City Council

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021 IN COMMUNITY CENTER 1. Mayor Taylor called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Mayor Taylor led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Melanie D. Ryska, City Clerk, gave the Invocation. 3. Council Members present at roll call: Deanna Koski, Michael V. Radtke Jr., Maria G. Schmidt, Liz Sierawski, Michael C. Taylor, Henry Yanez, Barbara A. Ziarko. Also Present: Mark Vanderpool, City Manager; Marc D. Kaszubski, City Attorney; Melanie D. Ryska, City Clerk; Carol Sobosky, Recording Secretary. 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Moved by Koski, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to approve the agenda as presented. Yes: All. The motion carried. 5. REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER Mr. Vanderpool highlighted a number of spring clean-up activities forthcoming. He stated the Sterling Heights Department of Public Works has clean-up events scheduled starting in April to help residents unclutter and organize. Shred Day will be held on Saturday, April 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the DPW facility, and residents can bring documents for no charge, being limited to three banker boxes per person. He clarified this is for Sterling Heights residents only. The second annual Household Hazardous Waste event will be held on Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the DPW facility, where ERG Environmental Services will be identifying and packaging for transport acceptable household hazardous Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 2 waste materials. He recommended those interested visit the City’s website for a complete list of what can be included. He informed that Great Lakes Electronics will be at the DPW facility on Saturday, April 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accept electronics for recycling. Residents who would like to get rid of old televisions, computers, or other electronic devices that have electrical cord attachment are invited to drop them off. Mr. Vanderpool stated their regular clean-up events will take place on Saturday, May 8, and May 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Items that are normally not set out for refuse pickup can be brought to the DPW facility on those dates, including furniture, lumber, tires, dirt, tree stumps, etc., and dumped in the dumpsters they will have available. Mr. Vanderpool announced that the Department of Public Works will be discounting its street trees during the month of May to encourage residents to purchase trees for the Fall 2021 tree planting. A list of trees for planting in the public right-of-way will be available for purchase at a cost of $255 per tree, which is a $50 discount from the regular price of $305. Trees purchased will be planted this fall. He added that the City has been designated as a “Tree City” once again as they have been for decades, and the ceremony will take place prior to the next regular City Council meeting on April 20. Mr. Vanderpool provided an update on the Sears vaccination site, with that facility open as of last week. It has been a great success so far, and he commended all stakeholders involved in making this a reality. There have been Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 3 a number of legal documents and agreements that the City Attorney and his team have had to negotiate and finalize, and he also thanked the Mayor and City Council for their support of this unique option and doing all they can to get this approved and open in a short amount of time. He extended his thanks to all departmental representatives that have been involved in this, especially the Fire Department, who has worked very hard in getting this site operational. They are vaccinating about 300 people a day at this site, and anticipate increasing that number to 1,000, with the ability to exceed that number. The objective is to get as many people in Sterling Heights vaccinated as quickly as possible. They are still vaccinating a few hundred people almost every day at the Senior Center, and he added that they are the first city in the state to be approved by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to actually receive vaccines and administer them through their fully-certified and highly-trained and talented paramedics, something for which they are very proud. Mr. Vanderpool advised City Council that a number of Resolutions have been suggested, the first is regarding proposed state legislation which may prohibit cities from providing postage on return absentee ballots. He noted this may be contrary to prior action City Council has taken and may require a Resolution opposing the legislation. He stated he will be forwarding this to City Council, and a Resolution will be prepared for the April 20 meeting, unless there is objection from City Council. An Ethic Community Committee member is requesting City Council adopt a Resolution to condemn hate crimes and Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 4 derogatory hateful acts against Asian Americans, which is in concert with the City working toward unity, inclusiveness, diversity, and equity in the community. He added if there is no opposition, they will prepare that Resolution as well for April 20. He stated the Armenian National Committee of Michigan is requesting, on behalf of the Armenian community, to join its commemoration of the Armenian Genocide by issuing a Resolution in an effort to educate others about the tragic loss of life, land, and human rights of the Armenian people. He indicated that, without objection, they will draft that Resolution for Council’s consideration, and all three of these Resolutions will be on the April 20 meeting. He showed a slide displaying a mural, called “Trailblazer”, which is on tonight’s Consent Agenda and part of the City’s highly-successful public art program. He outlined the benefits of the artwork they have across the City, and these amenities draw people in and allow them to connect in unique ways, breaking down cultural barriers. This mural will be the first in southeastern Michigan to have an augmented reality component other than one in the City of Detroit. He explained an augmented reality component is where an app on a phone will allow this mural to be downloaded. The artist, in working with this app company, will allow individuals to bring the mural to life, so when taking a picture of the mural, there are parts of the mural that will “come to life” on the phone through the app. He stressed they anticipate this will generate a lot of attention from visitors and others in the area and will be a great benefit to the business hosting this mural. He explained this mural will be located at Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 5 Ventimiglia’s, located on Dodge Park Road, just north of 15 Mile Road. Businesses are invited to host the murals, with the benefit being that it becomes a focal point, and individuals, residents, and visitors will come to look at the mural and likely partake in whatever the business offers. He stated this mural will go on the south side of the Ventimiglia building, which will also be visible because the “Inside-Out” program, developed during the Covid pandemic, allows businesses to move their operation to outside where it is safer. The owner of Ventimiglia’s has agreed to participate in the “Inside-Out” program, and the parking lot immediately adjacent to this wall will be cordoned off and redeveloped as an outside courtyard area with tables and other amenities, where customers can enjoy a sandwich or beverage and enjoy the mural. Mr. Vanderpool stated they look forward to working with the business, and he hopes other businesses across the City take advantage of this as well. They hope the artist will have the mural completed in July, and it will be marketed widely through a number of mediums. He indicated this concludes his report. 6. PRESENTATION Mayor Taylor stated this is a presentation of the Employee and Department/Office Awards for 2020. He invited Community Relations Director Melanie Davis and Human Resources & Benefits Manager Kate Baldwin to give the presentation. Human Resources & Benefits Manager Kate Baldwin stated they are excited to host their Employee Awards ceremony, which is something they have done in recent years to celebrate and recognize their many noteworthy staff members Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 6 and their accomplishments. Although they miss having everyone in attendance to honor their distinguished colleagues, they are excited to announce and celebrate the 2020 Employee Recognition awards. She explained they will feature Years of Service awards, Departmental awards, Part-Time Employee of the Year award, Outstanding Performance of the Year award, Administrator of the Year award, and Office/Department of the Year award. Community Relations Director Melanie Davis announced the recipients of the Years of Service awards, starting with those celebrating ten years of service. Ms. Baldwin and Ms. Davis took turns announcing those celebrating twenty years of service, then twenty-five years of service, and concluding with thirty years of service. The Department awards were presented by the various Department Directors to their employees, after a brief introduction and explanation of why these individuals were selected. The 2020 Departmental awards were presented to the following: Jason Groth, Library Employee of the Year Paul Danforth, DPW Full-Time Employee of the Year Ann Nichol, DPW Part-Time Employee of the Year Michael Amormino, Firefighter of the Year Aaron May, Police Officer of the Year Chad Finkbeiner, Police Command Officer of the Year Timothy St. Onge, Detective of the Year William Cox, G45, Police Department Civilian of the Year Ashley Austin, 41-A District Court Full-Time Employee of the Year Kimberley Komarzec, 41-A District Court Part-Time Employee of the Year. Ms. Davis congratulated all of the recipients, and she thanked all of the Department Directors for being here this evening to present these awards. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 7 Ms. Baldwin stated the last segment of the Employee Awards Ceremony is the presentation of the Recognition Awards. She explained that each of these award recipients were nominated by their coworkers and friends, and they have been proven to add value to the organization and city operations through their merit, hard work, and dedication. Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Langlois announced Julie Sarcona from the Parks and Recreation Department as Part-Time Employee of the Year, providing a brief introduction and explanation of why Ms. Sarcona was chosen for this award. He stressed she goes above and beyond expectations, recognizing the need to be flexible and has voluntarily stepped up on various occasions to help out. He outlined some of her major contributions, and he presented the award to her. Clerk Melanie Ryska announced Judy McHale from the Clerk’s Office as the employee receiving the Outstanding Performance of the Year award, and she provided a brief introduction and explanation of why Ms. McHale was chosen for this award. She started by giving her incredible team in the Clerk’s Office an honorary mention, who all took extraordinary measures to ensure the historic 2020 Presidential election was conducted with the utmost professionalism and dedication to the voters of Sterling Heights. She stated Ms. McHale stood out above the rest and serves as the “rock” the department leans on to keep them grounded, and is hard-working, level-headed, knowledgeable, dedicated, trustworthy and always goes above and beyond. She outlined some of McHale’s Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 8 contributions, adding she is in inspiration to the other members of the department, and she presented the award to Ms. McHale. Mr. Langlois presented the Full-Time Employee of the Year award to Kristen Briggs, an employee in the Parks and Recreation Department, and he explained why she was chosen to receive this award. He stressed she has unwavering care for her job, her coworkers, and the residents of Sterling Heights. He stressed that she is selfless, thoughtful, dedicated, creative, goes the extra mile, and is well- deserving of this award, and he presented the award to Ms. Briggs. Mr. Vanderpool presented the Administrator of the Year to Fire Marshall Shawn Allen, who received many nominations from his colleagues for this award. Mr. Vanderpool highlighted some of the narrative that came from his colleagues, which captures Mr. Allen’s character, work ethic, and devotion to his job as Fire Marshall, and he highlighted some of his many accomplishments, stressing his dedication and commitment. Mr. Allen was not able to be present due to a family vacation, but he was featured in a short video to accept the award and acknowledge all who have helped him in his job. Mr. Vanderpool announced the 2020 Office/Department of the Year award. He stressed it is always difficult to come up with an individual office or department to recognize each year, and this year has been no exception. He stated on March 16, 2020, the City, along with the rest of the world, began a year-long journey filled with action and events no one could have ever imagined prior to that; however, the City of Sterling Heights rose to the occasion and never looked back. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 9 He highlighted a sampling of the unbelievable accomplishments over the past year, noting Sterling Heights was the first city in the county to declare a State of Emergency on Thursday, March 13, 2020. A comprehensive reopening plan was established thereafter to provide in-person services after the stay-at-home order was lifted, and Sterling Heights was one of the first city halls in the region to reopen. He outlined the collaboration with city, federal, state, and county officials to coordinate Covid-19 prevention measures. He noted Senator McDonald is present tonight, and he and his team were a big help when residents could not get unemployment claims processed quickly enough. The City developed a comprehensive website to serve as an information clearinghouse for residents and businesses throughout the crisis. They were able to identify areas of the City with high Covid-19 concentrations through testing sewage samples at six major collection points throughout the City, which resulted in very valuable data for the City and the County. They worked with hundreds of businesses to assure compliance with State orders. The “Inside-Out” program was developed to keep businesses and patrons safe while allowing businesses to continue operating. They secured ample personal protection equipment for their employees and the community-at-large, with 250,000 masks donated by Ford Motor Company and FCA and the City of Sterling Heights. They collaborated with health care leaders to monitor data daily. City Council meetings were moved to a safer location so they could continue to meet in person and conduct the business of local government. They developed a Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 10 volunteer corps to assist seniors, and 150 employees were provided state-of-the- art equipment to work remotely from home on a rotating schedule. All twenty- seven senior living facilities within the City were monitored to ensure they receive not only Covid testing but also vaccines. The City Health Clinic provided health services to city personnel, including Covid testing. Mr. Vanderpool outlined some of the positive things that occurred, including the development of the “At Home” City business service program, so residents did not have to leave their home to conduct city business but could opt to do it right from their home through internet connections. They conducted virtual inspections to avoid holding up home sales and new construction. In conjunction with the County, the City helped to distribute $6 million to businesses to ensure they could remain open and operating in a safe manner. They provided financial relief to residents not able to pay their water bills due to financial hardship. The City became the first city in the state, without a certified health department, to be approved to receive and administer vaccines. They celebrated the opening of the City’s drive-through vaccination center. He noted the numerous projects completed unrelated to the crisis but in the midst of it, and through it all, the City remained one of the safest communities in the country. He summarized that the last year was extraordinary, and the City of Sterling Heights prevailed by moving together to focus on doing what was best for the community and the organization, with success the end result. He announced that the final award for the 2020 Office/Department of the Year goes to the organization as a whole for Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 11 an unprecedented display of teamwork. A collage was depicted, representing every employee in the organization, including part-time, full-time, the Mayor and City Council, all directors, managers, etc. He explained the collage will be blown up and hung in the lobby outside of this room, where thousands will be able to see the good work of this team effort over the next year, and he saluted this championship team. Ms. Baldwin thanked the Mayor, City Council, and Mr. Kaszubski for their time and continued support. She also thanked the Community Relations team for making this event a success. Ms. Davis congratulated all of the award recipients, and a group photo was taken with the Mayor, City Council, all of the award recipients and their department heads. The meeting recessed at 8:09 p.m. and reconvened at 8:17 p.m. Moved by Yanez, seconded by Schmidt, RESOLVED, to congratulate and thank all of the employees recognized for years of service and awarded for outstanding performance in 2020. Mayor Taylor stated they appreciate all of the sacrifices made by their employees this year under unprecedented circumstances. He also thanked the residents as well for their patience and understanding, adding they have a lot for which to be proud in the last year, with the employees being a major part of that. Yes: All. The motion carried. 7. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Taylor stated this item is consideration of the Consent Agenda. He opened the floor for public comments. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 12 • Ken Nelson – questioned Items O, P, and S, relating to the Lakeside vaccine center; felt this is a lot of money and those amounts should be explained and how the City will be reimbursed; felt these items should not have been included on the Consent Agenda. Moved by Koski, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented: A. To approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 16, 2021. B. To approve payment of the bills as presented: General Fund - $894,329.80, Water & Sewer Fund - $88,105.44, Other Funds - $3,477,858.20, Total Checks - $4,460,293.44. C. RESOLVED, to award the bid for the hauling and disposal of street sweepings to Dale’s Disposal, Inc., 31475 Utica Road, Fraser, MI 48026, at the unit prices bid for a two-year period, with an option for the City Manager to extend for a third year, at unit prices bid. D. RESOLVED, to award the bid for mowing and maintenance of municipal retention ponds and miscellaneous right of way areas to Green Meadows Lawnscape, Inc., 2359 Avon Industrial Drive, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, for the period April 2021 through November 2022, at unit prices bid, with an option for the City Manager to extend the term of the bid award one (1) additional year on the same terms and conditions. E. RESOLVED, to award the bid for mowing, fertilization, and maintenance of City parks to Green Meadows Lawnscape, 2359 Avon Industrial Drive, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, at unit prices bid for a two-year period and authorize the City Manager to extend the bid award an additional one (1) year, upon the same terms, conditions, and unit pricing bid. F. RESOLVED, to award the bid for mowing and maintenance of municipal facility sites to Green Meadows Lawnscape, Inc., 2359 Avon Industrial Drive, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, at unit pricing bid for a two-year period and authorize the City Manager to extend the bid award one additional year at the unit pricing bid. G. RESOLVED, to award the bid for the maintenance of City-owned generators to W.W. Williams Company, LLC, 4000 Stecker Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48126, for a two-year period, at the unit prices bid. H. RESOLVED, to purchase athletic equipment and supplies from BSN Sports, LLC, P.O. Box 7726, Dallas, TX 75209-0726, at pricing available through an OMNIA Partners – Public Sector cooperative purchasing contract #R201101, through September 30, 2023 and the two one-year extensions through September 30, 2025 should the bid term be extended by OMNIA Partners. I. RESOLVED, to: (A) Accept the proposal by Premier Group Associates, 535 Griswold St., Suite 1420, Detroit, MI 48226, for Field Reconditioning services for a two-year period and authorize the City Manager to exercise the option of Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 13 extending the terms and conditions of the proposal for one (1) additional one-year period; and, (B) Accept the proposal by Davey Tree Expert Company, 1500 N. Mantua Street, Kent, Ohio 44240, for Field Striping services for a one-year period and authorize the City Manager to exercise the option of extending the terms and conditions of the proposal for two (2) additional one-year periods. J. RESOLVED, to: (A) Accept the proposal by Allied Building Service Company of Detroit, Inc., 1801 Howard Street, Detroit, MI 48216, as the primary contractor for heating and cooling maintenance and repair services for a two-year period, with an option for the City Manager to extend pricing, terms, and conditions of the proposal an additional one-year period upon the contractor’s consent; and, (B) Designate Metro Controls, 22660 15 Mile, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035, as the secondary contractor providing competitive estimates for repair or replacement of heating and cooling equipment in excess of $10,000. K. RESOLVED, to accept the proposal by ETC Institute, 725 W. Frontier Lane, Olathe, KS 66061, for a residential survey at a total cost of $21,500. L. RESOLVED, to accept the proposal by Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick, Inc., 51301 Schoenherr Road, Shelby Township, MI 48315, to provide professional engineering services for sanitary infrastructure repair projects and authorize the City Manager to sign all required documents on behalf of the City. M. RESOLVED, to waive the competitive bidding requirements in accordance with City Code §2-217(A)(9)(c) and accept a proposal by Wendy Popko, 40330 Lafayette, Sterling Heights, MI 48313, for the design and completion of a custom mural with augmented reality feature for a total cost of $21,600. N. RESOLVED, to approve the Standard FMX Software Subscription Agreement between the City of Sterling Heights and Facilities Management Express, LLC, 800 Yard Street, Suite 1154, Columbus, OH 43212, for facilities management and scheduling software, and authorize the City Manager to sign all documents required on conjunction with this approval. O. RESOLVED, to approve the Medical Billing Services Agreement between the City of Sterling Heights and Red House Medical Billing MI LLC and authorize the City Manager to sign all documentation required in conjunction with this approval. P. RESOLVED, to waive the competitive bidding requirement in accordance with City Code §2-217(A)(9)(a) and approve the customer services agreement between the City of Sterling Heights and Kelly Services, Inc. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 14 and authorize the City Manager to sign all documents required in conjunction with this approval. Q. RESOLVED, to approve the rental agreement between the City of Sterling Heights and Public Storage for the rental of a storage unit at 36260 Van Dyke, Sterling Heights, MI 48312 and authorize the City Manager to sign the rental agreement, and any renewals of the rental agreement, upon review and approval by the City Attorney. R. RESOLVED, to approve the final payment to Brencal Contractors, Inc., 26079 Schoenherr Road, Warren, MI 48089, in the amount of $66,766.88, plus interest on retainage, for Dodge Park Improvements, City Project 17- 299. S. RESOLVED, to approve an amendment to the fiscal year 2020/2021 budget in the amount of $1,013,000 for the start-up and operational expenditures for the Sterling Heights Vaccination Center. Yes: All. The motion carried. 8. CONSIDERATION A. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider appointments to the City of Sterling Heights Boards and Commissions. He opened the floor for public comments, but no one spoke. Mayor Taylor stated the first is an appointment, which is the second step of a two-step process for the Zoning Board of Appeals. Moved by Radtke, seconded by Taylor, RESOLVED, to appoint Stephanie Jackson to the Zoning Board of Appeals – Alternate to a term ending June 30, 2023, subject to the appointee meeting the qualifications set forth in Charter §4.03 and taking the oath of office within two weeks. Councilman Radtke stated Ms. Jackson expressed her desire to be appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals. She had previously served on the Zoning Board of Appeals in Eastpointe. He felt she will be a great alternate. Yes: All. The motion carried. Moved by Koski, seconded by Sierawski, RESOLVED, to appoint Diane Accavitti to the Arts Commission to a term ending June 30, 2021, subject to the appointee Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 15 meeting the qualifications set forth in Charter §4.03 and taking the oath of office within two weeks. Yes: All. The motion carried. Moved by Radtke, seconded by Taylor, RESOLVED, to appoint Sheri Marwede to the Arts Commission to a term ending June 30, 2024, subject to the appointee meeting the qualifications set forth in Charter §4.03 and taking the oath of office within two weeks. Yes: All. The motion carried. 9. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS • Ken Nelson – talked about Certificate of Determination for pay raises for Mayor and City Council; opposed to City Council positions being increased in pay by sixty to seventy-five percent. • Brandi Wright – pleased with announcement earlier this evening of “Break-Free Blast”; questioned status of permitting backyard chickens and marijuana dispensaries; expressed concern about the change in formula for water billing; suggested they look at ways to decrease the water and sewer bills. 10. REPORTS FROM CITY ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL Mr. Vanderpool addressed a number of comments. He noted there was concern expressed that the budget amendment for the Vaccination Center was on the Consent Agenda, and he reminded the full back-up material for Consent Agenda items is provided. He assured there is no less material provided when something is on the Consent Agenda, so any resident can go to any agenda item to see the complete full backup for that item. He added that, with respect to the Vaccination Center, they have discussed the issues on the Consent Agenda extensively over the past couple of months, including the professional service agreements required to run the Vaccination Center, the related costs, and the fact that the costs will be reimbursable through Macomb County and FEMA. He Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 16 stressed this is a very prudent investment considering the life safety element, and they look forward to continuing the operations in a very cost-effective way, which is required by FEMA, and to get fully reimbursed for the costs. Mr. Vanderpool addressed the question regarding rear yard chickens, and he recalled it was discussed during their Strategic Planning Session. The consensus was to ask a question in the community survey, and the contract to conduct the statistically-valid community survey was approved by City Council tonight. He noted they do a community survey every five years, and it is time for it to be conducted once again. The City Council desired that a question be included regarding the community’s feelings on allowing rear yard chickens, so that question will be worked into the survey. Mr. Vanderpool addressed the concern about water and sewer bills and pointed out the good news is they are solving the sewer part of the bill that has caused some consternation in the community, whereby sewer billing is tied to irrigation use, especially notable in the summer months. They are therefore moving to a winter consumption methodology for sewer, so residents will not be penalized with applicable sewer charges related to irrigation or filling pools in the summer months. He advised there will be more to come on that topic during the budget hearings. Mr. Vanderpool explained that, with respect to the Election Official Compensation Commission, which is autonomous from interaction from City Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 17 Council, the City Clerk is a liaison to that Commission and she could respond and provide an overview of the Commission’s decision and where it stands. Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski congratulated the recipients of the awards this evening, adding they are well-deserved. She agreed the City has accomplished so much in this past year, which is amazing, and the City has not only prevailed, but excelled, continuing to improve the lives they could and the methods, although different, were effective. She added she is proud of being a small part of that achievement. She stated she is honored and proud to be a part of the Vaccination Center, and she urged everyone to sign up for vaccines on the County website if they have not already done so. She added people are still getting sick, so it is important to get the vaccine. She indicated she will be volunteering at the Vaccination Center on Saturday to administer the vaccines. Councilwoman Ziarko stated she has had an opportunity to volunteer at the Senior Center, which was the first vaccination center that opened in the City. She stressed it is a success, and she highly commended the Fire Department and the paramedics who have coordinated this effort. She explained every list comes from the County, and they find that so many people are on so many different lists, they may end up getting their vaccine prior to the appointment they have at the Senior Center. She encouraged everyone to go to the County website, with the secret to do it in the middle of the night for the best chance of getting an appointment. She advised that there are people who can explain the difference between the various vaccines, and it is an educational process, but Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 18 she stressed they should not delay because the sooner everyone gets vaccinated, they will be able to accomplish all they talked about doing this summer through December. She thanked the employees for all they have done this past year and were able to take on every task presented by all working together. Councilman Radtke echoed the sentiments of his colleagues regarding the vaccinations, which he stressed is the key to getting life back to normal. He commented that Henry Ford Macomb is at 99 percent capacity in their ICU due to Covid cases. He stressed that the City has done everything in their power to bring vaccines to the community, but people need to sign up to get the vaccine. He urged people to get the vaccine not only for themselves, but it is also for their family, friends, and neighbors, adding that he lost three neighbors on his block to Covid. Councilwoman Schmidt noted the reference to the numbers at Henry Ford Macomb, and she is aware the Beaumont system numbers are also exploding. Her daughter is a patient care tech at Ascension Macomb, and they have redesignated regular med/surgical floors to Covid-only floors, reverting back to the way it was last year. She thanked the health care workers, front line workers and first responders for what they have gone through. She urged everyone to get the vaccine in an effort to keep everyone healthy and safe. Councilwoman Koski thanked all of the City employees who received recognition this evening. She noted they have been doing this recognition for Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 19 twenty years and saying thank-you, and she enjoys this program because it shows they have very dedicated employees. She added she is looking forward to seeing this photo enlarged and displayed in the Community Center lobby. She noted they have a new vaccine center at 14 Mile and Ryan, and she urged everyone to go on the County’s website to find a location close to them or contact their local pharmacy or physician to find a place to get a vaccination so that they can get back to normal life. Councilman Yanez congratulated all of the City employees who received awards this evening. He stated he was hired by the City twenty-five years ago, and he agreed with Councilwoman Koski that all of the City employees who worked here this last year under incredibly difficult circumstances are dedicated, so he thanked all of them. He received a message from Mr. Vanderpool today that the street sweepers are out. He questioned whether there is a set route where the street sweepers will be on any given day. Mr. Vanderpool replied they have a route, but it is tough to provide specific dates or times when they will be near a certain home. He assured he will contact the Public Works Director and perhaps they can promote an estimate as to when the street sweeper may be in a given area within a day or two. The street sweepers come by during the day and cover every area of the community at least four times a year. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 20 Councilman Yanez felt it is important for people to realize when they are out. He urged residents to park their cars in the driveway rather than the street if they know the street sweeper is in the area, so they can keep the City clean. Mayor Taylor thanked the Council for their comments on the vaccine, and agreed it is of the utmost importance. He noted there was an event prior to the City Council meeting this evening where they unveiled the summer lineup of events in the summer and beyond, branding as “Break-Free Blast”, which is a list of in-person events. He recalled having to cancel so many events last year at this time, so they are excited to announce the Music in the Park series is coming back this year, paired with their Thursday nights Patio and Pints at the Upton House, and the Dodge Park Farmer’s Market. They will host the Cultural Exchange outdoors this summer at the Farmer’s Market Pavilion. The Memorial Day Parade will not necessarily be a parade this year, but they will take the opportunity to host a ceremony to honor veterans and those who lost their lives defending this country. Mayor Taylor explained SterlingFest will be temporarily rebranded to Oktoberfest this year. He is proud of the work that their City Administration, Parks and Recreation Department, Community Relations Department and all other departments have done to bring these events back. He cautioned some of these events may look a little different, but he is excited to get out and enjoy them. Mayor Taylor noted that their budget hearings were a casualty of the pandemic last year, but they are once again being held on April 13 and again on April 27 at Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Page 21 6:30 p.m. (which are the second and fourth Tuesdays of April, respectively). He urged those interested in hearing more about the budget to attend these meetings and have their voices heard. He congratulated and thanked every one of the over 450 full-time and all of the part-time employees who have made the City of Sterling Heights a great city to live, work, and recreate in during this unprecedented year. 12. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. 13. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. 14. CLOSED SESSION PERMITTED UNDER ACT 267 OF 1976 Mr. Kaszubski stated there are no items this evening for closed session. 15. ADJOURN Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Schmidt, RESOLVED, to adjourn the meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. MELANIE D. RYSKA, City Clerk