call from the Times, but declined to comment.
McKnight bridge was slated for repair in 2006, which the board tabled pending further information from the state Department of Natural Resources. Between the meeting and the next monthly meeting, repair work on the bridge began.
"There was never an OK given to repair the bridge," Lee said.
Two longtime employees of the township, Lee said, had their hours cut from 40 to 32, saving the township $12,000 total, the same amount the township spent over budget on the McKnight bridge project.
Last August, Lee said, the board agreed to seal coat about 5.2 miles of roads. At the next meeting, the board found out 6.3 miles of roads were sealcoated, at an extra cost of about $10,000.
"We had to scramble and look for money," Lee said.
The board questioned Tornow how the extra work got done. Lee said they asked Tornow if he told the county to sealcoat the extra mileage. Lee said Tornow said he didn't know how the work got done, but that the township should pay the county the full amount.
The third incident involved the township signing a contract for the purchase of a front end loader. It was done two to three days before a town board meeting, without prior approval from the board.
"Tornow didn't tell us about it until someone questioned him," Lee said.
The final incident involved an accident between a town vehicle and another vehicle. The board had no knowledge of the accident until the town received a claim from the other driver for about $1,800.
Lee said Tornow said the employee involved in the accident called it into the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, but when Lee contacted the department, it had no record of such an accident.
In the accident, there was no alcohol test done on the driver involved, Lee said, which is standard procedure when a township vehicle is involved in an accident.
"The board didn't want to debate these issues at that meeting," Lee said. "Herb has until April 9 to address those concerns."
Herb Tornow was the subject of a number of incidents introduced by Steve Lee, another member of the three-person board.
Depending on Tornow's response to the concerns, Lee said the options he is considering are asking Tornow to resign or seeking a petition for a recall vote.
The petition would need to be signed by 25 percent of the number of township voters in the last election for governor, which Lee estimates to be about 50 names. Lee said the recall would be a special election and its date would depend on the quickness of collecting names.
Last week, the agenda item "Performance of the town chairman," elicited a presentation by Lee, who has been a town supervisor for about a year. Lee provided information that hinted Tornow had a hand in a premature bridge repair, extra seal coating done on township roads, the purchase of a front end loader and an accident involving a township vehicle.
"Townspeople are getting upset," Lee said. "People I know in Monroe think it's a joke out here in Wayne township."
Tornow returned a call from the Times, but declined to comment.
McKnight bridge was slated for repair in 2006, which the board tabled pending further information from the state Department of Natural Resources. Between the meeting and the next monthly meeting, repair work on the bridge began.
"There was never an OK given to repair the bridge," Lee said.
Two longtime employees of the township, Lee said, had their hours cut from 40 to 32, saving the township $12,000 total, the same amount the township spent over budget on the McKnight bridge project.
Last August, Lee said, the board agreed to seal coat about 5.2 miles of roads. At the next meeting, the board found out 6.3 miles of roads were sealcoated, at an extra cost of about $10,000.
"We had to scramble and look for money," Lee said.
The board questioned Tornow how the extra work got done. Lee said they asked Tornow if he told the county to sealcoat the extra mileage. Lee said Tornow said he didn't know how the work got done, but that the township should pay the county the full amount.
The third incident involved the township signing a contract for the purchase of a front end loader. It was done two to three days before a town board meeting, without prior approval from the board.
"Tornow didn't tell us about it until someone questioned him," Lee said.
The final incident involved an accident between a town vehicle and another vehicle. The board had no knowledge of the accident until the town received a claim from the other driver for about $1,800.
Lee said Tornow said the employee involved in the accident called it into the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, but when Lee contacted the department, it had no record of such an accident.
In the accident, there was no alcohol test done on the driver involved, Lee said, which is standard procedure when a township vehicle is involved in an accident.
"The board didn't want to debate these issues at that meeting," Lee said. "Herb has until April 9 to address those concerns."