City Council Regular Meeting

City Council Regular Meeting Madison Heights, Michigan November 10, 2025 A City Council Regular Meeting was held on Monday, November 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM at City Hall - Council Chambers, 300 W. 13 Mile Rd. PRESENT Mayor Pro Tem Mark Bliss Councilman Sean Fleming Councilman William Mier Councilor Emily Rohrbach Councilman David Soltis Councilor Quinn Wright ABSENT Mayor Roslyn Grafstein ALSO PRESENT City Manager Melissa Marsh Assistant City Attorney Tim Burns Deputy City Manager/City Clerk Cheryl Rottmann The invocation was led by Mayor Pro Tem Bliss and the Pledge of Allegiance followed. CM-25-174. Excuse Mayor. Motion to Excuse Mayor Grafstein from tonight’s meeting. Motion made by Councilor Rohrbach, Seconded by Councilor Wright. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-175. Community and Economic Development Director - CDBG Program Year 2026 Public Hearing and Application. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss opened the public hearing at 6:33 p.m. Lynn Calu asked how the code enforcement was funded out of this grant In response, City Manager Marsh responded that it is for salary and expenses associated with the the Code Enforcement Officer that works in the CDGB qualified area. Candy Hoverarter, representing Meals on Wheels, requested funding for the Meals on Wheels program that services Madison Heights. Last year, the program served 20,500 meals. City 1 CC 11-10-25  Manager Marsh advised that there is a cap on public service program dollars at 15% of the subrecipient allocation, so if Council wishes to allocate CDGB funds to Meals on Wheels it will have to come from Senior Seasonal Yard Services programming. Having no one further wishing to speak, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss closed the public hearing at 6:38 p.m. Motion to authorize the PY 2026 CDBG application as presented to be submitted to Oakland County for inclusion in Oakland County’s Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and authorize the Mayor to execute all documents, agreements or contracts which result from this application to Oakland County. Motion made by Councilor Rohrbach, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: The following spoke in opposition to Special Land Use Request #PSP 25-05 for 28767 Dartmouth: Timothy Ginster Kathy Sapia Patty Webster Catherine Moran Kelly Irla Craig Herbert Colleen Turcolte Mark Kohler CM-25-176. Consent Agenda. Motion to approve the Consent Agenda as read. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. 2 CC 11-10-25 CM-25-177. Family Court Awareness Month Proclamation. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss noted that Geralyn Morris from Protective Parents Michigan was present to receive the Family Court Awarenesss Month Proclamation and invited her to address Council. Ms. Morris thanked Council for the Proclamation and spoke of the impact of domestic violence and the need for critical reform and education within the family court system. She urged any who would like to support Kayden's Law to contact their State Representative and encouraged those struggling to protect children in family court to connect with Protective Parents Michigan on Facebook and the rowanpro.org website. Motion to adopt the Family Court Awareness Month Proclamation as presented. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-178. Edison Park Basketball Court. Motion to waive the formal bid process and accept the proposal for the Edison Park Basketball Court project to Laser Striping, of Plymouth, in the amount of $15,500. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-179. Reschedule November 24, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting to November 19, 2025. Motion to reschedule the November 24, 2025 Regular City Council meeting to Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. 3 CC 11-10-25  CM-25-180. City Council and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Workshop Minutes of September 29, 2025. Motion to approve the City Council and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Workshop minutes of September 29, 2025, as printed. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-181. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of October 27, 2025. Motion to approve the City Council Regular Meeting minutes of October 27, 2025, as printed. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-182. Special Land Use Request #PSP 25-05 - 28767 Dartmouth St. - Parking as a Principal Use (Postponed from September 8, 2025). City Manager Marsh reviewed the Special Land Use request noting that Najor Companies requested Special Land Use (SLU) approval to develop a drive aisle and parking on a residential parcel (zoned R3) to serve the adjacent restaurant site (zoned B2). The purpose is to provide a secondary ingress/egress point off Dartmouth because the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) at I-75 and 12 Mile severely restricts left turns onto 12 Mile. The following information was provided: • Revised Plan Details: The revised concept plan addressed prior concerns by removing non- parking spaces, resulting in a total of three parallel parking spaces. It includes additional landscaping, a 5-ft wide sidewalk connection for residents, and a "no right turn" sign at the exit to discourage traffic into the neighborhood. • Traffic Assessment: The assessment concluded the proposed restaurant would have no meaningful increase in traffic compared to the former restaurant. Staff noted the existing 17 ft public right-of-way alley could still be used but may result in unsafe conditions due to single lane width. 4 CC 11-10-25  • Staff Note: The restaurant can be developed "per right" (without Council approval). The existing alleyway could be used, and the house could be demolished, even if the SLU is denied. Attorney John Graber stated the request is primarily a safety concern due to the I-75 intersection/DDI right-in/right-out restrictions. He asserted the 17 ft alley is not safe for two-way traffic. Traffic Consultant Lauren Warren noted that the restaurant is only expected to increase traffic by four trips daily. She proposed operational improvements to the signal timing and an additional lane change of assignment on the southern leg (changing the southbound approach to a dedicated right turn and a southbound through-left lane) to mitigate existing traffic issues. Developer Brian Najor stated the project will proceed regardless. He stated that he is asking for approval to allow them to continue working with the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) to implement the proposed traffic solutions, warning that denial will result in a "very unsafe condition" where the narrow alley is utilized for two-way traffic, leading to chaos and accidents. Councilor Rohrbach stressed the Council's duty of care to residents and believed the proposed solutions would not solve the resulting unsafe traffic situation. Councilman Mier acknowledged the development would happen anyway but raised major safety concerns regarding drivers making illegal left turns onto 12 Mile if proper egress is denied and noted the narrow 17 ft alley is potentially unsafe for two-way traffic or emergency vehicle access. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss reiterated that if Council should deny the request, this will result in a development proceeding with the existing terrible, small drive. Motion to DENY Special Land Use Request #PSP 25-05 - 28767 Dartmouth St. - Parking as a Principal Use as the proposed Parking as a Principal Use is not consistent with the use-specific standards set forth in Section 10.06 and/or the Special Land Use review standards and criteria set forth in Section 15.05.3. In particular: 1. The applicant did not meet the burden regarding the necessity of parking. 2. The parcel was not compatible with the surrounding property, and the ingress/egress created traffic hazards and congestion incompatible with the neighborhoods Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Mier. Roll Call Vote: Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Voting Nay: Councilman Mier Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried 5-1. 5 CC 11-10-25  CM-25-183. Alley Vacation Request # PEE 25-01 - 17 ft.-wide alley between 601 W. 12 Mile Rd. and 28767 Dartmouth St. (Postponed from October 27, 2025) - WITHDRAWN. The applicant, through their attorney, formally withdrew the request for the alley vacation in light of the Special Land Use decision. CM-25-184. Contract Extension - Italia Construction. Motion to approve the contract extension with Italia Construction, of Washington Township, for the 2026 construction season. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilor Rohrbach. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-185. OLSHA Senior Snow Removal Program. Motion to award the Senior Chore Snow Removal Contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Allen’s Landscaping & Lawn Services, LLC, at a unit price of $35.00 per lot for the 2025-26 snow removal season pending legal review; and to authorize the City to proceed with the next lowest responsible bidder, Luxury Lawn & Snow, at a unit price of $55.00 per lot, in the event the contract with Allen’s Landscaping & Lawn Services, LLC is terminated due to non-performance or other issues. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilor Rohrbach. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-186. MiLife Health and Wellness Center - Marathon Health Service Agreement. Motion to approve the Health Services Agreement with Marathon Health, LLC, and authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to continue participation in the regional employee wellness partnership. Motion made by Councilor Wright, Seconded by Councilman Fleming. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright 6 CC 11-10-25  Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. CM-25-187. Ordinance 2208 - Precinct Boundary and Polling Location Changes, Second Reading. Motion to adopt Ordinance No. 2208, Amending Precinct Boundary Descriptions, Polling Locations and Precinct Numbers, on Second Reading as follows: ORDINANCE NO. 2208 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND ORDINANCE 571, BEING AN ORDINANCE CODIFYING AND ADOPTING A NEW CODE OF ORDINANCES FOR THE CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS BY AMENDING CHAPTER 10, SECTION 10-1, OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN, TO APPROVE PRECINCT BOUNDARY DESCRIPTIONS, POLLING LOCATIONS, AND PRECINCT NUMBERS FOR THE CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS THE CITY OF MADISON HEIGHTS ORDAINS: Section 1. That Chapter 10, Section 10-1 of the Code of Ordinance, City of Madison Heights, Michigan, is hereby repealed in its entirety and replace as follows: Sec. 10-1. Precincts established; numbers, boundaries. (a) There is hereby established, in the City of Madison Heights, 7 voting precincts to be used by the electors of the City of Madison Heights for the purpose of casting their ballots at all future elections. (b) The following precincts are hereby established and shall be referred to by number, as follows: Precinct No. 1 shall be the area bounded as follows: to the north beginning at the intersection of the Chrysler Expressway and Bellaire; thence east along Bellaire to Dartmouth; thence south along Dartmouth to Gardenia; thence east along Gardenia Avenue to the southwest corner of Beauty Built Manor Subdivision; thence north along the west subdivision line of Beauty Built Manor Subdivision and Steven Heights Subdivision to the northwest corner of Steven Heights Subdivision; thence east along the north subdivision line of Steven Heights Subdivision to Dequindre Road; to the east by Dequindre Road; to the south by Eleven Mile Road; and to the west Chrysler Expressway The voting place shall be at the Madison Elementary School located at 27107 Hales Street. Precinct No. 2 4 shall be the area bounded on the north by Eleven Mile; on the east by Dequindre Road; on the south by Lincoln Avenue; and on the west by the Chrysler Expressway. The voting place shall be at the Wilkinson Middle School located at 26524 John R Road. 7 CC 11-10-25 Precinct No. 3 shall be the area bounded on the north by Lincoln Avenue; on the east by Dequindre Road; on the south by Ten Mile Road; and on the west by the Chrysler Expressway. The voting place shall be at the Wilkinson Middle School located at 26524 John R Road. Precinct No. 4 shall be the area bounded as follows: to the north beginning at the intersection of Twelve Mile Road and the Chrysler Expressway; thence east along Twelve Mile Road to Dequindre Road; thence south along Dequindre Road to the northeast corner of the Steven Heights Subdivision; thence west along the north subdivision line of the Steven Heights Subdivision; thence south along the west subdivision line of the Steven Heights Subdivision and the Beauty Built Manor Subdivision to a point on the southwest corner of the Beauty Built Manor Subdivision; thence west along the east-west one- quarter section line of Section 13, Township 1 North Range 11 East along Gardenia Avenue to the centerline of Rialto Street; thence south along Rialto Street to the centerline of Gardenia Avenue; thence west along the centerline of Gardenia Avenue to the centerline of Lorenz Avenue; thence north along Lorenz Avenue to the center of Gardenia Avenue; thence west along Gardenia Avenue to centerline of Dartmouth; thence north along Dartmouth to the centerline of Bellaire; thence west along Bellaire to the Chrysler Expressway; thence north to the point of the beginning. The voting place shall be at the John Page Middle School located at 29615 Tawas St. Precinct No. 5 shall be the area bounded as follows: Beginning as the intersection of the Chrysler Expressway and Fourteen Mile; thence east along Fourteen Mile to Dequindre; thence south along Dequindre to Thirteen Mile; thence west along Thirteen Mile to John R Road; thence south along John R Road to Twelve Mile; thence west along Twelve Mile to the Chrysler Expressway; thence north along the Chrysler Expressway to the point of beginning. The voting place shall be at the Madison Heights Active Adult Center located at 260 West Thirteen Mile Road. Precinct No.6 shall be the area bounded on the north by Thirteen Mile Road; on the east by Dequindre Road; on the south by Twelve Mile Road; and on the west by John R Road The voting place shall be at the John Page Middle School located at 29615 Tawas St. Precinct No. 7 shall be the area bounded as follows: Beginning at the intersection of Twelve Mile Road and Campbell Road; thence north along Campbell Road to the southwest corner of parcel 25-02-101-043 also being the corporation line between the City of Madison Heights and the City of Royal Oak; thence east along the southerly boundary of parcel 25-02-101-043 to the southeast corner of parcel 25-02-101-043 also being the corporation line between the City of Madison Heights and the City of Royal Oak; thence north along the west line of the Mally's Industrial Subdivision No. 2 which is the east boundary line of parcel 25-02-101-043, parcel 25-02-101-059, and parcel 25- 02-101-058 also being the corporation line between the City of Madison Heights and the City of Royal Oak to the northeast corner of parcel 25-02-101-058; thence west along the north boundary line of parcel 25-02-101-058 and parcel 25-02-101-052 which is also the corporation line between the City of Madison Heights and the City of Royal Oak to the northwest corner of parcel 25-02-101-052 also being the centerline of Campbell Road; thence north along Campbell Road to Fourteen Mile Road; thence east along Fourteen Mile Road to the Chrysler Expressway; thence south along the Chrysler Expressway to Twelve Mile Road; thence west along Twelve Mile Road to the point of beginning. The 8 CC 11-10-25  voting place shall be at the Madison Heights Active Adult Center located at 260 W Thirteen Mile Road. Section 2. Repealer. All ordinances, or parts of ordinances, in conflict with this ordinance are repealed only to the extent necessary to give this ordinance full force and effect. Section 3. Severability. Should any section, subdivision, clause, or phrase of this ordinance be declared by the courts to be invalid, the validity of the ordinance as a whole, or in part, shall not be affected other than the part invalidated. Section 4. Savings. All proceedings pending and all rights and liabilities existing, acquired or incurred at the time this ordinance takes effect, are saved and may be consummated according to the law in force when they were commenced. Section 5. Effective Date. This Ordinance as ordered shall take effect ten (10) days after its adoption and upon publication. Section 6. Inspection. A copy of this ordinance may be inspected or purchased at the City Clerk's office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on regular business days. Motion made by Councilor Rohrbach, Seconded by Councilman Fleming. Voting Yea: Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Fleming, Councilman Mier, Councilor Rohrbach, Councilman Soltis, Councilor Wright Absent: Mayor Grafstein Motion carried. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilman Mier thanked all veterans for their services. Council Wright echoed the sentiments of his colleague to all the veterans and thanked the departing council members Mayor Pro Tem Bliss, Councilman Soltis, and Mayor Grafstein for their commitment to the city. 9 CC 11-10-25 Assistant City Attorney Burns stated it was a privilege to work with our outgoing Council members. He wishes them the best and hopes we will still see them around. City Manager Marsh noted that thank you proclamations will be presented to the three outgoing members at the next Regular Council meeting. She reminded the public that the meeting scheduled for November 24th is canceled and is rescheduled to Wednesday, November 19th at 6:30 p.m., which will include the swearing-in of the new council. Deputy City Manager/City Clerk Rottmann stated that the results for the write-in candidate for Council will be available no later than November 18th. There were over 1,700 write-in votes to be tabulated. She thanked all the citizens who worked on the election for their hard work and efforts, noting the city could not be successful in administering elections without them. Councilor Rohrbach expressed her appreciation to the Clerk and staff for their diligence during the election process. She encouraged the public to engage civically and use the public record rather than relying only on social media. Councilor Rohrbach thanked all the veterans for their services. She wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Councilman Fleming acknowledged tomorrow (November 11th) as Veterans Day, he encouraged thanking veterans and wished the United States Marine Corps a Happy 250th Birthday. Councilman Soltis acknowledged his 12 years of service and expressed regret over the "Boomer case." Mayor Pro Tem Bliss thanked the public for showing up, noting that sustained public engagement influences policy more than social media comments. He expressed his appreciation for his peers, staff, the Clerk's office, and all candidates. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss thanked all the veterans for defending our freedom. He concluded by encouraging peers and the public to "speak out and share those ideas" to move the city forward. ADJOURNMENT: Having no further business, Mayor Pro Tem Bliss adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Mark Bliss, Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl E. Rottmann, City Clerk 10 CC 11-10-25