City Council

Name: City Council — Manistee, MI
Start: 2020-07-14
End: 2020-07-14
Location: Manistee, MI

Regular Meeting

Manistee, MI · July 14, 2020

Minutes

MANISTEE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES OF JULY 14, 2020 The Manistee City Council met in a work session on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 7:00 pm remotely as authorized by Executive Order of the Governor. MEMBERS PRESENT: Dale Cooper, Lynda Beaton, Roger Zielinski, Michael Szymanski, James Grabowski, and Erin Martin-Pontiac MEMBERS ABSENT: Jermaine Cipcic ALSO PRESENT: City Manager, Department Directors, and Public Public Comments on Work Session Related Items. All individuals in attendance of the virtual meeting were in a virtual waiting room, with their microphones muted. When it came time for public comment, each person waiting in the virtual waiting room was called individually by the City Clerk by the last four digits of their telephone number. Individuals were asked if they had a comment or if they were passing. The City Clerk reviewed the items on the agenda for those in attendance that did not have a copy of the agenda. Tara Hernandez, 344 River Street – Taco ‘Bout It Mexican Fusion/ expressed appreciation for the allowance of additional outdoor seating on River Street and reported a noticeable increase in business as a result. Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Economic Development Update – Marc Miller, Economic Development Director provided the quarterly economic development report. Discussion included: • 72 meetings/engagements/contacts with developers (County wide) • 50 COVID recovery contacts/meetings with local community (County wide) • 3 Retention visits and new business startups • Experiencing Interest in Manistee from entities outside of the community • Purchase agreement signed for the property previously known as the Boat House Grill • Potential interest in Amor Sign property • WSCC project progressing; possible late fall opening • Monroe Cottages and Hollander Development moving forward • Implemented River Street Reinvigoration Plan • DDA agreement • Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) engagement for grants • Another round of grants for businesses in Manistee County through MEDC – Michigan Small Business Restart Program • Council would like economic development updates to include statistics broken down for the City • Interest from merchants to explore outdoor retail space Council Work Session – July 14, 2020 Page 1 Discussion on City Hall Hours of Operation – City Manager Thad N. Taylor led the discussion on proposed changes to City Hall hours of operation. Discussion included: • Extended hours of operation Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday with Wednesday closure • Provides for separation of workers to limit exposure • Allows for deep cleaning of the building on Wednesday • Combination of in-person work and remote work • Will publish communication of new hours for notice to the public • New hours to begin the last week of the July after completion of Work Share Program CONSENSUS: Council directed staff to move forward with the new hours of operation for City Hall beginning July 27, 2020 and to notify the public of the changes. Discussion on Dumpster Enclosures – Councilmember Szymanski led the discussion on compliance with the ordinance regulating dumpsters in the City. Discussion included: • Concrete slabs and enclosures for dumpsters regardless of when installed • Enforcement • Notice informing owners of need for compliance • Timeframe for compliance • Requirements prevent rodents and improve appearance • Flexibility for dumpsters not within public view CONSENSUS: Council directed staff to work on compliance with the current dumpster ordinance but provide flexibility for dumpsters that are not visible to the public. Discussion on Labor Fest. – Councilmember Szymanski led the discussion on Labor Fest. Discussion included: • Cancelation of other events due to the current pandemic • Compliance with current executive order • Alcohol will not be served at the event • Timeframe for booking bands • Limited number of attendees for music portion of event • Social distancing concerns with parade • Event will be on the July 21st agenda for consideration CONSENSUS: No consensus given. Discussion on Sleighbell Parade – Councilmember Szymanski led the discussion on the Sleighbell Parade. Discussion included: • Concerns with large crowds that attend this event • Visitors come from all over to attend • Holiday craft bazaar has already been cancelled • Decision to proceed or cancel needs to be made for contract purposes • Maintaining compliance with social distancing and masks will be difficult Council Work Session – July 14, 2020 Page 2 • Safety concerns • Need for discussion with the City Attorney to see if this event would violate the current executive order • Consistency with cancellations • Additional discussion needed CONSENSUS: No consensus given. Other – Grabowski inquired if building permits on River Street properties had expired and requested information on the asphalt work needed on First Street. Beaton commented on concerns with landscaping maintenance in the DDA district and with the shortage of long-term rentals in the City. Szymanski reminded staff that he would like a list of the police officers assigned to each blight district and would like it made available to the public. Bradford reported on the successful bond sale, outstanding interest rate received, and gross savings on refunded bonds. Zielinski thanked staff for their hard work during difficult times. Adjourned at approximately 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather Pefley MiPMC, CMC City Clerk Council Work Session – July 14, 2020 Page 3

Agenda

MANISTEE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA Tuesday, July 14, 2020 - 7:00 p.m. – Virtual Meeting *Changed to Virtual Meeting on Friday, July 10, 2020 I. Call to Order. II. Work Session Items. a.) PUBLIC COMMENTS ON WORK SESSION RELATED ITEMS. b.) MANISTEE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE QUARTERLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATE – Marc Miller, Economic Development Director. c.) DISCUSSION ON CITY HALL HOURS OF OPERATION – City Manager Thad N. Taylor. d.) DISCUSSION ON DUMPSTER ENCLOSURES – Planning Commission. e.) DISCUSSION ON LABOR FEST – Councilmember Michael Szymanski. f.) DISCUSSION ON SLEIGHBELL PARADE – Councilmember Michael Szymanski. g.) OTHER. III. Adjourn. TNT:km Attachments: 1. Re-opening City Hall memo Administrative Services Clerk | Finance | Treasury | IT | Assessing | Facilities | Ramsdell Memo to: Thad Taylor, City Manager From: Heather Pefley, City Clerk Ed Bradford, Chief Financial Officer Re: Re-Opening City Hall Date: June 17, 2020 Thad, A lot of thought has been given to the reopening of City Hall with regards to the safety and productivity of employees, and the safety and convenience of our residents. After lengthy discussion, we would like to propose a new schedule for City Hall. We feel this schedule would greatly benefit the City, the employees, and our residents. Upon our reopening in July until the end of the work share program, we would like to remain on a flexible schedule of working both from home and in the office with the addition of City Hall being closed to the public on Wednesday (or possibly by appointment only). On Wednesdays, employees would still be working but would be able to address work, projects and initiatives that benefit from uninterrupted attention. Additional cleaning could also be worked in. This is similar to the “working holidays” that have proven so effective. Customers would still be able to call City Hall for questions and make payments at the dropbox, via mail, online or using our IVR phone system. Then, beginning Monday July 27, we recommend adopting extended published hours for City Hall, from 7:30 - 6:00 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with Wednesdays continuing to be closed to the public. This change will allow the public to access City Hall both before and after work, providing greater flexibility and convenience. Under this scenario employees would work four (4) ten-hour days per week and the regular lunch period would be reduced to half an hour. There will still be some working from home, though less than what we are doing today. The combination of working from home and condensed schedules will lessen employees’ chances of exposure and promote proper social distancing, as well as greater productivity. Soul of the Water. Spirit of the Woods. Employees would be scheduled for the days they are off or working from home to maintain adequate office coverage and service levels. In addition, it would help ensure that if someone fell ill, we would still be able to perform our duties, since key employees, particularly in the Clerk’s area would rarely be in the office together. Although salaried employees would participate in this schedule, it would be understood that on their off day, they would still need to be somewhat available via phone or email and occasionally in person for emergencies or important meetings that cannot otherwise be scheduled. Likewise, as is the case today, a degree of scheduling flexibility will continue to be accommodated and provided thru the use of flex time and employee shift coverage. The timing is perfect to transition to this revised schedule and program. We have proven the ability to successfully provide services while working from home and leveraging technology, even though we are fully closed to the public. The proposed new phone system will take communication and accessibility to an even higher level. Reopening now with a slightly modified schedule that is more convenient for the residents and allows for greater employee productivity and safety seems like a win-win solution that deserves serious consideration. Soul of the Water. Spirit of the Woods.

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