The paperwork required to attempt a recall of two Yankee Springs officials will be redone because of a revision in the wording on the petition forms, Barry County Clerk Pam Palmer said Wednesday.

 

Both the initiators of the recall petitions, Larry Knowles against Trustee Shanon Vandenberg and Julie Fox against Clerk Jan Lippert have been notified they will need to fill out the new petitions, Palmer said.

 

A new clarity hearing for Vandenberg has been set for Feb. 26. Lippert’s clarity hearing, set for today, was cancelled and a new date has not been set.

 

Palmer said the same situation with a petition language change happened in Wayne County. She opted to restart the process to comply with the new petitions before the petition drives got underway, and signatures were gathered.

 

The procedure for both officials is the same as before: they have 10 days from their hearing to appeal the decision to the Barry County Circuit Court, and no petitions can be circulated during those 10 days. The language on the petition is good for 180 days, the signatures good for 60 days.

 

All the signatures must be collected within 60 days of the first signature being recorded.

Vandenberg is accused of  being guilty of a conflict of interest when he tried to get approval of his development, corrupting the decision making process by not providing information to various township officials.  

 

Fox charges Lippert violated numerous provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, making false statements about her and questioning her mental status. Clarity hearings determine only if the reasons for the recall are factual and clear enough to let the officer whose recall is sought and the electors to identify the conduct that is the basis for the recall.