“I didn’t back down when I was overseas. I’m not going to back down now.”
On December 13th Saline Township resident Kathryn Haushalter filed documents with the Washtenaw County Circuit Court requesting she be added as a co-defendent in the lawsuit filed against Saline Township by multiple plaintiffs involved in the development of the data center.
What’s the New Filing About?
Haushalter’s filing is in response to a consent agreement signed between Saline Township and the parties developing the data center project. The agreement is the result of a lawsuit brought against the township by the property owners and developers, which claimed the township’s denial of the developer’s rezoning application was illegal.
The plaintiffs filed their lawsuit in September, two days after the township denied the developer’s rezoning request. The township board met on October 1 to discuss the litigation and after consulting counsel, determined it would not fight the lawsuit in court and instead, pursue settlement negotiations.
Haushalter and her attorneys argue the consent agreement should be invalidated because it is the result of decisions made in violation of Michigan’s Open Meetings Act, which states all decisions made by a public body must be made at a meeting open to the public. Haushalter’s filing claims the board never voted to pursue negotiation in an open meeting and also did not hold a public vote authorizing the township to sign the final agreement.
Haushalter further argues that the township’s original decision to deny the rezoning application was a legal and correct response to the developer’s application and the board’s decision to settle the lawsuit deprived the township–and therefore its residents–an opportunity to fully defend the legality of its zoning decision.
If a judge grants Haushalter’s motion to be added as a co-defendent, she intends to fight the plaintiff’s claim in court.
Related Digital’s Response
The company leading the project’s development does not expect the filing to cause any delays because, it says, Haushalter’s claim is without merit. A spokesperson for Related Digital provided the following statement to STN:
“We are aware of the filing, which is entirely without merit. The Saline Township Board hosted a public meeting on September 24th during which their lawyers reviewed the claims against the township, evidence and relevant caselaw. The Saline Township Board held a subsequent public meeting on Oct 1st during which the settlement terms were reviewed for everyone to hear and a public vote on the settlement was held, which passed by a vote of 4-1. There were dozens of citizens present during the review of the terms and vote; it was broadcast live by the Saline Post; and there is a video of it on YouTube that anyone can still view. The idea that the vote was done in secret is frankly ridiculous.”
Who is Kathryn Haushalter?
STN reached out to Kathryn Haushalter, a US Marine Corp veteran who served in Afghanistan and a mother of five, to ask about her decision to file the motion. She said after her military service she and her husband were looking for a quiet, country farm to raise their family and came across a 200 year old house on nearly sixty acres that was everything they were looking for.
“We put our life savings and everything that I earned overseas into fixing it up and restoring it,” she said. “We put so much work and our hearts into this home, and we’re going to raise our family here.”
Asked if she had any concerns about being in the center of an ongoing legal battle with a billion dollar company in a case that continues to get state and national media coverage Haushalter said, “I realize I’m sticking my neck out here, and it’s not always the easiest thing to do, but regardless, it’s important, and I would want my children, to do the right thing, even when it’s hard and even when it’s inconvenient.”
She added, “I didn’t back down when I was overseas. I’m not going to back down now.”
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