City Council

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 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 Andrea Bara, Management Assistant, 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; Andrea Bara, Management Assistant; Carol Sobosky, Recording Secretary. Mayor Taylor explained that Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski reached out to him earlier today to advise him that she is a bit under-the-weather and will be watching the meeting while recuperating at home. He wished her well and hopes she recovers quickly. 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 explained he has two presentations on his report this evening. The first is something they have been working on for over the past year, pertaining to an important Strategic Plan for the City’s Fire Department. He advised that every year, the City goes through a Strategic Plan, and in addition, numerous departments have now updated their Strategic Plans. Public Works updated their Strategic Plan a couple of years ago, the Police Department went through an accreditation process, which is a Strategic Plan, and Parks and Recreation, through the ReCreating Recreation initiative, involved a long-range plan for the City. The Library also recently completed their Strategic Plan. These plans allow the City to look at their operations and make sure they are always focused on best practices, which they have been and will continue. Mr. Vanderpool explained their services are always Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 2 evolving, and through the strategic plan process, they can look at what they need to be doing long-term. Some action items can be accomplished within months, while others will take years. He informed that this will be the first strategic plan they have had in their Fire Department for at least twenty-five years. He commended Fire Chief Edmonds who led this effort, and it was very inclusive as he worked with their Fire Department leadership, as well as the great men and women in the department, many of whom are here this evening. He pointed out that strategic plans only work if they are inclusive and have buy-in from all stakeholders, including employees, elected officials, community members, business leaders, etc. He introduced Fire Chief Kevin Edmond to kick off the presentation. Fire Chief Kevin Edmond stated he will be introducing the Dynamix Consulting Group, noting that Ms. Mary-Ellen Harper and Mr. Stuart McCutcheon both have extensive fire service backgrounds, along with many years in the consulting business. They develop plans that enable communities to make data-driven decisions for the best services to the residents and visitors of the community. He explained this is the first strategic plan for their department, and the development of this plan has been a collaborative process, including surveys to the community, surveys to the members, leadership, and City Administration, and ended in a one-day workshop. He stressed that, based on his experience with this strategic plan, it works and creates a common vision for the future. He invited Mr. McCutcheon to continue the presentation. Mr. Stuart McCutcheon, of Dynamix Consulting Group, provided information on his background, noting he came from central Florida. He explained this has been a very inclusive process, involving the community, city staff, firefighter members, and they worked hard to get a cross section of the community. He clarified they are here this evening to give the City Council information to make informed decisions, adding they are not pushing an Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 3 agenda and do not live in the City. They will be able to answer questions once the presentation is complete. Mr. McCutcheon stated that with five stations and 16,000 calls, the Fire Department is very busy. As demand increases, they may need to look at additional units, adding that their coverage is pretty good. He broke the calls down to approximately 75 percent emergency medicals, 1.3 percent fire, but the service calls, “good intent” (such as canceled calls), and false alarms equate to a total of approximately 20 percent. He indicated there may be some avenues for fire prevention in order to keep the front-line units in the stations. He talked about the number of units responding to EMS calls, noting there has been a change in the way management has worked, so that number should go down. He showed the responses based on the time of day, months, or years. The months are fairly flat, and day-to-day, they are busy beginning at about 6 a.m. until about 9 p.m. He showed a map reflecting population density and incident count, and pointed out the northeast corner of the City is very busy. When a unit is already occupied and another call comes in for that area, a unit from another area has to travel, which results in longer response times. He showed a “hot spot” map, reflecting how many calls come in from the same area. The northeast outside of Station 2 is a busy area, so when Station 2 takes a call, Stations 1, 5, and possibly 4 will have to fill in, but since they are further away, it is a longer response time. They have good response time, but if they do not have enough units to meet the demands, this response time will increase, so it is something they need to watch. He talked about their average travel time, and in the areas where there is yellow, it is most likely reflecting they do not have enough units to service the demand. Mr. McCutcheon explained that ISO ratings only pertain to fire runs, not EMS runs, and since Sterling Heights has seventy-five percent EMS runs, it is not a major concern. He clarified it is important, but not as important as providing the core services needed by the City. He indicated the road network does Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 4 not allow some of the firefighters to move back and forth as quickly as they would like, and again, they may need more units in the future. He talked about performance related to resource reliability/call concurrency, noting the majority of the time when a single incident occurs, it is about twenty-nine percent of the time, but that equates to seventy percent of the time having multiple calls coming in, which affects their response force. Many times, this involves getting mutual aid, and although there is no national standard, if they are at twenty percent, they are nearing saturation, and at twenty-five percent, they will most likely start seeing other issues. He recommended they watch these statistics and be cognizant of them. With too few crews, they do not have time to recover between incidents, and there is no time for training or additional duties. He talked about response continuum, which includes call processing, turnout time, and travel time. These three equate to the total response time, and the more complicated the call, the longer the time frame for call processing. Mr. McCutcheon talked about COMTEC’s call processing times, and he recommended getting regular quarterly updates on performance-driven contracts. He reviewed turnout time for fires at eighty seconds, which he stated is very close to international standards. EMS turnout time at sixty seconds but a lot of these are at night, with an overall turnout time of one minute forty-five seconds, which is good nationally. He felt the EMS responses are quick, but when they look at data, it is slightly dragging, most likely due to possibly not having enough units in circulation. Travel time is good overall, but with call volumes going up, they may want to start talking about additional units in the future. Response time is still in balance, but again, he cautioned they are getting busier as the population ages. He talked about solutions, such as adding a peak demand unit, noting that overtime results in a lot of money and employees who become burned out, so that may not be the answer. Total Response Time is equating to about nine-and-a-half minutes, from the time the call comes in until the time the first unit arrives. He clarified they use fractile performances and not averages to Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 5 determine these times because it measures reliability. He showed a map depicting the location of their mutual aid partners. He turned the presentation over to Mary-Ellen Harper. Ms. Mary-Ellen Harper credited the Fire Chief and his command staff for the approach they took to this strategic plan, and it was a very inclusive, positive process. The team was very willing to look at the data and discuss it. She explained they conducted a series of stakeholder surveys, including the Fire Department members, members of the community, as well as City staff. They identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges, and looked at the top three things that each group reflected as their issues, followed by a look at the overlap. The common strengths indicated by the surveyed groups included Fire Department Personnel. The weaknesses included the number of people staffed, and there was concern about the amount of city support, feeling that there should be more support from the community for the Fire Department. Opportunities included community support, and challenges included how to increase staffing, getting the city support, and managing the increased call volume. They came up with four strategic initiatives, or main focuses, which included Communications, Staffing, Resource Deployment, and Apparatus and Equipment. They were provided sample goal topics based on the evaluation they had done with their recommendations. They began by looking at their current mission statement and their proposed mission statement. Fire departments have evolved over the years, so their mission statement may change to adapt to those changes. Their proposed mission statement is as follows: “The mission of the City of Sterling Heights Fire Department is to respond in time of crisis and provide fire, rescue, and emergency medical services for those who live, work, and visit our growing community. We accomplish this through preparation, prevention, and community outreach.” They also prepared their proposed vision statement, as follows: “The City of Sterling Heights Fire Department will be the premier provider of emergency services in the country. We will adapt to the evolving Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 6 needs of our diverse community and exceed their expectations through high quality progressive service, professionalism, and continuous improvement.” Ms. Harper stressed that, when they visited the various fire stations and met with the employees, it was very evident that the members of the Fire Department care about this community, providing very good community service, helping the people, and are very proud of the services they provide. They talked about organizational values, such as excellence, loyalty, integrity, tradition, and equity. Ms. Harper explained the process they went through in developing their Initiatives and outlined some of the details of each goal, broken down into steps that included timelines. She cautioned that, while some of the goals can be accomplished in a relatively short time, others may take years. The first Initiative was Communications, and some of the ideas involved looking at proposed funding for a Public Information Officer position, developing a “hot sheet” for internal communications within the Fire Department, and strengthening the relationship between the members of the Fire Department and City Hall, along with some steps that would help them accomplish these objectives. The second Initiative was Staffing, and the first goal they came up with is to eliminate cross-staffing of Fire Department apparatus, which lags their turnout time. The second goal was to relieve stress on the emergency response system by determining peak demand hours and determining staffing for a peak-demand ambulance. The third goal was to update the Fire Department recruitment program. Ms. Harper explained the third Initiative was Resource Deployment, with the first goal to develop performance objectives, the second goal to establish a committee to implement Emergency Medical Dispatch, and the third goal to develop a Community Risk Assessment Standards of Cover and Community Risk Reduction Program. They came up with steps that would help them accomplish these performance objectives. Initiative 4 was Apparatus and Equipment, with the goals to maintain safe and functional apparatus, maintain livable and Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 7 functional fire stations, and provide up-to-date equipment and technology. She reviewed the steps they came up with that would help them accomplish these performance objectives. Ms. Harper explained this process was helped by having a Progress Report, which is a master list with dates for all of the goals and objectives. The staff can enter notes and date these items as they are completed, and the Chief can look at everything to make sure it is on track, possibly making decisions to change timelines, modify rules, etc. She emphasized there are a lot of goals and objectives, so this acts as a time management tool. If something needs to be added or taken out, this tool will help, but the key is transparency. Ms. Harper concluded her presentation by emphasizing that Strategic Plans need to be adopted, so it is ideal for City Council to agree or to indicate what parts they like or do not like. It is important for everyone to move in the same direction. Chief Edmond provided an update of what has been accomplished to this point. One of the concerns raised was communication, so they have now developed a weekly bulletin within the organization started in mid-August to try to improve that communication. As far as Medical Priority Dispatch, he has been in communication with COMTEC to move those along. They have met with the Medical Control Authority. They have another meeting scheduled with COMTEC to move into a medical priority dispatch, which will give their department the ability to make sure they are responding appropriately to the calls. He noted that, regarding apparatus, the City Council approved the purchase of a fire engine last year. They have a demo they purchased to replace Engine 3 out of Station 1, which will go into reserve. It was approved by Council and will be arriving in November. At that time, the oldest one in reserve will go out of service. They moved some equipment off of the rescue truck onto fire engines and staffed the ladder truck with three people. When they have staffing available, they have put in a sixth ambulance on a trial basis, and he has limited statistics on that. They have Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 8 been able to get about one hundred twenty hours with the staffing, and it has gone on about forty-eight calls during that time. He added that has provided some relief for the members, and they have done that without medical priority dispatch. They have a lot more they are working on, including working with their apparatus group on a system to measure their fire apparatus and report annually back to City Administration on the status of those. It will serve as a scoring sheet for each apparatus as they move forward. They also have planned for an ambulance purchase in this budget year. He invited Ryan to come up and speak. Ryan, representing Sterling Heights Firefighters Local 57, thanked Mr. McCutcheon and Ms. Harper for all of the work and dedication they have put into this in-depth study. He thanked Councilman Yanez for bringing this presentation tonight, and for the entire City Council for supporting this. He personally promised that the Sterling Heights Firefighters Local 57 are determined to make moves with this and will use it as a foundation to better the City and the way they respond. He assured they are fully behind this, noting the number of employees from their department present this evening. They do not want this department to be left in the shadows as it grows, and they want to make sure they are keeping up on everything. He added that he, along with the Chief, will provide weekly communications to keep everyone in the loop. Mr. McCutcheon thanked everyone for their time and attention this evening. He highly commended Fire Chief Edmond as being a “data whiz”, adding he knows his numbers and what he is talking about. Mr. Vanderpool stated he was struck by the new vision statement referring to the department being a “premier provider of emergency services in the country”. He assured they have been leading the way, pointing out that their Fire Department has an ISO 2 rating on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the best and 10 the worst. He explained that, to his knowledge, there are no departments in Michigan that have scored an ISO 1 rating, and there are only Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 9 a handful out of hundreds of departments statewide that have been designated with an ISO 2 rating. He felt their ISO 2 rating illustrates that they have achieved a level of excellence, and the importance of this strategic plan moving forward is to ensure they continue at that level of excellence, possibly raising the bar. He advised they are looking at an upgrade to Station 5, and the Mayor and City Council have approved in the budget this year an assessment, which is the first step. He anticipates it will cost a couple of million dollars, but they will then have five stations in good shape. The Community Needs Assessment has been budgeted in the current year, so they are looking forward to getting that accomplished. Additional apparatus is also in the budget, and he commented on a global commitment on behalf of the Mayor, City Council, and Administration to ensure all of their employees, especially police and fire, continue to be in the top tier when it comes to wages and benefits. He indicated that has been a longstanding commitment that will continue in this strategic plan. He thanked the Mayor and City Council for approving this Strategic Plan and allowing them to get it done. Mayor Taylor opened the floor for comments from Council members. Councilman Yanez thanked everyone involved for the Strategic Plan document. He agreed they have broad community support and input, and the employees of the Fire Department truly care about their department and the people they serve. He appreciated Mr. McCutcheon’s thorough report, and he questioned alternative response vehicles. He noted the documentation refers to some communities using them, but he commented that none of those communities are comparable to Sterling Heights, citing 1,600 firefighters in Memphis, Tennessee, 699 firefighters in Portland, and 633 firefighters in Tucson, while Sterling Heights has only 106. He questioned whether the staffing in Sterling Heights would be able to handle the alternative response vehicles without additional manpower. Mr. McCutcheon replied that this is generally looked at for large cities. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 10 Councilman Yanez pointed out that Sterling Heights is the fourth largest city in the State of Michigan. Mr. McCutcheon replied that they “can never accomplish anything if they don’t try something.” He cited the last city where he was Fire Chief, with a population of 50,000 to 60,000 people, and sixty to seventy firefighters. He acknowledged in Sterling Heights, they have had a lot of overtime, so they may need to look at a relief factor, but they need to look at their busiest period, and put two employees on a Basic Life Support (BLS) unit. He added that eighty- to ninety percent of their calls are basic life support, and there are no timelines to those calls. He provided some success stories in handling these calls with alternative response vehicles. He suggested trying some ideas for a thirty- to sixty-day period to see if they work. Councilman Yanez recalled the mention of increased staffing for fire prevention. He noted they do not do annual inspections, even in their most dangerous buildings. He questioned where they need to be in this area. Mr. McCutcheon replied that in the first department he worked in, their fire prevention was weak. They went into a gas station where they were storing five-gallon gas cans inside next to the boiler. One day, one of those ignited. He explained he appreciates top-notch service in emergencies, but he would also appreciate someone coming in and telling him proactively that he cannot store materials a certain way due to it creating a hazmat situation. The reason critical call volumes go down is attributable to fire prevention. Councilman Yanez noted that Mr. McCutcheon mentioned that overtime is most likely not the answer. He questioned whether Chief Edmond is aware of the amount of overtime spent last year. Chief Edmond replied he does not know, but he agreed it is a lot of money. Mr. McCutcheon replied it costs approximately $1 million a year for a three- person engine company, so they can look at how many people they can afford to hire to eliminate the overtime. By hiring more people rather than spending the money on overtime, they have extra employees to work with, so when Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 11 someone takes a day off, they are still meeting their minimum staffing levels without spending more money. He emphasized it is a matter of doing math, but they need to look at it and tweak it each year. Councilman Yanez noted the strategic planning is always in process, and he questioned how important it is to have input from the employees who are on the streets every day. Ms. Harper stressed it is critical to have employee input, and they want to empower employees to make decisions at the lowest possible level. She emphasized that every decision made in the Fire Department should not come through the Fire Chief’s office, and there are a lot of things that can and should be handled on the front lines. Mr. McCutcheon pointed out it is all about networking, and “the wheel does not always have to be reinvented.” Councilman Yanez questioned whether Mr. McCutcheon has ever observed a department “go sour” with tension between rank-and-file and city hall. Ms. Harper replied to inquiry that a lot of their calls were because of that situation, but she credited the City of Sterling Heights for being one of the few that is proactive and is not in an internal state of emergency. She congratulated the City for not being in that situation, and she thanked everyone for their feedback and willingness to address issues before they become problems. Councilman Yanez stated he looks forward to hearing City Administration, Fire Department Administration, and Local 57 as they move forward through this process. Councilwoman Koski noted that the topic of staffing continued to come up in the presentation, and she questioned how the Lakeside redevelopment will be handled with the anticipated increased population of adding more residential dwellings. She further questioned whether they recommend a Station 6, and if so, the location of that station. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 12 Mr. McCutcheon suggested that there are two problems in fire departments: they “can’t get there from here” because there is no station around, or there are not enough units to service the demand. When they looked at the four- to eight-minute travel times, it looks like they have sufficient coverage from station to station, but he alluded to the possibility that they may not have enough units to service the demands, which is the reason for the extended travel times. He pointed out they should be four minutes or less across the board, but if there are not enough units, they have to call someone from one of the other units, hence the additional travel time. He suggested they add a unit, or once the overtime situation is under control, they could have a peak demand unit that only responds to BLS calls, keeping the five other emergency stations in service. He indicated they look at the data to make those determinations and informed decisions. Councilwoman Koski referred to the hot spots depicted on the map, especially in the northeast corner of the City. She did not feel five stations is sufficient, and she suggested they need a sixth station. Mr. McCutcheon explained that station location is not within the scope of this project, but it is something they can do. They need to look at historical data to tell them where they have historically been lacking. They also need to look at projections, and they can overlay that data. He could not speak with accuracy on this topic this evening until he ran the analysis. He clarified he is not suggesting they would need another station, but they have not made that determination. He emphasized they need to look at historical data, because if they have a gap today, that gap will exist tomorrow. They also need to overlay the expected population of whatever area they think is going into that area, then they can run the same kind of analysis. It is not smart to build stations based on what they need today, but they need to build stations based on where they will be tomorrow. It is much more expensive to add on after the fact than to anticipate what is needed and build it to begin with. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 13 Mayor Taylor stated there are a high volume of runs in the northeast quadrant of the City, and they anticipate more residential development will be coming with Lakeside’s redevelopment. He understands Mr. McCutcheon is saying they have a sufficient number of stations equally spaced out, and it would be difficult to determine where a sixth station would be located, so they would be better served to put an additional unit at one of the Fire Stations that already exist rather than building a new fire station. Mr. McCutcheon stated he would put an additional unit in for thirty, sixty, or ninety days as a trial period, have the Fire Chief evaluate the data, and then they can look at that as good information if it works, and if it does not work, they can drop it. Councilman Radtke thanked Mr. McCutcheon and Ms. Harper for their presentation. He spent some time reading this informative report. The Fire Department runs 24-hour shifts, unlike any other department in the City. He felt getting more people on staff during peak hours would provide more room for their firefighters to respond to emergencies. He pointed out the report identifies twenty-five percent of calls are not necessary for EMS response, and that ties up their services for the actual lifesaving work their firefighters do. He is looking forward to hearing more about that recommendation. Mr. McCutcheon stated there are other ideas, including contracting a third- party ambulance to handle those services. He recommended using the data to try to drive that decision. They need to establish a community-wide number and they can watch the data so that they are not arbitrarily throwing money and resources into something, but they will be making informed decisions. Councilman Radtke commented that, when seventy-five percent of their demand is for EMS, they need to better situate their department to be an ALS- first department. If most of their calls are not fighting fires, that concerns him, and he wants to make sure their vehicles are geared to that, which is why he is very interested in the alternative response vehicle. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 14 Mr. McCutcheon pointed out an ambulance is about $300,000, whereas an F-250 may cost $50,000, and that vehicle could be used to respond to BLS calls. The expensive vehicles and trucks can then remain in the station, and he pointed out that those are some of the options available. He cautioned, however, that most structure fires occur in the middle of the night. He agreed that their call volumes happen during the day, mainly EMS, but their critical calls happen from about midnight to 4 a.m., so they need enough staff to be able to respond to those calls. Councilman Radtke agreed with Councilwoman Koski and Councilman Yanez about the northeast quadrant, and they need to make sure they have the proper personnel. He did not suspect that meant the addition of another fire station, but it may mean setting up more squads to deal with the increase. He pointed out if it is an issue now, it will most likely grow if and when more residential goes up in the Lakeside area. He noted that there were comments indicating they have understaffed their leadership team in comparison with other departments across the country. He recalled possible recommendations for a Training Chief or Assistant Fire Chief to help deal with the responsibilities across the department. Mr. McCutcheon pointed out if the City Manager has four departments to manage, that is something that can be handled; however, if he has twelve departments to manage, he will be overwhelmed, inefficiencies will most likely develop, and this is the same in any department. He clarified he is not suggesting that they have to make every department top-heavy, but they may need to evaluate whether they need additional positions in administration. He questioned whether an administrative assistant could deal with the void, but he pointed out every department is different, so they need to evaluate their options. Councilman Radtke stated they have added ALS but have kept the former leadership structure, so it may be time for an adjustment. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 15 Mr. McCutcheon noted that when responsibilities become spread too thin, there is a saturation point, and there are not enough hours in the day to handle all of the responsibilities if staffing is too thin. He recommended they do an evaluation and talk to their City Manager. Councilman Radtke referred to the technological inefficiencies mentioned in the report, including the fact that Fire Prevention and Fire Response could not share information due to different databases and different spreadsheets. Mr. McCutcheon clarified they are different companies. Ideally, the dispatch center foots the bill for the software, and everything feeds into that. He suggested that, even if they have to contribute toward software that is compatible with everything, it would be advantageous. Councilman Radtke questioned the mention of alternative training regimes and skilled-based promotions. Mr. McCutcheon emphasized that ideally, as staff progress through a succession plan, they need to spend some time in training. If they put the best of the best in training, and they move throughout the department, by the time they get to Fire Chief, they will have experience and knowledge in all aspects. If someone who becomes the Fire Chief is lacking in the training in a specific area, that department will end up lacking in that area. He advocates plans for training and succession. He emphasized the National Fire Academy is a good way to push people in that direction and make the organization better. Councilman Radtke questioned whether a skill-based promotion system will lead to these outcomes versus a seniority-based promotion system. Mr. McCutcheon replied to the inquiry that the problem with seniority is if they may have been in the department the longest, but they may not be the best. Skill-based promotion centers may offer several competency tests, unlike Civil Service tests which may be broad and not have anything to do with the skills needed on the job. The skill-based competency tests assure the placement of the best person suited for the position, and that is how the best Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 16 departments in the country do it. They have testing through third-party groups, and the union is a part of it to make sure it is all done fairly. Councilman Radtke thanked them for their presentation, and he added this gives the City a nice roadmap and a way to work together to create change. Councilwoman Schmidt thanked Dynamix, the firefighters and administration for the work they put into this. She also thanked the community for being involved in this. She would have loved to see what this report would have said prior to 2017 when they started ALS transport. She appreciated the hard work of the firefighters, adding the City has the best. She looks forward to Council working hand-in-hand with administration and the firefighters on this, adding it is important to remain open to try new things. She appreciates that they have already “hit the ground running” on a lot of these ideas. She agreed dispatch is a huge factor, and the sooner they get communications resolved with COMTEC, the better they will be. She recalled talking about a peak demand unit, so she is interested in looking into it. She questioned whether a BLS unit can be manned by EMTs or paramedics. Mr. McCutcheon replied there are two ways they can go. They can put their newest EMTs, who are the least costly on a BLS unit to travel around the city to take care of these calls. Another way to look at it is to take their best medics and have a cadre of them, noting they will be burned out on this unit fairly quickly. These top medics can provide the best resources to try to get these people out of emergency services and into social services, so they are not calling for the City’s EMS services anymore. They will also be on the road if a call comes in for a mass casualty, where some of the newer medics may not have experience with those situations. He advised there are many options, and the City will have to make the determination as to the best solution for them. Councilwoman Ziarko thanked everyone who participated in the surveys. It was interesting to talk to the firefighters who were at the Strategic Planning and find out their expectations. She felt they all recognize they need to take Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 17 a different approach to some of the issues causing too much overtime. She felt they needed to be open-minded, and she agreed they need to follow the timeline provided. She also recommended putting a time limit on how long they will try some of the ideas, followed by an evaluation of whether or not it worked. She understands that funding for fire departments across the country is not all the same. She would like an evaluation of some of the communities Mr. McCutcheon studied, as well as their form of funding. She is aware there are places where the residents pay a tax, but it does not include fire. They have to pay a separate monthly fee in order to have public service. Mr. McCutcheon explained that at the last place he was at, they were the second department in Florida to assess a fire assessment fee, it was taken to the Florida Supreme Court, and they won. The majority are funded through the city’s or county’s General Fund. Some are funded through fire districts and a tax is assessed to provide those services. The Fire Assessment fee is seeking to level the playing field by stating that everyone will pay equal amounts, although it is only for fire coverage. It works in Florida, although he does not know if it would work here in Michigan. Mayor Taylor questioned whether the increasing call volume is typical. He questioned whether it is demographic-driven. Mr. McCutcheon replied it is all relative, but he cited Dearborn as a good example of keeping track of demographics. The demographic in Dearborn has a different outlook on what emergency services are, so if a different demographic comes in, they can predict their call volume will go up, even if the population is dropping. Mayor Taylor recently talked with the Mayor of Dearborn, who had indicated they are planning on putting an ALS or BLS unit at a large campus in the City where they have high call volumes. He referred to the comments about not having enough units to satisfy demand, and he noted that firefighters are busy running from one call to the next. There is not enough time for them to do Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 18 their run, get back, take a breather, complete their report, train, etc. Their response times are on the cusp of being unacceptable and they are rapidly entering a critical level. It is not that they do not have good coverage in the City, but they have too many calls for two few units. He understands overtime is not the answer because of burnout. Mr. McCutcheon recommended determining the cost of the overtime and determining where they will come up even to hire FTE’s (full-time equivalents). He cautioned that they will never be able to fully eliminate overtime, but if they hire enough FTE’s and they have extras on the shift, that is ok. If they are down to their minimums and will need to schedule some overtime. The bottom line is what is acceptable to the City as far as response time, manpower, personnel, etc. He suggested they look at everything and take a global view. He reiterated that Chief Edmond is a very good resource to make data-driven decisions. Mayor Taylor thanked Mr. McCutcheon and Ms. Harper for being here tonight. He is confident they are all committed to doing this. He extended thanks to the Fire Chief and his team, as well as the men and women of the Fire Department of Sterling Heights. They want to find a solution, so the firefighters are proud of the community they serve, proud of the leadership, and proud to be part of this organization. Mr. Vanderpool stated they have one more item this evening, and he invited Community Relations Director Melanie Davis to highlight numerous awards for Sterling Heights TV (SHTV). Community Relations Director Melanie Davis shared the good news that recently, Dan Rizek and Bob Sergott from SHTV submitted some of their work from last year into the Alliance for Community Media Central States Regions Philo Awards 2023. She explained Philo T. Farnsworth was considered to be the father of modern television because he invented the first receiving tube for television transmission. Today, the ACM Central States Region honors his name by recognizing the efforts of modern-day broadcast pioneers who Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 19 have dedicated themselves to community media, empowering voices, and fostering connections within our local communities. SHTV has been known for creative expression, serving as a platform for diverse voices and a vital source of information for their residents. The awards were selected from over 150 submissions in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, and they include the following: • Comedy/Humor: A Very Merry Sterling Heights Tale (starring K-9 Groot) • Interview/Talk Show: Legally Speaking: Assault of Black Women (produced in collaboration with the Macomb County Bar Association) • Documentary: Sterling Heights Fire – Ice Rescue Training • PSA: Every Fifteen Minutes – A Sterling Heights Story Ms. Davis informed that, for the first time ever, SHTV was named above all others, “The Professional Winner for Overall Excellence” in Access TV. A round of applause was given for Dan Rizek and Bob Sergott. Broadcast Services Coordinator Dan Rizek explained it is their job to tell the stories of this community and to keep the residents informed of the work being done to serve them. He stressed they care deeply about the work they do, so it means a lot for them to be recognized in this way. He thanked City Council for the support they provide, the incredible people and departments that serve this community, and the residents who make this City the strong community that it is. He thanked the City for giving them the tools they need to do this job well. Broadcast Programming Specialist Bob Sergott thanked everyone for making this possible. He credited the great organization, noting that Mr. Rizek received an award for a video he made with the Fire Department, and he credited that with the Fire Department being so prepared when they arrived. He thanked all of their service organizations and the residents who continue to support them. He thanked everyone in Community Relations, noting it is a great team they work with. Mayor Taylor commended Mr. Rizek and Mr. Sergott for being phenomenal, incredibly professional, hardworking, thoughtful, and creative. He Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 20 emphasized that they are very good at the work they do, and he appreciates it. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider the application by Tunkers, Inc. for an Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption Certificate (IFEC) at 42800 Merrill Road. He invited City Assessor Robin Palazzolo to give the presentation. City Assessor Robin Palazzolo stated she is here this evening with Mr. George Owens, Vice-President of Operations for Tunkers, Inc. The real property is located within an industrial development district that was established by City Council in April 2022, and a speculative building designation was approved by resolution of City Council for a 16,400-square- foot industrial building on July 19, 2022. She explained this designation allows the first tenant within nine years to apply for an Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption Certificate (IFEC). In September of this year, the applicant applied for an IFEC for a total real property investment of just over $2.6 million. She informed the applicant is leasing the speculative industrial building from Mancini Enterprises LLC, and that lease term commenced on July 1, 2023 and will expire on June 30, 2031. This involves a diverse product line, and the applicant is a leading supplier of automation components to automotive manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Volkswagen, and BMW. Ms. Palazzolo explained the applicant plans on creating eleven full-time jobs while retaining four employees who will be permanently assigned to this location. She advised that recommendation is being made to approve the application for an IFEC term of eight years, which will generate an estimated increase of approximately $85,000 in new city tax revenue over the abatement term. She offered to answer questions. Mayor Taylor opened the public hearing. He opened the floor for anyone in the audience wishing to speak on this item. No one spoke, and Mayor Taylor closed the public hearing. Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Yanez, RESOLVED, to adopt the resolution approving the application by Tunkers, Inc. for an Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption Certificate at 42800 Merrill Road, Parcel # 50-10-10-09-100-054, Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 21 for a period of 8 years in accordance with the guidelines established by City Council, and the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign, as applicable, all documents required in conjunction with this approval. Councilwoman Ziarko stated she is excited because they are moving within the City of Sterling Heights, creating jobs, and the City will receive more tax dollars. She thanked Mr. Owens for keeping their business in Sterling Heights. Yes: All. The motion carried (6/0). 7. ORDINANCE ADOPTIONS A. Mayor Taylor stated this is to consider adoption of an ordinance amending Zoning Ordinance No. 278 to allow shipping/ storage containers with special approval land use approval as an accessory use to permitted and special approval land uses in M-1 (Light Industrial District) and M-2 (Heavy Industrial District) zoning districts. He invited Dr. Jake Parcell, City Planner and City Development Manager, to give the presentation. Dr. Jake Parcell explained that, after the introduction of this ordinance at the last meeting, they partnered with the City Attorney’s office to come up with some solutions to the Council’s questions. They capped the signage to not exceed twenty-five square feet on any side of the container. With regard to the concerns as to what may be housed in the storage container, the property owner will be mandated to maintain a current inventory list of materials stored within the shipping container, and that list shall be made available upon demand and review by City officials during inspection. He reminded that these are only for industrial districts, and in their temporary use permit process through the City, they can allow these in commercial districts for the refurbishing of structures, any type of remodels, or if there is flood or damage to the building. There is flexibility in commercial districts with temporary use permits, and they will work with applicants to find permanent storage solutions along their major corridors. He indicated this ordinance is being presented tonight, with the assistance of the City Attorney’s office, that helps to mitigate a lot of problems to have regulation of these in their industrial districts. He offered to answer questions. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 22 Mayor Taylor opened the floor to the public, but no one spoke. Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Schmidt, RESOLVED, to adopt, as amended, the ordinance amending Zoning Ordinance No. 278 to allow shipping / storage containers with special approval land use approval as accessory uses to permitted and special approval land uses in M-1 (Light Industrial District) and M-2 (Heavy Industrial District) zoning districts. Councilman Radtke recalled the first amended action was to limit the size of the logo on the containers. He could not recall the discussion and requested clarification. Dr. Parcell explained it was based on a question from Councilwoman Ziarko, and it originally stated “reasonably sized identification” would be allowed but it did not have a numerical modifier. To eliminate any discrepancy in interpretation, they specified a number for the maximum size permitted. Mayor Taylor commented that he does not love the inventory list requirement, but he is not sure of an alternative that would be less restrictive. He felt they are all in agreement that it is a great thing to have, and their industrial business owners will appreciate being able to use shipping containers as outdoor storage. He appreciated the work the Planning Department and the City Attorney’s office have done on this. 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 October 3, 2023. B. To approve payment of the bills as presented: General Fund - $921,299.84, Water & Sewer Fund - $2,079,681.14, Other Funds - $4,178.613.40, Total Checks - $7,179,594.38. C. RESOLVED, to award the bid for carpet cleaning in city facilities to Midwest Carpet Cleaning, 2701 Interstate 94 Service Drive, Ypsilanti, MI 48198, at unit pricing bid for a one-year period and authorize the City Manager to extend the bid term and unit pricing one additional year upon mutual consent. D. RESOLVED, to approve the software subscription agreement between the City of Sterling Heights and Rarestep, Inc., d/b/a Fleetio, 1900 2nd Ave. North, Suite 300, Birmingham, AL 35203, for Fleetio fleet and equipment maintenance software and on-boarding at pricing available through General Services Administration cooperative purchasing contract #GS-35F-47QTCA20D0044. E. RESOLVED, to: Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 23 1. Approve the purchase of a subscription and implementation services for AmpliFund grant management software from StreamLink Software, Inc., d/b/a/ AmpliFund, 812 Huron Rd. E., Cleveland, OH 44115, for a four-year term at a total cost of $98,000; 2. Authorize the City Manager to sign all documents required in conjunction with the approval; and 3. Authorize a budget amendment to the 2023/24 budget to appropriate American Rescue Plan Act funding in the amount of $38,000. F. RESOLVED, to approve the Site Lease Agreement between the City of Sterling Heights, as Landlord, and DISH Wireless LLC, as Tenant, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to sign the Agreement and any related documents on behalf of the City. G. RESOLVED, to accept a proposal by Allied Building Services of Detroit, Inc., 1801 Howard Street, Detroit, MI 48216, for plumbing services and repairs in connection with the replacement of sump pumps at the Sterling Heights Police Department at a total cost of $17,655.60. H. RESOLVED, to purchase two (2) Lifepak 15 V4 cardiac monitors/defibrillators and accessories from Stryker Medical, P.O. Box 93308, Chicago, IL 60673-3308, at a total net cost of $76,701.50. I. RESOLVED, to: 1. Purchase VMware and Veeam annual licenses for software maintenance from People Driven Technologies, 6300 Venture Hills Blvd., SW, Byron Center, MI 49315, for the service terms of January 7, 2024 to January 6, 2025 (VMware) and January 17, 2024 to January 16, 2025 (Veeam) at a cumulative annual cost of $55,954.16; and, 2. Authorize the City Manager to sign all required documentation on behalf of the City. J. RESOLVED, to: 1. Purchase two (2) 2024 Ford F-550 DRW Cab and Chassis at pricing available through a state of Michigan MiDeal cooperative purchasing contract, #180000001107, with Service Body Upfitting from Lunghamer of Owosso, LLC, 1960 East Main Street, Owosso MI 48867, in the cumulative amount of $169,877.70; and 2. Authorize a budget amendment from Water and Sewer Fund in the amount of $94,878 to be paid for from funds secured by the sale of water meter scrap parts. K. RESOLVED, to: 1. Purchase a 2025 Freightliner M2 106 single-axle medium duty truck chassis from Wolverine Freightliner – Eastside, Inc., 107 S. Groesbeck, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043, at pricing available through a Michigan Intergovernmental Trade Network (MITN) Master Purchasing Agreement in the amount of $97,784; and, 2. Purchase a Henderson Mark IV flatbed dump body, with accessories, from Knapheide Truck Equipment – Flint, 1200 S. Averill Avenue, Flint, MI 48503, at pricing available through a Sourcewell / National Joint Powers Alliance cooperative purchasing contract, NJPA #080818-HPI, in the amount of $49,242.90. L. RESOLVED, to: 1. Purchase the following ten (10) motor vehicles from Lunghamer Ford LLC, 1960 E. Main St., Owosso, MI 48867, at pricing available through State of Michigan MiDeal cooperative purchasing contract #071B7700180 and County of Macomb purchasing contract #21- 18, and upfitting with four (4) Boss snowplow packages by Monroe Truck Equipment, 2400 Reo Road, Flint, MI 48507, at a cumulative cost of $486,587: Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 24 - One (1) 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD-White - One (1) 2023 Ford E-150 Super Crew 4x4 Fire Responder-Red - Two (2) 2024 Ford Maverick Super Crew XL-White - Two (2) 2023 Ford F-150 Lightening Super Crew 4x4-White - Three (3) 2024 Ford F-250 Super Cab 4x4-White - One (1) 2024 Ford F-250 Crew Cab 4x4-White; and 2. Purchase one (1) 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV from Berger Chevrolet, Inc., 2525 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, at pricing available through the State of Michigan MiDeal cooperative purchasing contract #071B7700177 at a cost of $28,987. M. RESOLVED, to: 1. Adopt the resolution approving Contract No. 23-5362 between the Michigan Department of Transportation and the City of Sterling Heights for the 17 Mile Road Bridge Replacement over the Plumbrook Drain, City Project #23-413, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to sign the contract on behalf of the City; and, 2. Adopt a budget amendment to the Major Road Fund in the amount of $839,370 to carry forward the unspent funds from the 2022/23 budget. N. RESOLVED, to adopt the resolution establishing the Election Center located within the Sterling Heights Community Center, 40250 Dodge Park Road, as the early voting site for federal, statewide, and local elections conducted in the City of Sterling Heights. O. RESOLVED, to set a public hearing on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. to consider the application by the City of Sterling Heights for a proposed conversion of grant-assisted property comprising Puffin Park located at 34601 Viceroy Drive, Sterling Heights, MI 48310. P. RESOLVED, to receive the lawsuit, LBC Property Investments, LLC / El Car Wash, LLC, d/b/a El Car Wash Sterling Heights, LLC v City of Sterling Heights: Macomb County Circuit Court Case No. 23-002799- CE. Yes: All. The motion carried (6/0). 9. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Mayor Taylor opened the floor for public comments, but no one spoke. 10. REPORTS FROM CITY ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL Mr. Vanderpool stated he has nothing further to add this evening. Councilwoman Schmidt reminded that there will be a Walk-In Passport Week at City Hall from October 23 through October 28. No appointments are required, and the hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The hours on Wednesday and Thursday are from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. They will also be open on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It is at the Clerk’s office, and she reminded anyone interested to bring the required documents, noting these are listed on the City’s website. She went through this process, and she emphasized how easy and quick it was. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 25 Councilman Yanez noted that Plumbrook Road is almost finished, and bike lanes will be added. He hopes that bikers and drivers will follow the law with regard to these bike lanes, and he expressed concern that motorists will be breaking the law by driving in the bike lanes, or possibly making a right turn on red, thereby blocking a bike lane or not seeing the individual on the bicycle. He would like to see a program through the Police Department, possibly through Community Relations, to let people know bike lanes will be put in and the correct way to use them. They do not want people to get tickets, and do not want bikers to get hurt. Councilman Yanez thanked former social worker Amy Compton. She came here a couple of years ago and built a department from scratch. He commended her for the work she did across the board, working with many city departments, and making a huge difference. He hoped that in the near future they can make corrections to the situation that incentivized her to leave so they can recruit and retain the best employees to fill that role. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned whether the bike lane on Plumbrook is something they are trying for a year or two, with the intent to remove it if it does not work. She noted if she would like to make a right-hand turn, there is no one in the bike lane, but she questioned whether she could make that turn if she is not allowed to cross over the lane. She noted if a biker is next to her, and they are both making right hand turns, do they both have to stop, and can that turn be made by both. She agreed people need to be educated, and if they are not used, she questioned whether they would continue to have bike lanes. Councilman Radtke commented that, to keep the bike lanes safe, there should be a permanent separation between the bike lanes and the road. There are different ways to accomplish this with curbs, posts, etc. He pointed out that Oak Park just did this on Nine Mile Road by installing curbs. This is what is needed to protect bikers. He had expressed this concern to his colleagues when this project was started that it would not be safe if they were Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 26 not willing to separate the bike lanes. He urged his colleagues to separate the bike lanes on Plumbrook, noting that is how they will get more users. The safer the bike lanes, the safer pedestrians will feel when using them, and the more they will use them. If they want bike lanes to function, they have to have a network, and he stressed they need to be safe. Councilman Radtke noted they are having this meeting on a Monday because some members of City Council will be attending the Michigan Municipal League (MML) Conference this week. He appreciates the public support for this, adding that every time he comes back from this event, he feels he comes back with great ideas to make the community better. Councilwoman Koski questioned whether signage will be put up along the bike lanes to indicate their presence to motorists. Mr. Vanderpool replied affirmatively. He assured they will have a public education campaign to make sure motorists, pedestrians, and those on bikes will fully understand the rules of the road. He acknowledged this is a bit of a pilot program, and the reason Plumbrook was selected is because traffic volumes are lighter than other roads. Bike lanes are not intended to be temporary, but they felt this would be an excellent road to try this out. If it does not go well, they may have to reconfigure them or come up with some separation ideas. He indicated there are standards that MDOT puts forth based on traffic volumes to determine whether or not they should be separated. In this case, the traffic volumes did not rise to the level of required separation. In highly congested areas, such as downtown Detroit, that separation is incorporated. Many times, parallel parking spaces separate the bike lane, so it depends on the area. He assured they will be taking all of that into consideration as they monitor this closely. If they determine it is necessary, there are some short-term things they can do, such as the installation of reflective bollards. He informed this will not be fully activated until next year, when there is full striping and paving of the bike lane. He appreciated the good points everyone brought up this evening. Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 16, 2023 Page 27 Mayor Taylor noted that Councilman Radtke had brought up the MML Annual Conference being held this week in Traverse City, and Councilwoman Ziarko will be presiding over the meeting as President. He added this will be her last meeting as President of that organization, which she has very ably steered for the last two years. He felt the MML has been a tremendous benefit to the City of Sterling Heights. Networking with people from different communities, learning what they are doing, and taking those ideas and bringing them back to improve what they are doing in the City is a great opportunity. He credited Councilwoman Ziarko for leading this organization over the past two years, and pointed out she has brought many ideas back from all over. He thanked her for serving in that role and congratulated her for holding it for the past two years. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. 12. NEW BUSINESS 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 (6/0). The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. MELANIE D. RYSKA, City Clerk