City Council

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 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, 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 (7/0). 5. REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER Mr. Vanderpool reminded that, in observance of the Fourth of July, the City offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. He noted that includes all of their facilities, although he added that Police and Fire do not close. He added that there will be a one-day delay in refuse pickup, starting with Tuesday’s scheduled pickup being moved to Wednesday, and ending with Friday’s scheduled pickup being moved to Saturday. He announced that the next regular City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at 7 p.m. Mr. Vanderpool reminded that consumer-grade fireworks can only be used in Sterling Heights on the state-approved days, which is on Thursday, June 29 through Tuesday, July 4, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. He noted that some cities in more rural areas allow fireworks all year, but that is not permitted in Sterling Heights. He cautioned that if fireworks are set off outside of this time frame, the responsible party runs the risk of getting a citation and fine up to $1,000. He added that the Police Department enforces this, adding it is problematic to children, pets, those with PTSD, etc., so they ask everyone Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 2 to honor the restriction in Sterling Heights. He pointed out that many of the surrounding communities have the same restriction. Mr. Vanderpool stated their Visioning 2040 process is underway, to update their 2030 plan. It is a visionary plan that looks at the next ten to fifteen years and asks the question of community businesses and stakeholders as to what type of community they would like to see in ten or fifteen years, and then determine the path to get to that point. He informed a Community Forum will be held on Monday, July 17, 2023, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Sterling Heights Community Center, and he emphasized the community is welcome to attend this event to provide their thoughts and feedback. He added it is important for City Council to hear these ideas as they continue to update some of their “micro” plans, including their Master Plan, Strategic Plan, etc., with this vision in mind. For those unable to attend the meeting on July 17, there will be a lot of information on it, and it will be widely publicized. They will be serving the community for feedback, so there will be numerous opportunities for the community to weigh in over the next six months. Mr. Vanderpool introduced City Engineer Brent Bashaw to give a brief presentation on the new Stormwater Management Plan taking place regionwide, the importance of this plan, and how it is impacting the City of Sterling Heights in improving their sustainability initiatives. City Engineer Brent Bashaw welcomed a boy scout in attendance this evening who had expressed his interest in very clean water, letting him know he chose a good meeting to attend to hear more about the initiatives taken in this area. He advised that the City recently amended their Stormwater Management Standards, explaining the goal of the City’s Stormwater Management Standards is to protect lakes, rivers, and open drains by reducing the risk of flooding and reducing pollutants into their waterways. These stormwater standards are required and approved by the State through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) as part of the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 3 He explained the State recently adopted regulations that required new design standards to be in place. He talked about the changes, which create sustainable stormwater practices to reduce runoff and improve water quality by implementing eco-friendly design standards that create green infrastructure through water quality control, water volume control, and water rate control. Mr. Bashaw explained each of these three concepts in detail, noting that quality control is aimed at reducing dirt, oils, pollutants, and other particles within the stormwater runoff. He informed that devices such as sediment bays, mechanical separators, and wet detention ponds can allow the contaminants to settle out, thereby keeping them from entering the waterway. He explained that bio-swales, grass pavers, rain gardens, and grass swales can help with water volume control by controlling the infiltration of rainfall and stormwater runoff after a 24-hour rain event. He added that the rain barrels, which were part of a very successful program in the community, can also control volume on a smaller scale. He noted that rate control devices such as underground detention systems, dry detention basins, and wet detention basins, can control the rate of stormwater runoff by providing temporary storage of this water and releasing it at a controlled rate over a 48-hour period. Mr. Bashaw provided specific examples of developments that have already implemented these new standards. Mr. Bashaw reviewed the implementation process for these new standards, explaining that the City holds meetings every Thursday at 11 a.m. for the purpose of meeting with developers and owners to discuss their future development projects. The developers/owners meet with representatives from Planning, Engineering, Building, Fire, City Development, and City Attorney’s office to learn about the Site Plan Review and Building Review processes, and they receive early feedback and comments on their development concept. He concluded his presentation by stating that these new standards comply with the requirements of the State, they bring Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 4 uniformity to the current Macomb County Standards, and they make a positive environmental impact on the waters of the State. Mr. Vanderpool thanked Mr. Bashaw for his good work in helping to implement this plan. He and his team have been very conscientious and diligent about making sure the City has all of the procedures and policies in place, as well as staff training and developer outreach. He stated this concludes his report. 6. ORDINANCE ADOPTIONS A. Mayor Taylor stated this is to adopt the final amendment to the Appropriations Ordinance for the 2022/23 fiscal year. He opened the floor for public comments, but no one spoke. Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Radtke, RESOLVED, to adopt the final amendment to the Appropriations Ordinance for the 2022/23 fiscal year. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). 7. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Taylor stated this item is consideration of the Consent Agenda as presented. 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 June 6, 2023. B. To approve payment of the bills as presented: General Fund - $757,638.56, Water & Sewer Fund - $3,276,009.62, Other Funds - $3,551,018.84, Total Checks - $7,584,667.02. C. RESOLVED, to purchase software modules, with annual software maintenance, for the Police Department's Law Enforcement Records Management System for animal tracking and on-line property checks from Tyler Technologies, Inc., 840 West Long Lake Road, Troy, MI 48098, at a cumulative cost of $12,800, with annual maintenance fees of $2,037, and authorize the City Manager to sign all documents required in conjunction with this approval. D. RESOLVED, to purchase maintenance, repair, and operating supplies from: 1. Home Depot, U.S.A., Inc., 2455 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339, at pricing available through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance contract #16154 through June 30, 2024; and, 2. W.W. Grainger, Inc., 5617 Enterprise Drive, Lansing, MI 48911, at pricing available through the State of Michigan’s MiDeal cooperative purchasing program contract #180000000689 through June 30, 2024. E. RESOLVED, to: 1. Approve the service provider agreement between the City of Sterling Heights and Class A Training Center, LLC, 105 Peyerk Ct., Romeo, MI 48065, for counseling services through September 30, 2024; and Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 5 2. Approve the service provider agreement between the City of Sterling Heights and Class A Training Center, LLC, d/b/a Testing and Prevention Center (TAP), 105 Peyerk Ct., Romeo, MI 48065, for a range of testing services through September 30, 2024. F. RESOLVED, to approve subscriptions for the annual maintenance of ArcGIS licenses for the city of Sterling Heights geographical information system (GIS) from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373, for the period July 31, 2023 to July 30, 2024 at a cost of $22,045 and authorize the City Manager to sign the quotation on behalf of the City. G. RESOLVED, to accept the proposals by Nordicom Technologies, Inc., 43155 Main Street, Suite 2208, Novi, MI 48375, for the maintenance and daily administration of the City's wide area network infrastructure and firewalls for the period July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 at a cumulative cost of $56,700 and authorize the City Manager to sign the statements of work on behalf of the City. H. RESOLVED, to: 1. Award the bid for Point Blank ARMIS SE Vests, inclusive of a WARSOC buckle, XPIIIA-1 level IIIA ballistic panels, two 8800IC Special Threat Plates, Point Blank Radio Pouch, and CORDURA carrying bag to CMP Distributors, Inc., 16753 Industrial Parkway, Lansing, MI 48906, at unit prices bid: and 2. Authorize an amendment to the 2023/24 fiscal year budget in the amount of $25,650 from the Federal Forfeitures fund for this purchase. I. RESOLVED, to purchase: 1. Three (3) 2023 Chevrolet Tahoes from Berger Chevrolet, 2525 28th Street, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 48512, available through State of Michigan MiDeal cooperative purchasing contract #071877001077 in the amount of $119,667; and 2. Seven (7) 2023 Dodge Durangos from LaFontaine CDJR-Lansing, 6131 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing, MI 48911, available through State of Michigan MiDeal cooperative purchasing contract #071B7700183 in the amount of $299,781. J. RESOLVED, to: 1. Rescind the purchase of the Pierce Enforcer PUC Fire Pumper as approved on May 17, 2022 and purchase a Pierce Saber Fire Pumper and accessories from Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., 2600 American Drive, P.O. Box 2017, Appleton, WI 54912, at pricing available through Sourcewell cooperative purchasing contract, #113021, at the net cost of $722,657; 2. Authorize the City Manager to sign all documents required in conjunction with this purchase; and, 3. Authorize a budget amendment in the amount of $27,983 for fiscal year 2023/24 to fund the purchase from Capital Fund reserves. K. RESOLVED, to set a public hearing on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. regarding the application by Mancini Holdings 42540 LLC for a Speculative Building Designation at 42540 R Mancini Drive. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). 8. CONSIDERATION A. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider approval of memorandums of understanding between the City of Sterling Heights and the Sterling Heights Executive Group and Michigan Association of Public Employees – Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 6 Supervisory Employees Union. He invited Mr. Vanderpool to give a presentation. Mr. Vanderpool explained that during the budget workshop this past April, Human Resources and Benefits Manager Kate Baldwin presented on employee benefit enhancements that had the potential to improve employee attraction and retention, which is very important in this challenging labor market. He explained that one of the key proposals for the fiscal year in the budget approved by City Council was restoring the City’s contribution to the eligible employees’ 401A, which is equivalent to a 401K in the private sector. Defined Contribution Retirement Plan account levels to the level that existed prior to the Great Recession. The City had reduced the percentage of salary annually contributed to the employees’ 401A accounts because of the severe financial constraints. Although the City has been increasing its contribution levels, current market conditions dictate that they accelerate the process for groups. He explained that the current contribution levels, ranging between 4 and 5.5 percent to the 401A account levels, leave the City at a competitive disadvantage with many private and public sector employers in this tight labor market. The 401A, like the 401K, is portable, so vested employees can take their retirement accounts with them if they leave employment with the City. He added that the number of employees covered by the 401A now far exceeds the number of employees who are grandfathered in under the traditional fixed pension program. Mr. Vanderpool stated that preparing employees for retirement builds goodwill and demonstrates that the City cares for its employees, which they feel is their greatest asset. He added that Sterling Heights is successful because of their wonderful employees. He stated the MOU in front of City Council this evening includes the initiative to commence restoring the contribution levels to 7 percent, and that has been incorporated into the budget. This will also be included in the CBA that he will be presenting on the next agenda item. He explained that the City has also negotiated with the Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 7 Sterling Heights Executive Group and Supervisory Employees Union to increase their contribution from 5 percent to 7 percent, so those are the two MOUs they will be voting on for this agenda item. He respectfully requested that the Mayor and City Council approve these two memorandums. They hope to be through all of the applicable agreements in the next year and have this fully implemented with the eight bargaining groups. Mayor Taylor opened the floor for public comment, but no one spoke. Moved by Schmidt, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Sterling Heights and the Sterling Heights Executive Group and authorize the Mayor and City Manager to sign it on behalf of the City. Councilwoman Ziarko commented she hopes they can expedite the meetings with the other groups so they can all be on par with what is being approved in this MOU. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). Moved by Schmidt, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Sterling Heights and Michigan Association of Public Employees - Supervisory Employees Union and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to sign it on behalf of the City. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). B. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider approval of a collective bargaining agreement and a memorandum of understanding between the City of Sterling Heights and the Michigan Association of Police (MAP) / Police Clerical Employees Association for the period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. He invited Mr. Vanderpool to give a presentation. Mr. Vanderpool explained that he has presented a number of these new collective bargaining agreements in the last year, and this one is very similar. He stated this is a new collective bargaining agreement between the Police Clerical Employees, which expires on June 30, 2023. In anticipation of the expiration date, the applicable parties, the City, and the Union Board have been hard at work negotiating the new agreement. He provided highlights of the three-year agreement and is consistent with their other agreements. The wage increases are 2 percent in the first year, 2.5 percent the second year, Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 8 and 3 percent the third year, which is very reasonable and competitive with what they are seeing in the marketplace. The base medical and hospitalization plan remains Simply Blue high-deductible healthcare plan, with the employees paying 10 percent premium share. This same plan will be taken into retirement for those few eligible. They will also continue to pay 10 percent premium share in retirement. They are increasing their educational assistance program so that it is more meaningful, and encourages employees to pursue degrees and higher education, from which both the organization and community benefit. There are some vacation leave enhancements, including members in excess of thirty accrued vacation days, and they will have the option of being bought out of up to ten vacation days, increased from seven. This encourages employees to take less vacation time if they can, although he stressed work/life balance is important and encouraged when they can. He advised this group will have a 7 percent contribution to their 401A accounts. Members hired between March 1, 2008 and June 30, 2012, have a significant premium share for retiree health care in the amount of fifty percent. Employees hired after June 30, 2012, do not get retiree health care. The City contributes $2,000 per year to a health care retiree medical account, and they are applying that amount to everyone. He pointed out they still save millions of dollars as an organization getting out of the retiree health care business. He advised they are implementing a flexible schedule, but not everyone is able to work remotely from home, and it created some inequities and ill-will, so they are trying to be more creative and come up with more flexible schedules. They came up with alternating Fridays off, without reducing hours of operation for the General Public. The two-week work schedule is squeezed into nine days instead of ten days. Employees are divided into two groups, and they get alternating Fridays off. He assured there are no decreases in services to the community, employees start earlier in the day, have a reduced lunch hour, and in return, they get twenty-six alternating Fridays off each year, which creates good flexibility for retention Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 9 and recruitment. He noted this group will get that same schedule, which is being implemented to all applicable groups that are eligible for it. All other monetary benefits in the collective bargaining agreement stay the same as the current agreement. He recognized the good work of the union leadership team, and he appreciated their professionalism, along with the good work of their Assistant City Manager Jeff Bahorski and Human Resources & Benefits Manager Kate Baldwin. He respectfully requested the Mayor and City Council approve the CBA and applicable MOUs. Mayor Taylor opened the floor for public comment, but no one spoke. Moved by Sierawski, seconded by Radke, RESOLVED, to approve the collective bargaining agreement and memorandum of understanding between the City of Sterling Heights and Michigan Association of Police (MAP) / Police Clerical Employees Association for the period of July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to sign all documents required in conjunction with this approval. Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski felt this has been very well explained by their City Manager, and she is in favor of this as presented. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). C. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider a nomination to the City of Sterling Heights Planning Commission. He opened the floor for public comment, but no one spoke. Mayor Taylor noted this has been postponed, and he appreciated the Council’s patience. He has spoken with a candidate, Ms. Nicole McGill, who has an application on file. He will be meeting with her in the next couple of days, adding she has a degree in Urban Planning and currently works for the Utica Community School District. She has been a resident of the City of Sterling Heights for over ten years and holds a master’s degree in urban planning with a concentration in Regional Growth Management and Environmental Planning. She would like to put that degree to good use, and he felt she would be a very good fit for the City. Moved by Radtke, seconded by Sierawski, RESOLVED, on the advice of the Mayor, to nominate Nicole McGill, for consideration as an appointee to the Planning Commission at the July 5, 2023 regular City Council meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 10 D. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider appointments to the City of Sterling Heights Elected Officials Compensation Commission. He opened the floor for public comment, but no one spoke. Mayor Taylor explained he has three appointments he would like to make this evening, but he is unable to make two of those because they need a period of twelve days from the time the applications are submitted. He stated he would like to make a recommendation for the appointment of Pam Sarau to a non-open seat for a term ending June 30, 2030. Moved by Radtke, seconded by Taylor, RESOLVED, on the advice of the Mayor, to appoint Parmpreet Sarau, to the Elected Officials Compensation Commission to a term ending June 30, 2030, 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 he knows Ms. Sarau from the Planning Commission and he felt she will be an excellent fit on the Elected Officials Compensation Commission. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). Mayor Taylor stated he will hopefully get two appointments made at the next Council meeting, but there are four positions that need to be postponed. Moved by Schmidt, seconded by Radtke, RESOLVED, postpone four appointments (2025, 2027, 2028, 2029) to the Elected Officials Compensation Commission to the July 5, 2023 regular City Council meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried (7/0). 9. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Mayor Taylor opened the floor for public comments. • An unidentified resident – showed a picture of an assisted living facility in another community; disappointed a similar facility was voted down for the Lakeside location; she stated she has lived in Sterling Heights since September 1973 in two different residences: Lakeside Terraces and Medilodge; stressed she wants to live in this type of development, loves the Lakeside area, and does not want to leave Sterling Heights; opposed to delaying this development; stressed memory care is extremely important and needed in this area. • Pastor of Christ Embassy of Michigan/Livonia – he is here on behalf of his congregation, with most of their members leaving the City; expressed confidence that City Council will do a great job and the decisions they make; their church’s campaign is “Reach Out World”, so they will pray for the Mayor and City Council as God guides them as they lead the city in righteousness, truth, and justice. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 11 • State Senator Stephanie Chang (District 3) – thanked Mayor and City Council for their good work; provided updates of work they have been doing in Lansing; passed a hands-free law for those driving, effective starting June 30, making it illegal to drive while touching a cell phone; she urged them to stay tuned for news on the budget; informed her office holds coffee hours twice a month throughout the year; urged those wanting more information to visit www.stephaniechang.com to see the schedule; she concluded that she is here to be a resource and help in whatever way she can. Mayor Taylor appreciated Senator Chang being here tonight and keeping in touch with them. 10. REPORTS FROM CITY ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL Mr. Vanderpool stated they heard good news today out of state legislature that the Transformational Brownfield Amendment passed the House and will be before the Senate on Thursday. He added they hope Senator Chang will vote yes for this because it is vitally important to the Lakeside redevelopment. He added that the City helped draft this legislation because it is so vitally important to this community. Councilman Yanez appreciated Mr. Bashaw’s presentation this evening. He stressed the need for stormwater management, and the photos shown in his presentation are relatively maintenance-free, and mowing-free, areas. He indicated they will be seeing a lot more of these bioswales as they move forward, and he added they need to retrofit some of the existing properties when they put in pathways to make them as low-maintenance as possible. He commented that the weather patterns are changing, and they are seeing extreme droughts, followed by 500-year rain events. He hopes they can have someone come in and look at the City overall to recommend changes that will result in less maintenance costs, less pollution, and will be better for the environment. He expressed concern about the pop-up tax that people are experiencing when buying older homes in Sterling Heights. He stated he would like to know how many homes they have, and how long people have owned those homes. They have an aging population who will eventually leave their homes, and he is concerned the new buyers will get hit with the pop-up tax. He cautioned the higher interest rates could cause a lag in sales, and he is concerned that individuals or corporations will come in, buy up the Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 12 homes, and they will end up with a lot of rental properties as opposed to having a city that is attractive for first-time homeowners. He is curious about what the City will look like in the next ten to twenty years as this pop-up tax starts hitting. Mr. Vanderpool appreciated Councilman Yanez’s concerns, and the data requested is something they can provide, which is a good part of the Visioning 2040 process. He stated in Sterling Heights, their single-family home ownership in owner-occupied homes is over seventy percent, which is very high. The percentage of single-family home rentals are less than five percent, which is very small compared to the overall housing population. They do not see any major trends wavering from that, although they do hear them occasionally. They have about 2,000 properties in the City where people will rent their homes out through Vrbo, Airbnb, or independent rentals to family members, friends, or others. He assured he will be happy to work with their Finance and Budget Director to get the information requested by Councilman Yanez and distribute it to the Mayor and City Council. He added that they can also look at some pertinent information from SEMCOG. Councilman Yanez stressed they have to look at affordable housing, but they also need to assure that the available homes are affordable, especially for those having to pay the much higher taxes. He indicated future City Councils may have to look at what they are going to do in regard to Headlee to make housing more affordable for first-time homebuyers. He would like to get a picture of what the housing market will look like in 2040. Councilwoman Ziarko stated she had an opportunity to represent the Michigan Municipal League in Washington, D.C., as well as at the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference. She relayed some of the ideas she learned at these conferences, one of them being a solar project in L’Anse, Michigan, where they installed 360 solar panels individually owned by non-profits. When they capture the savings, it is divided among the owners of this particular farm. It could be put on a landfill or brownfield, but she felt it would Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 13 be a great idea. She provided some of the details of the project, and suggested they could possibly research it to see where this project would work. Councilwoman Ziarko stated she saw the beginning, or end, of the Iron Belle Trail, depending upon the direction, and the City will eventually be a part of it. She addressed the topic of short-term rentals, and they want to have ordinances that control the housing market. She pointed out that fifty short-term rentals in Sterling Heights would not have the impact that fifty short-term rentals in a small town like Cheboygan or L’Anse. She informed that the village of L’Anse is looking for a developer to build thirty senior housing units. This adds to their housing market, as well as their job market because they can recruit people to work there. She informed the Army Corps of Engineers will be working on a project at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste Marie. They will be building a small community consisting of housing and retail, along with some medical facilities, and the people working on the project can live there; however, when the project is over, they will level this area. She felt there should be a way to start bringing attention to this as being a waste of taxpayer dollars to build a community then tear it down. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned if the Lakeside project is designated as a Corridor Improvement Authority (CIA), will there be a line item as such on the tax bills. She further questioned whether a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) would be a line item on the tax bills. Mr. Vanderpool replied that DDAs can levy millages, unlike CIAs, and when they do levy millages, there would be a line item indicating that on the tax bill. He confirmed that CIAs cannot leverage millage rates. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned whether that would be the same for businesses as well as homeowners. Councilman Radtke replied to inquiry it would only affect those in the district. Mr. Vanderpool confirmed that it would impact properties in that particular district, including businesses. Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 14 Councilwoman Ziarko questioned how the striping is coming on Lakeside Circle. Mr. Vanderpool replied the contractor is ready to go. He added that the General Manager of Lakeside has approval as of yesterday to proceed with the contract. He anticipated within the next couple of weeks, the striping should be completed. He noted the City was prepared to do the striping on their own and bill the management company, but it does not appear to be necessary. Councilman Radtke recalled they talked about finally writing tickets for some of the homes that continue to be in violation. He cited a home on his father’s street where the City has continued to cut the grass every two weeks for the last ten years. He would like to see a list of the top ten businesses and the top ten residential properties not following the ordinances, and they should be issued tickets. He felt a ticket may force the owners to come to court with an explanation. He urged Administration to come up with a plan to target the properties that are a problem and deal with them. These habitual offenders are shirking the ordinances, and this is leading to blight in the City. Councilman Radtke wished everyone a happy Fourth of July and to celebrate safely. He urged residents to go to a free firework show, adding there is no reason to light off fireworks in neighborhoods. Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski stated she was recently in the Upper Peninsula and observed a former elementary school in Ishpeming that has been reimagined into senior apartments. She stressed it was such a great project because it is a one-story building with no stairs, and they already had a cafeteria in place. She wished everyone a safe Fourth of July holiday. Mayor Taylor thanked everyone for being here tonight, and thanked Senator Chang and the Pastor of Christ Embassy of Michigan/Livonia for their attendance and input. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. 12. NEW BUSINESS Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Page 15 There was no new business. 13. CLOSED SESSION PERMITTED UNDER ACT 267 OF 1976 Mr. Kaszubski stated there are no items for Closed Session this evening. 14. ADJOURN Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Schmidt, RESOLVED, to adjourn the meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried, and the meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. MELANIE D. RYSKA, City Clerk