City Council

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 IN CITY HALL Mayor Michael C. Taylor called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Taylor led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Mark Carufel, City Clerk, gave the Invocation. Council Members present at roll call: Deanna Koski, Joseph V. Romano, Maria G. Schmidt, Nate Shannon, Doug Skrzyniarz, Michael C. Taylor, Barbara A. Ziarko. Also Present: Mark Vanderpool, City Manager; Mark Carufel, City Clerk; Madeline L. Ranella, Recording Secretary. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Moved by Koski, seconded by Romano, to approve the Agenda as presented. Yes: All. The motion carried. BUDGET WORKSHOP DISCUSSION 1. Presentation of Budget Capital Project & Other City Funds City Administration Department Administrative Services Division Finance and Budget Division Police Department Public Works Department Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 2 Mr. Vanderpool presented the Fiscal Year 2015/16 proposed budget to the City Council and explained that tonight is the first of three budget hearings. He explained the discussion would start with a number of presentations from department heads and then there would be time for questions and comments. Mr. Vanderpool reported the Appropriations Ordinance would have to be introduced at the end of the discussion. A video was shown at this time. Mr. Brian Baker, Finance & Budget Director, provided an overview of the individual departments with the use of a PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Sal Conigliaro, Public Works Director, presented an overview of the proposed road projects in the upcoming budget. Mr. Vanderpool pointed out the Safe Streets Millage is dedicated to neighborhood roads. The state proposal before the voters in May is for major roads. Mr. Michael Moore, DPW Operations Manager, presented an overview of the road maintenance completed in 2014 with the use of the milling and spray patching machines and discussed the upcoming projects for 2015. He discussed the investment of $490,000 in new dispensers, pumps and tanks for fuel for all city vehicles. Mr. Moore pointed out two upcoming events being held at the DPW Facility: Paper Shredding Day and the Electronic Waste Recycling Program. Mr. Moore introduced Mr. Patrick Greve from Waste Management to discuss the Curbside Recycling Program. Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 3 Mr. Patrick Greve gave a brief update on the City's recycling program and showed a video highlighting the single stream recycling program. He explained they are working hard to improve and grow the program with new subscribers. Mr. Vanderpool commended the Department of Public Works for all their hard work day in and day out. He stated without the good work of the DPW it would be hard to live our daily lives. Police Chief Michael Reese made a presentation highlighting a number of projects and initiatives included in the police budget. He discussed the retirement of 49 sworn personnel by 2017 and the succession plan that has been put in place to hire 12 new officers per year over the next 4 years. Chief Reese pointed out eligibility lists are in place for the rank of Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain and a new Captain position will be proposed for 2015/16. He pointed out the Command Officer Training Program has been developed and recognized Lts. Jim Selewski and Dale Dwojakowski for their efforts in developing this program. Chief Reese also discussed crime statistics, public safety initiatives and school safety initiatives. He pointed out the equipment and vehicle requests for 2015/16. Chief Reese reported the Consolidated Dispatch was completed in February of 2015 and he thanked Captain Tom Fett, Sgt. Jimmy Fawaz, IT Director Steve Deon, Remie Verougstraete and Dispatcher Nancy Freedom. Mr. Vanderpool pointed out the last presentation is by City Clerk Mark Carufel, who would be introducing a new dog licensing pilot program, but pointed out it is not included in the proposed budget. He stated if the City Council is interested in proceeding with Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 4 this, they would have to make an amendment to the budget and look at it from a policy making prospective. Mr. Mark Carufel updated the City Council and residents on the dog licensing in Sterling Heights. He stated if the City Council wants to approve the program, they would look at a limited door-to-door canvass this year or next year and hire two canvassers to work as a team to conduct a four week canvass. If an unlicensed dog is found, they would notify the owner of the requirement to license the dog and provide a thirty day notice to license the dog before referral to Animal Control for enforcement. He explained the cost of the program would be about $4,100, but with the $10.00 late fee per license, the program would pay for itself. Mr. Carufel stated upon completion of the limited canvass, they would report back to City Council with the results and provide a recommendation for continuation in the next year. Mayor Taylor opened the discussion to the audience at this time. Mr. Jeffrey Norgrove discussed the possibility of another dog licensing fair at Dodge Park. Mr. Adam Hodgkins questioned the average assessment increase relative to the budget. ORDINANCE INTRODUCTION 2. Moved by Romano, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to introduce the Appropriations Ordinance for the 2015/16 fiscal year. Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 5 Councilman Romano discussed the loose gravel left behind by the spray patching machine and the need for the DPW to return to the areas and clean it up after three weeks or a month. Councilman Romano discussed the approximate cost for all the items covered under streets on Page 6. Mr. Baker responded the cost is on Page 362 for the capital projects and for the parks, all the projects noted on that map are found on Page 365. Councilman Romano questioned Page 9 - Police Department Other Charges. Mr. Baker responded this is due to higher state radio fees and the cost of the contract with the Macomb County dispatch. He pointed out the personnel costs for the 20 dispatchers and 1 Sergeant don't need to be funded, so that is going down. Councilman Romano questioned Page 11 - Other Charges in the Water and Sewer Fund. Mr. Baker responded those are the costs from the Detroit Water and Sewer System and Macomb County for the sewer costs. Councilman Romano questioned Page 22 - Street Performance and Street Repairs and asked Mr. Conigliaro about the warranty period for the cement and when it begins. Mr. Conigliaro responded it would begin when they bring the final payment before the City Council at the end of the season and the warranty would be for a three year period. Councilman Romano questioned whether cracks would be covered under the warranty. Mr. Conigliaro responded at the final payment, they will monitor the pavement for a two year period. Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 6 Councilman Skrzyniarz indicated to Mr. Conigliaro that they have heard from residents about the different techniques outside of the U.S. to make the roads last longer and he inquired how much of an increase that would be in cost to utilize some of these advanced materials in our construction. Mr. Conigliaro responded that he would have to look at the type of technology or improvements they are referring to. He stated they have been doing a much better job and have increased their review and testing of the materials that are being provided in the mix. Councilman Skrzyniarz discussed the warranties and stated if the City wanted longer warranties, it would cost more and he inquired whether two years is the right number. Mr. Conigliaro responded the two-year warranties have worked for the City for a number of years. We could increase it, but it might not be cost effective. He believes if the roads are properly designed, the roads should last. Councilwoman Schmidt agrees with Councilman Romano on the spray patching and milling and the need for follow up cleaning. Councilwoman Schmidt discussed whether inspections are made when residents have cement work done. Mr. Conigliaro responded those inspections are not checked by the DPW or Building Department. There is a check on the contractor to make sure there is the proper thickness on the form. He added that it's important for the homeowner to check whether the contractor is reputable and know where they are getting their mix from. Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 7 Councilwoman Schmidt discussed the curbside recycling and inquired whether there has been any significant decrease in the recycling centers since curbside recycling has started. Mr. Conigliaro responded there has been a very slight decrease, but they are still seeing 90% of the volumes they had before the curbside recycling began. He stated the recycling program has captured a different segment of the population. Councilwoman Schmidt commended the Police Department and Sterling Heights High School for the great partnership they have with the School Resource Officer and stated that he is priceless. She encouraged the Chief to continue with the program. Councilwoman Schmidt questioned Mr. Carufel as to whether there have been many complaints from veterinarians about the reporting requirements. Mr. Carufel responded there were a couple in the initial stages of the ordinance change. He pointed out there is only a reporting from 9 veterinarians and 7 are from the City. There are about 150 vets that residents have submitted vaccination paperwork from and there a large number of vets that people use. He pointed out about 48% of the vaccinations are performed by vets in the City. Councilwoman Schmidt thanked the directors for their presentations this evening. Councilwoman Koski discussed the sidewalk gap program and questioned the plans for completing the gaps on Schoenherr, Hayes and 17 Mile. Mr. Conigliaro responded on Schoenherr and 17 Mile Road they have a preliminary site plan to install the sidewalk gap. The issue is to do it safely and properly to provide pedestrian crossing over the bridge and extensive engineering design is needed on the Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 8 bridge. The City was not successful in obtaining any grant dollars. They can move forward on the project, but it would be 100% City funded. Councilwoman Koski suggested in regard to Schoenherr that the City talk to the County and see if something could be worked out with them. Mr. Conigliaro responded they could work with them on that. Councilwoman Koski discussed neighborhood street repair and inquired about Lockdale Street. She inquired whether there were plans to replace that road. Mr. Conigliaro responded the repair work is scheduled to be done this year as part of the concrete patch program. Councilwoman Koski stated to Mr. Conigliaro that she is very pleased with the patching machine and especially with the work done on Clinton River Road east of Schoenherr. Councilwoman Koski discussed the replacement of vehicles for the Investigations Department and whether this is something he would like to see. Chief Reese responded they have approval for 3, but would like to see 5. Councilwoman Koski discussed the secretarial staffing in the Police Department and whether they could handle the new Captain in Investigations. Chief Reese responded the warrants have been transferred to the Court and they reduced one secretary to a part time status. Councilwoman Koski inquired whether they could use a full time secretary along with the part time secretary. Chief Reese responded yes. Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 9 Councilwoman Koski suggested the $2 million set aside for the City Hall parking lot should be revisited to see if the included roundabout could be removed to come up with some extra money to cover the couple secretaries and additional cars. Councilwoman Koski would also like to see three Canine dogs and an additional police officer. Councilwoman Koski agrees with the suggestion for another dog licensing fair in Dodge Park. Councilwoman Koski discussed the possibility of Macomb County covering the costs of cremating road kill. Councilwoman Ziarko thanked the staff for preparing the budget and meeting individually with the City Council members. Councilwoman Ziarko discussed the recycling of electronic equipment and whether there was a fee for removing the hard drive from computers. Mr. Moore responded there is a $5.00 fee to remove the hard drive. Councilwoman Ziarko congratulated Mr. Conigliaro for the handling of the road repairs and complaints received from residents. Councilwoman Ziarko asked Mr. Vanderpool to explain where the money is coming from to fix the parking lots. Mr. Vanderpool responded Mr. Baker could do a much better job. Mr. Baker responded the LDFA is paying for the parking lot repairs at the Velocity Center. The Safe Streets Proposal included .8 mills for local neighborhood roads. That is not funding the parking lots. They are being funded by General Fund dollars. Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 10 Councilwoman Ziarko clarified that the Safe Streets Proposal is not paying for the parking lot repairs. Councilwoman Ziarko discussed the construction of Dodge Park in 2016 and hoped it would be after the Memorial Day Parade. Mr. Conigliaro responded there would be a lot of preparation work and there may be preliminary work before that time, but it would not interfere with the Memorial Day Parade. He stated it would be done in phases as well. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned the number of canine officers in the proposed budget. Chief Reese responded two. Councilwoman Ziarko stated from the experience of being at City Hall, she knows that the City is short staffed and it's time to start adding full time people back. She agrees with at least one additional clerical position in the City's full time staffing. Councilwoman Ziarko discussed the short staffing in the City Clerk's Office and suggested another full time position there. Councilwoman Ziarko agrees with the idea of canvassing for dogs, but would like to know the success of this program in other cities before we consider it. She believes if it is for the safety of the residents, she would be in favor of it. Councilman Shannon questioned how the City of Sterling Heights pays so much less for water rates than other communities. Mr. Baker responded the City has fewer number of employees and we have done many things that other cities have not done. Also, the fact that the developers pay for new Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 11 water and sewer mains for new construction. He pointed out the City is a well run community and we don't tack on a lot of extra surcharges. Councilman Shannon believes that Waste Management is doing a great job with the recycling program and he is impressed with the numbers. He hopes it continues to grow. Councilman Shannon discussed dog licensing and wanted further information on the intent and how it would operate. He is uncomfortable with City government knocking on doors and snooping around. Mayor Taylor asked Mr. Vanderpool to respond to the suggestion by Mr. Norgrove to have another dog licensing fair. Mr. Vanderpool agreed that it's a good idea and they will look at doing another couple fairs at Dodge Park. Mr. Vanderpool responded to a question from Mr. Hodgkins about the way the City arrived at the $57.00 per month for the average property tax bill. He stated the Assessing Office has that information readily available. He pointed out that is not the total tax bill, only the City portion. Mayor Taylor requested further information from Mr. Carufel on how the canvassing would work here and how it works in other communities, whether the neighborhoods are randomly chosen and the percentage of neighborhoods or households that would be canvassed during this program. Mr. Carufel responded in the two communities he knows about, they did a door to door canvas to every single residence. He doesn't want our canvassers to knock on doors where we have a licensed dog. He stated they would be focusing on the people that did Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 12 not renew their license. He would hire individuals that have skills in dealing with the public and if a dog was found to be unlicensed, a notice would inform the residents of the requirement to license the dog. They would do a follow up and if that does not work, they would refer them to animal control. Mayor Taylor inquired the length of time the canvassers would be working. Mr. Carufel stated he would hire two canvassers to work for four weeks. They would work in one section in each quadrant of the City for one week. There would be notices in the City Magazine and with the Water Bill. He believes that advanced notice would get more residents to respond. Mayor Taylor stated he is in favor of the program. Mayor Taylor questioned how comfortable Chief Reese is with the staffing in the administrative or secretarial part of the Police Department. Chief Reese responded he would like to see the one part time clerical back to a full time clerical. Mayor Taylor was against money for the parking lot improvements being used for increased funding in the Police Department, stating that is not a recurring source of income or revenue. He would like to see the cuts come from somewhere else. Mayor Taylor thanked everyone for making their presentations and the work they put into it. He thanked Mr. Baker and Mr. Vanderpool for the hard work in putting the budget together. Mr. Vanderpool wanted clear direction on the suggestions made by the City Council this evening. He stated they would need to bring back some budget amendments for the next Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 13 meeting. With respect to the two investigative vehicles, they would be able to do that in July with the drug forfeiture money. If Council is comfortable with them reporting back on that in June or July, it would not require a budget amendment. With respect to the positions discussed, Mr. Vanderpool would like clearer direction on the canine units and whether it is the consensus of Council to fund three canines, which would require a budget amendment, or leave the proposed budget as is with two canine units. With respect to the full time clerical person in the Police Operations Division, that would require a budget amendment. With respect to the additional person in the City Clerk's Office, there is an additional person in the budget and that person would be coming on board in January. If the City Council is comfortable with them reporting back on that, it would not require a budget amendment. Mayor Taylor asked Councilwoman Koski if she could wait for a report back on the vehicles in July and she responded yes. Mayor Taylor stated in regard to the other positions, he would prefer to have Mr. Baker or Mr. Vanderpool come back to them at the next meeting with the estimated cost to make those changes and if City Council wants to make an amendment, they can do it at that time. Councilwoman Koski wants to see three canines, not two. She stated if that requires an officer, she wants an officer to go with it. She wants to see the part time secretary changed to full time and add one more full time secretary. She wants the Administration Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 14 to take another look at the City Commons to make sure we really need to spend $2 million. She still wants to see the roundabout eliminated. Mayor Taylor stated in regard to the City Commons, we have budgeted money, but we do not have a proposal in front of the City Council. Councilwoman Ziarko stated in regard to the Police Department, she would like to see Chief Reese make the decision as to what he needs to run his department. Councilwoman Ziarko inquired whether the information could be given to the City Council before the next budget workshop and possibly at the next City Council meeting. Councilwoman Ziarko doesn't want to take the money from the parking lot, as she believes it is desperately needed. She believes it would be less expensive to put the roundabout in since we are going out for bids. Councilwoman Schmidt doesn't want to wait until January to hear about Mr. Carufel's needs in the City Clerk's Office. Councilwoman Koski requested Mr. Vanderpool prepare separate motions for everything that was discussed tonight so Council could review them at the next City Council meeting. Councilman Romano supported her request. Vote on motion to introduce the Appropriations Ordinance: Yes: All. The motion carried. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS There were no Communications from Citizens at this time. Special City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 15 ADJOURN Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Romano, to adjourn the meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m. MARK CARUFEL, City Clerk