Jon Kangas, manager, Marquette Township, starting Friday.

MARQUETTE — It’s official. Jon Kangas will start in his new position as manager of Marquette Township as of Friday.

The Marquette Township Board unanimously voted on Tuesday to approve an employment contract with Kangas, who has served as the public works supervisor in the township since Sept. 15.

Under the terms of the contract, Kangas’s starting salary will be $87,000. He will receive 27 days of personal time off annually, and will be covered under the township’s Municipal Employees Retirement System plan. The contract, which expires Dec. 31, 2025, includes four months of severance pay if Kangas is terminated for cause.

Marquette Township Supervisor Lyn Durant, who negotiated the contract with the candidate, said Kangas would be a good fit for the position.

“We are getting someone who knows the township. He is anxious about the job, his family is supportive. We’d be saving some money compared to what we were going to be spending before, including moving expenses and everything,” Durant said. “We have an engineer that will still be on staff who can hire his replacement, whether that’s an engineer or not, that’s to be determined. His skill level is top notch that we have dealt with in the last six months.”

Trustee Dave Wiegand said that Kangas is the best fit of the three candidates the township has negotiated with since November.

“We’ve had two other contracts that we have considered in filling this vacancy, and we have pretty much been willing to give them the moon just to get them here and they have both fallen flat,” Wiegand said. “And, in both of those cases I kind of questioned…of course, I was a ‘no’ vote in both of those cases. I questioned their reason for wanting to come up here. Now we have Mr. Kangas sitting on-screen, and I don’t think anyone can question his motives for wanting to be here. If anyone’s got the best interest of this township, it’s Jon.”

Kangas will replace Marquette Township Manager Randy Girard, who is retiring from the position after serving for over 18 years.

Also as part of Tuesday’s business, the board voted to schedule a special meeting at 4:30 today to consider a resolution to partner with the Michigan Department of Transportation to cosponsor a U.S. Department of Transportation Traffic Alternatives Program Grant with up to $40,000 in matching funds.

The grant, if approved, would provide funding to construct a 1,500-foot segment of nonmotorized pedestrian pathway along the north side of U.S. 41 between Wright Street and Commerce Drive as part of an MDOT resurfacing project in 2021.

Those who wish to participate in the meeting on the web can visit https://us02web. zoom.us/j/84526683869.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.