Environmental Citizen's Committee Meeting

Environmental Citizen's Committee Meeting Madison Heights, Michigan April 09, 2026 A Environmental Citizen's Committee Meeting was held on Thursday, April 09, 2026 at 9:00 AM at City Hall - Madison Room, 300 W. 13 Mile Rd. Present: Chairman Salley and Members: Ms. Bartleman, Ms. Bowen, Ms. Ellison (arrived @ 9:03 a.m.), Ms. Fox, Ms. Studtmann, and Councilor Rohrbach (arrived @ 9:05 a.m.) Also Present: Director of Public Services Ballantine and Deputy City Clerk Boucher ECC 13-26. Election of Chair. Chair Salley called for nominations for the position of Chair of the Board. Ms. Fox nominated Mike Salley as Chair. Mr. Salley accepts the nomination for the Chair position. Motion made by Ms. Fox, Seconded by Ms. Bartleman, to approve Mike Salley as Chair. Voting Yea: Bartleman, Bowen, Ellison, Fox, Salley, Studtmann, and Councilor Rohrbach Motion carried. ECC 14-26. Election of Vice Chair. Chair Salley called for nominations for the position of Vice Chair of the Board. Chair Mike Salley nominated Jennifer Bartleman as Vice Chair. Ms. Bartleman accepts the nomination for the Vice Chair position. Motion made by Chair Salley, Seconded by Ms. Ellison, to approve Jennifer Bartleman as Vice Chair. Voting Yea: Bartleman, Bowen, Ellison, Fox, Salley, Studtmann, and Councilor Rohrbach Motion carried. ECC 15-26. Additions/Deletions. 1  Motion made by Ms. Bartleman, Seconded by Chair Salley, to include a discussion to add an Environmental Citizen's Committee page in the Recreation Brochure under New Business as agenda item #12. Voting Yea: Bartleman, Bowen, Ellison, Fox, Salley, Studtmann, and Councilor Rohrbach Motion carried. ECC 16-26. Environmental Citizen's Committee Meeting Minutes of January 8, 2026. Motion made by Ms. Bowen, Seconded by Ms. Studtmann, to approve the Environmental Citizen's Committee Meeting Minutes of January 8, 2026, as printed. Voting Yea: Bartleman, Bowen, Ellison, Fox, Salley, Studtmann, and Councilor Rohrbach Motion carried. ECC 17-26. Meeting Open to the Public. There were no members of the public wishing to speak. ECC 18-26. Financial Update - Escrow Account. Director Ballantine reported the beginning escrow balance of $13,595.09, minus the “Madison Mix” native plant seed packets at a cost of $1,950, and the remaining escrow balance of $11,645.09. ECC 19-26. Seed Library. Ms. Fox updated that the seed library at the public library needs restocking, and the committee discussed how to best distribute 1,000 "Madison Mix" native seed packets at various ECC events. ECC 20-26. Food Composting. Director Ballantine shared that 3,160 pounds of food waste have been diverted so far in 2026, contributing to a lifetime total of 16,900 tons at the DPS site. The committee discussed sharing these "tangible" environmental stats on social media. A free compost site for residents is expected to open within a few weeks. ECC 21-26. Apartment Recycling. 2  Director Ballantine communicated that a Migrant Communities program intern is assisting with outreach to apartment complexes. He will attend the Michigan Recycling Coalition conference in May to gather data on multi-family recycling. ECC 22-26. Spring Plant Sale. Ms. Fox announced that the Spring Plant Sale is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, 2026, from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM between in the parking lot of the City Hall and the Police Department buildings. ECC 23-26. Spring Litter Pickup. Ms. Bartleman talked about the Spring Clean Up scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2026, and volunteers would meet at the City Hall gazebo at 9:00 AM. DPS will provide grabbers, buckets, and vests. A Native Plant Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, 2026. She inquired about posting all upcoming ECC events on the message board in front of the City Hall. ECC 24-26. Arbor Day. Director Ballantine mentioned that the ECC will host an information table with seeds and composting graphics to celebrate Arbor Day at the Recreation “Run for the Health of It” 5K Run scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2026. The roads will be blocked at 7 a.m., registration starts at 7:15 a.m., and the ECC Mini-Grant Program will be announced at 9:30 a.m. ECC 25-26. ECC Mini-Grant Proposal Reviews. Ms. Studttmann informed that the committee reviewed 14 applications for the 2026 ECC Mini-Grant. The committee reviewed and allocated $300 each to 13 residential applicants and $1,100 to John Page Middle School. Motion by Ms. Bowen, seconded by Councilor Rohrbach, to approve $1,100 organization ECC Mini-Grant to John Page Middle School in the Lamphere School District and to approve $300 residential ECC Mini- Grants to 13 applicants with a total funding of $5,000 for the 2026 Mini- Grant Program. Voting Yea: Bartleman, Bowen, Ellison, Fox, Salley, Studtmann, and Councilor Rohrbach Motion carried. 3 ECC 26-26. ECC page in Recreation brochure. Ms. Bartleman requests that DPS Director Ballantine look into adding an ECC page in the Recreation brochure. ECC 27-26. Adjournment. There being no further business, Chair Salley adjourned the meeting at 10:12 a.m. The next meeting is Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 10 a.m. 4