City Council Study Session

City Council Study Session Monday, October 20, 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. Deer in the Community Mayor Garrett, Councilmembers, City Administrator Greene, and Attorney Baker discussed:  City Administrator Greene suggested waiting to see what happens after neighboring communities do their Deer Cull  Once the Deer Cull is done in Southfield, it will probably reduce the number here B. Sign Ordinance Relief Mayor Garrett, Councilmembers, City Administrator Greene, and Attorney Baker discussed:  Monument signs for plazas further back  Increasing the amount of time the signs can be there  Having the Planning Commission weigh in on the ordinance  Having the residents’ opinion, and if it is consistent with the Master Plan  This is a General Ordinance, not a Zoning Ordinance  Planning Commission to do the fact-finding, and then add to a future agenda  Pushing this off (delaying it) will not help anyone having issues now C. Board & Commission Attendance Policy Mayor Garrett, Councilmembers, City Administrator Greene, and Attorney Baker discussed:  This has been brought up a few times  The Charter has wording regarding attendance and is controlling, and each Board has its own By-Laws  The Committees, Commissions, and Boards need to enforce the policy  Making sure all members are aware of the policy  Joint training sessions for new members  The wording only mentions unexcused absences  Excused absences should be addressed as well, and how to add that into the Charter 27400 Southfield Rd | Lathrup Village, MI 48076 | 248.557.2600 | www.lathrupvillage.org   Absences need to be called into the City Administrator and Mayor Garrett at least 24 hours in advance  The DDA Director and Project Coordinator did make an orientation document for each board that includes attendance D. Parks & Recreation Mission Statement Mayor Garrett read a letter from Nicole Lowry, President of the Parks & Recreation Committee, and then the concerns in the letter, along with items from previous meetings regarding the Parks & Recreation Committee, were discussed. Mayor Garrett, Councilmembers, City Administrator Greene, and Attorney Baker discussed:  DIA Inside Out and the Parks & Recreation role and the City role  Asking the Committee to assess the conditions of the City Parks  The Challenge of collecting funds as Volunteers for Parks & Recreation events  The Parks and Recreation concerned with scheduling the Community Room  Once a year, as part of the By-Laws, the Parks & Recreation Committee is supposed to do a quick assessment of the Parks, and there is no City staff due to funding.  City staff can’t make it to all the events to collect the money at the door  The City does not have the money for a staff-paid Parks & Recreation Committee member  Having a mission and vision statement  Example Mission and Vision statements that Mayor Garrett put together were read, as a starting point, to which Parks & Recreation Committee members can give feedback.  Residents' input and the Master Plan to be taken into consideration for the Mission and Vision statements  Originally, the Volunteers were advisors and support for an actual staff-led Department  Other Parks & Recreation-related items not being addressed, like walkability  City Council Liaison, DDA, and the Parks & Recreation Committee -reevaluating the Mission and Vision together  Taking into consideration that the staff member position was discontinued due to funding and with current financial concerns, residents would have to choose between Public Safety and Parks & Recreation  Where the City Council falls in aspect of Parks & Recreation  There are some Millages for Parks & Recreation in some Communities  Christina Schindler from the Parks & Recreation Committee spoke and said that the DIA Inside Out was all through the efforts of the Parks & Recreation Committee reaching out and doing the work, getting approved for it again, and about not seeing more City Council and Mayoral support at events  Looking for Grants for the Parks & Recreation Committee work, but most want to donate/award to a 501C3 not a City  The approval of 4 hours a week for a staff member was tabled by the DDA Board  Making sure the Parks & Recreation Committee is notified when the tabled request comes up again with the DDA, so that they can be in attendance and there to answer any questions and advocate for the help that they need  Putting together a Job description for a member with dialogue between the City Council and Parks and Recreation Committee members 27400 Southfield Rd | Lathrup Village, MI 48076 | 248.557.2600 | www.lathrupvillage.org  E. Regular Meeting Agenda Items Mayor Pro Tem Kantor asked a question about the Solar Ordinance, and CED/DDA Project Coordinator Kennedy answered it. Councilmember Hammond shared that he had questions regarding the appointment of the Police Chief regarding other candidates, the length of the contract, and if there were any negative actions against Lt. Zang during his career, and found there were none. 3. Public Comments Karen Harris promoted the book Remarkable Women of Oakland County by Christine Blackwell, and that Louise Lathrup Kelley, who is written about in the book, and Robin Roberts is a contributor. Jonathan Tara commented in part that he thinks there should be a comprehensive inspection of City Hall, mentioning issues with the back doors of the Community Room, that items should not be in the way of the emergency exits, that there is a problem with cars backed up on Southfield Road blocking Goldengate, and asked about Clear Cutting on Sunset behind Lane Bryant. Laurie Kunz expressed in part that Study Sessions be recorded, and her belief that otherwise it gives City Council the ability to talk about residents, and referenced what happened after she talked at the last Study Session, and that she thought Mayor Garrett was not promoting the Lathrup Village Women’s Group Estate Sale nicely. Christina Schindler, Bungalow Dr., expressed as a volunteer herself (Parks & Recreation Committee), her thanks to Council for all they do as volunteers. 4. Mayor and Council Comments  Mayor Garrett, read two acknowledgments that she received from U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, and from New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Southfield  Responded that she mentioned the Estate Sale so people who were in attendance would know about it, and that she believes Laurie is trying to pit people against one another. (Laurie Kunz commented back to Mayor Garrett, and there was a brief exchange) Mayor Pro Tem Kantor asked for fund balances every month. Councilmember Hammond asked for a recording of the Study Session meetings to be on the November Council agenda, and thinks that there are lower costs available to record them then the current option. 5. Adjourn 7:18 pm 27400 Southfield Rd | Lathrup Village, MI 48076 | 248.557.2600 | www.lathrupvillage.org