Council Study Session February 3, 2020

CITY OF LATHRUP VILLAGE CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 3, 2020 MINUTES OF THE STUDY SESSION MEETING OF THE CITY OF LATHRUP VILLAGE HELD ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020 IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING 27400 SOUTHFIELD ROAD, LATHRUP VILLAGE, MICHIGAN. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Garrett and Roll Call was taken. Present: Mayor Mykale Garrett and Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Kantor Council members Ian Ferguson, Saleem Siddiqi, Donna Stallings Also Present: City Administrator, Dr. Sheryl Mitchell, City Attorney, Scott Baker, Treasurer, Pamela Bratschi and City Clerk, Yvette Talley Purpose of meeting is to discuss City Council Agenda items. A. Discussion Items: A. Discussion – City Council Agenda Format Disbursement report will specify what the disbursement is for, the month and the amount. Motions of action items will be read in its entirety to make it clearer to the viewing audience. During City Council meeting, Mayor Garrett will summarize what was discussed in study session meeting for clarification for the viewing audience. Dr. Mitchell said added to the agenda will be a note that public comments are 3 minutes and a timer will be used to keep track of time. B. Discussion-Study Session Minutes Format Mayor Pro Tem Kantor stated to add more detail to study session minutes. Also, add to City Council agenda an additional category for public comment #1 will be for agenda related items – (3 minutes for comments) public comment #2 is for any topic- (2 minutes to comment) placed on the agenda after the action items. C. Discussion -The placement of a “City of Lathrup Village” sign on the façade of City Hall Dr. Mitchell said she is looking for quotes for the sign on the façade. DDA is working on verbiage. D. Discussion – Hiring Code Enforcement officer (update) Dr. Mitchell said she’s scheduling interviews. Mayor Pro Tem Kantor said to send a courtesy to all businesses informing them the city will be hiring a code enforcer who will be doing walk-through inspections. E. Discussion- Status of the business corridor sidewalk program for the spring/summer Dr. Mitchell said she’s looking into this and speaking with other communities about their programs. 1  CITY OF LATHRUP VILLAGE CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 3, 2020 F. Discussion – Job description and potential salary information for a Grant Writer/Administrative Assistant Dr. Mitchell said the Grant Writer position should be contractual to pay them per project. (the amount of work will not take a great deal of time). Most of the details come from Engineers who help with preparation since they put together all of our plans. G. Discussion – Updates to water gurgling at Saratoga and Rackham There is a pooling of water with phragmites’ growing which has gurgling water. Department of Public Services is trying to schedule a date with homeowner to see where the problem is coming from. H. Discussion – Vehicle that has not moved in a year that is parked in the Veritas Medical Billing parking lot (NW corner of 11 Mile Road and Southfield.) Mayor Pro Tem Kantor said the owner of the vehicle contacted him stating she will take care of the matter. City Council discussed City Administrator evaluation format. Type of format: Dr. Mitchell will do self- evaluation, send to 2-direct reports and 1 other person. Mayor will share with City Council, it’s due on March 16, 2020. I. Discussion- Lot of yard waste violations – increased neighborhood inspections Dr. Mitchell stated there is a proactive approach to addressing these issues. Will soften the letter and have a timeframe for follow-up. J. Discussion - Holiday Lighting/Decorations invoice Dr. Mitchell asked staff to look at other options i.e. bidding process or contracting part-time assistance. Will look into scope of services for the year to specify what each item is going to cost. K. Discussion – DPW culvert/ditch digging Mayor Pro Tem Kantor stated he had a conversation with a resident who has water over their sidewalks. Something has to be done and it’s a costly endeavor. Infrastructure committee exploring options for roads, culverts and ditch digging. Perry Macneille 18740 San Diego said - asset management planning system is grant money that the State of Michigan is proposing to use to fix roads. Mayor Pro Tem Kantor said he will look into this grant. L. Discussion – CapCon Conference – March 24 & 25 Mayor Pro Tem Kantor asked if it’s appropriate to get overnight lodging to attend the CapCon conference in March 2020. Mayor Garrett approved overnight lodging for the conference. 2  CITY OF LATHRUP VILLAGE CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 3, 2020 M. Discussion – Cars Blocking Sidewalks Mayor Pro Tem Kantor said cars are parked across sidewalks making it difficult for people to get around. Solutions - Make the businesses aware of the issue or ticket patrons. He will attend DDA meetings to discuss the issue and talk about a parking bumper grant where the DDA pays for half for businesses who are legally non-conforming. City Planner, Jill Bahm suggested planter boxes and changing to parallel parking. Perry Macneille 18740 San Diego suggested to renovate alleys by planting wild flowers and fix the concrete to make the area more walkable. Dr. Mitchell stated in terms of the safety, beautification and walkability of the business corridor, businesses will be encouraged to install parking blocks. This information will be included in the newsletter to the businesses. N. Discussion – Woodpile Ordinance John Shaw - 18851 Bungalow said he would like the following definitions removed this ordinance: twigs/branches, storage, woodpile 8” off the ground. City Attorney will look at other communities and provide examples for the next study session on February 24, 2020 to discuss the woodpile ordinance. Mayor City Council Comments Council member Stallings asked for an update for Panera Bread. City Attorney stated there are some exciting things in the works. Gas station update: They did break ground and will see more activity there. Mayor Garrett stated that Mr. Surnow’s buildings still have plywood on them. City Administrator will look into this matter. There are plastic garbage bags on the curb at along 11 mile behind Discount Tire. This matter will be handled by code enforcement and in the next business newsletter, it will be addressed. Trash cans are being stored in front of the garage and code enforcement will look into this matter. Council member Ian Ferguson asked for an update on the marijuana committee. Council member Siddiqi is the chair and will schedule a meeting. Asked City Administrator to send email to DPS on the great job they did on snow removal. Update on the discharge of the tank – Oakland County did this in all communities and Lathrup Village was the last community. City Administrator asked DPS to notify the condominium home owners of that possibility. There were no flooded basements. Asked administration to look into the price for English Gardens for Christmas lights/decorations. Mayor Pro Tem Kantor will be out of town February 21-March 11. 3  CITY OF LATHRUP VILLAGE CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 3, 2020 Public Comments Jason Hammond 27590 California Dr. S.E. – stated he commends the City Council for making the decision to add another person to the infrastructure committee. Grace Green 17630 Roseland Blvd.- Caribbean Festival was a great event but to assist with the cost look at the Michigan Council of the Arts grants. Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. __________________________________ Transcribed by Yvette Talley City Clerk 4