City Council

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2013 IN CITY HALL Mayor Richard J. Notte called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Notte led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Mark Carufel, City Clerk, gave the Invocation. Council Members present at roll call: Deanna Koski, Richard J. Notte, Joseph V. Romano, Maria G. Schmidt, Paul Smith, Michael C. Taylor, Barbara A. Ziarko. Also Present: Mark Vanderpool, City Manager; Jeffrey Bahorski, City Attorney; Mark Carufel, City Clerk; Madeline L. Ranella, Recording Secretary. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilman Smith wanted to amend the Agenda to separate Item 1 to make each of the five presentations a separate item for discussion and to move Communications From Citizens to 9 pm rather than 10 pm. There was no support for his amendment. Moved by Koski, seconded by Romano, to approve the Agenda as presented. Yes: All. The motion carried. BUDGET WORKSHOP DISCUSSION 1. Community Services Department Public Works Department Water & Sewer Fund Community Relations Fire Department Mr. Vanderpool explained the departments that would be reviewed this evening. He stated at the last budget hearing, City Council requested follow-up on a few topics and that has been presented to them. There are two amendments that Council will need to approve this evening after the presentations are concluded. Mr. Brian Baker, Finance & Budget Director, began with an overview on each of the departments under consideration this evening. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 2 Mr. Kyle Langlois, Parks and Recreation Manager, reviewed where his department has been and the direction they are heading in the next fiscal year. He explained with the reduction in staffing (from 16 full-time staff members in 2008-09 to 7 full-time and 3 part-time staff in 2013-14), programming and service levels would be reduced. He pointed out the major programs that would be eliminated for the upcoming fiscal year and those that would remain. They are continuing to explore service sharing and working with volunteers. Mr. Langlois explained the recent park improvements and those anticipated for 2013-14. He stated they remain committed to maintaining the high quality of life the residents have come to expect. They continue to enjoy a partnership with four major sponsors: Christian Financial Credit Union, Sterling-Van Dyke Credit Union, McDonalds of Sterling Heights and Great Clips. Through their partnership with businesses and service groups, the department has received a total of $28,162.00 in 2012. The senior news advertising has raised $5,750 and the total sponsorship and advertising is almost $34,000. He discussed the department partners and showed a brief public service announcement. Mr. Mike Moore, Operations Manager for the Department of Public Works, highlighted the upcoming budget and some of the seasonal programs. He explained the increase in curbside recycling and discussed acceptable materials the residents could place in their 96-gallon cart. Mr. Moore reported on the E-Waste Recycling efforts and stated May 18 from 9 am to 1 pm, residents could bring their unused electronic items. Paper shredding is available to the residents for free and on June 15 from 10 am to 2 pm, residents could bring 3 Xerox boxes of papers for shredding. Mr. Moore explained the public safety fleet, which they maintain, is in very bad shape. The cost to maintain both the police and fire fleet is increasing rapidly. They are pursuing other avenues to avoid purchasing new vehicles and are in the process of reviewing available lease programs. Mr. Moore reviewed the noxious high grass/weed cutting program and stated on May 1 the program would begin. He pointed out Code Enforcement is taking a new pro-active stance. They have hired 5 new part-time inspectors and every property will be inspected and cleaned up faster. He explained right-of-way and median mowing continues with outside contractors. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 3 Mr. Steve Deon, Information Technology Manager, presented an overview of the technology improvements for the upcoming year. He discussed the new Citizen Request for Action Software and reviewed how residents would access the site to submit and track their requests. Mr. Deon gave a detailed explanation of the Citizen Request for Action Software. Another new improvement is the Mobile Field Inspection Program. He reviewed the program features and benefits and how it would increase efficiency in the field. Mr. Steve Guitar, Community Relations Director, discussed the need for funding a new search engine for the City’s website. He explained no new investment has been made in12 years and now there is no support for the software. Mr. Guitar discussed the Sterling Heights Volunteer Corps and the many programs, which they participate in. He explained the importance of these volunteers and stated the next opportunity is on May 18th, another Pride and Shine Day. He pointed out how residents could volunteer and showed a public service announcement at this time. Mr. Guitar acknowledged Mike Crimmins and Dan Rizek for putting together all the videos. Fire Chief Chris Martin presented an overview of the Fire Department’s budget. He discussed the reduction in staffing levels and stated even with the reductions, the residents have rated the Fire Department very well. He shared some of the written comments provided to the Fire Department. Chief Martin discussed the performance objectives for the upcoming fiscal year and the future capital improvement needs. He pointed out our aging population and the new senior living facilities being built, which would require more medical runs for the Fire Department. Chief Martin discussed fire inspections and the new “company inspection” program. He pointed out these inspections would not be the same as those conducted by the certified inspectors. In regard to the data collection, there is funding available for the development of software for the New World System. The Chief explained in detail how the system would work. Chief Martin discussed the service-sharing efforts currently underway in the Fire Department. Mayor Notte opened the discussion to the audience. There was no audience participation at this time. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 4 Councilman Taylor discussed the reduction in fire inspections from 4 or 5,000 a year down to about 1,000 a year. Chief Martin responded it was their goal to inspect every building once a year, but that never happened. He explained there are a lot of different inspections performed, from liquor licenses, 302 sites that carry hazardous materials, amusement devices, etc. that are mandated and inspected every year. He stated there are thousands of buildings that have not been inspected for years because they don’t meet the mandated categories. Councilman Taylor questioned whether there has been a noticeable increase in the number of fires in the City because of this reduction in inspections. Chief Martin responded the value of nonresidential fire loss has gone up, but it’s hard to determine if it was due to the lack of inspections. Councilman Smith pointed out the 5-year trend and stated the fire spending is down from $17.1 to $16.8 and this is consistent with what the City has to do. He inquired if there was some magic with 5 firehouses and he knows the Chief wants to keep them, but something has to give sometime. Councilwoman Koski asked Chief Martin to explain the company self-inspections, how they would be conducted and the liability involved if there was no follow-up. Chief Martin responded the Fire Department developed their own company self- inspections checklist that businesses complete and mail back to the Fire Department, and the Fire Department would go back and inspect 30% of those businesses responding. The self-inspections dropped off because the divisions at that time didn’t care for the use of them. The online reporting system will have its own type of self-inspection and the Fire Department will re-institute the self-inspection program again. The businesses would certify that they have performed the necessary self-inspection based on a checklist the Fire Department would provide. Councilwoman Koski questioned how the Fire Department would handle the required inspections. Chief Martin responded their goal is to completely take all the other issues off the desk of the Fire Marshall and Fire Inspector and move them to the fire companies and online Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 5 reporting system, so the Fire Marshall and Fire Inspector could concentrate on the permit- driven inspections, liquor licenses, 302 sites, etc. Councilwoman Koski questioned whether the Chief believes they would be able to handle the required inspections. Chief Martin responded the department would start out slow with the fire companies and see how it goes. They plan to review the process every six months to see if they are able to keep up with the inspections and if the program works. Councilwoman Ziarko discussed mutual aid and asked for the ratio of how much more we are receiving then we did in the past. She also inquired whether they are still able to give mutual aid to any other agencies. Chief Martin responded he couldn’t give her a ratio at this time, but would provide that information. He stated they have never refused mutual aid to any participating agency and none have refused a request by the City. Chief Martin identified issues with the different dispatch systems and possible delays until implementation of the consolidated dispatch system. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned whether any one fire station is burdened with more medical emergencies. Chief Martin responded Station No. 3 has the least amount with the one nursing home they have. Station No. 2 in Section 1, between Hayes and Schoenherr, is the busiest one in the City, with twice as many runs as any other section. There are four highly populated senior facilities there. Station No. 4 has four senior facilities and there are new ones going up at 16 Mile and Van Dyke and Schoenherr and Utica Road. Station No. 5 has three well-established ones in their area. The Chief stated just those facilities alone account for 16% of their run load. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned if a new engine would add to the reserve or if one of the other engines would be sold off. Chief Martin responded they always sell them off. The DPW decides which ones to take out of service because of the service history, so they leave it up to the mechanics and then auction them off. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 6 Councilwoman Ziarko questioned whether there was any way to train people now so we could get more inspections. Chief Martin responded the budget has to be adopted first and then they would buy software to allow the New World System to give them the inspection module. One they obtain the module, they would develop the training. Councilwoman Schmidt discussed the possibility of online training for the fire inspectors to help expedite the training process. Chief Martin responded there are online inspection systems available, but in talking with the Fire Marshall and other fire departments that have done it, this might not be the best way to go. The department will train the fire paramedics in small groups and have them work one on one with the inspectors and go out with either the Fire Marshall or Fire Inspector on the inspections. She questioned the inspection of hazardous sites and whether that is being done. Chief Martin responded they try to keep up on the yearly requirements, but sometimes they back up a little bit and it takes a little longer. The plan is to get the inspections up to date. Councilman Romano questioned the number of firefighters in Stations 2, 3, 4 and 5 at any given time. Chief Martin responded Stations 2, 3, 4 and 5 have one paramedic engine staffed with three personnel. Station 5 has 4 with the Fire Marshall and Station No. 1 could have anywhere from 5 to 7 or 8 personnel, depending on staffing. Councilman Romano discussed the aging community and the medical runs that account for about 95% of the runs. He suggested in lieu of purchasing a new fire truck, the department consider using smaller SUV’s for medical runs. Chief Martin responded the medical runs are about 80% of their runs. They don’t use smaller type vehicles because when the firefighters are on the road, they work as a team and carry all the necessary apparatus with them so they don’t have to go back to the Fire Station if another call comes in. The paramedic firefighters are highly trained to handle fires, rescue situations or paramedic runs. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 7 Councilman Romano questioned the number of firefighters that are paramedics and Chief Martin responded 90%. He believes the medical runs could be done on a smaller scale to save money. Councilman Taylor questioned Mr. Langlois on the cost for participation in the Sterling Heights Redskins Football Team and why there is no information about the cost to participate in football. Mr. Langlois responded they are one of six athletic organizations that are run independently by the clubs. The softball program that is in the ordinance is the City’s internal adult softball program and they also have a special recreation softball program run by the City. Councilman Smith discussed the 5-year trend and pointed out this department is down from $4.7 to $4.1 million. He believes they are doing a great job with the funds they have and it is exemplary that they are doing what they have to do. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned the budget for a contracted special recreation position and whether Mr. Langlois is confident they could make this work with a contracted worker instead of a full-time employee for this very important position. Mr. Langlois responded having a full time person there for the special recreation program to continue to grow and maintain that program is very important, especially since they are the leader in the County by far in special recreation services. He pointed out it would result in some decreased services, but they would maintain a substantial level of special recreation services. Councilwoman Schmidt thanked Mr. Langlois for thinking outside the box and coming up with some creative solutions to continue with Parks and Recreation programming. She discussed the volunteers willing to take over the coffeehouse concert series and the adult tennis league and thanked them for stepping up. She is very receptive to the Friends of the Parks and Recreation department suggestion. Councilwoman Koski complimented Mr. Langlois on his fund raising achievements and stated he has done a fantastic job. She pointed out to the residents if they wanted to adopt an animal at the Nature Center, they could go online and obtain information on the animal of their choice. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 8 Councilwoman Koski asked Mr. Langlois to elaborate on the program available through Clinton Township for tennis. Mr. Langlois responded there are two parts to the tennis program that they currently offer. There are tennis camps and a tennis league. The tennis camps are what they are working with Clinton Township on as part of a service sharing agreement. They are trying to finalize what the City will get in return, but right now people can go there to take tennis lessons. In regard to the tennis league, volunteers have approached them and offered their services. They have extended an offer to them to provide information and materials to get started with that. Councilwoman Koski questioned the coffeehouse concert series and whether Mr. Langlois would be able to continue something similar. She inquired the possibility of using a retired City employee on a part-time basis to handle the program. Mr. Langlois responded their goal is to sit with the volunteers and talk with them about the program and what is involved. He stated there are multiple opportunities for many of the entertainment programs they offer, but right now they have a staff person who is well versed in local talents in finding and recruiting local talents for many offerings. There are resources out there that they could utilize, either contractually or part-time to allow them to continue Music in the Park and bring back the Coffeehouse Series. Councilman Romano commended Mr. Langlois for the success of Sterlingfest, Music in the Park and the many recreational programs. He questioned the budget for the Nature Center. Mr. Langlois stated the amount they allocate is about $30,000 in part time wages and the rest of the budget is about $15 - $20,000, not including the lights, water and electricity. Councilman Romano questioned how much they would pay an outside contractor for the care of the Nature Center animals. Mr. Langlois responded they are paying a contractor to come in and manage all the tanks inside the building as well as the pond in the atrium. When they lost the full time position, they didn’t get any more part time hours to take on the workload that was involved in maintaining the animals and the part time people they have are not trained in maintaining that part of the facility. They have a contractor that cleans the cages, pond Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 9 and feeds the animals as well. He pointed out the outside contractor brings in all the feeding materials needed, which saves the City time and money. Councilman Romano questioned how much they are paying for the contractor and Mr. Langlois responded $8,400, which is part of the budget. Councilman Romano questioned the donation box in the Nature Center and inquired the use of that money. Mr. Langlois responded it goes into an escrow account used for Nature Center activities. They have used it to bring in contractors, to run programs, for presentations and for needed materials. Councilman Romano questioned whether the money in the donation box goes into the General Fund. Mr. Vanderpool indicated he discussed this with Councilman Romano and stated that the money goes into the General Fund. He asked Mr. Baker to clarify this from an accounting perspective. Mr. Baker responded the escrow account is in the General Fund, and he trusts Mr. Langlois knows where he spends that money. Councilman Romano discussed the need for a full Nature Center and stated he would be making an amendment for an additional $2,000 to be put into the Nature Center and used for taxidermy purposes only. Councilman Smith discussed the 5-year trend in the Community Relations Department and stated this department has been cut down more than any other department from $1.5 million to $820,000. He commended the staff for doing a great job. Councilwoman Ziarko spoke about Community Relations and in favor of a new website and stated the fact that we are going to try and make something that is good even better is a great thing. She inquired whether background checks are performed on volunteers. Mr. Guitar responded there is a free service they use for background checks, but not as in-depth as the Police Department’s. Councilwoman Schmidt questioned the use of the Sterling Heights film office. She pointed out the Community Relations Department is the heartbeat around City Hall and commended them for their hard work. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 10 Mr. Guitar responded they had one request two weeks ago from someone on the use of Dodge Park. The requests they receive are mostly for commercials. Councilman Romano pointed out the senior citizens who would rather make a phone call to City Hall and speak to a human. He stated Community Relations is the front line to the City and they do a tremendous job with the resources they have. Councilwoman Koski questioned the timeframe for the new website and inquired whether the Community Relations Department would be advertising or doing a video for the residents at home to let them know about the new services that would be provided on the website. She agreed that they do an excellent job with the resources they have. Mr. Guitar responded the new website will be available sometime in 2014. They plan to do a multi-media push to let everyone know that it is available and what new services they would offer. Councilman Smith discussed the Public Works Department and pointed out the 2% increase over the 5-year span. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned whether the 2% increase was due to the reorganization and the fact that there are more people working in that department. Mr. Conigliaro stated that is a large part of it with the reorganization that occurred in the last 7-8 months. Councilwoman Ziarko discussed tree trimming and was glad to see the program continue. She questioned the trees that were cut down in the right of way from 14 – 16 Mile Road because they died and were never replaced and inquired whether this would happen again. Mr. Conigliaro responded they look for grants for tree plantings and design for a certain amount of die offs. They look at the right of ways when grant money is available. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned the repair of City parking lots and inquired when that would be addressed. Mr. Conigliaro responded the parking lots are in need of repair, but right now their goal is to maintain what we have. They will sweep and maintain the parking lots and once we come out of the economic crisis, they will address those repairs. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 11 Councilwoman Ziarko discussed code enforcement and the temporary signs put up on Friday afternoon until Monday morning. She inquired whether there would be code enforcement officers working on weekends when the new inspectors come on board. Ms. Gerstenberg responded with the new part time code enforcement officers will have a rotating Saturday schedule. Councilman Smith discussed code enforcement’s role in the enforcement of signs for businesses that have gone out of business. Ms. Gerstenberg responded they work in conjunction with Mr. Mende in the Planning Department and her staff would be working to take down those signs. Councilman Smith stated he has not noticed any proactive enforcement on temporary signs put up in front of businesses and hopes this would be addressed. Ms. Gerstenberg assured Councilman Smith with the new proactive code enforcement program, they would be paying special attention to the enforcement of the sign ordinance. Councilwoman Koski questioned code enforcement officer staffing and assignment. Ms. Gerstenberg responded they currently have one code enforcement coordinator, two full-time code enforcement officers and two part-time code enforcement officers, and would be adding three part-time code enforcement officers that will be assigned to specific areas of the City. Mayor Notte commended all departments for their presentations. He pointed out the departments are working with bare minimum budgets and it is commendable that Sterling Heights is still supplying the services with the same millage rate as last year. Councilman Taylor discussed the franchise fees for cable television and questioned AT&T’s access to the City meetings. He wants to see them have access since they pay the fees. Councilman Taylor requested that City Administration return after the budget is approved with a budget amendment to include funding for AT&T subscribers. Mr. Vanderpool responded there is an opportunity to resolve this issue with AT&T and they are still working with them on three or four issues. He stated he would prefer to report back to the Council in the next 60-90 days to see if this is resolved, and if not they could always come back with a budget amendment. Councilman Taylor was in agreement with this recommendation from Mr. Vanderpool. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 12 Councilman Smith discussed the water and sewer fund. He pointed out the fact that this is the only one of the 5 departments reviewed that has not gone down directly or come close to holding the line. He stated whoever is handling the water and sewer fund needs to hold the line on the markup. CONSIDERATION 2. Moved by Schmidt, seconded by Romano, RESOLVED, to amend the 2013/14 Proposed Budget by: • Using $396,000 of Major Road Fund reserves to fund the resurfacing of Amsterdam Drive, and • Using $400,000 of Local Road Fund reserves and redirecting $100,000 of Joint Sealing funds and $256,000 of miscellaneous concrete sectional repair dollars to fund the resurfacing of Wheaton, Gainsley and Fortner Drives. Yes: Schmidt, Romano, Taylor, Ziarko, Koski, Notte. Absent: Smith. The motion carried. 3. Mr. Jeffrey Norgrove spoke against the amendment to reduce the fines for cars parked in violation of a snow emergency and stated it is a bad idea. Moved by Schmidt, seconded by Notte, RESOLVED, to amend the 2013/14 Proposed Budget by reducing the fines charged for cars parked in violation of a snow emergency to: Municipal Civil Infraction for Prohibited Parking during a Snow Emergency: Each violation…………………………………..$50.00 First Repeat Offense……………………………$75.00 Second & Subsequent Repeat offenses………..$100.00 Councilman Smith believes the City can get their point across without punitive fines. Moved by Smith, seconded by Taylor, to amend the motion to make the fine $25.00 for each violation and to leave the First Repeat Offense and Second & Subsequent Repeat Offenses unchanged. Councilman Taylor stated a $25.00 fine would be sufficient as a corrective measure. Councilman Romano clarified that it would be $25.00 for the first offense, $100.00 for the First Repeat Offense and $125.00 for the Second & Subsequent Repeat Offenses. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 13 Councilwoman Ziarko stated this type of ticket involves emergency vehicles trying to get down the streets in an emergency. She is comfortable with the suggested fines presented by Administration in the budget. Councilwoman Koski pointed out the City is not issuing tickets to make money. We are trying to bring this to the attention of the residents. She is comfortable with the $25, $100 and $125. Roll call vote on amendment to reduce the fine to $25.00 for the first offense, $100.00 for the first repeat offense and $125.00 for the second & subsequent repeat offenses: Yes: Smith, Taylor, Romano, Koski, Notte. No: Schmidt, Ziarko. The motion carried. Roll call vote on main motion as amended: Moved by Schmidt, seconded by Notte, RESOLVED, to amend the 2013/14 Proposed Budget by reducing the fines charged for cars parked in violation of a snow emergency, as amended, to: Municipal Civil Infraction for Prohibited Parking during a Snow Emergency: Each violation……………………………………$25.00 First Repeat Offense……………………………$100.00 Second & Subsequent Repeat offenses…………$125.00 Yes: Notte, Romano, Smith, Taylor, Koski. No: Schmidt, Ziarko. The motion carried. Councilman Romano stated he would leave it up to the good judgment of the Administration to use funds that are placed in the donation box at the Nature Center. Mayor Notte requested a follow-up report by January of 2014 on the Canine Units for 2013. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Mr. Charles Jefferson – Lack of citizen participation. REPORTS FROM CITY ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL There were no reports at this time. Special City Council Meeting Monday, April 15, 2013 Page 14 ADJOURN Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Schmidt, to adjourn the meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:34 p.m. MARK CARUFEL, City Clerk