Members of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees agreed by a 4-3 vote during a virtual meeting last month to change the locks on township hall doors.
Casting no votes on the proposal were Supervisor Tim Bowman, Treasurer James Clark and Trustee Peggy Morgan.
The change was apparently prompted by a request for an audit of keys to the building and concern regarding a key being provided to an employee by the supervisor.
Morgan said she felt changing the three locks was a “waste of money” as the supervisor had issued the key that had apparently prompted the proposed change. Morgan said that the police chief was aware that the individual in question had a key and the entrance code. Morgan said the change was “ridiculous” as the employee's access to the building could easily be tracked.
Trustee Matthew Oddy, however, and Township Clerk Esther Hurst disagreed and noted that the locks had not been changed in several years and that it would be prudent after eight or nine years to have an audit to determine how many keys were out and who had them. They also suggested that the board members set a policy on the distribution of keys to the building.
Hurst explained that a key returned to her by an employee was a duplicate made at a hardware store which would put the security of the building in question.
Bowman noted that he understood the need for security at the building but was unaware that duplicate keys had been made. He said he did not understand the politics of the situation and that he did not realize that keys could be given to some employees but not others.
The board members agreed, too, by a 6-1 vote, that the clerk's office will have the sole responsibility to secure and issue all township hall keys and security codes at the direction and approval of the township board.
The dissenting vote was cast by Morgan.
