DUNDEE TOWNSHIP
DECEMBER 9, 2025 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
A Regular Meeting of the Dundee Township Board was held Tuesday December 9, 2025. Clerk Ziesmer
called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All present recited The Pledge of Allegiance.
Present were Trustees: Alan Horkey, Ken Jaworski, Tim Miles, Gary Lazette, Clerk Karla Ziesmer, and
Treasurer Lisa Ost. Clerk Ziesmer did roll call. Supervisor Lewis was excused.
Due to the absence of Supervisor Lewis, Clerk Ziesmer moved to appoint Treasurer Ost to chair the
meeting. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion carried.
• Trustee Lazette moved to revise the agenda to add an item to new business to hire the law firm
of Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, and Rhodes to advise the board regarding data center issues. Trustee
Horkey seconded. Motion carried.
• Trustee Lazette moved to approve the regular meeting minutes held on November 25, 2025, and
waive the reading of such. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion carried.
• Treasurer Ost moved to approve the October 2025 Treasurer's Report. Trustee Lazette seconded.
Motion carried
CORRESPONDENCE: Trustee Miles moved to approve the three items of correspondence and waive the
reading of such. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion carried.
OFFICIAL REPORTS
LIBRARY: Jennifer from the library was unable to attend, but submitted a letter highlighting the
Dundee Branch Library's accomplishments over the past year. She also provided an update confirming
that the grant for the drinking fountain at the library has been finalized.
ASSESSING: The December Board of Review meeting was held at 10 a.m. earlier in the day.
BUILDING DEPARTMENT: No report at this time
FIRE DEPARTMENT: The fire department reported a busy November with a total of 91 calls, with 80% of
calls in the village and 20% in the township.
TREASURER LISA HUNT:
• Treasurer Ost reported that tax bills have been sent out to all residents who are not in escrow.
Anyone who has not received their blue bill should contact the township office.
• Treasurer Ost also presented a draft letter regarding a correspondence that Supervisor Lewis had
sent to Monroe County Business Alliance in March. Ost requested that the board consider approving
the letter to be sent on behalf of the township. Trustee Lazette read the draft letter, which was
addressed to TC Clements of the Monroe County Business Alliance regarding the data center
correspondence.
The letter stated that the undated correspondence signed by Supervisor Lewis regarding township
zoning and data center uses was not sanctioned or authorized by the township board, and the board
was not aware of the request. The letter emphasized that any representations made by Supervisor
Lewis were not representative of a township position and were hereby rescinded. The letter also
clarified that the correspondence was inaccurate, as the Dundee Township zoning ordinance does not
currently address or provide for data center uses. Trustee Miles moved to approve sending the
letter to the Monroe County Business Alliance and MEDC. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion carried.
TRUSTEE GARY LAZETTE: Trustee Lazette reported that the rear parking lot light is now working, but
Code Red is not.
CLERK KARLA ZIESMER: Clerk Ziesmer reported that she will be attending a clerk's meeting the
following day with a representative from MTA, Cindy Dodge, who will be discussing preliminary
election procedures. Clerk Ziesmer is also working on end-of-year procedures.
SUPERVISOR LEWIS: Supervisor Lewis was excused from the meeting, but Treasurer Ost shared that
Laura Perry from the DDA sent Supervisor Lewis an email on November 19 regarding the library mural.
The DDA is unable to accommodate the proposed changes regarding the library mural due to liability
concerns and will be moving forward with a different applicant.
TRUSTEE TIM MILES: Trustee Miles reported that the grant from Amrize to Bigelow Creek for the
logjam project has been finalized. The $5,000 has been deposited with the River Raisin Watershed
Project, who will be issuing the check.
TRUSTEE KEN JAWORSKI: No report at this time.
TRUSTEE ALANA HORKEY: No report at this time.
OLD BUSINESS:
• Rescission of the Prior Approval of the Pre-Development Agreement
Treasurer Ost explained that in September, Dundee Township and the Village of Dundee were presented
with a predevelopment agreement from Cloverleaf regarding the data center. On September 16 and 17,
the Village approved their agreement 5-2 and the Township 6-1, respectively. On September 23, the
Township Board voted unanimously to revote on the prior approval of the agreement. On September 30,
Cloverleaf formally withdrew the agreement, and the Village Council met on October 7 and
unanimously decided to withdraw their prior approval from their September 16 meeting. After
discussions with the Township Attorney, it was suggested that even though the agreement was
withdrawn by Cloverleaf, the Township Board should still hold the revote and establish a formal
stance. Treasurer Ost moved to formally decline the previously approved Cloverleaf Predevelopment
Agreement from September. Trustee Miles seconded. Motion carried by roll call vote: Trustee Alana
Horkey - Yes; Trustee Ken Jaworski - Yes; Trustee Timothy Miles - Yes; Trustee Lazette
- Yes; Treasurer Ost - Yes; Clerk Ziesmer - Yes.
• Submissions to Planning Commission regarding Data Center
The board discussed submitting recommendations to the Planning Commission regarding potential
zoning ordinance requirements for data centers. Board members had prepared lists of requirements
they would like to see incorporated, including:
12-foot berm around the entire property
Maximum height of parking lot light poles to 12 feet
Monitoring wells by a neutral party paid for by developers
Environmental impact study and geological study paid by developers
Prohibition on sale to a nonprofit or government entity
No discharge into waterways
Source of water and sewage disposal plans
Mature evergreen trees (three layers) on top of the berm
Noise restriction of 50 decibels at the property line
Low-frequency noise control
Dark sky protocol compliance for lighting
Prohibition on private wells
Construction management controls, including limited work hours
Decommissioning requirements
Bonds to cover abandonment or end-of-life restoration
No vibration
Maximum number of buildings
Maximum building height of 30 feet
Buildings must be 750 feet from Dundee Boulevard property line
Development limited to north and east of Dundee Boulevard
Priority given to residents in case of system failure
Developer responsibility for water plant expansion if needed
Art Bronson from the Planning Commission noted that they've begun the process of creating a data
center amendment to the zoning ordinance with the primary objective of incorporating maximum
protections for residents.
Treasurer Ost moved to approve compiling a list of suggestions to give to Lucie Fortin (Township
Planner) and Art Bronson to be discussed at the next Planning Commission meeting. Trustee Horkey
seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS:
• Poverty Guidelines Resolution for 2026
The Township Board reviewed the annual poverty guideline resolution for the upcoming assessment
year, which outlines requirements and guidelines for poverty exemptions and includes the federal
poverty income standards. Trustee Jaworski moved to approve Resolution Number 4-2025, the Poverty
Guidelines Resolution for Dundee Township for the 2026 assessment year. Trustee Lazette seconded.
Motion carried by roll call vote: Trustee Alana Horkey - Yes; Trustee Ken Jaworski - Yes; Trustee
Timothy Miles - Yes; Trustee Lazette - Yes; Treasurer Ost - Yes; Clerk Ziesmer - Yes.
• Moratorium Extension
Treasurer Ost explained that on October 14, the board passed a 90-day moratorium on data center
applications and uses, set to expire on January 12, the day before the next scheduled board
meeting. After discussions with the Township Attorney, it was recommended not to extend the
moratorium for too long to avoid appearing as a stall tactic. However, due to the scope of work
still needed and the township entering its busiest fiscal quarter, the board discussed extending
the moratorium by 180 days. Treasurer Ost moved to adopt Dundee Township Resolution Number 5-2025,
extending the moratorium on data center applications and uses by 180 days. Trustee Horkey seconded.
Motion carried by roll call vote: Trustee Alana Horkey - Yes; Trustee Ken Jaworski - Yes; Trustee
Timothy Miles - Yes; Trustee Lazette - Yes; Treasurer Ost - Yes; Clerk Ziesmer - Yes.
• Schedule 2026 1st Budget Workshop Meeting
Treasurer Ost suggested scheduling the first budget workshop for 6:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13,
one hour before the regular board meeting. Trustee Miles moved to set the budget workshop meeting
for 6:00 PM, January 13. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion carried.
• Hire Law Firm of Fahey, Schultz, Burzych and Rhodes (Added to Agenda)
Trustee Lazette explained that he had discussions with Christopher Patterson, lead counsel at the
Fahey Law Firm, who has extensive experience with data centers. He recommended hiring the firm to
advise the township, particularly since the township's current attorney is also working with
Frenchtown and Berlin Townships on similar matters. Trustee Lazette proposed meeting with the law
firm in January to discuss options. The attorney's rate would be $295 per hour. Trustee Jaworski
moved to hire the law firm of Fahey, Schultz, Burzych and Rhodes to advise the board regarding data
center issues at a rate of $295 per hour. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT: Residents expressed broad concern about the proposed data center, urging the board
to either reject the project outright or extend the moratorium, with some requesting the issue be
placed on the November 2026 ballot. Speakers encouraged greater transparency, including prohibiting
nondisclosure agreements, and asked for renewed community involvement through citizen committees to
review the master plan and related ordinances. Additional comments emphasized inaccuracies in
current planning documents, questioned the developer’s track record, and noted that data centers
provide limited job creation under Michigan law. Several residents thanked the board for its
professionalism and recent actions.
Additional board comments:
• Trustee Jaworski directly addressed Cloverleaf, noting that they had previously indicated they
didn't want to be where they weren't wanted. He stated that the people of Dundee Township have
spoken loud and clear against the data center and hoped Cloverleaf and its affiliated LLCs would
walk away from the project.
• Trustee Lazette commented that EPA rules are being relaxed, and Washington and Lansing are
pushing data centers. He emphasized that the board is not the enemy and suggested citizens look to
Washington and Lansing to see where they stand. He clarified that the board has not formally
discussed or voted on whether they support the data center, and cautioned against making
assumptions about board members' positions.
Treasurer Ost moved to pay bills in the amount of $35,899.78. Trustee Horkey seconded. Motion
carried. Trustee Jaworski motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:49 p.m. Trustee Horkey seconded.
Motion carried.
The next meeting will be January 13, 2026, at 6:00PM for Budget Workshop, followed by the regular
Township Board Meeting at 7:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Karla Ziesmer
Dundee Township Clerk
Attested:
Lisa Ost
Dundee Township Treasurer