City Council Regular Meeting

City Council Regular Meeting Madison Heights, Michigan July 14, 2025 A City Council Regular Meeting was held on Monday, July 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM at City Hall - Council Chambers, 300 W. 13 Mile Rd. PRESENT Mayor Roslyn Grafstein Mayor Pro Tem Mark Bliss Councilman Sean Fleming Councilman William Mier Councilor Emily Rohrbach Councilman David Soltis Councilor Quinn Wright OTHERS PRESENT City Manager Melissa Marsh City Attorney Larry Sherman Deputy City Manager/City Clerk Cheryl Rottmann Mayor Grafstein gave the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance followed. PRESENTATIONS: Marijuana Impact Report City Manager Marsh gave a presentation to the Council on the positive financial, economic development, public safety, and social impact that marijuana businesses have had on the city since permitting licensing of these establishments. Councilman Soltis asked for a comparison of marijuana related traffic stops to alcohol related stops. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss noted that there was approximately $1 million dollars in one-time revenues and $500,000 dollars of continuing contributions that have helped supplement the city’s budget and supported local causes. He credited the Council for creating ordinances and rules for granting licenses that were geared towards creating economic development improvements. He continued that Council was aware that cannabis was here, whether we had locations in the city or not; but now we are benefiting from having these businesses in the city. He stated that he appreciates the public safety call comparison. Mayor Grafstein noted that there has not been an increase in crime and also stated that she did not believe marijuana businesses in the city have has had any negative effect on Madison Heights home values. 1 MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Richard Taylor Thomas, resident, spoke regarding charging various city officials for hate, discrimination, and conspiracy crimes. CONSENT AGENDA: Without objection, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss requested that each item be voted on separately from the Consent Agenda. CM-25-100. Resolution Establishing the Time for Regular City Council Meetings. Motion to adopt the Resolution Establishing the Time for Regular City Council Meetings, as follows: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS, ESTABLISHING THE TIME FOR REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS WHEREAS, Section 6.1 of the Madison Heights City Charter provides that the City Council shall hold twenty-three (23) regular meetings per calendar year and shall hold at least one (1) meeting per month, at such times and places as may be established by resolution; and WHEREAS, the City Council desires to establish a consistent schedule for its regular meetings to ensure transparency, promote public participation, and allow for the efficient conduct of city business. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN: SECTION 1. Regular meetings of the Madison Heights City Council will begin at 6:30 p.m., unless rescheduled by a majority vote of the Council or as otherwise noticed in accordance with applicable law. SECTION 2. All regular meetings shall be held at 300 W. 13 Mile Road, Council Chambers, City of Madison Heights, unless otherwise specified in the public notice for the meeting. SECTION 3. In the event that a regular meeting date falls on a holiday, the meeting shall be held on the next business day unless otherwise rescheduled by the City Council. SECTION 4. This resolution shall take effect for the first meeting in October 2025 and shall remain in effect until modified or repealed by subsequent resolution. Motion made by Councilor Rohrbach, Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Bliss. Mayor Tem Bliss noted that this time change will allow more senior citizens to attend the meetings. In response to his question, City Manger Marsh noted the time change was 2  suggested by staff to begin in October due to the recently distributed city newsletter listing the current 7:30 p.m. time for the July through September Council meetings. Voting Yea: Mayor Grafstein, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Motion carried. CM-25-101. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 23, 2025. Motion to approve the Regular City Council Meeting minutes of June 23, 2025, as printed. Motion made by Councilor Rohrbach, Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Bliss. Voting Yea: Mayor Grafstein, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Motion carried. CM-25-102. Fire Public Safety Drone Grant Purchase. Motion to approve the purchase of a Skydio X10 drone from Safeware through the Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Program the amount of $29,969, to be fully funded through the awarded grant. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Grafstein, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Motion carried. CM-25-103. Fire Turnout Gear Grant Purchase. Motion to waive the formal bidding process and approve the purchase of five sets of turnout gear from Axes & Irons through Sourcewell, at a total cost of $16,070.40. Funding for this purchase has been allocated in the FY 2025–26 budget and will be fully reimbursed through the grant. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Grafstein, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Motion carried. 3 CM-25-104. Resolution Amending the City Crime Commission – Appointment Process. Motion to approve the resolution amending the City Crime Commission as follows: Resolution Amending the City Crime Commission WHEREAS, public safety is a vital function of municipal government; and WHEREAS, education, community collaboration, and communication all contribute to crime prevention in a community; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Madison Heights hereby establishes the City Crime Commission, as follows: 1. Scope. (a) There is hereby established a commission to be known as the Madison Heights Crime Commission. (b) Scope: (1) The purpose and function of the city crime commission is to serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council and to study crime in the city, to make recommendations for its prevention and elimination and to develop citizen cooperation in law enforcement. (2) This purpose shall include periodic contacts by the commission with members of the community such as school, business and neighborhood leaders as well as police department personnel. (3) The Commission shall serve to provide good communication and education within the community regarding law enforcement and crime prevention. (4) The commission can recommend any changes to the City Council. The commission can also be available to receive citizen questions and complaints about crime. (5) Advise on educational programs and events to promote crime prevention. (6) To work with outside groups to build relationships between the Police Department and marginalized residents. 2. Membership. (a) The commission shall be composed of seven (7) members and one (1) ex- officio member as follows: (1) Six (6) citizen members and two (2) citizen alternates; Citizen members and alternates shall be appointed by the mayor with approval of a majority vote of the city council. One (1) ex-officio member shall be a Councilmember with a vote and one (1) alternate ex-officio Councilmember. 4  (2) The Police Chief or their designee shall serve as non-voting ex- officio member of the Commission and attends all meetings. (3) Citizen members shall be a registered elector of the city. (4) Members of the commission may be persons with qualifications in such areas as: law enforcement, crime prevention, public communication, and education. (5) Terms of the citizen members are three (3) years and are staggered. Councilmember appointments are two-year terms until the next Regular City Council election. (6) A Chairperson of the Commission shall be elected from and by the membership annually. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings. 3. Meetings. (a) An annual meeting shall be held in April and the Commission will meet as required and agreed upon by the Commission. (b) The Commission shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order and keep a record of its proceedings. All Meetings shall be noticed and conducted in accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act (1976 PA 267, MCL 15.261 through 15.275, as amended). (c) Attendance by 50% or more of the current membership of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Any action of the commission shall require a concurrence of the majority of quorum present at the meeting. Motion made by Councilman Fleming, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Grafstein, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis Voting Nay: Councilor Wright Motion carried 6-1. CM-25-105. Ordinance 2203 - Amendment to Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Membership, First Reading – Appointment Process. Motion to adopt Ordinance No. 2203, Amendment to Parks and Recreation Board Membership, on First Reading and schedule a Second Reading on July 28, 2025. ORDINANCE NO. _2203__ CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN AMENDMENT TO THE CODE OF ORDINANCES 5  An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 571, being an Ordinance codifying and adopting a new Code of Ordinances for the City of Madison Heights by amending Chapter 19, Article III, Section 19-29 (a) of the Code of Ordinances, City of Madison Heights, Michigan, to establish a city parks and recreation advisory board in the City to study and recommend short and long-term improvements to the city's parks and recreation system. Motion made by Councilman Fleming, Seconded by Councilman Mier. In response to Councilor Wright’s question of why this is being proposed to change, Mayor Grafstein responded that since the mayor is only one of seven, and the mayor doesn’t sit on these boards, it is an attempt to streamline process to make them all appointed by Council. She noted that they are all approved by Council ultimately. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss added that the current process doesn’t really make sense since the mayor doesn’t serve on these boards, and this would be an improvement. Voting Yea: Mayor Grafstein, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis Voting Nay: Councilor Wright Motion carried 6-1. CM-25-106. Ordinance 2204 - Amendment to Compensation Commission - Appointment and Confirmation of Members, First Reading – Appointment Process. Motion to adopt Ordinance No. 2204, Amendment to Compensation Commission Appointments and Confirmation of Members, on First Reading and schedule a Second Reading on July 28, 2025. ORDINANCE NO. 2204_ CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN AMENDMENT TO THE CODE OF ORDINANCES An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 571, being an Ordinance codifying and adopting a new Code of Ordinances for the City of Madison Heights by amending Chapter 2, Article VII, Sections 2-93 of the Code of Ordinances, City of Madison Heights, Michigan, to create a commission to be known as the “compensation commission” to establish compensation for elected officials of the city Motion made by Councilman Fleming, Seconded by Councilor Rohrbach. Discussion followed on why the change was being proposed, the potential appearance of a conflict of interest if the Mayor made a recommendation for appointment to this board because they set Council’s salary, the possibility of appointments not being made under the current process if the mayor choose not to make an appointment, and the ability of Council to thwart a possible problem in the future by making the proposed change. Councilor Wright and Rohrbach noted that they were not in agreement with the proposed change. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss suggested the ordinance be 6 amended before the second reading to include having staff make a recommendation for this board’s appointment, similar to how staff makes recommendations to Council on regular business. Voting Yea: Mayor Grafstein, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilman Soltis Voting Nay: Councilor Rohrbach, Councilor Wright Motion carried 5-2. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilman Mier commented that there are a lot of wonderful things happening in the city, including in recreation, the library, and at the active adult center so please check out their websites. Little league season wrapped up last week. Councilor Wright’s and City Attorney Sherman’s teams competed in the championship game, and City Attorney Sherman’s team came up on top. Thank you for all your support for little league. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss wished a happy birthday to Councilman Mier. He highlighted the first concert in the park last week, and despite the rain there was good attendance. The band was fabulous, and it was a great experience, and he encouraged everyone to come out for future events. Public attendance shows that the community wants these types of events. Next Wednesday is the next concert. The grant from MHCF for the drone tonight was good to see. Trail Tunes submission deadline is today. He noted that he was disappointed that the flyer outlining the new trash cart program did not have disability arrangements included. The Council filing deadline is next Tuesday, July 22nd, and there are a lot of boards and commission openings as well. The best way to contribute to your community is to be a part of it. On a sad note, Alex Habib was killed by a reckless driver during a police chase. He was a father, husband and a member of the Lamphere graduating class of 2015. He requested a moment of silence in his honor and a resolution for the family be drafted and sent. Councilor Wright expressed thank you to DPS for doing a fantastic job on the Festival in the Park. It was a very quiet, great community event. September 13th will be the Revin in the Heights. We have some cool sponsors, and are partnering with the Fire department and Chamber, so please plan on coming. He added that a new award category is being added this year, the City Council award will be in the line up as well. City Attorney Sherman thanked Councilman Mier for his synopsis of the championship game. The series between the Bluejays and the A’s is now tied 1-1 and we will see where it goes next year. City Manager Marsh stated Madison Heights is now home to DIA’s Inside Out program, with 11 stunning art pieces. This is a credit to the Arts Board, the Active Adult Center and Oakland County Parks. On August 16th, there will be a bus trip hosted by the Arts Board and provided by the DIA to tour around the art pieces displayed in Madison Heights. Sign up is required to participate. Deputy City Manager/City Clerk Rottmann noted that the filing deadline for mayor and council members is 4 p.m., Tuesday, July 22nd at the City Clerk’s office. She also encouraged those interested to apply for the city board and commissions, with the next round of appointments taking place in August. 7 Councilor Rohrbach expressed thanks to Councilman Mier for his work on little league baseball, noting that her son participated this year for the first time and loved it. The coaches and volunteers were just wonderful, and it was a great experience. She stated that the Tree Grant the city received from the MDNR was exciting. One of her first goal on Council was to plant 500 trees in 5 years and we have exceeded that, and she is excited to keep the progress going. She encouraged those that are interested in having a tree planted in their right-of-way to make an application on the city’s website. She noted that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is doing a Parks and Recreation Master Plan survey, and we need the public to participate. Your voice needs to be heard when we are creating this Master Plan so that we can implement your vision. Please go to Madisonheights.org/masterplan to take the online survey. You can also still vote on the library card design contest, voting ends tomorrow. Councilman Fleming noted that on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan survey, you can add additional comments on things you may not have seen on the survey. He stated that the city is going to have an input session on disability needs for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan as well, and more details will be forthcoming. July 18th is the Beautification Award deadline, sp nominate your neighbors who have been working hard to make their residences beautiful. Councilman Soltis had no comments this evening. Mayor Grafstein stated that the Festival in the Park was great with huge attendance. Great job by the city’s DPS department. She spoke regarding the discussion this evening on the changes to appointment process and added that Council continually makes decisions to help keep us safe, from public safety to litigation. The council needs to look at hypotheticals to attempt to keep things running smoothly and this was an example of this. She is also super excited about the Tree Grant as well, and she appreciates Council Rohrbach’s work on that front. The next City Council meeting is July 28, 2025. ADJOURNMENT Having no further business, Mayor Grafstein adjourned the meeting at 8:54 p.m. Roslyn Grafstein, Mayor Cheryl E. Rottmann, City Clerk 8