Bingham Township treasurer Nichele "Nicki" Hursey announced on Monday that she will resign her post effective Aug. 1.

Hursey said she was resigning because she had been offered a full-time position as a teacher at Suttons Bay Public Schools beginning next school year. She has been working part time as math teacher at Suttons Bay High School.

“I would not be serving citizens very effectively if I tried to do both jobs,” Hursey explained.

Hursey was appointed to serve as Bingham Township treasurer in 2005 following the resignation of Diane Kiessel. Hursey ran unopposed in the November 2006 election to fill the remainder of Kiessel’s term expiring November 2008.

The township board decided at its regular monthly meeting on Monday that it would advertise for a replacement with applications due by Monday, July 9. A committee comprised of Hursey and township supervisor Ross Ard will then review applications and select finalists before applicants are interviewed during a special public meeting on Wednesday, July 11 at 6 p.m. at the township hall.

The treasurer must be a resident of the township. If the new treasurer wishes to keep the job beyond November 2008, he or she must run for office in the November 2008 General Election.

In other business at Monday’s meeting, the Bingham Township Board:

• Learned that clerk Peggy Core had expressed citizens’ concerns about automobile parking near the Leelanau Trail with Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails executive director Bob Otwell. The township may look into adopting a “police powers” ordinance that might limit parking in the vicinity of the trail to alleviate sight-distance problems along county roads.

• Learned that Ard had spoken to Road Commission officials about paving the parking lot at the township hall, but that machinery used for county roads was too big for the job. Ard said he would prepare bid specifications to have the work done and bring them to the board for consideration next month.

• Discussed the status of an annual contract between Bingham Township, Suttons Bay Township and the Village of Suttons Bay to provide joint planning and zoning services to all three municipalities. Ard said he was surprised at Bingham’s $35,500 annual cost for the services and intended to discuss the issue more fully with Suttons Bay officials before including the item in next year’s budget.

• Agreed to consider entering into a six-month contract with the Traverse City Orthodox Mission Church, which may want to hold services at the township hall every Sunday morning. Core was authorized to present a contract proposal to church officials offering use of the hall for the standard “non-resident” rate of $50 per day.

• Learned that recent settlement conferences in two ongoing lawsuits against the township had not gone well. Ard reported that parties in both cases appeared to be unwilling to offer reasonable settlements. One of the cases involves a suit by former township clerk Dorothy Petroskey against the township and former supervisor Robert W. Foster. The other case involves a complaint of an alleged Freedom of Information Act violation filed by township property owners Sharon Schellenberg and David Riggle.

The Petroskey case is slated to go to trial on July 24. The Schellenberg/Riggle case is slated for trial on Sept. 6.