City Council Study Session

City Council Study Session Monday, August 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM 27400 Southfield Road, Lathrup Village, Michigan 48076 1. Call to Order by Mayor Garrett at 6:00 pm 2. Discussion Items A. LVPD OWL Program Lt Zang explained that the program was utilized in the past, and during an increase in home invasions, and helped residents with security awareness regarding their home and their neighborhood, and an OWL sticker was given out. Lt. Zang mentioned that Mayor Garrett was interested in restarting this program and including education about fraud and cybercrimes. Mayor Garrett, Councilmembers, City Administrator Greene, and City Attorney Baker discussed:  The importance of reminding residents about safety and cybercrimes  That the program would be free  When the program could start  How to measure the effectiveness of the program  Shared a recent fraud scam that victimized a Council member, which utilized an online party invitation that you click to open, which then allowed credit cards to be hacked B. ZBA - Sign Variance Request DDA Director Colson explained that Holbrook Auto Parts at 26600 Southfield Rd., occupies what was a 5-business front location, that would have had 5 different signs, and their building has 2 sides that face residential streets, but they are only going to have one sign on their building facing Southfield Road. They are requesting a sign variance of 22 square feet for the sign in order to have better visibility on Southfield Road. DDA Director Colson mentioned that there is an existing Monument sign, and in the future, they are going to request to move the current monument sign from its current location to the middle of the parking lot. Mayor Garrett, Councilmembers, City Administrator Greene, and City Attorney Baker discussed:  To keep in mind the upcoming Monument sign move when considering this request  The hardship or justification, practical difficulty for granting this request  The speed of traffic on Southfield Rd., the distance of the building from the Road  The Size of the printed area of the sign versus the outer edges of the sign 27400 Southfield Rd | Lathrup Village, MI 48076 | 248.557.2600 | www.lathrupvillage.org   The Ordinance allows 64 sq ft for a sign, per business front, and this used to be multiple businesses; the ordinance should address when a multiple-business front becomes a single business, and explore revisions to the Ordinance  Does the ordinance encourage multiple small businesses and not one large business  Due to vacancies, there might be a reason to consider allowing larger signage for larger tenants  Timeline of the sign installation  Visibility of the sign  Putting signs in the parking lot stating that you cannot repair cars in the parking lot C. Bond Payment Acceleration City Administrator Greene explained that the City will save money on interest and save staff time if this bond payment is accelerated and closed. 3. Public Comments Diane Anderson passed out some papers to Councilmembers and then spoke about comments that she thought were made against her that were defamatory by Mayor Garrett, and began making certain comments, which Council deemed inappropriate. Laurne Beras commented on behavior and comments made during Council meetings, being held to a higher standard, and that she never felt disrespected by comments that were made by Mayor Garrett. 4. Mayor and Council Comments None 5. Adjourn at 6:26 pm 27400 Southfield Rd | Lathrup Village, MI 48076 | 248.557.2600 | www.lathrupvillage.org