09/02/2018
To whom it may concern involving the relocation of Jason’s Auto Repair.
The idea of leaving Decatur was a very hard and sad one to accept. The truth is, we had no choice in the matter. We were forced by the Decatur township board to leave. We were lied to, mislead, and ran over. It has always been our goal to remain in Decatur and continue to serve the community that has been so great to us over the years. So just what went wrong?
Roughly 18 months ago the township approached us stating that our property was not zoned properly to run an auto repair shop. They were correct there. I asked them several times for a temporary use variance. All I wanted was a few more years to build the business up so we could build a new shop in the Village of Decatur. I was denied every time. They demanded that I changed the property zoning to light industrial if I wanted to run a shop here.
So, I tried just that. After spending a considerable amount of time and money over the course of the following year, we had reached a deal. During that time period I had received the approval from Decatur planning commission and Van Buren County planning commission. I had the support of my neighbors and also the support of the community of Decatur. We had everything we needed to pass the zoning change and stay in Decatur.
After reaching a verbal agreement with the Decatur Township Board, who is the final board of this process, we only had 1 thing left to do. We needed the Township attorney to get the paperwork done so we could sign and get the zoning changed. She had 4 weeks to do this before the next meeting where we were going to finalize this. The attorney waited until the day of the meeting to send an email stating that she’s not really sure how to do the paper work for this and recommends that the township denies me the zoning change. This is where everything turned south.
The township supervisor and township clerk took this opportunity to kill everything we’ve worked so hard for. Just like that, they immediately voted no. That’s right, despite all the support and approval from planning commissions, three people alone killed this. Makes me wonder who or what they're really protecting? There was no reasoning, no logic, no chance of sending it back to the attorney and telling her again to do the paperwork. That was the death of Jason’s Auto Repair in Decatur. They showed no concern with the damages their decision made to my business, my ability to provide for my family, my ability to serve my customers, and also to the trickle-down effects of their choice. The township clerk's solution to this problem is to shut down the business, go to work for someone else and maybe in 10 years the township will reconsider me having a shop here. That is an unacceptable answer from an elected official.
Now that our shop will be based in Paw Paw, to be honest, it wouldn’t be reasonable to send our kids to Decatur Public Schools. In return, taking future money away from the Decatur School system. The board also had no concern for the local spending that won’t happen in Decatur now. We won’t be able to spend money at our local auto parts store anymore. We won’t be spending money at the local hardware stores, gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores and pretty much everywhere in town that is part of a normal work routine. All that money will be spent in Paw Paw. Many years of taxes the shop would have paid in the future to Decatur is gone. They do not care though, instead of working to grow business, I guess it’s just easier for them to ask for millages.
We the tax payers and we the voters need to look very aggressively over the next couple years at getting the right people elected on the township board. We need a supervisor and clerk that puts the community first. People that stand up for local business owners instead of driving them away. People that listen to the community and understand they work for us, the tax payers. By doing so maybe we can protect future small business owners that choose to come into Decatur. Here in the U.S.A, we have the greatest system of government in the world. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect or without flaws though. This was a perfect example of our government failing its people on a local level.
With all that being said, we are very excited about the opportunity that we have in Paw Paw. I've had to work directly with a lot of employees from the Village of Paw Paw to get the shop moved there. They have proven to be everything that some members of Decatur’s township board weren’t. They have been helpful, polite, willing, hardworking, and eager to serve. So therefor, I owe a huge thank you to all the many people from the Village of Paw Paw who helped with this transition.
Also, a huge thank you to the community of Decatur who have faithfully stood behind us over the years and during the very rough last few months. We hope you’ll continue to allow us to serve you and your car’s needs from our new location. We look forward to working with everyone from our new shop.
Thank You
Jason West
