City Council Study Session

City Council Study Session Monday, December 18, 2023, at 6:00 PM 27400 Southfield Road, Lathrup Village, Michigan 48076 Meeting Minutes 1. Call to Order by Mayor Garrett 2. Discussion Items A. Committee Appointments The Mayor and Council will need to appoint members to various Boards and commissions. The Recreation Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, Southfield Public School Liaison, Downtown Development Authority, the Election Commission, and the Tree Committee. Mayor Garrett suggests Councilmember Jennings for Southfield Public School Liaison, Councilmember Barksdale for Recreation Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, Jason Hammond, and Tree Committee Mayor Garrett. The DDA bylaws state that the mayor is a sitting member; Mayor Garrett suggests that the Mayor Pro Tem be the alternate in the mayor’s absence. Mayor Pro Tem Kantor was appointed to the Election Commission. There was a discussion on creating an Equity Inclusion and Accessibility Committee. Mayor Garrett suggests that staff generate an application and recruit members for that committee. B. Water & Sewer Rates In the past, the Water Department has not charged Tap Fee (the amount charged to connect to the city water and sewer lines) for new construction. The department surveyed similar-sized cities about the average cost for tap fees, water service, and meter cost. These fees will not be charged through the Building Department, so the funds will not be subject to Building Department contractual fees. C. Driveway and Concrete Code Enforcement Officer Harris requests that the Council consider permitting cement for driveways to keep property owners from cementing over too much property for parking and help keep track of the impervious service water issue. 27400 Southfield Rd | Lathrup Village, MI 48076 | 248.557.2600 | www.lathrupvillage.org  D. Water Service Line Identification Although the city has been working on this project for almost two years, there are still approximately 1200 homes from the original 1400 still left to do inspections on. There are approximately 200 out of the 315 that the city was required to inspect. The deadline has been moved up to October 16, 2024, from the original December 31st deadline. Therefore, the Council needs to stress the importance of the remainder of the project to the new Administrator to start to work on this issue as soon as possible. E. Laundromat Ordinance There is a commercial property that has proposed to open a laundromat. The current ordinance does not identify a laundromat as a permitted use. The Planning Commission has reviewed the site plan, held a Public Hearing, and recommended the ordinance change for Council approval in October. Eric Pietsch of Giffels Webster was in attendance to answer any questions. F. Separate Water Meters Residents using sprinkler systems or swimming pools are charged for sewage rates when watering the grass or filling the swimming pool. The request is to have a separate water meter for these households. One possible way to determine the total cost would be to do a survey in the newsletter to see how many households have pool and sprinkler systems. 3. Public Comments Laurie Kunz – Water rates Resident - Encourages council to take action on separate water meters Rick Wisz – Water service line identification Grace Greenly – Window program 4. Mayor and Council Comments Mayor Garrett read into the record a comment from Mike Sampson regarding a fellow resident harassing a business owner about a temporary sign. She responded that business owners pay taxes, are a part of our community, and deserve our respect. 5. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 7:18 pm 27400 Southfield Rd | Lathrup Village, MI 48076 | 248.557.2600 | www.lathrupvillage.org