Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NILES TOWNSHIP — A new face may soon be greeting residents at Niles Township Hall, 320 Bell Road, Niles.

During a Niles Township Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday evening, members opened discussion about potentially hiring an additional office assistant at township hall. The assistant, whether full-time or part-time, would be expected to assist with administrative tasks, such as Department of Public Works billing, elections and taxes.

Clerk Terry Eull introduced the discussion, saying the board needed to plan ahead, as some township workers were nearing retirement age, and he did not want to be left short-handed after a position had already been vacated.

Treasurer Jim Ringler added that current staff are already overworked and that help was needed during busy seasons and when workers were out on leave or vacation.

“The idea is to get a part-time or full-time person who can fill in when we have people on vacation, have people sick or during busy times — and we all have different busy times, for example, we have two tax seasons, plus elections,” he said. “This is a suggestion that we get someone and start training them.”

Trustee Chris Vella agree and Supervisor Jim Stover agreed.

“You need that person,” Vella said. “We need to go forward with this.”

Though no action was taken Tuesday, board members said they expected a position would be added at some point in the future. Eull asked that board members be thinking about what they would want out of an office assistant.

“This is food for thought,” Eull said. “We need to put our thinking caps on and start thinking very seriously about this.”

In other business:

• The board approved the purchase of two new speed indicator signs to be placed in the township. The signs, which show drivers how fast they are driving and warns drivers who are over the speed limit, are designed to help slow down traffic, particularly in areas where speeding is a reoccurring issue.

“It works great as a deterrent,” Ringler said. “They work so great.”

The total cost of the two signs is roughly $7,000.

• The board approved a cleaning contract with Gandme Enterprises LLC to provide cleaning services to the township building once per week. The contract costs the township $820 per month.
• The board set public hearings for annual assessments to take place Sept. 20. The schedule of hearings includes:
• 5:30 p.m. — general operation and maintenance
• 5:35 p.m. — fire operation and maintenance
• 5:40 p.m. — street lights
• 5:45 p.m. — police/Berrien County Sheriff’s Office