City Council

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023 IN CITY HALL 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, Michael C. Taylor, Henry Yanez, Barbara A. Ziarko Absent: Liz Sierawski Also Present: Mark Vanderpool, City Manager; Marc D. Kaszubski, City Attorney; Melanie D. Ryska, City Clerk; Carol Sobosky, Recording Secretary. Mayor Taylor stated that Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski sends her regrets for not being present this evening, but she will be returning for the next City Council meeting. 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Moved by Koski, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to approve the agenda as presented. Yes: All. The motion carried (6/0). 5. REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER Mr. Vanderpool stated the Sterling Heights Drug-Free Coalition is doing an amazing job in the community, and they are looking for volunteers. Anyone interested can contact Police Sergeant Aaron Susalla by calling the Police Department, calling 446-CITY, or by emailing the City. Mr. Vanderpool informed that the library has new hours that began on January 9. The only hours that have changed are Monday through Thursday, and they are from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 2 He pointed out the hours were previously 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., so they moved the hours to better align with the traffic in the library and to be more consistent with the city campus hours. He added there are no changes to the hours on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, reminding that the library is open on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for the months of September through May. Mr. Vanderpool shared the good news that the Michigan Parks and Recreation Association (mParks) recently announced that the Sterling Heights Parks and Recreation Department will receive an Award of Recognition this year at the mParks Conference and Trade Show in Lansing on March 8. He explained the judging criteria, and he showed some photos of the City’s Esports Arena. He stressed that, like so many of the amenities at the Community Center, this is extremely popular, and he felt it is wonderful that the City of Sterling Heights is being recognized statewide for quality of life amenities. He stated this concludes his report this evening. 6. PRESENTATIONS A. Mayor Taylor stated this a swearing-in ceremony for new Sterling Heights police officers. He invited Police Chief Dale Dwojakowski to make the presentation and conduct the swearing-in. Police Chief Dwojakowski stated that with the swearing in of these two officers tonight, this brings eighty new officers sworn in in seven years, adding they only have one hundred sixty sworn officers, so that means half of their department has been here for seven years or less. He explained they have been battling with other Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 3 cities for the limited pool of law enforcement officers, and as a teacher at the college and at the Police Academy, he stated they have the largest Police Academy they have had in five years. It is great news for not only Sterling Heights but for all communities in Macomb County. He stated these two officers were number one and number two on the brand new hiring list with the top candidates. He anticipates they may be hiring another eight to ten officers off of this list, so they are fortunate as they are looking at upcoming retirements. The City is taking on some excellent officers who seem to be coming from other agencies. He provided some background on the two officers’ education and experience. He stressed Sterling Heights attracts some of the best talent in the entire State of Michigan, and they come here because of not only pay and benefits, but also the quality of the job, the size of the agency, the governance by the City’s elected leaders, City Council, the City’s sound financial grounds, and what they will be able to do in the next twenty-five years. Chief Dwojakowski swore in Officer Brandon Ruelle and Officer Brian Halapi. Officer Brandon Ruelle and Officer Brian Halapi each thanked the City for this opportunity and thanked their families for their support. Councilman Yanez congratulated both officers, and assured they have come on board to a great department in the fourth largest city in the State of Michigan. He noted that he is a retired firefighter from Sterling Heights, and it is a great place to work. He pointed out they have a reputation as the safest large city in the State of Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 4 Michigan, and one of the safest large cities in the country. He is confident they will uphold the City’s values and make them proud. Councilman Radtke welcomed the new officers, and stated that while the City will expect them to do their job at the highest level, they will also be given everything they need to do so. He stressed the community is behind them, and it is a great place to live and work. He welcomed Officer Halapi back from Norfolk, Virginia, and noted he lived in Norfolk for a while. Mayor Taylor stressed all seven of the Council members, along with the 134,000 residents of Sterling Heights, have a fondness for their police department, and the Police Department is supported very strongly in this community. He commended the Police Chief and the entire department for their quick handling and successful apprehension of the criminals who were attempting a car robbery at the Stellantis plant, while everyone involved remained safe. He is excited that both officers are anxious to work here and want to make the City proud. He wished them well and thanked their families for their continued support. 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS Mayor Taylor stated this item is to consider the application by Ben Meldrum, on behalf of Meldrum Properties, LLC, for a residential Planned Unit Development known as The Flats on approximately 2 acres of land situated on the west side of Utica Road, south of 19-½ Mile; PPUD22-0002. He announced that he would normally open the public hearing at this point; however, they have an announcement that there was a slight discrepancy with the publication notice, so Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 5 they will be postponing this item. He clarified that he will allow for audience participation under their rules, but it will not be a public hearing. He opened the floor for public comment, but no one spoke. Mr. Kaszubski replied to inquiry that it is appropriate to postpone this until the next meeting, scheduled for February 7. Moved by Radtke, seconded by Taylor, RESOLVED, to postpone the public hearing set for Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. to consider the application by Ben Meldrum, on behalf of Meldrum Properties, LLC, for a residential Planned Unit Development known as The Flats on approximately 2 acres of land situated on the west side of Utica Road, south of 19 ½ Mile; PPUD22-0002, to Tuesday, February 7th, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Yes: All. The motion carried (6/0). 8. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Taylor stated this item is consideration of the Consent Agenda. He opened the floor for public comments, but no one spoke. Moved by Koski, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented: A. To approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 3, 2023. B. To approve payment of the bills as presented: General Fund - $853,220.50, Water & Sewer Fund - $1,840,009.40, Other Funds - $1,600,481.44, Total Checks - $4,293,711.34. C. RESOLVED, to: 1. Accept the proposal by Bluebeam, Inc., 55 S. Lake Ave., Suite 900, Pasadena, CA 91101, for Bluebeam Revu software training at a cost of $11,900; 2. Accept the proposal by BS&A Software, 14965 Abbey Lane, Bath, MI 48808, for Building Department.NET software training at a cost of $10,715; 3. Authorize the City Manager to sign all required documentation on behalf of the City. D. To waive the competitive bidding requirements in accordance with City Code Section §2-217(A)(9)(b) and approve the letter agreement for Banking & Treasury Management Services between the City of Sterling Heights and Comerica Bank, MC 3354, P.O. Box 75000, Detroit, MI 48275, Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 6 for the period January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025, with an option for the City Manager to extend the term of the letter agreement two (2) additional one (1) year terms upon mutual consent and under the same terms and conditions, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to sign the letter agreement on behalf of the City. E. RESOLVED, to: 1. Accept the proposal by Access Interactive, LLC, 46635 Magellan Drive, Novi, MI 48377, for professional IT security consulting services for a cybersecurity overlay program and one-year subscriptions for the Blumira Cloud SIEM Platform and Tenable Nesu Security Vulnerability Scanner at competitive pricing available through Oakland County G2G cooperative purchasing contract #006559, in the cumulative amount of $129,221; 2. Award the bid for software licenses for the SentinelOne Singularity XDR Platform, SentinelOne Complete Protection Platform (per workstation), SentinelOne Complete Protection Platform (per workload), and SentinelOne Singularity Ranger to Access Interactive, LLC, 46635 Magellan Drive, Novi, MI 48377, at a cumulative cost of $40,694 for a one-year term; and, 3. Authorize the City Manager to sign all required documents on behalf of the City. Yes: All. The motion carried (6/0). 9. CONSIDERATION A. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider a request for an appointment to the City of Sterling Heights Board of Code Appeals. He opened the floor for public comment, but no one spoke. Councilman Radtke stated that Council received an email from City Administration requesting that this be postponed to the first meeting in June. Moved by Radtke, seconded by Taylor, RESOLVED, to postpone the appointment to the Board of Code Appeals to the June 6, 2023, regular City Council Meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried (6/0). 10. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Mayor Taylor opened the floor for public comments, but no one spoke. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 7 11. REPORTS FROM CITY ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL Mr. Vanderpool stated he has nothing further to add this evening. Councilwoman Schmidt stated there is a very important event scheduled for noon on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at Big Boy Arena on Utica Road in Fraser. It is a Battle of the Badges charity hocky game between the Sterling Heights Police Department and the Clinton Township Police Department. It is $10 at the door, with no presales, and it supports one of the City’s officers who is battling for his life with cancer. She added he has a young family, and they would like to show all the support they can. She encouraged everyone to come out to support this great event. Councilman Yanez stated last year a number of families having members on the autism spectrum got together and organized the Autism Society of Greater Detroit, a chapter sanctioned by the official national organization of the Autism Society. They have been working to put this chapter together, and he has been asked to sit on the board. They are looking for other families who have members on the autism spectrum to get involved, and he recommended interested parties find out more about their organization through www.autismsocietygreaterdetroit.org. They cover a large area, from St. Clair County in the northeast all the way to Washtenaw County in the southwest area of greater Detroit. Since the City prides themselves on diversity, equity, and inclusion, they want to make sure those on the autism spectrum are included in events not only in the City, but in the entire area. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 8 Councilman Yanez stated he is looking forward to the upcoming Strategic Planning Meeting on Monday, January 23, 2023. Mayor Taylor informed the Strategic Planning Meeting will be held on Monday, January 23, 2023, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Community Center. Mr. Vanderpool confirmed it will begin at 8:30 a.m. and is anticipated to conclude around 5:00 p.m. Councilwoman Ziarko informed that Nancy Hoffman, a resident who often attended the City Council meetings and was confined to a wheelchair, would come to Council meetings by way of SMART bus. She passed away two weeks ago, and since Councilwoman Ziarko has known Ms. Hoffman for many years, she attended the funeral. She overheard some conversation among other people who attended, many of whom were not residents of Sterling Heights, but they were very impressed with the City. One of the attendees was heard saying, “I think the City of Sterling Heights really knows what it is like to be a community because they provide these services for their residents.” This individual proceeded to point out that there were five bus drivers from the Senior Center who attended the funeral, along with the Director of Parks and Recreation, as well as some staff members from the Senior Center. Councilwoman Ziarko commented that was so proud listening to people who do not even live in Sterling Heights speak so highly of the City, its staff, and the services they offer. Mayor Taylor stated Ms. Hoffman will be missed, and he thanked Councilwoman Ziarko for that tribute. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 9 Councilman Radtke is looking forward to Strategic Planning and hopes they have some good audience participation. Without objection, he would like a Resolution added to their next Council meeting agenda, explaining that Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candace Miller has sent out a model resolution to try to stop the Oakland County from dumping into the Red Run drain. He noted other communities have adopted this Resolution, and he would like to see the City of Sterling Heights pass this Resolution as well, because although Oakland County does the dumping in a heavy rainstorm, it flows through Sterling Heights. Councilman Radtke would like to see this Resolution passed and sent to neighboring communities and to the Oakland County Drain Commissioner. Mayor Taylor inquired as to whether there are any objections to Councilman Radtke’s request, but there were no objections. Mr. Vanderpool replied to inquiry they have the direction they need because they have the model resolution, and he assured it will be on the next agenda. Councilwoman Koski inquired as to whether the agenda will be posted for the upcoming Strategic Planning meeting. Mr. Vanderpool replied that it will be posted this Thursday, along with backup material. He clarified the meeting officially starts at 8:30 a.m. Councilwoman Koski added that the public is welcome to attend that meeting. 12. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. 13. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Page 10 14. CLOSED SESSION PERMITTED UNDER ACT 267 OF 1976 Mr. Kaszubski stated there are no items for Closed Session this evening. 15. ADJOURN Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Schmidt, RESOLVED, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m. MELANIE D. RYSKA, City Clerk