Call a regular meeting of City Council
April 9th, 2024 at 7:00 PM If we could
stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge Allegiance.
Pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which stands?
One nation. One nation under God, indivisible.
Liberty, with liberty and justice for all.
Roll call President Rogan Sea.
Here, vice President McGee.
Here, assistant Secretary
and Pro Mayor Pro Tem Dave Dwyer.
Here. Councilman Bokey. Present. Councilman Nunan.
Present. Councilman Lafferty. Here, Moore is present.
You have a quorum. Madam Chair.
Thank you. Next item. Next
Item is four.
Adoption of the agenda. So moved of the consent agenda.
I apologize.
Support Lafferty.
Any discussion, Ms. Moore?
Or I'll call the question Ms. Moore. I'm
Sorry, Madam. Pre Madam
President? Yes. Thank you.
I would like to remove item number, uh,
4G, please.
And thank you
4G.
Any further discussion makers of the motion comfortable
with moving that item?
Yes, ma'am. I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Um, Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Ancy is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is adoption of the agenda.
So moved with discussion.
Support, Lafferty. Discussion Madam Secretary.
Thank you. Uh,
what was item 4G on the consent agenda will now be
14 G
and I would like to add 12 E, which is discussion,
uh, in Ray rescission
of abatement approved on October 11th, 2022
regarding 31 546 Fairfield, Warren, Michigan,
4 8 0 8 8.
Any additional discussion makers
of the motion comfortable with those, uh,
adjustments without
Objection?
I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan sees a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is six a calendar pending matters.
Motion to receive and file with discussion
Support with discussion.
Uh, discussion. Madam Secretary.
Thank you. Um, I did receive some documentation
purportedly in response to one of the, uh, pending matters.
I haven't had time to review it, so we'll wait
until I've had a, um, a thorough review, uh,
before we take that off the,
um, calendar, if that's appropriate.
Uh, council Member Lafferty.
Thank you. I would like
to remove the request from January 23rd,
and that is for, uh, Q Send Technologies. We
Did, we took it off. It's
not on there. It shouldn't be on there.
It's, it's on there. Oh,
It was supposed to be removed.
Okay. I'm sorry. It No problem.
That was, that was my mistake for not catching that.
That's okay. That was supposed to be,
So I have received that
information from the administration.
I also received, it's already off,
but the, uh, telecommunications contracts
for the Warren Community Center
have also been submitted to me.
Excellent. Thank you to the administration
for sending over that information.
Any additional discussion? Uh, all in favor, aye.
Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is seven a approval of the minutes
of the regular meeting of March 26th, 2024.
So moved. Support
Dwyer.
Any discussion? Hearing none? I'll call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey?
Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty?
Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is approval of the bills
of the General Revenue funds.
So moved with discussion
Support to wire discussion.
Madam Secretary? Uh,
Yes. Let me get to my
spot. Sorry, I wasn't prepared once again.
Um, we have several items on the, um,
wire transfers.
Mm-Hmm. Wire transfers.
Um, and they are
the, uh, one for 13,693.
13 is for a repair of a city vehicle.
$35,108 91 cents is repair
of a city vehicle.
Um, $14,002 is
to Kirk Huth and Battle Lament in the Vander Linden case.
Um, and the other on there is for also a repair
of a city vehicle.
Thank you. Any further discussion?
Hearing none, I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Lafferty?
Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Mr. Noonan? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is a B approval of the bills
of the water and sewer system. So moved.
Support Lafferty. Discussion.
Hearing none. I will call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes.
Um, Ms. McGee? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Rogan. See as Yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is audience.
Thank you. Members of the audience who would like
to address city Council this evening may do
so under the audience portion
by filling out a form here on the right of the stage.
This is a reminder that per our council rules
and procedures, you must write your name
and address on the audience form, or give your full name
and address at the podium.
You have three minutes. We do have a new, uh, clock
that we've been, uh, utilizing the past couple meetings.
So watch for your time.
Uh, there is additional time at the end of the meeting
or general audience, uh, for items not related
to agenda items.
So this time is for agenda items only.
These are for the public hearings funding. Okay.
First is Lori Harris.
Good evening. Good evening.
I wanted to talk about 14.
Uh, Alright.
Uh, c and d and I find it interesting that,
Uh, They're requesting the Human Resource Department is
requesting an adjustment to their current pay scale
for the position of city Attorney.
Uh, that's quite a large, uh, increase.
And when we don't have an appointed actual, um,
the appointee to the head
of the legal department, I know Ms.
Michaels is acting city attorney, um,
also requesting a current pay scale for the position
of human resource director.
That's like asking for a raise.
I mean, I'm not sure that the person that's acting
as the Human Resource department director
is qualified would meet the qualifications
of the job posting that's on the site.
And, um, I, I would ask you to turn these down.
They can come up in the next budget,
but why are we giving these kind
of raises at the end of a budget year?
And then also, I wanted to bring up four,
um, G that, uh, Mr.
Lafferty took off the consent agenda
and I appreciate that Mr.
Lafferty, um, noticed that Arden Road right here,
um, between Exeter and chant is crumbling.
And it was just finished.
Um, and, um, hopefully we can get some,
uh, input on that.
I did talk to Ms. Gaius.
I think she probably has some information to share,
but, um, why are we paying people to complete jobs
and they're not being do done well?
Because these are not the only, this is not the only street
that this is happening to.
And, uh, we have to make it better.
I mean, it doesn't make any sense to pay millions
of dollars, $2 million for that road piece of road
and it's crumbling.
Um, so I would appreciate
that you would also vote down paying them
until we find out what the solution is.
There are actually two, um, on this, on the agenda,
on the Casen agenda for roads, for final payments.
And I think we need to, there, we need
to have a way to stop this.
So thank you.
Next is Gary Watts.
Good evening everybody. Um, I just wanted
to follow up on the, the pay raises as well.
Uh, based on my four years on council,
I would be very careful passing this until we see
who are gonna fill those positions,
because the performance from both that are acting right now
has not performed well in the last
four years, in my opinion.
I've seen many debacle happen at the planning commission
meeting and many of the hiring issues that surrounded police
and fire, um, was created there in that,
in that department as well.
So I would just be very careful with that before you do it.
I mean, I don't have a problem giving people
raises if they deserve it.
And if we're gonna hire from outside
and fill those positions with other people
that are well qualified, then so be it.
'cause I understand it's hard getting people today,
but the current people that are in those acting positions
are, um, let's just say acting is a good word.
So thank you.
Thank You. That is the end of
audience for the moment on.
Oh,
Linda, no worries.
No, we're
Done. She can't speak
again. We're done.
Oh, later. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Okay.
Uh, complete audience for the moment. Next item. Next
Item is 10 is 10 a, uh, Patrick's Studio
50th anniversary tribute. So moved.
Support, support, Lafferty.
Thank you. And I just spilled my beverage.
Hold on. I might need something.
Yeah. Clean tempera.
If you could give me one moment, everyone.
I just wanna make sure I don't,
I have a clean temperature. Thank
you. There's a little bit.
Here's some more. What's that? Yes, it'd be a good timing.
Be, oh, here's a whole other thing.
There's a whole stack.
Okay. Thank you. Uh, recently I went in
for our city portraits.
Thank you. Which, uh, all of us, uh,
get our portraits done to be hung in City Hall.
And, uh, had the pleasure of speaking to, uh, Patrick at,
um, Patrick Studios.
And he had informed me
that this is their 50th year in business here in Warren.
And, uh, prepared a resolution for him
and his family, who I believe is here with him.
Whereas the city of Warren cherishes small businesses
and Patrick Studios located in the heart of Warren, is one
of the esteemed businesses.
And whereas Patrick Studios has been owned
and operated by the Bush Mo family
has reached a significant milestone by celebrating 50 years
of continuous operation.
And whereas since its establishment in 1974,
Patrick Studios has exemplified the spirit
of entrepreneurship, creativity,
and the timeless capturing our com of our community
and its members through photography,
contributing significantly to the local economy,
cultural landscape of Warren.
And whereas through dedication
to excellence in customer service,
Patrick Studios has earned the respect, admiration,
and loyalty of its clientele as well
as the broader Warren community.
And whereas the success of Patrick Studios stands
as a testament to the hard work, perseverance,
and vision of its founders, employees,
and everyone that is, has associated
with the business throughout its storied history.
Now the therefore be it resolved that the members
of the Warren City Council hereby honor
and commend Patrick Studios for its 50 years
of business excellence
and significant contributions to the city
of Warren while recognizing
and celebrating the enduring
during legacy they have had in shaping
and contributing to our community resolution.
Declared and operated this ninth day of April, 2024.
Can I have a motion? We
Did. Oh,
You did. Thank you.
Thank you. Uh, all in favor? Aye.
Aye. Thank you.
If you would like to come up to the podium, I can give
This to you.
Mm-Hmm. Gimme a
picture right there.
Mm-Hmm. Yeah. That's typical. Very typical.
Madam Chair. Yes.
Um, I would just like to give a little background.
I first met, uh, Patrick
and Pam, I don't know,
in the nineties when my kids started going to school,
and then when I be, they took my first, uh,
political photos ever when I ran
for school board the first time.
And, uh, I saw Patrick at every Cousino event
and Deel event.
And, um, he sort of chronicled the lives of most of the kids
that went to certainly Warren Khan and d other schools.
You know, I didn't follow you around everywhere you went,
but you have been, um, uh, just a, a a such a part
of the community, the school districts,
and, um, just a been a phenomenal friend
to Warren, the Warren Schools.
And we so appreciate both of you
for your commitment to this city.
You've lived here for a long time.
You've given your heart and soul to this city,
and I personally appreciate it
and I'm sure everyone in this city does as well.
So, thank you.
Thank You very much. Next item.
Um, here we go. Mr. Bokey. Adam
Chair. Yes.
At the last council meeting, uh,
it was unfortunately I received a call, uh,
that a dear friend had passed away.
Uh, Robert Bobby Scott,
who was a retired police officer for the city of Warren.
And also he was in charge of our blight department.
I've known Bobby for some time.
Uh, he was the type of person that would do anything
for you, uh, take the shirt off his back to get it done.
Uh, we both had the love of classic cars.
We used to discuss that even
before he went into the hospital.
He was gonna help me with something.
At this time, I'd just like to take a moment
of silence for him.
Uh, Bob Scott, please, my friend. Rest in peace.
Um, Moment of silence.
Moment of silence.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Uh, Madam Secretary, just
To follow up about Bobby, Bobby was my neighbor just lived
around the corner from me and, uh, uh, until he moved.
And interestingly enough, um, his property became a subject
of blight violations.
And so we had, uh, quite a back
and forth over, um, the new tenant was certainly like,
not like the old one.
And, uh, he, uh, uh, gave his heart
and soul to the police department,
and we certainly appreciate his service.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bokey.
And on another sad note, um,
the honorable Robert j Chenowski passed away on April 7th.
Um, the judge was retired from the McComb Circuit Court,
and he was also a former city attorney.
Um, and also the father of Susan Chenowski Cole, who was a,
uh, 39th district court judge
and is still a practicing lawyer in the area.
Um, so we thank him for his service to the county,
to the city, uh,
and, uh, our sincere condolences to his entire family.
Any additional announcements?
Moment of Silence? Oh, moment of silence. Sorry.
Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for everyone's patience today.
I can't seem to get my desk organized over here.
Any additional announcements?
Mad president, council Member Lafferty.
Thank you. I was honored, uh, over the weekend
to join the Bangladeshi Association of Michigan's,
uh, dinner.
It was an Iftar dinner,
and for those that celebrate the holy season of Ramadan,
uh, there is a fast
that accompanies the celebration of Ramadan.
And so I was invited to participate in one of these, uh,
meals that, uh, occur at a very particular time
after the Sun has set and the moon has been cited.
And, uh, we heard from a guest speaker from Ionia.
It was the, uh, the youth director gave a wonderful, uh,
talk about, uh, for, especially for those of us
who don't practice that religion explaining Ramadan.
And I found many of the similarities, uh, that
we share in the Catholic faith
and the celebration of Lent and Easter.
And I shared those with, uh, with this, uh, speaker
and with, uh, the people that I was sharing the meal with,
uh, a very, uh, enlightening event.
And I encourage, uh, everyone that there's, there's
so much more that can unite us in the community
if we get to know one another.
And it was a wonderful, wonderful experience.
And so I was privileged to be there. Uh, Mr.
Nunan was also there. He joined, uh, in the festivities.
And, uh, but then, uh, Angela was, was there as well, Ms.
Rogan. So, uh, uh, we, we had a very enjoyable evening,
and I wanted to thank them for their hospitality
and generosity for inviting us to be a part of this event.
So, thank you.
Any additional announcements?
Okay, hearing none. Uh, next item.
Next item is 11 a, which is a public hearing,
which was tabled 2 13 20 24.
Request to approve the demolition
of a house in shed at 75 51 prospect
through the nuisance abatement program consideration
and adoption of a resolution
Motion to remove from the table.
Support. All in favor?
Aye. Any opposed? Item is removed from the table.
Motion to approve. For the purposes of discussion,
I'll support it.
Discussion, council member Lafferty.
Thank you. Through the chair to Mr. Lizza, please.
Good evening, counsel. Um, I visited the property today.
Um, I didn't see any changes in the property.
Um, I did take some pictures.
Um, the owner did, um,
obtain city cert application on four five for inspections,
but we have not inspected the property yet.
We have not gotten inside for proper inspections yet.
They were issued 4, 5 24,
and I believe that it scheduled the all five inspectors are
scheduled to come out the first week of May to go out
because we had to coordinate all five together.
So we have not gotten inside the property,
but it stands the same as of today.
Alright. Mr.
Lizza, uh, in your, in your opinion at the moment, uh,
with the, at least the due diligence being given
by the council to this homeowner, uh, I see
that it, we've at least accomplished something
and so I'm, I'm hopeful that they're going
to turn this property around a recommendation from you
relative to the inspection process.
The length of time it's going to take to, uh,
rehabilitate the home.
I'm willing to table for another three to six months given,
uh, given your recommendation.
Well, I, I, I'd like to see the,
I think we should revisit it
after we get our inspection sheets to see how, uh,
extensive these repairs are gonna be.
I'm curious. I I mean, four
Weeks. Four weeks. Alright.
So,
Yeah, so I mean, like, we're,
we are gonna end up prob in 30 days, we're going
to perform these inspections
and then we'll have all, all five,
we'll have violation sheets
that will be written on the property six weeks, so for the,
on the interior, but six weeks,
Yeah. May 28th.
Okay. Alright.
I will, based on that, I would recommend that we table
ret this to the meeting of May 28th.
Will that give you sufficient time to inspect
and report back?
Yeah, the sheets will be in the, the day, uh,
all the violation sheets will be entered the day
of inspection, and then it'll all be available for review.
I mean, I could even have, I mean, we could have,
I could have each inspector evaluate, you know, what they,
you know, I'm not, you know, a dollar amount.
I'm curious how much it's gonna cost to rehab this home.
And is the owner capable of rehabbing this home?
That's my concern. Mm-Hmm.
I I share all of your concerns.
Yeah, and like I said, we, we, we gave the,
the homeowner a matter of due diligence,
gave an opportunity, here's your chance,
and let's see how viable
This is our seventh hearing.
Un understood. So it,
it never hurts to try to save a home.
Let's, uh, I'm, I'm much, much in favor of, of doing this.
So, uh, motion to table to Tuesday, May 28th.
Support.
Uh, let's see.
Council member Lafferty
Yes. To table,
Uh, council member Noonan.
Yes. To table Council member Voki. Yes.
To table Council Member Dwyer.
Yes. To Table Council Member McGee? Yes. To table.
Uh, Rogan C is a yes. Item is tabled until May 20.
I vote yes as well. Oh, sorry, Ms. Moore. It's okay.
Can't get it together today. Uh, let's see. I hear you.
Next item. Madam Secretary.
10 B public hearing. Proposed 2024.
2025 action plan, application for CDBG Home
and Hopwa funds.
So moved. Oh, no, it's a public hearing.
Yep. If city staff, uh,
someone from the administration could come summarize
what we're doing today.
Good evening, members of council. My name's Angela Teko.
I'm from the city of, uh, community Development Department.
Um, our, our, um, budget is in its proposed, uh,
plan is available to the public.
So today we are receiving comments on the proposed plan.
Um, once HUD releases the entitlement allocation
to the city, um, we'll adjust our budget, um,
accordingly to the comments that we receive.
And then we'll bring it forward to counsel for action.
Thank You. Thank you.
There's no petitioner in this instance.
Uh, I will open the public hearing.
There are a number of folks who put in, uh, documents
for speaking today.
If you'd like to speak, uh, at the public hearing,
I would encourage you to fill out a form since there are a
number of folks, I just wanna be able to keep track of them.
The first is Susan Young.
Mm-Hmm. Thank you for giving us the opportunity.
Um, I'm representing St. Vincent DePaul conferences.
There are five churches in the area, St.
Louis de Merrick, St. Mark, our Lady, queen of Families, St.
Fina's and Holy Innocence St. Barnabas.
And we're all recipients of the Warren Block Grant.
The grant is an essential partnership
with our conference in the city of Warren.
It helps residents stay or get into stable housing.
We have been able to prevent eviction
and to assist homeowners
and renters who have no way to meet their payments,
to not be evicted.
Local rents have significantly increased since Covid
a one bedroom apartment, I would say in 2019 was about 795,
and now it's about 1100.
Homeowners need essential appliances.
We also provide that laundromats are expensive
and that's what we hear from a lot of 'em.
A washer and dryer in a home saves
that limited cash resources they have.
And having a working stove and with burners and ovens,
and also having a refrigerator that works, allows them
to at least be able to provide some nutrition
and be able to prepare some decent meals.
We also try to deal with all of our neighbors in need.
We give 'em a resource list so they know what's available
to them, especially with food pantries that are in our area
and also around Macomb County.
Um, we use this grant to pay rent, but also the appliances
and also on occasion, um, paying water bills, heat bills,
things like that, that really, you know, we don't want
that shut off for them.
Um, we will continue to help with housing, utilities
and other maintenances, and we really look forward to
that partnership with the City of Warren. Thank you.
Thank you. Next is Stacy Conti.
Do You evening,
I actually have some informational
packets too. Can I bring those?
Give those to MS. Camp.
Good evening counsel. My name is Stacy Conti
and I am the Community Outreach Coordinator
for Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers.
Uh, one of the applicants for the CDBG funding.
With the number of older adults in Macomb County,
rapidly increasing the need for support services due
to frailties of age, chronic health conditions
and disabilities, as well as lack of assistance due
to changing family structures is growing dramatically
and will continue to do so well into the future.
For over 30 years,
our organization has been providing free basic assistance
to hundreds of frail, older,
and physically challenged adults,
helping them remain safely in their homes.
With the help of hundreds of volunteers,
such assistance has been helping them with transportation,
chores, respite, breaks, errands and loneliness.
The CDBG Safe at Home Project of IVC is part
of our larger chore and repair program for older
and disabled adults.
The product was developed to provide additional chore
and repair services in the communities
that allocate funding for this purpose.
This project allows us to assist low
to moderate income seniors
and physically challenged adults with indoor
and outdoor chores, minor home repairs,
and routine housekeeping.
We identify individuals
who cannot do these tests on their own
with limited resources
and prioritize those with the greatest need.
We are requesting the CDBG funding to increase the number
of low income citizens we can reach, as well
as coordinate the volunteers to do these services.
IVC provides over 20,000 hours of help over all
of its services to nearly 500 people in need each year.
We have more clients that we help living in Warren than any
other city in Macomb.
And although we have not been granted CDBG funding
for Warren in past years, we are confident that the addition
of the funding would allow us
to help even more Warren residents than we already have
with tasks that allow them to remain safely in their home.
As we have seen with the numerous other cities from which we
receive this funding, CDBG funding from other cities in
Macomb County has allowed us
to increase essential support services to their residents
by 67% over the past years.
Even without these resources, we still try to do all we can
to help the struggling seniors
and disabled adults in Warren.
Uh, and we know we are,
there are many more worn individuals in need we could reach
with the help of this resource.
Other examples of, uh, tasks
with the CDBG funding may include replacing locks,
washing windows, raking leaves, routine housekeeping,
and installing smoke alarms.
Thank you to the council and everybody here tonight.
I appreciate you, um, allowing me to speak.
If you know of anybody who needs this type of help,
please feel free to refer them to our number that is on
that brochure I gave you.
Um, or if you know of anybody looking to volunteer,
and I'd be happy to take any questions as well.
Thank You. Thank you.
Next is Reverend Dianda.
PQ, yes.
Uh, good evening, honorable mayor and,
and honorable members of the city council.
Uh, brother and sister.
I, um, I'm the president of the Budhist Council of America
in City of War.
Uh, this is the most, it's becoming more,
most diversity, uh, in the United States right now.
It's becoming, and we have a more than 10,000 Buddhist
population in the city of war.
We have a, uh, five or six Buddhist temple
and centers, meditation centers.
And, uh, couple of them is become a, um, vandalized.
And then the, uh, assault. And then the Hmong is here.
He was, uh, brutal, brutally injured at the nine,
nine mile Buddhist temple,
sacred Mountain Buddhist monastery,
another temple in 12 miles.
And Ryan, another temple in 10 mile.
So many temple was vandalized.
And then the attack, and then assault.
So we called the police department
and then they don't get any,
we didn't get any, uh, action.
So it is a kind of, um, I don't know, discrimination
or, I, I'm not sure that what happened, these things.
And we like to concern about the, the city council
to report these things.
And then my friend, uh, MRT gang, he will explain
what happened to more about.
The second thing I like to, uh, focus on.
Um, we like to celebrate, uh, June 16,
Buddha's birthday celebration is called International,
uh, since, um, we have done, uh, in the City
of War and, uh, 2010 2019.
And, uh, we like to do this year again,
the biggest celebration, uh,
holiday about the Buddhas birthday celebration.
And we like to invite our mayor,
all the city council members to that occasion at the,
at the Fifth General High School Auditorium, uh, June 16.
So we like to pay attention to the, uh, from our, uh,
help from the city council, and then, uh, honorable mayor,
and then all the city council member inviting our, uh,
as honorable guest
and the mayor of, um,
all the five city mayor gonna be there.
And we are contacting with the, uh, Senator Gary Peters.
He will be there, honorable guest.
And then the, uh, our governor will be a chief
guest will be there also.
So all of you invited,
and then this occasion, uh, we are, we need your, our city,
uh, city of Warren Health.
Uh, please, uh, our mayor to request the,
to getting the auditorium.
Uh, June 16th, please, uh, help us
to celebrate Buddha's birthday celebration.
Is the international holiday adopted by the United Nations.
Thank you. Thank You so much.
There's no time on public hearing.
Yeah. Uh, let's see. Next is Dory Vasquez. Nolan.
Oh, I thought you meant time on the clock.
Can I share some?
Good evening. My name is Dory Vasquez. Nolan.
I am the CEO of Care House,
the Macomb County Child Advocacy Center.
We, uh, have our main office located in Mount Clemens,
and we have a satellite office located right here in the
city of Warren Care.
House is the only agency in Macomb County
that offers comprehensive services for child victims
of sexual abuse, physical abuse,
and for children who may have been a witness
to a violent act, as well
as their non-offending family members.
Um, our goal is to minimize the trauma that is typically,
um, associated with a child abuse investigation
and to provide coping skills, advocacy,
and case management for the child and family.
We collaborate with all law enforcement jurisdictions in
Macomb County, as well as the FBI, Homeland Security
and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement,
or ICE Children's Protective Services,
the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, and Medical
and Mental Health professionals.
When we think about children, we like to imagine their
innocent laughter, playful spirits,
and their precious dreams for the future.
But unfortunately, not all children have the opportunity
to experience a carefree childhood.
Many children right here in our community are facing
unimaginable, unmanageable challenges, that word, um,
and hardships including child abuse, neglect, and trauma.
And that's where Care House comes in.
Care House serves as a beacon of hope for child victims
of sexual and physical abuse, providing them
with a safe haven where their voices can be heard
and their needs can be met.
It's a place where healing begins,
where resilience is nurtured,
and where childhood can be reclaimed.
Each child that walks through our doors has a unique story,
a story that's often filled with pain and suffering.
And our goal is to rewrite the ending to those stories
and give those children the support
and resources they need to heal and to Thrive.
Care House offers intervention
and support services intervening to promote healing
and helping families to cope with the emotional stress
and trauma that's caused not only by the acts of abuse,
but by the investigative process.
Our services services include the coordination
of forensic interviews, crisis counseling, child safety
and trauma assessments, child, parent
and child support groups, trauma focused therapy sessions,
family advocacy, access to forensic medical examinations,
referrals to other needed community services.
And as a designated counsel in Macomb County
for the Michigan's Children's Trust Fund.
Care House offers child abuse prevention, information,
education, and training to professionals
and to the community at large.
In October of 2022, care House started the development
of a family resource center at both of our locations.
And a Family resource center,
or an FRC as we call it, are parent driven, driven,
welcoming, and supportive hubs for families in our community
who are seeking resources, not just families who are dealing
with allegations of abuse.
So we actually are expanding on the
population that we're serving.
Our FRCs offer family pantries,
parent leadership development
and mentoring, positive parenting
and child development education, warm handoffs
to other community resources needed
and ongoing case management.
Families are never charged for any of the services
that they receive at Care House.
And we provide services
to all referred children and families.
I'm also very proud to report that according
to our most recent independent financial audit, 92 cents
of every dollar that comes
to Care House is specifically devoted
to serving children and families.
Since we opened in 1996,
we've conducted 10,865 child forensic interviews
with 1,744 of those children residing in Warren.
Last year in 2023, we conducted 651 forensic interviews
for 121 Warren Children.
And so far this year we've conducted 192 forensic
interviews, including 4 44 4 children who resided in Warren.
Additionally, we provide ongoing therapy, advocacy
and case management for several Warren children
and families and their families.
When we opened our satellite center almost seven years ago
to bring critical services closer to the southern part
of our county, um, we didn't realize
that, um, we would end up expanding twice.
Um, we are now leasing approximately 5,000 square feet
to better serve families from Warren and other Southern
and central Macomb communities.
We're actually holding an open house tomorrow.
It's on information, is on the last page
of the packet that I gave you.
And, um, we would love to, um, see you come by For members
of the public that may be interested in coming by,
we invite you to visit our website@www.mc care house.org.
Or call us at (586) 463-0123.
For more information about our open houses
and to RSVP, we know that none
of this could have been possible.
Um, our expansion into the City
of Warren without the support of the City of Warren,
we're very proud and grateful
to be your partner in providing support to families
to help them thrive.
Um, we do depend on support from the community
to provide a voice for child victims
and a safe place for them to be heard.
We're very grateful
for the longstanding support from the City of Warren
and for the CDBG funding that we received last year,
which supported services for 66 born children.
This year. We respectfully request your consideration
for funding in the upcoming year in the amount of $48,000
to support services for 80 qualifying child victims.
But we would be grateful for any amount
that you were able to allocate to us.
Um, again, our website is www.mccarehouse.org.
We also invite people to follow us on Facebook.
Thanks for your consideration.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you. No, thank you. Thank you.
Next is Hearts for Homes.
Can you give your name for the record?
Krista Carpenter. Thank you. I, hi. Good evening.
I am the director of Hertz for Homes.
Uh, hearts For Homes is a nonprofit here in Macomb County.
We help, uh, homeless children
and their working families obtain and,
and keep their housing that they're in.
Uh, we would like to, I'd like to start by thanking you
for the allocation from last year with your assistance.
We served 20 children in Warren.
We kept them in their homes in a safe place
with a place to lay their head.
There are 1600 homeless children in Macomb County.
We work with liaisons through the school districts to, uh,
obtain those numbers and then contact,
get in contact with their families.
Uh, in Warren is a, is a special place
to be because they're interested in keeping their
children in their homes.
So they help your CDBG dollars help us keep them in their
homes so they don't get displaced because of eviction.
And we have a family, we helped a family as recently as,
uh, Thursday in Warren.
And it was, it was very emotional
because she had, you know, children
and they, they were so upset
to have to leave their home.
And so it was so wonderful to be able to, to reach out
and participate in assisting her to stay in her house.
Uh, we placed a wonderful woman in November who, uh,
had two children and she said,
and I quote, hearts For Homes is an amazing organization
with amazing people who run it.
They were able to help me through a rough patch and get me
and my son a place to lay our heads.
We are so thankful to Hearts for Homes.
Uh, Kimani is a wonderful, hardworking mom who
took the word of a friend
that they would help her pay her rent,
and then bailed two months in.
So she needed a little hand up to stay where she was
and to keep a, a safe place for her child.
Um, this year we would like to continue our relationship
with Warren and we requested $25,000,
but we would be willing to,
we would appreciate anything you can help us with.
Our goal is to help, uh, you know, 15 families next year
and Warren and, uh, yeah.
I, we'd love to have your help to do that.
So, uh, if you have any questions, Good.
Thank you. Alright, Have a good night. Thank you.
I will close the public hearing
and turn it over to Counsel for, oh, oh, sorry.
There's a couple that didn't Okay. Sorry. Turning Point.
If you could say your name for the record. Uh,
My name is my Janice Pratt.
Uh, I am a resident advocate with Turning Point.
Turning Point has been providing a safe place
for families fling violence since 1980.
Between July 1st, 2022
and June 30th, 2023, the emergency shelter program
provided emergency shelter to 48 Warren residents, 31 adults
and 17 children.
Turning Points. Emergency Shelter Program is a safe haven
for survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence.
It provides immediate safety, crisis intervention,
and resources to families trying to establish basic safety.
The project is a multifaceted approach to ending the cycle
of violence in families.
Turning points to shelter.
Case managers meet
with every new shelter resident within 24 hours
of their arrival to develop an individualized
plan based on their goals.
They also work on a safety housing and fin.
They also plan for safety, housing, and financial stability.
This plan include literacy, immigration, credit repair,
and supportive counseling for domestic and sexual violence.
After leaving Shelter,
the emergency Shelter Case Management program has developed
collaborations and linkages to multiple systems,
organizations, businesses,
and churches that can help domestic violence victims
maintain their safety when leaving Shelter,
there's a strong evidence which states
that improving survivor's knowledge of
and access to community resources leads to higher quality
of life and less risk of reuse over time.
Resource building serves as a protective factor
that enhances women's safety over time.
Turning Point continues to provide comprehensive services
to children while in shelter and after they leave.
Children in shelter, receive crisis support, tutorial,
educational assistance, safety planning,
recreation activities, seven days per week.
A day camp runs all summer.
Many children keep in contact with us for many months
after leaving Shelter.
A child Crisis Advocate works with children teens in shelter
and is able to follow them
after they leave Shelter to continue offering individual
and group supportive services.
Turning Point Shelter facility is completely handicap
accessible, has increased educational indoor
and outdoor play area for children and teens.
Private sleeping and bathroom facilities, multipurpose rooms
that functions as a dining room and family activity area.
Private dedicated counseling spaces
and spaces for other nonprofits to be on site
to deliver their services.
If Turning Point is awarded the $15,000
of CDBG funds requested Turning Point will be able
to provide hotel accommodations
to survivors and their families.
When shelter beds are not available, receive hygiene kits,
food supplies, and other basic needs funds are also
provided to survivors and their families to wash clothes
and transportation costs.
Do you have any questions? Okay.
I do have materials to give. Thank you.
Thank you. Is there anyone else that wishes
to speak at the public hearing about CW c Uh,
our HOPWA and CDBG specifically?
There's additional agenda at the end of the meeting.
If anyone has wants to speak to this item specifically,
feel free to come up to the microphone.
Okay, sure. What
I appreciate my seeing my neighbors here advocating
for a better neighbor.
I feel terrible. Thank you.
Uh, your ideas, ladies and gentlemen, are excellent.
If there, it's up to these folks to award you monies,
keep your ideas going,
I strongly suggest you support it.
'cause if you don't, you're making a big mistake.
Something that it betters the neighborhood
and lives of our neighbors is a great idea.
That's all I have to say.
I don't know if anyone heard you
because you're watching things float and walking away,
but I wanna make sure that I, I care
and I'll definitely vote in your favor if I
get the opportunity to.
Can you give your name? We didn't hear it, David.
And I'll give it again. My name's Clay Agar. Thank you.
I called you several times. Thank you. And your neighbor.
Yes. Thank you. On the public
hearing specific.
Yep. Yep.
Good evening Counsel. Thank you for the opportunity
to speak on the behalf of, uh, the Warren Seniors.
I'm a 20 year resident of Warren.
It is, uh, let's see,
I wa it was, I was, uh, it was brought
to the attention today at the, uh, Warren Senior Center
that they will be rationing coffee until the month
of July due to, uh, lack of funding for the seniors.
Um, what they're limiting us to is a four ounce,
uh, styrofoam cup, which in the past forever,
they allowed us to bring our own cups in.
You know, sturdy coffee cups allowed the seniors
enjoyed bringing in their own cups.
Not to mention they provided cups.
And some seniors have, uh, limitations.
They need two hands on a sturdy cup.
You know, we know they drink like this,
they might need a handle.
So this little flimsy styrofoam cup, not to mention limited
to only four ounces.
Um, I would hope that this could be addressed
because I certainly did the math.
They don't even go through one can of coffee
a week, 52 weeks.
And there's a lot of days off, maybe with the cost
of the cream and the sugar
and everything, it could be $800 a year.
And we still have three months to go.
And the seniors provide all the treat the snacks,
homemade pastries.
We would hate to have to come in one day and have no coffee.
I offered actually to pay for anything.
I will not let the seniors go without it.
But I don't think that is necessary.
If we can provide a, maybe find a few cups
of coffee in another cabinet, another department, and,
and bring it to the senior center,
or maybe allocate a few dollars.
I don't think it's more than about $80
for the next couple months.
But yeah, it's really serious issue.
And most people aren't it, it was just brought up today.
They gotta sign on the coffee machine
and we're telling people
that we're bringing in their own mugs
and coffee cups so they can use two hands.
They're no longer allowed to do it.
Sir, did you put your name in on a slip for audience?
Did I fill out a form? Yes, yes I did.
Okay. Uh, so I would encourage you, I hear you.
And this would be a general audience item towards the end.
Is your name Sam? Yes.
So Sam, we spoke over Facebook, so if you wanna come back up
during regular audience,
that would probably be the best time
and we can get some information
and make sure we hear you more fully.
Well, I'm not gonna stick around. I'm a senior too.
It's getting close to bedtime. Okay.
But, uh, you know, please, if you can help
and you know, you're aware of it, but, okay. Yep.
Yep. So, uh, so the,
uh, Dino, Mr.
Trudo is our, uh, parks
and Rec director where in the back there, uh,
feel free to have a conversation with him before you leave.
Absolutely. But if, uh, it comes to it,
council is will more than happy,
appropriate some additional money for coffee, uh,
should the seniors need it?
So rest assured, we'll figure that out.
Grateful. Thank you very much.
Appreciate it. I'm gonna talk to them.
Yes. Thank you.
Anyone else for the public hearing on this p
particular item?
Okay. Gonna close the public hearing.
Turn it over to Council for action.
Madam Chair. Council member, uh, Moore.
Uh, are we motioning, are we approving this tonight?
No, just listening. I do have a comment.
Um, we appreciate all the great work you all do.
Um, and I would suggest, I don't know if, um, I would have
to look on, I'm not intimately familiar with every, um, inch
of the website, but it'd be nice to have each of these, um,
organizations listed.
Maybe we could have a page of where to go for help.
I know you can call it. Is it, um, two one one
or 4 1 1 kind of that it'll send you 2 1 1.
Is it 2 1 1? And that kind of gets you somewhere, you know,
my go-to is usually Ms. McGee, um, for where to get help
because she's got experience.
But it be really great if we could put
that on the city's website.
Um, you know, certain things that are available to people.
'cause I get calls, um, not infrequently of people, um,
you know, being told they have to move out of their house
'cause they can't pay their rent.
And, um, that's very, very sad.
It's often, uh, single moms with kids that don't have a lot
of, um, places to go.
It was very sad and I would really like to have an answer
and be able to send them in the right place.
Um, so if maybe we could work with the, um,
communications department
and, um, kind of put together a, um, a listing of
those places to go for different situations.
We could do it for, you know, things you talked about.
We could do it for other things.
And, um, that would at least be something
and we could do a little something of each
of your organizations.
And, um, if you could send us all,
anytime you're doing fundraisers
or things like that in the community,
we would certainly like to hear about that
and we could promote that.
We would certainly do it on the council's Facebook page.
Um, you know, any little bit we could do to help,
we would be glad to do that.
Next item. Next item is
12 a, um, request to ratify the proposed city of Warren
and GELC 2 27 contract extension agreement from
July 1st, 2024 through June 30th, 2025.
Motion to approve with discussion
Support. Lafferty,
uh, discussion. Council secretary.
Thank you. Uh, my comments will, um, uh, apply
to A, B and C.
Um, we had a contract, uh, extension come up, I don't know,
a month ago, six weeks ago.
And, uh, it was kind of a last minute just given to council
and we didn't have an opportunity
to meet with Labor Council.
This is very simple. There's not very many things in it,
so it's not really a big issue.
But we were promised at the time that
that wouldn't happen again.
That we would have advanced notice, we'd have a discussion
with Labor Council so we would understand the terms
of the agreement, what the plan was.
Um, so I would hope that that goes forward,
or at least we get some communication indicating
that this is all we're doing.
Um, you know, if you still need a, a meeting
with Labor Council, we can do it.
But, uh, this is very simple.
Um, but I just wish that everybody would keep in mind that,
you know, we have to make the decision
and the more information we have, the better informed we are
and we can make better decisions.
So, um, I'm certainly in favor of, uh, requesting this.
And, um, my comments go for everyone.
Jonathan, Did you make the,
Any other discussion? I
made the motion? No. Uh, you from GELC?
Yes.
Hi. Uh, my name's David Shield.
I'm the president of, uh, local 2, 2, 7 general employees
and of the section of the courts.
Um, so if there's any questions you have, like you said,
it's, it's cut and dry.
Um, it, we got this done, um, with the plan
of discussing more in depth topics throughout the year,
which was also part of the agreement.
Um, so there's, there's some work that needs to be done just
to kind of clean up our contract
and, uh, just kind of, that's all.
So I have a question.
What did it, uh, the agreements pass
by the membership vote? Do
You recall? Uh,
the courts, it was I
think 25 to zero.
I might have it for you. And, uh, I think for our
was 102 to 46 out of 253 members
in, uh, the general employee.
And we have, uh, 27 court employees.
So you didn't provide that in the letter? I know, sorry.
Yeah, I know I was trying to give it to you,
but yes, those were, those were the numbers. Okay.
Thank you. Okay. Any other discussion?
Okay, I'll call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Dwyer?
Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Grogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12 B.
Request to ratify the proposed city of Warren
and GELC 2027 Court extension agreement from
July 1st, 2024 through June 30th, 2025. So moved.
Support Lafferty. Discussion. Hearing none.
I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Voki? Yes. Uh, Mr.
Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12 C.
Request to ratify the proposed city of Warren
and GELC supervisor's extension agreement from
July 1st, 2024
through June 30th, 2025. So moved.
Support Dwyer. Uh, discussion.
Hearing none, I'll the call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Mr. Noonan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12 D resolution
and agreement to appoint Michael Swafford as the city
of Warren's nuisance abatement, hearing officer
consideration and adoption of resolution.
So moved with discussion
Support, Lafferty.
Discussion and Council secretary. Thank
You Madam Chair. Um,
this has an excellent appointment.
Um, you know, this has been a long time coming.
Um, um, and, um, Mr.
Swafford is an upstanding member of our community.
He has, um, very good background.
He met the Gary Watts investigative, uh, uh,
so you pass with flying colors. So
Great to hear.
I, uh, support you a hundred percent.
I appreciate that. I look
forward to working with you folks.
Any additional discussion?
Hearing none, I will call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer?
Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries.
Next item. Congrats. Thank you.
Yes. Welcome. Uh, 12 E is,
uh, discussion in Ray, uh, rescission of the abatement
approved on October 11th, 2022 at
31 546 Fairfield.
So moved with discussion support.
Lafferty. Discussion. Council secretary.
Thank you. We had a, um, a meeting
before this meeting to discuss this item.
I wanna thank, um, uh, attorney, um,
Laura Sullivan and, uh, Mr.
Lizza, uh, for helping us get through this.
And we don't, we aren't always able to, uh, come
to really good, you know, agreements on, in a positive way.
So we're happy to do this
and, uh, we, uh,
think all this is gonna turn out really well for the city
and for everybody involved.
So thank you for all your, your help. We appreciate it.
Any additional discussion?
Can you repeat the motion council?
Yes. It's, um, rescission to rescind the abatement
approved on October 11th, 2022
regarding 31 546 Fairfield Warren, Michigan,
4 8 0 8 8.
Thank you. Sure.
Hearing no additional discussion, I will call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 13 A, which was tabled 4 9 20 24.
Council President Angela Rogan sees discussion in Ray
Landmark Estates update from the legal department.
Do you want it removed? Yes.
Motion to remove from the table.
Support to remove from the table. All in favor? Aye. Aye.
Any opposed? Uh, item is removed from the table.
Motion to approve
Support.
Uh, motion and support. Thank you. Uh, Ms.
Michaels, do you have an update?
Madam Chair Counsel? Um, I met
with Kirk Rain Building Director and Inspector John Imper.
They have, um, some, there's been some progress,
but still it, it remains a site
that could use redevelopment, a total rehaul,
but as it stands right now, the sewers are being worked on.
It's ongoing. According to the inspectors, there are a lot
of tree roots infiltrating the sewers.
So contractors are there,
but the work is taking longer than expected.
Um, rat boxes are out and about.
I guess they've upgraded the rat control, but Inspector
and Pazar will go back and inspect the water lines.
Evidently, they flushed the water
lines and this was a problem.
There was a lack of communication.
They didn't tell the residents.
So a lot of residents were, were taking a shower
and surprised by the black water.
I've talked to Dave Co
and we'll refer some complaints to him
and see what can be done on the positive end.
I was told that about half of the units have been removed,
and we actually verified that on the Google map today.
So that's a step in the positive direction.
Another positive development is we receive notice
of a company that is under contract to purchase the land.
The Public Service Department received notice from,
I believe, capital, I'm gonna capital Chandler,
capital LLC.
And there was an olive branch extended to try
and cooperate with the city moving forward
and see what could be done to develop the site.
So that's, we'll make some inquiries into the company.
I tried to check, tried to Google search them,
and I couldn't see too many pictures,
but we'll take a better look and see what type of company.
It's, and it's worth meeting with them to see what they have
to say, because this site does have to be re redeveloped.
Um, Ms. Michaels was a
public nuisance complaint ever filed?
The, no, no. I checked our office files.
No, it was not a draft complaint was prepared,
and I believe that was sent to Secretary Moore by Cecil St.
Pierre. Mm-Hmm. With his report, I think they had, um,
a cleanup agreement pending
with the draft complaint, but it was never filed.
It still could be filed.
If that's the best strategy going moving forward,
I'd almost like to prefer, I prefer a complaint
with the agency if that's the step that we take.
So, I, Laura, to educate my colleagues.
I, I've been, well, a lot
of them are educated on the issue, but also the public.
Uh, there are two bills in the Senate, uh, in the house
that are addressing legislation related
to manufactured housing.
I've went and testified.
I've also, um, have spent a number of years working on this
to try to move the legislation forward.
Unfortunately, uh, mobile home parks,
the water systems are treated like private wells,
and so there is no regulation really over their, uh, water.
From a agency perspective.
Lara, uh, the industry will say that Lara, who is supposed
to be the enforcing agency, does not have, um,
not doing their job, which I disagree with.
Uh, they will also, uh, the industry also says that, uh,
they also wanna remove bad actors from this space.
Unfortunately, legislatively, these folks fall
between the cracks.
We can do virtually nothing here
beyond declare it a public nuisance.
They have a very strong, uh, lobby in Lansing that's trying
to push against this, uh, to ensure that these,
uh, bills don't pass.
I'm on a working group to try and move the industry
and our, uh, folks that we have sworn to protect,
which is our residents, to have better living conditions.
Uh, many of these parks, if you have been,
are really quite deplorable.
And while I'm happy to hear that a new, uh,
potential owner is coming to purchase this park,
unfortunately this is very much a cyclical thing
where another LLC comes in
and purchases the park, drains as much money out of it
as they possibly can if there does exist any.
And, uh, it's just this horrible cycle that continues
to happen in what is the most affordable housing
that we have in the state.
So, uh, that is for everyone to know.
Um, I will maybe put this item on another agenda
for about a, a public nuisance, uh, to see if
that's something, a route this body wants to take.
Uh, I, the sewers they've been talking about,
the sewers being, you know, fixed and cleaned for two years.
I get, you know, videos from residents in, in the park
that their water is brown.
It's not working. They have very low water pressure.
So I, I don't have a lot
of faith in this particular ownership group.
Mm-Hmm. Uh, I do know that their attorney is here.
I don't know if he wants to say anything.
You did put in a notice. Mr. Clifton Hitchcock. Yes.
Ma Madam Chair. Motion to suspend the rules in order
to get her information formed. Support Lafferty
All in favor, aye.
Aye.
Good evening. President Rogan sees, uh,
and council members attorney.
Um, I, and thank you Ms. Michaels.
I appreciate your comments and,
and I, I thought they were balanced, uh,
noting a number of positives.
I I can't speak to what was mentioned about any,
any possible transfer of, of ownership of, of the land.
But, but what I will say is, as I believe, uh,
council knows, there was an agreement entered
by Landmark Estates and the city not quite 15 months ago.
And, and there was quite a bit of communication that sort
of ceased at the end of, uh, 2022.
But this, this agreement from January of 2023
was a good framework, uh, for, uh, short term
and long term improvements to be made.
And, and my client, um, I, I, I would, I guess take issue
with, um, well, you didn't mention them specifically
as someone who, who drains money from them, but,
but they have put in almost $600,000 approximately
in capital improvements over the, the past two plus years.
And so there have been a lot of improvements made.
Is there a way to go? Sure.
But I, I think there was meaningful discussion and meeting
before this existing agreement.
This current agreement, which is still in place,
was entered in January of 2023.
And I would encourage there to be another opportunity for
that meaningful discussion and meeting
before any further, um, action
or proposed, uh, um, nuisance action would be considered.
Sure. Couple notes is one,
that agreement was never brought
before council, so I don't know if
it's even a valid agreement.
Okay. Uh, yeah.
So there is, there is, the agreement has, was never brought
before us, and we asked
for legal action from the legal department to, uh,
take this issue to court and declare it a public nuisance.
The city, uh, legal department, uh,
entered into an agreement without
getting approval from counsel.
So it's not your fault, uh, that we didn't get it,
but that to for context, to know that, um, your ownership
with all due respect, this is not your problem.
Refuse to even give me their phone number
or really shake my hand in meeting me for the first time.
So I have a long way to go in order to build a bridge with,
uh, your ownership group,
because it continues to, uh, $600,000 in
that park is a drop in a bucket.
And they're a private equity firm
who promises their investors 12 to 15% returns on the backs
of incredibly low income people
who call me on a weekly basis about the concerns
and the conditions in their park.
So again, as your client, from my vantage point,
I've been working on this for years, uh,
and know these people personally
and have been trying to fight
for better conditions in their park.
So, while I agree, $600,000 is a lot of money, it is not
for your client and for the conditions of this park,
I, I would tend to disagree from, from that standpoint,
but I respect your opinion and,
and, uh, president Rogan says, you, you made a,
an interesting comment about the pending legislation
and you said the most affordable housing,
and this is the most affordable housing for a lot of people.
And it truly is the goal of my client to provide quality,
affordable housing.
Uh, many people stand to be displaced
and homeless, uh, if such action is, is taken.
I don't know if there has actually been a legal
interpretation about whether the agreement
that was entered into in January of 2023, um,
but I, I, I would suggest that be looked at, um, to,
to determine whether it, it truly is in fact,
uh, an effective agreement.
But it was a framework.
And I, I think there can be, uh, more discussion, uh,
between landmark estates and,
and the city, uh, to continue to make improvements.
I understand that you're not, uh, president ROIs
and other members of the comp.
You're, you're not satisfied and, and correct.
We understand that. My client understands that.
But the, the goal is to continue to make improvements.
Uh, at the end of 2022, there was, there was a survey
that was put, and,
and it actually at the end of 2023, there was a survey put
to residents and,
and the overwhelming majority, something like 96%,
this was included in a letter that was sent
to Senator Chang, um, had positive things
to say about the community.
So I know that there have been some glaring, uh, items, uh,
but there has been a lot of money and time
and effort spent toward capital
improvements, uh, within here.
Uh, can there be more? I'm sure.
But I think that it would, uh,
be a good thing for there
to be some more discussion and meeting.
And, and I can't speak
to you saying no one would give you a, a number
and, and, and talk to you.
And, and I, of course, I wouldn't agree with that. I will.
But the, um, I think that there should be
at least one more crack at some meaningful discussion, uh,
and a meeting, uh, between the parties, uh, uh,
before another, you know, as your, uh, president Rega says,
you mentioned, uh, another action
to determine whether a nuisance action should be initiated.
I think it, it's in the interest of the residents,
not just the interest of my client,
but in the interest of my residents.
Then another meaningful discussion take place.
Thank you. Okay. Thank you,
Adam, chair, council member, uh, Moore.
Thank you. I I think we all very much appreciate all the
work you've done on, uh, this issue.
And it just reminds us all again that, um, we all have our
strengths and weaknesses and all of us together, um,
working together
and handling different things,
I think is gonna make this council very successful.
And I appreciate everybody's little
niches and things they're doing.
And, uh, thank you again for your work on this one.
Really appreciate it.
Mad President, council Member Lafferty.
Thank you. I believe the attorney said
that there were a couple of agreements.
Sir, could you return to the microphone?
It's, uh, council member Lafferty, what was the question?
Thank you. I I I didn't catch
your last name, I apologize. Oh,
It's Hitchcock. It's
Hitchcock. Mr. Hitchcock
Hitchcock among the law firm, Swiss Stack Levine,
were the attorneys, uh, for Landmark Estates.
Thank you, sir. What did you say?
The, i, I have notes here about your agreements from 2022
and 2023.
No, there, there's, uh, the agreement is, uh,
dated January 19th, uh, 2023.
2023.
And that agreement was entered into, uh, between Landmark
and the city of Warren,
Correct? That's correct.
Alright. And, alright, I will,
my next question will be to attorney Mary Michaels.
Thank you, sir. Okay. Thank
You,
Councilman. Good
evening, Ms. Michaels. Good evening.
This agreement dated January 19th, 2023.
Do you have a copy of this agreement? I do, yes.
Would you please forward a copy of this agreement
to council Office, correct?
Yes, I will. I would like to, uh, I'd like to review it
and understand how this agreement came to be.
Okay. Will do. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you,
Madam President.
Uh, council member Nunan.
Yeah. Um, at least in District five, the, um,
manufactured housing, uh, developments
are pretty much in pretty deplorable condition.
And I would, I I I knocked on doors when I was campaigning
and, um, people were showing me units that, uh,
no, that were un, you know, uninhabitable that had been left
that way, just deteriorating for years
that they were saying they, they saw wild, you know, rats
and skunks and whatever.
Um, infesting.
And I'd really like
to see something done if, if it's possible.
I know that there are limitations on what we can do, um,
but it certainly is, is a important thing for a lot
of people to have better living conditions.
Um, and I hope there'll be more
that we'll do about affordable housing
than just manufactured housing.
But, uh, in the meanwhile,
thank you very much for, for what you're doing.
Thank you. Any further discussion?
So, a motion to receive and file, uh,
and, well, I guess a motion could be, um, Mr.
Schroder, if there's, uh, a meeting
or something that we should set up with Ms.
Michaels to discuss the agreement once we receive
it that appropriate. Uh, the
Madam uh, president, um, as I just discussed
with Council Member Lafferty, we did receive a copy of
that agreement last year.
Um, I did send correspondence
to the city attorney's office saying it was not a valid
agreement because the city council was never asked
to review and approve the agreement.
And the city council being the governing body
of the city under their charter, has
to approve all contracts and agreements.
So that was our position at the time.
I, we do have a copy, I can provide it to the council.
Um, 'cause we did receive a copy of it
after it was signed three, three months after it was signed.
And we did correspond with the then city attorney,
Mr. Vincent, to let him know
that we did not believe it was valid
and counsel was never asked to approve it.
But we did receive a copy.
Not, not right now, unfortunately. No.
Any further discussion from counsel? No.
So, we'll motion to receive and file,
and I'll put this item back on the agenda once I've thought
about it a bit more on how we'd like to, okay.
All done. Uh, thank you. Uh, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye.
Any opposed? Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is, uh, 13 B, consideration
and adoption of a resolution approving an ordinance
to amend chapter two of the Warren Code
of ordinances relating to emergency purchases.
Second reading. So moved with discussion
Support Lafferty.
Discussion Council, secretary Moore. Thank
You. Um, we
approved this on a first reading,
and we sort of got hung up, I believe on the, um,
uh, the, the money.
Um, I think I had proposed 20,000.
I think Ms. Roy wanted it to be 50,000.
Um, and I meant to actually change this to 50,000.
'cause I think that's fine. Um, so with that change
of making the threshold 50,000, um,
and I would, you know, there are very strict reasons
how something is deemed an emergency,
and we can always, um, have a meeting within 18 hours.
But this will allow us to make,
to almost have a meeting immediately
because we are charged, um, to vote on items
of expenditure of funds.
And there are different things that constitute,
um, emergencies.
You know, if, if we're in the middle of a,
if the roof blows off the jail, we've gotta do something
and put a tarp over it or whatever.
But other things just aren't, that can't be decided.
If we can get everybody together in three
or four hours, that really shouldn't be an emergency.
So, um, you know,
and this, this amount,
this amount is just allowing the expenditure of 50,000
until we can get to a meeting.
And then, you know, you can propose we need 200,000
or whatever, but council needs to vote.
And that's our, that's our duty.
So I think that we're, um, uh, obligated to, um,
pass this ordinance.
Thank you,
Madam Chair.
Uh, Richard Fox, city controller, members of council.
Uh, the mayor asked if, if this could be tabled
and, uh, we could have a committee the
whole meeting to discuss this.
Um,
Do you, do you know what the contents of
the discussion were?
Yeah, I think that there emergencies pop up
that, um, we need to move on very quick.
And, um, f it could be more than 50,000,
could be a hundred thousand, um, you know,
and it could curtail services.
And so I, we really think that we'd like the opportunity
to have the administration talk with the members
of the council at a committee as whole, kind of discuss this
and go forward from there.
Madam Chair, Madam Chair.
Um, this allows, uh, the council to meet
with less than 18 hours so we can meet very, very quickly.
Um, I don't, I don't know what the pro, we've always had an,
you know, um, um, you know,
we have something about emergencies already on the record.
This is just making it clear,
because there was abuse of the emergency, um, expenditures,
uh, in the last term.
And there was a little mix up a week ago
or so ago that was not an emergency. And we, well,
That's right. That's where I think the
difference is.
I think that when you're gonna an item
that could curtail services, that's an emergency to
The public. No, according to
the, even the courts, no,
there's separate pick, pickup
of garbage isn't even an emergency.
So recycling is certainly not it. It couldn't have waited.
We could, we could've had a meeting in two hours.
There's two parts to the, uh, ordinance,
the emergency ordinance
and the, uh, curtailing of services to the public is one.
And, and having a, a, a, an amount, whether there's 20
or 50, I think just limits the administration's ability
to deal with that situation.
Well, we could, we can meet, We, the mayor would like
to have it tabled and be able to discuss it further.
Mr. Lafferty, If, if, thank you, Mr. V, Ms.
If Ms. Moore is done. Yeah. Okay.
I am not in favor of, of tabling if I have yet to see,
I've served one term on council.
I have yet to see a legitimate, uh,
emergency purchase order come through.
The most egregious, uh, use
of the emergency purchase order was an emergency ice rink
that was an emergency purchase order, an ice rink,
no disrespect to Mr.
Todo, but the, the mayor was responsible,
the former mayor was responsible for this.
The, the, and this is why we are here to control the,
the funds that are being expended by the administration,
right, wrong, or indifferent by the administration.
These rules protect the tax dollars.
And that's exactly what we're doing.
I'm glad that the mayor is opposing this.
And for, for very good reason.
We have these rules in place, as Ms. Moore has been,
been very eloquent in stating if we need to respond
to an emergency, we have rules in place for this council
to meet and address any situation.
And if I, I would be in favor of a $50,000, uh, uh,
amendment to this, that it gives plenty of leeway for,
you know, anywhere from three to four, maybe 18 hours
before this body could convene
and address a situation of dire need.
So, uh, I'm, I'm in favor with this.
I'm absolutely opposed to tabling
Any additional discussion.
Okay. I will call the question hearing none. Ms. Moore? Yes.
Mr. Lafferty?
Yes. With the amendment to $50,000.
Thank you. Mr. Dwyer.
Yes. With the amendment to 50,000.
Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. As amended.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries.
Next item. Next
Item is, um, 13 C, consideration
and adoption of a resolution approving proposed ballot
language relating to term limits
to be placed on the August 6th, 2024
primary election ballot.
So moved with discussion
Support Lafferty with discussion.
Discussion. Uh, Madam Chair. Uh, Madam Secretary,
Thank you. As we discussed
last meeting, we did have a, um, meeting
of the Charter Review subcommittee,
and we came up with three proposals to be put on the ballot.
Now these are the, um, items,
and probably Mr. Schroeder should speak to those
because he knows the legalese,
and I certainly do not if that.
Thank you, Madam Secretary, through the chair.
Um, so a couple things on this.
This is dealing with partial term limits.
We discuss it at length at the last meeting.
We're trying to prevent charter language,
which lets somebody serve three
or almost four years in a term and then quit.
And that term doesn't count toward term limits.
So the voters have approved term limits.
Three, uh, terms, uh, of 4, 3, 4 year terms up
to 12 years in each office.
Clerk, mayor, treasurer, and counsel.
Um, and actually in August of 98,
the Michigan Attorney General's office advised the, uh, city
counsel at the time that they should consider this,
these midterm vacancies.
If someone leaves in the middle of their term,
because they, you know, for a number of reasons,
they could get elected to state office.
That happened before they could
get elected to county office.
They could decide to retire to Florida.
A number of other good or bad things could happen
to cause somebody to vacate their position.
So we wanna close this loophole.
Um, we litigated this last term,
and we really wanna avoid litigation.
Again, there's no need for that.
So the committee met and discussed the options,
and we're taking sort of the state law, uh, um, we're,
we're using the state law model here for state term limits.
If you serve more than half of the term, then it counts
as a full term for purposes of term limits.
And we wanna make the language clear.
And I, I did hear from Ms. Michaels today on this, um,
who said, you know, she was
generally supportive of the concept.
We wanna make it sure, make sure there's no loopholes here,
whether you're elected, you're appointed,
however you get on council
or in a elected position, even if it's
by a temporary appointment,
that if you serve more than two years,
that counts a full term.
So, to make sure we're absolutely clear,
I'm gonna suggest a friendly amendment that in section 4.3
and 4.4, where it says any person elected
or appointed to an incomplete term, that we will replace
that with any person
who serves an incomplete term of more than two years.
So, however you serve more than two years in that term,
that counts.
Uh, and finally, with the proposal question, we said,
should incomplete terms
of office greater than two years count as one term
for term limit purposes for the office of mayor, council,
clerk, and treasurer, instead of,
should we wanna say shall, that's probably better.
Thank you, Ms. Michaels for that suggestion.
Um, we wanna avoid the, uh, you know,
attorney General's office when they
review this, sending it back.
And if they send it back, we can make corrections.
There's, there's no problem. This happened in the past,
but I believe this is a, a better,
so if those two friendly amendments are accepted,
I can give an updated copy to the council office.
I I certainly accept those. Where
Was the should and shall In the question where it says,
should the proposal question language, it says,
should we wanna replace that with shall,
because should is more of a, not as formal of a word,
and we want to, uh, be as formal as we can.
Thank you, Mr. Schroeder. Mr.
Lafferty, you asked for discussion.
Well, Mr. Schroeder, uh, answered my questions,
and I'm, I don't oppose this at all going on in the ballot.
Uh, but I do, uh, like it when we put, uh,
any ballot proposals on a November ballot,
I've always been a firm believer that ballot proposals
of any kind should be proposed, uh, during a time when the,
the maximum number of people are voting.
So if that's, it's a personal opinion of mine,
I do not, uh, oppose this.
I think these are, are terrific amendments.
It clarifies longstanding, uh, discrepancies in our charter.
And so it's, it's moving,
you know, the moving the needle on this.
Thank you. Thank you for your work, Mr. Schroeder.
Madam Chair, Madam Secretary, Mr.
Address that, um, when did,
did the group decide to put this on
The next, just a little background.
This is going for, this is being proposed
for the August primary election ballot.
And the reason it's not being proposed for November is
that we have a number of other potential issues
that charter needs a lot of fixes,
and we can't, it's not advisable to put 6, 7, 8,
or 10 ballot proposals on one ballot, one election ballot.
So we took some ones that we thought were a little more
agreeable to put on the August ballot,
and we may take some of the more difficult ones
for the November ballot where there's a higher turnout.
But to put a number on one ballot could overwhelm the
voters, especially in November.
We're going to have everything from the presidential
election down to University Board of Regents and Judges,
and, and we just don't wanna overwhelm the ballot
with too many questions.
So we have to spread it out.
Um, Royal Oak did it this way,
and that's where we sort of got the idea
when they were cleaning up their charter.
They did it over a period of years,
over a number of ballots.
Madam President, Uh, Madam, you yield,
uh, council Member Lafferty.
Thank you. That that is a very sensible approach.
And with, with that explanation,
knowing there are additional changes coming, that,
that absolutely makes sense.
I believe, uh, Mr. Schroder, I'll remind you
that we had one ballot initiative on, on the ballot,
and one was thought to be too confusing.
I forget who had mentioned that.
It was too confusing, but, uh, that was, uh,
so this is a very good approach. Thank you. Thank you.
Any further discussion?
Okay. Hearing none, I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Boy?
Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Uh, Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 13 D consideration
and adoption of a resolution approving proposed ballot
language relating to election commission comp composition
to be placed on the August 6th, 2024
primary election ballot. So moved.
Support Dwyer. Discussion. Discussion. Madam Secretary.
Thank you. Um, Mr. Schroeder can speak to this,
but I just sort of wanna say that, um, really
what brought us to this is, um, um, we have
three members now.
Um, the city attorney who is, um,
not a Warren resident, wasn't a Warren resident.
We have a clerk who is a Warren resident,
and now we have no city assessor.
And so, you know, whether we're gonna go in the direction
of having a consultant and or whatever,
but if we put a resident onto the election commission,
that gives one more, you know, resident of Warren, um,
with a voice on there.
We've had multiple problems
with this election commission in the last few years,
meeting in secret, removing people, uh, from the ballot.
Um, Andre Dee was a, a perfect example, never even met,
just threw him off the ballot.
He cost the man $5,000 to go to court to get back on.
Um, we had, um, while Mr.
Cab Zinski's, uh, uh, lawsuit was, lawsuit
or claim was thrown out for a lot of reasons,
the underlying, um, complaint, actually,
I think the courts ruled
that there should have been a hearing when he requested, um,
uh, he challenged something.
There should have been a hearing to, um, uh, handle that.
Um, as you'll remember, uh, at a evening meeting,
um, someone brought through onto the agenda,
adding the mayor onto the ballot
with no notice to the public.
And it was kept secret.
In fact, the city assessor showed up at this council meeting
and I asked her directly, was any action taken, um,
in the matter of, uh,
mayor Fouts being on the ballot once again.
And she told this, not this council,
but the previous council she didn't remember.
And I would think that would be a pretty memorable occasion.
So there's a lot of things that have been done in secret,
and I think if there is a Warren resident on
that commission, they will be more likely
to keep the public advised of what's going on.
And if they see something that isn't appropriate,
they're going to come to us or somebody
and say, Hey, you know,
or speak up at the, um, co commission
and, you know, we're elected.
And if council appoints that, then we're, we're, you know,
we're doing the, uh, residents job by being their voice
and adding their voice to one more commission in the city.
So Mr. Schroeder can explain,
but that's my, my, my personal feeling about why we,
this would be a good move.
And we, I think Mr. Will tell you where we looked.
Other cities have all kinds of ways of doing it.
Sometimes it's council, president, mayor, pro, Tam,
you know, all, you know, different.
But we, our group came up with,
Right. Uh, president.
Thank you, uh,
Madam Secretary through the chair.
I, we discussed this at the last meeting.
Um, this would be up
to the voters if they wanna replace the city assessor
with a, uh, citizen representative on the
City Election Commission.
As I stated before, the committee met twice, uh,
to discuss this once in February.
And once in March, the committee looked at the top 20
cities in Michigan by population
and looked at every election commission.
And they all have three members.
And there were some
that still have an assessor on their election commission.
They tend to be the older city Charters Warren was, uh,
voted on in 1956.
A lot of, uh, election commissions,
including Sterling Heights to our North,
have a resident appointed by the council.
In fact, Sterling Heights has two
residents and the city clerk.
Um, after much thought, um, the
committee did not wanna replace the city attorney
with a resident, but thought that the city assessor should
be, uh, an option for the voters
to consider to amend the charter.
Um, as a resident, um, could bring a new perspective.
Um, and it's not really clear why the city assessor
necessarily would have election expertise.
And at the present time, we do have a contract assessor.
And also the issue of residency assessors do not have
to be residents of the city.
Per a 2000 law passed in Michigan.
This would have to be a resident.
Uh, the language also ensures
that whoever is the election commission, uh,
citizen appointee is not a current city elected official
or someone who's a candidate for office
to give them a little bit of independence in terms of,
you know, making election related decisions.
You know, going back, I don't know,
21 years when I started in the City Attorney's office,
it just seems every four years there is a lawsuit
over who's on the ballot.
There's always these controversies.
It just never seems to go away.
And I, I know the first one I dealt with in 2003,
the Election Commission actually had a hearing,
a public hearing to determine whether a
candidate was gonna be on the ballot.
And it went to court, and the court sent it back
for another hearing, and we went back to court.
The City Election Commission ended up winning,
but at some point they decided that, you know,
they're not gonna have public hearings on each candidate
where they're challenging the, their, uh, eligibility.
And, um, so having a citizen on there, I think, um, was the,
the recommendation of the committee.
We brought it up last week.
The council voted to have me prepare the language here,
and this would go on the ballot.
Um, we've put all the reasons for this in the resolution,
and the simple question would be that this is a proposal
to appoint a citizen representative on the election
commission in place of the assessor.
We explain this on the ballot language,
and so if the voters approve it, then as soon
as this is certified by the fall election,
we could have a citizen representative appointed
by council on the election commission.
And addition, this person would disappoint,
he would serve at the pleasure of the council, uh,
which means that the council could remove
this person if need be.
But it also calls for the council
during this organizational meeting
after reelection to review this appointment.
Thank you. Any additional discussion?
Okay. Hearing none, I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is? Yes.
Motion carries. Next item. Next
Item is 13.
A consideration and adoption
of a resolution approving proposed ballot language relating
to notice bulletins
to be placed on the August 6th, 2024
primary election ballot.
So moved. Support Lafferty,
Uh, discussion Mr.
Sch? Shorter, uh, Mr. Sch shorter?
Sure. Um, again, the charter was passed in 1956,
and I guess back in the day everybody put up
notices on bulletin boards.
And then somewhere along the way they invented the internet.
And now for, excuse me, over 20 years,
the city has had a website where a lot of public notices go.
In fact, uh, there is a current, uh,
place on the city website.
It's cited in the resolution
where all public notices are posted.
Um, maintaining 10 bulletin boards throughout the city is,
uh, after the committee met,
we decided it was something more in the past.
It doesn't mean we can't use bulletin boards
to post these things, but when the charter says you have
to do something, it's a mandatory requirement.
Um, and it just doesn't seem feasible
to be using bulletin boards anymore.
But in addition to just saying that we don't, you know,
this proposal will authorize public notices on the website
to replace the maintenance of 10 bulletin boards.
The proposal will also require a prominent link on the
city's homepage to all active notices
and previous notices for the past five years, so
that residents will be able to see all notices
for all meetings for five years.
And I think if you go to the current link on the website,
it goes back probably five years.
So we're not really changing much except to
enshrined in our charter that these public notices will be
posted on a prominent link.
And, uh, we still can use
bulletin boards to post these things.
But maintaining 10 bulletin boards throughout the city, um,
may be a thing of the past, but that will be up
to the voters if the council
wants to put this on the ballot.
Any additional discussion? Hearing none.
I will call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan idea.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item
14. A request
of the library director for a transfer of funds
between line items in the amount of $17,000
to cover the increased costs of magazine subscriptions
and to provide sufficient funds in the building maintenance
line item consideration and adoption of a resolution.
Five votes are needed. So moved.
Support Lafferty. Thank you. Discussion?
Yes. Ms. McGee?
Um, the increase, is it
because of magazines being used?
That's the question I have.
I saw Ms. Ana here earlier. Ms. Urban,
She can probably, I guess what I'm trying
to say is the number of magazines since we going up in cost,
are the, the people warned,
the residents are warned using the magazines?
Good evening. Uh, yes, they are.
Uh, there are a lot of residents
who do not use the internet.
We do have, let me back up a little bit.
We do have e-resources.
We have magazines, electronic magazines that are sent
to your phone if you so choose to have it, uh, on your,
uh, phone or other smart device.
But we have a lot of citizens
who do not have in the internet or the capability
or the knowledge how to use, uh, e-resources.
So they do like to have their magazines in hand. Okay.
Have there been magazines that's been eliminated
because of lack of use?
Oh, some magazines have stopped publication
because of the cost
and, uh, of these magazines.
But the magazines that we provide,
and we do provide quite a few for our residents, uh,
they are used, definitely.
And where are there the increase of cost of, are there any
magazines in particular that you use
that have the most cost to them?
The highest amount of cost.
Some can be as much as $10.
And, uh, as, as, uh,
the economy goes up, the price goes up for materials.
Uh, magazine prices go up as well.
We have limited our magazines, uh,
but, uh, cost factors do impact the bottom line.
And we selected a company
that provides excellent service,
plus they were the lowest bidders, uh, for our, uh,
from the vendor that we accepted.
Um, Any additional discussion?
Madam President, Council member Newnan?
Um, you're done. Right? Okay.
Um, so could you please explain, um,
how much your employees are paid
and how much they, I I heard an explanation
at the library commission meeting,
and I feel badly for our library employees.
Could you, could you explain a little bit about what's,
what we're, what you're achieving there?
What portion of the library
employees are you referring to?
Oh, um, the ones, um, I think this part
of this budget item is to increase pay to the
librarians, isn't it?
It's, uh, to increase wages for our pages.
That is, uh, the members part-time members who, uh,
sort check-in materials
and shelf them on the, uh, on, in the stacks.
Personally, I think that that's really a,
a wonderful thing to increase their wages.
Um, it seemed like they were providing very long hours
of service and also that they're probably very hard
to replace and retention would be a great thing.
We are working on, uh, uh, increasing their wage.
As a matter of fact, I signed paperwork
to increase their wage so that they are making, uh,
more money than they, uh, did the previous year.
And I'm happy to do that.
Uh, these are ladies
and students who, uh, put in five hours, uh, a day.
They're on their feet and lifting books and sorting
and, uh, they're wonderful people and we want to keep them.
I think that's great. Thank you so much. Thank
You.
Any additional discussion? Chair,
Uh, council member Wiki, Uh, one follow up.
Que uh, maybe couple questions.
How many subscriptions do, uh,
do you purchase during a year?
Different magazines?
It's, um, we purchase magazines through a vendor.
We make selections that cover, uh, a numerous, uh,
plethora of, uh, uh, subject matter.
So, uh, a smaller library may have 25 magazines,
a larger library may have a hundred magazines.
And, uh, civic Center is one of the branches
that has more magazines than the Bush branch
or the Burnett branch.
And when you purchased the subscription, uh,
for three branches for, for instance,
the same sub subscription, um,
is there any discount for that or
The vendor does provide a discount,
a significant discount, uh, for us, uh,
because it would be,
our cost would be much higher if we went to say Barnes
and Noble to buy magazines off of the shelf.
Okay. Thank you. You'll be,
You're welcome.
Any additional discussion? Not I will call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Mr. Newan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item
14 B, request of the library director to award bid.
ITBW 1 1 4 1 for furnishing magazine subscriptions
for a one year period, be awarded to magazine
subscription service agency in an amount not
to exceed $24,761 53 cents.
Consideration and adoption of a resolution. So moved.
Support Lafferty. Discussion.
Hearing none. I will call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr.
Noonan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item. Thank you.
I'm So sorry. Thank you.
Next item is 14 C.
Um, the Human Resources Department is requesting an
adjustment to the current pay scale for the position
of City Attorney from $138,117 per
year to $160,000 five votes needed.
Motion to Deny support with discussion.
Uh, Lafferty is motion.
Uh, Ms. Moore is support, uh, discussion?
Yes. Thank you. Um,
the city council actually has no authority
to make a wage adjustment for an administrative official.
Um, and where is the budget transfer request to
increase the salary of the city attorney in
the line item budget?
I don't understand the terminology flat rate.
I understand it in postage terms,
but I don't understand what flat rate means.
This is a salary for a full-time position.
Um, does flat rate mean there's no benefits?
There's no fringe benefits, there's no,
I don't understand what that means.
And is this going to cause a me too
increase for the controller?
Public service director, police commissioner,
and other top appointees.
And what about comparables from other cities
that have full-time in-House City Attorney Lavonia,
Royal Oak, Dearborne, Lansing?
I'm not sure what this online tool is.
Um, the MML has a wage
and salary survey, which I, um, have had access
to in the last couple of days.
And these, um, uh,
rates are out of line with the MML, um,
what other comparable cities are doing.
Um, so I, uh, agree with, um,
and this is an item that should be dealt with budget time,
um, not in the middle.
We were gonna have a budget in a couple months.
We're having hearings on, uh, Saturday.
And that is where these, we don't, we just don't have,
that's just not our authority to make a wage adjustment.
Um, uh, we can do budget appropriations,
but there's not a request for that.
And that would be decided on, um, after our budget hearing.
So I agree with Mr. Lafferty, deny this.
At this point, there's no reason to table it
because we just don't have the authority to do it. Okay.
Any additional discussion? Yes,
Ms. McGee? You
know, I looked up, um, this average salary
in this area anyway,
and it's mostly 1 38 is at the most attorney is paid.
So I, I'm like, you know, secretary Minnie Moore saying,
I need more information.
I need to know, even though we have no authority, I still
even moving forward, what's included in this salary is this,
um, with benefits without benefits,
and that's how we should move forward.
Madam Chair, um, I have had contact with MML
and I have access to the wage and salary information.
Um, I can tell everybody how to get that.
Um, I was given a password,
so I don't know if I can share like my personal,
I don't know if I could do that.
No, but you can all, um, contact MML
because actually the city council pays for our membership
and the MML we are the member of Michigan Municipal League.
Um, so I can give you the contact of the person
and you can all, I'm sure they'll grant you all access.
Um, it took me about a day to get it, if we wanna see.
It's a pretty, you know, it's a good spot to look at.
It's probably not all inclusive,
but it's a really good place to start.
And like was suggested this morning by the mayor
that we should be using MML more.
And I certainly agree with that.
I mean, that's one of the benefits of, you know,
having the Plunkett Cooney firm.
They're actually the one of the attorneys for the MML
and they're very involved certainly in
labor issues and things.
That's one of their expertise.
Um, areas I think Audrey for,
does Audrey Forbush does a lot with the MML?
The risk with with the risk board, yes. Pool risk pool.
So, um, you know, I, I agree.
And I don't think we've used MML appropriately in the last,
certainly in the last term.
Um, you know, we didn't, we didn't really deal
with Semcog very much, and I think there are a lot of tools
and opportunities out there for us
to engage with, so thank you.
But I, I'll get the information to everybody.
Ms. Damron, do you wanna provide any
additional context for us? I,
I would like to, yes.
Um, that was a wage
Study done by a recruitment talent agency
that we are going to be using to find the city attorney.
So the, the, they provided us a compensation study
and we also used Michigan Municipal League, MML,
because I also have a password for that.
And that is where that low number came from.
It actually should be a little bit higher,
but we felt we should just raise it a little bit at this
point to do our recruitment for the city attorney.
It is not for the acting city attorney, it would be
for the recruitment
of a permanent replacement for the city attorney.
Thank you. Mm-Hmm.
And it, the, for flat rate, um, council member Moore,
that is just in reference that there is not a, an increment,
it's not a step raise as various other pay scales have.
It's 160,000. That's it.
So whatever contractual comes through to increase that wage,
that's the only wage increase they would get there
wouldn't be after year one.
They would get a step increment or two. It's 160,000 flat.
And then incremental raises with contractual increases.
Ms. Uh, Damron is this in the,
you may not know this in the legal department, is this, uh,
budgeted for next year as a, it would
Be if, if it were to be approved, we're trying to recruit
and at the low rate of 138,000, that's not going
to get us the quality of candidate that we're looking for.
So that's why we're asking for the wage increase.
We are looking for that to occur, um, so that we can go
through the talent agency with permission, the blessing
of the council to go ahead and use that rate. That rate.
So what it sounds like from Ms. Moore is
that we need a budget appropriations,
And that would occur once, you know, that would,
that we're looking for here,
but there is additional funding in their budget, correct.
Right now because of vacancies. So the money is there.
We just need this line item raised
because it's an appointee.
Very much want to hire a new city attorney.
It's something that I think all of us, uh, would like
and would like to be competitive.
Uh, if we could, uh, potentially,
I don't know if we can you the motion is to deny Yes.
Uh, possible to bring it back in a new,
another meeting in a different line item,
Or if there was a different iteration of the request.
The same request can't be brought back once we deny
it. If it changes.
We're hoping to get this done quickly
because we have the talent agency waiting
with us right now. Can I
Ask who hired the talent agency? They're
Under $5,000.
So they're under the purchasing threshold.
And, and I hope, I think everybody agrees
and we have been, all of us contacted,
especially since this item came out,
that we are certainly hoping
that the focus is on somebody in Warren.
Um, and the Steinberg administration, I think everybody, Mr.
Mr. Fox included, uh, almost everybody of all the, uh,
political appointees lived in Warren except Denise didn't.
And then George Constance then moved,
but he had lived here his whole life, um,
in the last, uh, term.
Um, I don't know.
It became the minority of people in Warren.
And I find it hard to believe that we can't find
talented people in the third biggest city in this state
to fill these positions.
And you know why? We haven't been.
Uh, I mean, it, it's very disconcerting to all of us
that we did not have a city attorney at our very first
organizational meeting.
Every, every mayor before probably Mr.
F, when he decided that the appointment went on and on
and on forever and didn't have
to have the counsel approve it.
They always had that the very first night.
And so we don't have a city attorney,
and I understand the reasons for the assessor,
and I don't have a problem with that at all.
Um, you know, some of these, some
of the other positions are not permanent positions
and they've not been sent over
to be a provisional appointment.
I looked at the budget very quickly
and I see positions that are acting.
And then I see people that were from the last administration
that not have not been appointed,
and they're not acting, I don't know
what differentiates them.
Um, but you know, there's, there's got, you've gotta be one
or the other provisionally acting
and get re you know, council's, uh, approval for those
or disapproval if we want, um, is what, you know, that,
so I, you know,
and I, this one off jobs of just having us approved too.
We've got people underpaid in this
city in the parks and Rec.
That's been a problem for hiring.
Um, maybe Dino will, um, Mr.
Chicano will disagree with me,
but I, I think that's where we have a lot
of competition in the world when you're paying 16
and $18 an hour at McDonald's.
Um, and to try to, we're just not getting enough people
to work in those jobs.
And then, you know, uh,
residents are seeing somebody wants a $22,000 raise.
Um, and we have all of these other positions not filled
that people are interested in.
They care way more about what's going on in the parks.
And they do in the legal department.
I care about what's going legal department,
but the residents don't care.
I mean, police and fire care deeply about getting a,
getting a new HR director.
Um, I know that I talk to them every day about that.
Um, so I understand that.
But, you know, bring us somebody that's qualified
that has the qualifications, that's perfect.
And then we'll discuss wages.
But just to give a blank check and go out
and find somebody, I think that's a little bit of a problem
because you say, okay, we're gonna pay,
we're gonna pay one 60 for this job, say,
and then we have somebody that might have come in
as another position.
They'll say, whoa, no, I'm gonna hold out for that.
And we know that there's a lot of positions open here,
so I just don't think this is the proper time for this.
And certainly, uh, I don't think it's our,
we have the authority to make,
make these adjustments. Thank you. I
Would just like to say one more thing.
If we are not competitive, we're not going to get
the person that we're seeking.
I've looked at other municipalities
and if we are not competitive with the wages,
we're not gonna get the, a competitive, you know,
somebody that we, we need.
Yes. Completely
Agree. So if we don't
have the weight,
if we don't have the authority to use that wage
that we're asking for,
Then we can't yell from the background. I'm sorry. If
We don't have the authority to use the wage
that is permissible, we have to go with the wage
that is in the budget book.
And we're not gonna get a quality person at that low rate,
which is why we came before you to ask for the increase.
Madam Chair, we have this item on the budget.
Okay, this is, this is April.
We're gonna prove the budget in May, right?
May or what's the date, Mary in May, we're gonna make
that approval in May.
Whether we agree with it
or not, for us to do it today makes no sense whatsoever.
Um, at the, you know, 11th hour before budget.
And so we can sit down, talk,
we need a plan, these one-offs.
We would like to see a whole plan of
how we're gonna fill all the positions that are open.
What are the permanent people going to be?
Um, you know, what direction are we going?
Are we not looking at Warren residents?
Um, and, and where, where are we looking for people?
I mean, we can't look nationally for a city,
for a city attorney 'cause
they have to be licensed in Michigan.
They have to take the bar in Michigan,
so it has to be Michigan.
Um, you know, hr, you have to find somebody
with the right background, social work, whatever they are,
then they have to get this, they have
to have this certification for hr have experience
of being a director, I would assume.
We have, we have a lot of employees
and we've had a big problem with our hiring
practice in the last, I mean,
all I know is about the last four years.
The biggest complaint I get is the
hiring practices in this city.
So I mean, from, with,
from the employees, not from residents.
'cause residents are not that as aware of that.
So, you know, let's discuss that, you know, find a candidate
and come to us, or we'll discuss it at budget time.
But this is just not the right place.
Thank you. Mrs. Moore. Uh, Mr.
Shorter, do you have any like, legal suggestion on
how that would be sent back over? I know it's,
Well, first of all, I do agree that it should be a,
an appropriation because there's, it's a line item budget
and there's a line item for city attorney.
And on the next item, HR director,
there's a particular line item.
You look in your budget book, Mr.
Nunan gave me his spare one here,
and you, you turned to the page for the legal department,
page 60, and you six, page 66.
And you'll see for appointed official,
there's a certain amount there.
Now, in the past, the way it worked was if the amount
for city attorney is 1 38, 1 17 per year, that
the mayor could pay the full amount,
or the mayor could say,
I'm gonna bring you in at 10,000 less right now.
We're gonna see how that works out.
And the mayor has the authority
to appoint the person at whatever salary the mayor wants
up to that limit.
That's in the budget. That's how it's worked in the past.
Legally it made sense
because council is only exercising its role
as a legislative body appropriating that amount
of money for that position.
Um, the request here is
to make an adjustment for the pay scale.
And I understand that, and I'm not gonna take a position on,
you know, attorneys getting raises.
I I am not gonna say I'm against that.
So I, you know, um, but um,
but it would really be up
to council passing an appropriation.
And just the flat rate was a little confusing to me
because if you budget, let's say it was 160,000,
maybe the mayor, the mayor would have the authority then
to pay up to 160,000.
It wouldn't have to be 160,000.
That gives the mayor flexibility to bring someone in
and then give them something to reach for.
It's not the same as a step increase in the,
in the civil service system.
Uh, so I would say I'm in agreement that it would have
to be a budget amendment.
And I think that's why Ms.
Camp, uh, when she prepared this agenda,
it says five votes needed.
We're in the middle of the budget a year,
and if you're going to make an appropriation
or a budget amendment, it needs five votes on council to do
so does that Thank you.
Ms. Damron, do you feel like you have direction?
I do. Okay. Madam Chair one.
Um, Mr. Fox, just so you know, I've done a little research
and in almost every corporation,
the highest paid person in the corporation is the CFO.
Just keep that in mind,
Mr. Shorter.
Just just one more thing.
I, you know, and I understand the,
the recruitment process here,
and I, uh, you know,
I was involved in a major recruitment
in the prior administration.
We went and found this, uh, highly decorated police, uh,
chief from another city.
And, um, you know, I went as
with the mayor, went and met him.
And, you know, it was, it was difficult.
He was a talented individual who, who had some demands
and they were very reasonable.
And we actually kind of had to work it out.
And we had to come to council
and make some changes to, to recruit this individual.
And we had to come sell it to council.
And there were a couple of council members
that didn't want it, but we got the votes for it.
And it really worked out in the long run.
But, uh, I just wanna say that, that it's not unprecedented
if there's a sort
of really high quality recruit to come to council.
And I think that had to do with some of the pay and benefits
because, um, just looking from the
outside at a position like this, I think if you come
to the city, they, if you've got the city,
you have 30 years experience, you have
to work an entire year
before you can get vacation days, I think, or six months.
Mm-Hmm. You know, so I think that makes it difficult
to recruit because if I've got 30 years experience
and I'm working at a corporation or, or a law firm,
and I've got all this vacation time available, am I going to
come work here if I have to wait a whole year
before I can take a vacation?
So I think that's something maybe I just wanted to put
that on the radar of the councils we're trying to recruit.
We, we got around that one time
and it was a very good,
it worked out very well for the city.
But I just wanted to mention that while I was here,
because I don't think people realize that somehow
sometimes the recruitment process is hard
because of the benefit side of it. So
Madam President, Ms.
Biggie,
I am a recruiter.
And so, um,
although we would prefer to have residents who live here
for these type of positions, um, in today's time,
I can tell you right now, it's hard to find.
I didn't hear that. She didn't say that.
She didn't already try. In the city of Warren,
Um, city attorney has not been posted.
Okay. Human resources director has okay.
To not very good turnout.
And I know that I've told people about the human resource
director position, um, who out there, several recruiters
who are out there, and I've told them about the position.
They had no response. The person has to apply Mm-Hmm.
And when they recruit, they recruit. One should be first.
But what if it's not, if no one wants it in Warren,
then you will have to step outside the city.
And in that case, then I can have an understanding.
And some of them may say, you're gonna have to pay me more.
Um, it's happening a lot today. Mm-Hmm.
I mean, they're, they're increasing the salaries like crazy.
They're making a demand on us. Yeah.
Not, we're making a demand on them. Yes.
So we have a problem here Yes. That have to be resolved.
But I, I'm in an agreement with you, Minnie,
make one first if we can.
Thank you, Ms. Damron. Okay. Appreciate it.
Madam President. So I'm assuming that the issue would be the
same for 14 d.
We, yes. We'll make a motion.
Yep. Madam President. Yes. I'm sorry.
I've been trying to, sorry, Mr. Your attention. Sorry.
Thank you, uh, through the chair to Ms. Damron.
Good evening. Good evening.
I just had a, a question here that
I see the wage adjustments already
in the hr in the new budget for hr,
and I do not see it on page 66 in,
I don't have it in, in front of me. Well,
And that's, that's quite all right.
I have two copies here.
Last year's and this year's, the, the legal department,
city attorney has not changed.
So your letter's dated April 3rd.
And so I'm just curious as to the timing of the request.
Did this come up after the budgets were presented
to the mayor and you ran into the mayor's office last week,
said, we need to adjust the,
Perhaps. And
there was, there was probably a crossing with that
for the HR director,
but city attorney I know had not been put into the budget.
Okay. I'm, I certainly do want to recruit
and attract the best talent, the best
and brightest for Warren.
But, and my motions to deny are for reasons
that we should do it correctly.
Well, that meaning come with a budget amendment
Well. Mm-Hmm.
Come, come with the We are, we're,
we're less than a week away from our budget hearings.
So I'd certainly like to understand
and have extensive questioning around these items
to fully understand them making, you know,
a request like this, just a under, I understand a week ahead
of the budget process just doesn't make sense
To me. It's just the timing of it. Whether
our recruitment, uh,
for city attorney just happens to be right at the same time.
And it wasn't done in January when the budgets came through.
Mm-Hmm. And were, and then were finalized.
Yeah. With, with all due respect, Ms.
Damron, the,
the mayor should have been having this conversation in,
at the end of November after she won her her election.
We should not be sitting here in April discussing the,
the recruitment of a, of an attorney.
I cannot speak for The mayor.
I I'm not asking you to, I'm making a statement,
but the, the timing could not be worse for,
for this kind of request.
And, and these are my comments for the,
the HR director position as well.
Thank you, Ms.
Uh, to note, Ms.
Diamon will have to come over
with an a budget appropriation request,
because we don't, the new budget is until June.
So if we through our hearings on
Saturday, decide that this mm-Hmm.
We'd like, they would like to move forward with it
and they wanna move on hiring, I don't know that Yes,
they're gonna wanna wait till June 30th to do that.
Correct? Is that what I'm understanding as well?
Approving our budget until May.
So it won't happen before May for the next,
it won't get on our agenda until after the budget.
Understood. I we're not,
we're not putting back on the council agenda
Simply. Well, I'm
simply stating it may have
to come back on the agenda if she sends over a budget
appropriation from the rest of this fiscal year, correct?
No. Why not?
We've denied this. Now, if we vote, we're denying
This, we're denying this particular item,
but there is a, it can't
Be brought back. Could I come with
a budget amendment? There
Is. It has to,
for an item
to come back on the agenda once we've,
we've not approved it.
It has to change. It's gotta be a different request.
I understand that. What we said previously is
that if it came over as a budget appropriation different
line item for a budget appropriation for someone, let's say
for in a position from 1 38 to one 60, Mr. Fox could request
that that would come over
as a five votes needed budget appropriation line item
change, and then we would vote on that from now
until June 30th.
If we decide that this is something we wanna do in budget
hearings on Saturday, as we approve our budget through May,
that it would be for the following fiscal year,
which doesn't start till July one.
Madam person, we can't decide on
Saturday anything understood
That Would be inappropriate.
I'm, I'm just simply flagging
that a budget appropriation might be necessary
to fill the gap from now until June 30th,
before the next budget takes place, is
what I'm simply stating so that the body is aware that
that potentially could happen if
that's the route we decide to go.
Yeah. Madam President. Yes.
Uh, the, the way I'm, the way I'm looking at this is
we are, we're going to have unspent funds
in the C City attorney line item at this point.
We don't have a city attorney who's earning a salary
and should someone be hired.
Uh, I I doubt that we are going to hire a city attorney
before June 30th.
I highly doubt that. With that being said, in,
in our budget hearings
and with the approval schedule of, uh,
of the budget, it will be known to Ms.
Damron and everyone else what the, uh,
what the council's position is as to the salary
of this particular position.
And they can take that forward once we voted
and put that into their recruitment.
Like I said, this is, this is poor timing.
This should not be done right now.
We should not be having this discussion tonight.
This is, this is for our upcoming budget.
If they wanna recruit, they should be, uh,
adjusting the recruitment schedule to match it.
We're six months behind right now. We are six months behind.
That is no fault of anybody sitting at this table,
and I don't want to make it the fault of counsel that
we're not in the position to recruit when
that recruitment should have started at the end of November.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Any other discussion?
Okay. So there's a motion to deny from Ms. Moore and Mr.
Lafferty. Ms. Moore. Sorry.
Mr. Lafferty.
Yes. To deny. Thank you Ms. Moore.
Yes. Today. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. To deny Mr. Bokey?
Yes. To Deny Mr. Nunan
Denying Ms. McGee Yes.
To deny Rogan C is, uh, yes. To deny. Motion carries.
Next item.
Next item is 14 e. Notice of appointment of Russell
No D Galler D
Point Of order. Oh, I'm
sorry. The Human Resources Department is requesting
an adjustment to the current pay scale for the position
of human resources director from $118,615 per
year to $140,000.
Motion to deny for the same reasons
as stated in the previous item.
Support Any discussion?
Call to question Mr. Lafferty.
Yes. To deny Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Ms.
Mr. Nunan? Yes. To deny Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 14 e.
Notice of appointment of Russell Erno. Galler.
Gallina. Okay. Galano
Galano to the position of Department
of Public Works Associate manager, fleet Manager.
Uh, motion to receive and file with no objection
Support lafferty.
Thank you. Uh, support from Moore,
or Motion Made by Moore.
Support by Lafferty. Any discussion?
Uh, all in favor? Aye.
Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Next item
14 F. Request to
approve a request for proposal RFP panel
to review proposals for disposal of recycling
and to appoint one member of council
to serve on the RFP Madam Chair.
I would make a motion to approve
and appoint, uh, nominate, um, Councilman Bokey
to sit on that RFP.
Support. Support by Mr. Newan. Mr.
Bokey, do you accept the nomination? Yes, I do. Okay.
All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed?
Motion carries. Congratulations.
Yes. To recycling. Go. Go green. Um,
Next item 14 G, which was 4G on the consent agenda,
consideration and adoption of a resolution
to approve contract modification number two
and final to city contract WP 21 733
Arden Avenue, water Main and pavement replacement
and Exeter Drive pavement rehabilitation ITBW
0 3 6 5 for an increase in the current contract amount
by $54,608 25 cents,
resulting in a final contract amount
of two thou $2,091,455 30 cents.
And to issue payment number eight
and final in the amount
of $97,483 56 cents
to TR Pik,
I can't bail you out of this one. Oh, come
On. It's your
language. It's,
It, it's not Polish. I'm sorry.
Pik. Perhaps it could
Be Motion to approve
Support Lafferty with discussion,
Discussion. Council member
Lafferty through
The chair to Ms. Gapes.
I, good evening,
and thank you for staying for your item.
Sure. Good evening. I have had it's
Piper, Zach, by the way.
Oh, thank you very much.
Okay. I have had several calls
regarding the condition of not only Arden,
but Lion's Circle.
Yes. Uh, Exeter Chae. I've, I've taken a look at it myself.
I am not a cement expert.
I do know that sometimes, you know, there's pocks and,
and I don't know if the surface,
uh, des sping
Sping, Yes. But
it, what I'd like to ask is
the warranty period on our contracts.
Can you speak to that?
And what recourse do we have to recover funding if we find
that, uh, I know that we talked, uh, about Bunard Road
and the concerns there, here are, here are other roads with,
with similar concerns.
Can you speak to the warranty period that we have with, uh,
with the Zika, please? Uh,
Sure. We have a three year
warranty period,
however, this Sping issue is, um,
is spread out throughout almost all state of Michigan.
There's something that has gone wrong with the concrete mix.
The Michigan Concrete Association is tallying all the areas
that this is happening to.
Um, so I still don't have all the details yet,
but this is an issue that's happened.
I've spoke with the Sterling Heights city engineer,
Macomb County Department of Roads, Oakland County.
There's this sping issue over several areas
in the last couple of years.
Right. And so in, in your
professional experience, what would be
is is there something that, are we going
to hold our contractors liable for something
that seems to be systemic?
Right. It's, uh, it, we don't know the answers
to everything yet on what we're gonna do,
but it wouldn't be fair to hold them accountable
for something that comes from Right. From the batch plant.
Alright. Follow up then,
because I certainly wanna pay a, a city contractor
for the work that they have performed,
but I also want to make sure that we are,
we are legally protected and are able to recoup,
because it sounds, this sounds more class action
than it does if we're going to, if we have a,
a more systemic issue that we might have recourse
that we're, we're going to seek
and other municipalities are facing the same issue.
Right. So far it's just a very top surface issue.
Um, the one resident mentioned crumbling,
but it's more like a sping of just the top surface.
And there are sealants that can protect that.
So there are remedies for it, um, for,
but it's, it's all being studied
by the Michigan Concrete Association right now.
We don't have answers at this point in time.
Okay. I'm, I certainly won't hold your feet to the fire,
uh, over this, uh,
you certainly have your work cut out for you.
Yes. I'm, I'm just concerned about the, the overall quality.
I, I do want to see that, you know, these roads last,
you know, more than two years. Yes,
Of course. So do I,
Uh, I don't, I know that we, we just finished, you know,
the gateway to the community center
through Arden, uh, correct.
We did the, the asphalt
and we did around Berwin, Exeter, Chante,
I all were terribly needed.
But I, I just wanna make sure that they, if, if we're going
to address this, that we do so in a way that we're going
to have, uh, if there's going to be sealants or
or other measures applied, uh, that that's considered
for, you know, the near term.
So again, the, the budgets making certain
that we have contingencies planned, uh, for the unknown.
Yes. To address these. Thank you,
Madam Chair.
Uh, council member Moore. Moore. Thank you.
Hello, Ms. Gaff. Just, how are you? Good,
How are you? Thank
you. Good. Um, so I,
I have a generic question about, um, road surfaces.
Mm-Hmm. So I understand
that the Chicago area has weather similar to ours
and maybe even more extreme,
but they, I'm, I hear that they use a better grade,
a much more expensive material to pave their roads,
and so they last longer time
and they stand up to more, um, abuse.
And I'm just wondering,
and I know we've talked about, um, you know, um,
earlier in the fall, I I've spoken that, you know,
there might be a possibility of us using our debt service
on our road millage to maybe bond out
and get enough money out of those funds to,
I mean, fix all the roads.
Mm-Hmm. And, you know, that's an option I think
that we could discuss.
Um, but I'm just wondering if, if we are in the position
of doing that, if we couldn't upgrade, um,
the material that we use is,
I assume there are materials. Yeah.
Well, there are additives like fiber additives
that are quite expensive,
and I'm not sure what Chicago's using.
Um, but I could tell you right now,
we're using the same concrete
that all our neighbors are using
that everyone in this Macomb County and Oakland County.
Right. The state county area.
Right. But maybe, you know, it doesn't seem, I mean, I,
you know, you get to a certain age
and it seems, you know, you think, oh,
that just happened yesterday, but it was 20 years ago.
Right? Mm-Hmm. So we, we do a road,
it seems like just yesterday we did it
and now it's crumbling or, you know, whatever.
And it, it, it just seems to me that I know that we struggle
to pay for a road repairs
and maybe if we get in a position
where we can bond some money,
that we could somehow improve the durability of the roads,
um, you knows, something to think about. Just
Yeah, I can look into That.
Yeah. Thank you,
Madam President.
Uh, council member Newnan.
Thank you. Um, Ms.
G, she's, I had a, a couple thoughts on concrete.
Lori Harris, uh, brought up one, you know, why is,
is the concrete crumbling, I think was part of it.
And, um, another, another citizen emailed me saying
that he had s uh, several years of experience working
with concrete, and he was faulting the contractors
that the city of Warren has hired
and saying that they weren't working the concrete correctly.
And that naturally would fail at that point.
If I hear what you're saying about, um, the batches
of concrete in the, in the local area
that the other cities are using, um, it seems
to be defective just like it is in Warren.
Um, perhaps I could put you in, in contact with, uh,
this fellow Larry.
And, uh, it might, it might be behoove the city
to use different contractors, though I understand
that there's this, uh, systemic problem.
So is there any chance that you might be interested in,
in talking to someone who says he is got experience or,
I'm interested, interested in talking to anyone that wants
to speak to me, but Okay.
Uh, we do have qual very qualified inspectors
that watch the contractors as they're working.
Okay. So, yeah, they're con
and the concrete's constantly tested and Okay.
We have all those provisions in place.
That's really good to know. Mm-Hmm.
I, I'll, I'll, I can go ahead
and send you the email, uh, that he sent me.
Sure. Okay. No problem. Thanks so much. Mm-Hmm. Oh, uh, oh.
The other one was, um, do we ever use permeable concrete
where it's, uh, acceptable
and is it really a lot more expensive
or is it about the same expense? I don't know about that.
It's, it's more expensive and it also
costs more money to maintain.
You have to vacuum it every so often.
Um, it's more used for like a parking lot or, but on roads.
Yeah. Yeah. It would break apart a lot faster than what made
Said, if we're worried about it breaking
apart, that's even the worse.
Thanks for letting me know. Sure. I'm done.
Thank you. Any additional discussion? Okay.
Uh, hearing none. I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes.
Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Mr. Noonan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item. Next item
Is audience participation regarding general topics.
Thank you, Ms. G. Members of the audience
who would like to speak, uh,
this evening about general topics or anything frankly.
Uh, make sure you've put in a slip.
Uh, and we will, you have three minutes
and we will use the clock here.
First is Mr. Vander Lenin.
Ms. rogenSi, you started the first audience.
I came down, filled out a sheet.
You asked if there was anyone left.
There was three other people next to me filling out sheets.
I was raising my hand and you closed it.
Never gave me the opportunity to speak.
Now I know I'm blind. Are you
Mr. Vander Lin? And
my apologies if I didn't see you. Ms.
Camp brought it in after we had moved on. So that was,
Well, all you do is, see, I was waving, I was done.
And Mr. Vander Lin, and I'm running the meeting
and I'm doing my best to keep an eye on everybody. Ah,
Dad, you're fooling me then.
I'm, I'm, looks like you're trying to pull the fast one,
like the mayor did with these raises. No,
She's not mis Mr.
Vander Lin. And I'm not, this is a simple,
This is talking. See, this is
my minutes. You're talking. Okay,
Go for it.
Thank you. Now let's go to the legal department.
The legal department handles all the foia.
I filled out a foia.
I got a response last week or two weeks ago.
It was dated on the 26th of March.
I got it on the 28th or 29th of March.
But it also would help that when they send these emails back
to the citizens, it says the City of Warren on it,
not Dan Kauf or whoever her name is.
She's a very nice person.
But that's not what I'm looking for.
If it's a strange name, I don't know.
I'm not looking for it. I don't answer it.
So maybe we should be professional
and put City of Warrant on there.
Maybe we should have it more official.
But anyways, if it comes to the 10 days, it says 10 days,
not 10 business days, not anything.
Just 10 days extension.
Well, the 10 days was over on Friday. It's now Tuesday.
And I still haven't gotten anything on my
foyers that I requested.
Is Ms. Stone running a loose ship?
I mean, what, what's going on here?
This is pitiful. I also have some
questions about the city attorney.
She might be a very nice person.
But how can someone, I took documents
that this council approved upon,
changed the documents without the council's knowledge
hold deposition as city attorney.
Why was she not reprimanded and fired?
The whole thing for that Dollar House going to Judge Toya
for the purposes it was supposed to be used for
and not used for it.
That's pathetic. Now, I was looking up stuff on the, uh,
city lobbyist.
I can't find anything.
I even been on photos for updates, comments, whatever,
from the city lobbyist.
Mr. Vander Lin. And you're out of time.
Well, how about the three minutes I was supposed
to have before you? Thank you
Mr. Vander. Len in your
No,
No. You, I I
have a, I'm a Palestinian. Now I get six minutes.
Mr. Vander. Len in Please have a seat.
Excuse me. Please have a seat. Your time is done.
Well, you talked halfway through my meeting.
Mr. Vander. Len. And have a seat. You
Took part of his time.
You took my time. Excuse me.
You, you cannot yell from the audience, Mr. Vander.
Why not? He doesn't, he have a point.
You know the rules. You reached your three.
I know that you broke the rules.
I'm not supposed to have to fill out a
sheet in the first place.
I even sent you the, the state documents.
You don't have to fill out your name or anything else that
Mr. Vander,
You're supposed to walk up to the microphone. He
Has A seat. And, and talk.
Mr. Vanner, please. A seat. You don't even have seat.
Have to give your name. You are breaking the rules.
Mr. Vander Lin. And have a seat. Have a good evening. You
Are a joke.
Next, go ahead. Next
is Mr.
Vander. And I, I really need you to follow the rules.
I'm trying very hard and it's very disrespectful. Ms. nar,
Go ahead.
Good evening, everybody. My name is Michelle Nar.
I'm the Macomb County Commissioner for District 12.
And, uh, I did have something I was gonna read,
but this time I'm just gonna, uh, just speak.
Um, I was always taught that if you don't plan to win,
you plan to fail.
And a lot of the things that I'm noticing here today is
because of a failure of planning, um,
we can make a lot of excuses.
But when we're out here campaigning
and asking these, these residents for our votes,
not one time did I hear, do I hear anybody ever say, well,
I really don't know about that.
And I don't really think I can do that.
So I have a problem
with an elected official saying what they can't do.
'cause there's a there. 'cause if if it's something
that was done in the past that we couldn't do,
then we can find a way to do it.
A lot of these problems that were here today
and discussed could have been solved
with simply filling out grants that was sent to you.
We may not have a lot of money in a the certain kitty now,
but the government has put out a lot of grants.
And, uh, our, um, mayor has come from the legislator.
So she know about a lot of the grants,
and she should have let everybody know about the grants
and should have been already getting you guys to apply
for 'em before she even took office.
And, um, I got a lot of calls about the meeting that,
uh, happened last night.
The residents were disappointed
that the council wasn't there.
And they were disappointed
that they got a budget hearing from our mayor
with her back turned to them.
And I know, you know, everybody says
they're trying to do something different.
But one thing that never changes is respect.
That'll never change you.
You can't serve that up any kind of way. Respect is respect.
If you're gonna give a budget hearing,
then you should face the people
that you ask to vote for you.
You should. You should be able to talk from the heart about
what you're gonna do for the city.
We need to know where we're going,
how we're gonna get there,
and give us kind of a time that we might make it.
Because I come from a family of people
that were in the service, and they say
that when they're in combat, the last thing they want is
for their, their general
or the person that's leading them to turn
around and say, where are we going?
Where are we going? Because
you're supposed to be the leader.
So let's lead, let's not make any more excuses.
I'm not perfect. I'm an elected official,
but I never make promises that I know I can't keep.
Whatever I tell the residents, it's what I can do.
And then I find other things. So let's just get it together.
Let's let you know if you're gonna hire people,
make sure you're doing the things right,
and then hire comparable
and capable people, not just anybody, not your friends,
not your relatives, but get some capable people from the
city of Warren because they're here,
they're intelligent, they're smart.
It shouldn't be hard. But if you had planned in the
beginning, then you wouldn't have this problem.
Now. Have a good day.
Thank you. Next is Hoa den.
Good evening. It's my honor and privilege to be here.
Stand in front of you, um, to, uh, speak
and ask for your support for a situation, a case that,
um, many cases that happened here in Cedar of Warren.
Um, so my name is
Huden and I'm the president
of Vietnamese American Association of Michigan.
And I'm one of the 21 commissioners that appointed
by the governors of, um, Gretchen Whitmer, um,
mission Asia Pacific Commissions.
And I feel very heart heavy
regarding the recent incident of robbery
and assault, targeting the Buddhism temple
within our Asian communities.
These worship places serve as a symbol of peace, unity,
and spiritual sanctuary, and hold significant culture and,
and spiritual importance for our diverse population.
The recent crime not only violate the sanctuary
of these religious institutions,
but also pose an ongoing threat
to the safety instilled fear, insecurity,
and wellbeing of the WW worshipers of our Asian community.
I'm deeply concerned about the impact of these incidents.
I kindly request for your support
and assist in the following four areas
and behind me that sign make warrant safe.
And I love that sign.
And I'm here to ask to, um, increase the police,
patrol, Investigate
and prosecute, um,
and also community outreach and support
and collaboration with religious leaders.
And we have victims
and we have witnesses that was sitting here with us that
who was, um, assault
and who also, um, was victimized.
And, uh, in the case that have to be hospitalized,
and it is our religious leaders.
And they came in
and just took the, um, money away,
the donation back away.
And they broke down all the camera system
and just run, uh,
during the daylight at around four o'clock.
And it says six temples
around here in this areas got affected by this.
And we have cases that we already filed claims for.
And I know that Cedar Warren Police Department
and detective actively working on that.
But I'm asking you continue to supporting us
and give us the support You're
Out of support They needed.
Thank you. Um, if you wanna
provide your information and Ms.
Camp some, someone from the city council
office can follow up with you.
Thank you. Thank You. Next is
Kenya Kak.
Good evening. My name is Kenya Tak.
I've been a resident in Warren since 2010, resident
of Michigan my whole life.
Um, I'm also a sitting member
of the Michigan Pagan Chamber of Commerce.
Um, I was really dismayed this evening to find
that the information about the grants
for the charitable organizations, I know for a fact
that information was not made, uh, publicly available.
Even if you have posted it, I'm just saying to many
of the Pagan charities within the city of Warren,
because there are several
that offer assistance in material support as well
as food support, as well as referrals.
And, um, I'm a little sad about that.
But what I primarily would like to speak to you about
is the possibility of
how we would go about having a folk ways festival
in the city of Warren.
Um, I am trying my best, uh, with the new council.
I have great faith in you, um,
that we will not be blocked again
by certain departments
and getting an answer, uh, in the past.
Because we are a non-A Abrahamic religious, uh,
community in Warren as well as Michigan, we have found
that when we apply for certain permits, instead
of getting an outright refusal
because of the nature of our classes and, uh, crafts
and other information that we pass on,
what we get is bounced back
and forth between, uh, the recreation department.
Um, and then this happened several times
because they ask us for clarification,
and then we contact the city attorney
and then they recite the ordinances about fortune telling,
which is not what we're doing.
We're talking about non-A Abrahamic religions.
And then it goes back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And it's been over since 2011 that we never get an answer.
Um, if pagans aren't welcome in Warren, just say so.
I've already had to move several festivals, a huge, uh,
27 year event from the city of Warren,
which was on the Warren Calendar last year,
because we feel distinctly unwelcome here.
We pay taxes, we pay property taxes,
we buy property here.
We have actual home schools here. We have apps here.
We have Roku channels here.
We have mutual help support situations here.
We have charities here,
and we would like to fully engage with the city's life
as well as everyone else.
We'd like to be treated equally,
very much like to be treated equally.
And if we would like to be able to have a festival,
we'd like to know what we would need to do to be able to do
that and not just be bounced back
and forth for years with no definitive answer as
to why we cannot, because it's a bit much now.
Um, I'm not directing this at you.
I have great faith in you. Also.
Thank you for working on the mobile home
and manufactured home situation.
I, I live on dcia, you know, my house floods every year.
Every time it rains, I'm in a flood. Thank you.
Thank you. Next is Gary Watts.
Good evening again. So I'll start off with, uh,
a fine gentleman that talked about
the problem with the crime.
Once again, we're down 21 police officers
and we knew that was coming
and our HR department didn't do anything.
Now we're behind and it's gonna take months
to get those people back up to staff.
So That, that's part of my comments from earlier.
We, we have a serious problem
with our hiring practices here,
and we need to get these departments staffed asap.
Um, the other thing that was said tonight about the
mobile home park from our acting city attorney was
that she checked Google Maps to see
how many trailers had been moved recently.
Well, I hate to tell you,
but Google Maps doesn't update that often.
But you know, what does update Gary driving
through there and seeing what's been removed?
And I would hope that our city attorney
and other people involved in
that had better be over there checking what's going on.
'cause I don't believe some of the stuff they tell us.
Um, the other thing I wanted to talk about
was a couple weeks ago, there was a meeting hosted by Ms.
Rogan c. And, uh, I believe the mayor was on it, um,
with some business leaders.
I've seen some business leaders that were listed in there
that, you guys know me, I check things that are habitual,
not paying their property taxes in this city.
I don't think that's the kind of people
that we should be having,
making decisions about what's going on with business.
That was a very, very bad look. I was disappointed.
Um, lastly, um,
Last weekend I heard that we won in the Circuit Court
of Appeals 11 page written document
on whether the mayor could run for office again.
And constantly I hear comments from people
about Mr. Schroeder.
Well, there you go. Another 11 page written document
from the second highest court of this country ruling in
council's favor, Mr.
Schroeder's favor among the other 14
or 15 over the last four years.
So I just wanna say, Mr. Schroeder, keep up the great work.
I'm glad the council's retained that young man.
And, um, let's keep it going. Thank you.
Thank You. Next is Ms. Harris.
Yeah,
Hi, uh, I wanna first, uh, say hi to Tony and Dorothy,
and again, apologize for the city not having a way
for people who are not able to attend the meeting
to have access to the meeting.
And we did demonstrate that during, uh, one
of the listening tours that all they had to do is have a,
a tablet with Zoom on it or FaceTime,
and that person could speak to the microphone too.
Um, but Tony, we love your signs.
Um, I want a message to, um, mayor Stone.
I support you and I'm willing to support you,
but I really, really cringe when the way
that you address the citizens is like,
we're a third grade class.
I found that offensive during your budget talk.
I found it offensive at another council meeting.
Um, and I would just encourage you
not to talk down to us.
We're intelligent, we're adults.
We might not agree, but we are intelligent.
Um, I want to also talk about businesses
opening without permits.
I stopped at one tonight. Um, I, we posted about it.
Um, he said he was already approved
by Warren, the city of Warren.
But there's, it's, it's clear he hasn't had any, um,
uh, uh, inspections.
Um, so, you know, what do we do? This happens a lot.
There are two on the same corner, a grocery
that did not pass its inspection
and has to be reinspected this week.
Um, but it's been open for two weeks at least.
How does it happen? It shouldn't be happening.
Um, our budget does not include additional police officers,
I noticed when I looked through the budget.
Um, so any, uh, attrition from retirements,
um, is going to really be a problem for us.
Um, how do we know that Mound Road won't crumble all of
that work on Mound Road if $2 million
for one little street here is crumbling?
What about mound? So should we hold off on new projects
until we get an answer to what's happening with the cement?
Um, I wanna remind people there's a DDA meeting
tomorrow at three O'.
There's not, uh, has it been canceled?
Oh, good grief. It's been canceled.
What do you know? It was not
Canceled. I thought
it was postponed. I thought it was said
Postponed. Well, we'll
figure it out.
Um, and Angela,
when you interrupt a speaker at the microphone,
you take their time.
And I was standing there when Joel raised his hand,
and I know there was more confusion
because I was helping a gentleman with his paper.
Um, um, but he really did want to speak.
And please don't interrupt when they're speaking.
You can always address something later
if you absolutely have to.
Thank you.
Next is Mr. Sam Ari, who I think is departed.
Uh, then after that is Chin
Ang.
Good evening, council member. Members.
Uh, my name is, uh, Ang, uh, I'm one of the director of, uh,
the, uh, uh, non-profit, uh, organization,
structured mountain monastery, also called,
uh, Lin, uh, temple.
We are located, uh, on nine Mile Road between, uh, Ryan
and, uh, Mount Road on the south side of Nine Mile Road.
And, uh, I've come here today, uh, to, uh, bring to you,
to your attention, uh, a situation, uh, happening in our
community, uh, related to the burglaries
and the assaults incidents.
Um, it's ongoing
and it's spread through different, uh, uh, community.
Uh, you have heard before. Uh, we are one of the victims.
Um, uh, we were assaulted
and, uh, uh, robbed four
or five temples, uh, within a timeframe of
roughly three weeks.
So, um, uh, our tempo was affected.
The last incident was in December, uh, December 5th.
And, uh, we have been, uh,
getting these visits before, but it was just robbery.
And, uh, but the last one was a, an assault.
And the venerable monk here was injured.
Um, and, uh, he had bruises
and bleeding, uh, through, uh, different, uh,
uh, injuries.
So, um, I would like to make a couple of requests
to you just so that we can, uh, uh,
really calm down the community, um,
since the incidents happen.
And you may have heard that it's always happen
during the day.
They never come to the temples
or the wash places during the night.
Everything happened during the day.
And, uh, people are scared when they come
to a mess during the day.
So my request to, uh, to the city council is that, uh,
you could help us to, uh, enhance, uh, safety,
security in the neighborhood as well as, um, if you could,
uh, support to continue investigate
and prosecute, uh, the criminals.
Uh, I just had, uh, like 15 minutes ago in talking to,
uh, captain Beck, he told us that, uh, they caught one
of the guy in Florida.
So the guy who, uh, used the same car, the same vehicle.
So he caught that guy, but there was more than one.
There was people, you're outta time. Sorry. My apologies.
I'm sorry. Yeah. Thank you for your time.
Thanks. Next is Jerry Bell.
Good evening. Good evening.
Tried to pull a fast one on Vander Linden, huh? Ms.
Rogan c Councilwoman. Angela Rogan.
You good tonight, Mindy?
Uh, and by the way, thank you.
Thank you to all I'm sure for seeing through Mayor Stone's,
bs that lawyer.
Anyhow, Ms.
rogenSi, I just want to address you tonight
and probably in the next two weeks and probably next month,
but you try to pull a fast one on Mr.
Vander Lin. And we were standing right there
when he put in his information.
When are you gonna stop trying to silence folks?
I know you don't like criticism.
Nobody likes criticism,
but you go through the extent
of violating people's
rights. Why do you do that?
You Seem to be very arrogant.
You turn on everybody. And that brings me to this.
I was looking at Facebook and I saw a post
and I said, Hmm, Angela Rogan is supporting
Michael Howard for county commissioner.
Didn't Michelle Bernard support you
and endorse you for counsel at large?
So that means you turned on her too.
You are not trustworthy.
Here's what I'm gonna do, just like I did,
I spared you from any lawsuits, any complaints,
because I believe in diplomacy.
Here's what I'm gonna do. Here's what I want you to do,
is take some time and think about the things
that you're doing in terms
of violating people's constitutional rights.
People have the right to speak.
You may not like it, but you got elected for that position.
And if you got elected for that position,
you know what's, what comes with it?
Stop turning on people. Start working for the people.
That's all you gotta do. Just plain and simple.
And again, that's my stance on all
of your foolishness.
You all have a good night each and every last one of you.
And please do not let lazy Lori Stone
pull this BS on us.
Thank you.
Thank you. Next is Curtis Osh.
Good evening counsel. Curtis Osh, a pastor
and resident of Warren.
I'm also concerned about our police staffing.
Were budgeted for 175 police officers. We're down about 24.
They said that we're probably gonna be down, uh,
more than 30 with retirements and, and what have you.
That's very con concerning to me.
Um, like, uh, these brethren here
at their temple, I was attacked this summer, um,
at our food ministry.
And, um, I could have knocked out those three chicks.
My wife says I can't call 'em women
'cause they were trying to beat me up
and trying to take more food than we were offering them.
And, uh, I kept backing up, backing up,
and then I fell over a pallet ripped my ACL ligament.
Um, and, uh, um, about 19 people that were waiting
for food at our place called 9 1 1.
Um, and, uh, the war and, uh, police were very good.
They responded well and,
and, uh, um, um, I'm, I'm proud of them.
But we need more cops in Warren.
And by transferring the hiring
to an unknown human resources manager that might be elected
or appointed or hired at some point in time in the future,
that's very disconcerting.
'cause when are we gonna get the show on the road?
Also, I, in glancing at the budget, um, I wanted
to correct Gary Watts for a second.
Um, the appellate matters that were won by Plunk, ay,
those weren't won by Mr. Schroeder.
His associates, I believe did most of the legal, uh, legwork
at the appellate division.
And we're still paying Plunkett Cooney to,
to fight the mayor's battle in federal court,
which is where does this end?
Where's the line item in the budget?
You guys are responsible for the budget.
Where's the line item that says Jeff Schroeder this,
we're gonna give him this many hundreds
of thousands this year.
Where is it? I mean, he's been up there for four years
as, uh, you know, the,
and it's disrespectful to our own city attorneys.
Our, our state, our city charter was,
was put into effect in 1956.
We've never had a permanent, uh, counsel, attorney, um,
ever in the history of our city.
Never, ever, ever. And I know you guys didn't like
Ethan Vincent for some reason, but it's a new day in Warren.
Let's get a move on.
If we can't afford four ounce cups of coffee,
maybe we should cut down some of our other expenses
and work things out.
It's kind of sad for our senior citizens.
They can't get a four ounce cup of coffee,
but we give this guy hundreds
of thousands when we have very
competent city attorneys. Thank you.
Thank you, clay. My gar.
Is he still here? He is my neighbor, no. Okay.
Uh, David Orlowski.
David Orlowski. 3 3 3 2. Bernice Warren.
Um, I just wanna start off by saying, uh, Mr.
Turca was here this evening.
I don't like to trash somebody behind their back,
but, uh, I'm really surprised that he still works
for the city of Warren.
Um, you know, Mr.
tdo, he took two months, close to two months
to fix a hole in a restroom at Steinhauser Park.
And it was a, it was a hazard to our youth
and the communities kids
that might try to jump in that hole.
And finally, when I came here
and complained about it, uh, Mr.
Rafferty worked with it and had it, uh,
abated just torn down.
But there were trees supposed to be, uh,
planted at Steinhauser.
Dino is, he's a nice guy,
but things that he says just don't come about.
So I'll leave it at that. Now, this is spring.
I've been overseas for six weeks.
I don't know how much progress has been made on a tree
ordinance or any of these type of things,
but this is spring for me.
Spring means that it's time for the onslaught of the goons
with their chainsaws
that have destroyed all the easement
trees in my neighborhood.
35% of the easement trees, some of them, uh,
mature trees, 50 years old, cut down
over the last three, four years.
And, and, and, uh, one, one tree
after another within weeks,
just attack 'em and bring 'em down.
I've lived in my neighborhood almost 30 years,
and I always prided, uh, had pride in my neighborhood
and the trees that we had and the beauty of it.
We have walkers and joggers. This is gonna be the hottest.
This was the hottest march in the history
of weather, uh, metering.
It was, this is the ninth straight year looking like another
record heat summer.
And we're cutting down trees.
Now, some of these trees did have to go and I,
and you know, if you could prune a tree and save it, fine.
Some of these, though, needed to be removed.
They're still ones that have been bypassed.
Smaller trees that should be removed. They're bug infested.
But there's no clarity of purpose on the part of forestry
or Department of Public works.
And I find it very disconcerting.
Anybody else in the city, if you're out there in TV land,
if they're coming into tearing your neighborhood trees down
and devaluing your property, even though I did get a a,
a hike in my assessment, uh, value.
But ultimately tear taking trees down is gonna lower
your property values.
'cause trees add value to property.
But if they're doing this in your neighborhood,
in warrant somewhere else, let the mayor
and this council know that we have to have trees.
You're out of time. Thank you.
Okay. Thank you. Good night. Zach Wooten.
Zach. Oh, you are here. Great.
Good evening City council.
I have a quick question for you guys.
I'm here on behalf of a couple of my neighbors who live on,
uh, Racine Avenue at 12
and Van D**e right behind, uh,
the Walmart, the Planet Fitness.
There's a large shopping center there,
and we're kind of unsure as to what to do.
Uh, we've looked at the city ordinances in terms of noise.
We've had ongoing noise complaints with the, um,
shopping center that's right back there.
We understand that they're gonna be loud,
but some of the issues that we have is, uh, you know,
they'll have trash pickup at 5 36 in the
morning at three this morning.
They had a, uh, street sweeping truck out there just driving
around the parking lot, which it's, it's quite loud
and quite late at night or early in the morning for that.
And looking at the, um, the municipal code,
what it says in there is, um, for any sort
of commercial enterprise, you can start that sort
of stuff at seven o'clock to 10 o'clock.
And then for regular noise ordinances,
it's eight o'clock to 10 o'clock.
And I've called the companies that are behind this,
the trash removal company
and, uh, the street sweeping company.
And they've just kind of blown me off.
And so I called in a noise complaint this morning
at, at three in the morning.
And, uh, the, uh, police dispatcher said, well,
that's just too bad.
They can do what they want. It's a commercial property,
which I don't think is exactly
what should be going on there.
And so I'm just looking for some clarification.
I don't know where else to go at this point.
Um, I don't know who else to ask.
And I saw there was a city council meeting tonight,
and so decided to come out.
And I'm wondering if you guys can, uh, tell me where to go
and what to do next to try
and get, uh, you know, their trash pickup scheduled
for when they're allowed to do it.
Or have their street sweeping
not come at three in the morning.
Uh, same with like their snow removal.
I don't know if they need to do it at two in the morning,
but there it is.
So is it possible to get an answer now
or do I have to wait for the next, uh, point?
I'm the DA call, call the DDA director.
So, so, um, if you give your information
to MS Camp at the end here, we can follow up.
Certainly. I think what you are stating is correct
and, uh, we can discuss
during council comments a bit more if you stick around
for one more audience.
Sure, no problem. Thank you.
But that's all I had for tonight. Thank you. Thank
You.
Next is, uh, Gloria Sanker.
Ms. Sanker, if you could give your address
for the record. It's not on your form.
I'm sorry. Your
Address for the record, it's not on your form.
Not clear what you're saying.
You are addressed for the record
because it's not on your form.
Oh. If you could give it or come and complete it
after your comments. Yes.
Thank you. Uh, good evening.
Uh, we have a special election in District 13 on April 16th.
That's next Tuesday
to fill the seat in the State House called State
Representative, the newspaper.
The Warren Weekly had Maya Zong
and Ronald Singer, uh, running for that seat.
We should, while we still have the Freedom to Vote,
vote on April the 16th to fill that open house seat.
Many people go on to fill offices in Washington DC
after that, uh, state election.
That makes this election vital
because it's going to give great power to either
the Democrats or the Republican Party.
We have to realize it's not just a person.
We are voting for a platform of either political party.
Maya Zg already said in the Warren Weekly article
that she's committed to getting
Democrats in the State House.
What is the Democratic platform that Maya Z
and the Democratic Party is committed to?
Well, that's easy.
President Biden is enforcing it every day.
Big government, open borders, high taxes,
defunding the police, runaway inflation,
and every abortion imaginable.
Biden used to be against all of this, but changed
because his party wanted this platform.
If you think these are winning qualities
to save our country, vote for that party.
If not, vote for the other party.
The choice is yours, but make it wise.
You have the results right now of how the country is run
with the Democratic president.
You have the choice in this local state election
to keep it going or to change it.
Neither system is perfect, but there clearly are differences
and impacts to we the people of
how it affects our economy.
And our beliefs don't ever not vote.
It's a God-given. Right?
And one of the reasons that millions of illegals are coming
to America to get the right to vote.
And if they do, we will no longer have a two party system.
Why? There are millions of them.
And Biden is giving them everything free.
America is fading fast as we know it.
Do what you can to slow the process. Thank you.
Thank you. That is the end of audience.
Madam Chair. Yes. Council response to audience.
Madam Chair.
Yes. Thank you.
Um, first off, um, to our friends in the, uh,
front rows here, I'm very sorry that what's happened to you.
Um, I'm sure the police are working on it.
I'm, I'm heartened to find that they are reaching out
so far as to Florida.
Um, it sounds like there's there some general robbery
charges, but maybe some hate crimes also.
Um, and, um, I, uh, I have friends that, uh,
attend the Temple on Nine Mile.
I think it's one of the most beautiful
places, uh, in the city.
I love going by it. It's, it's, uh, very joyful
and peaceful to be there.
Um, so I'm sorry. I'm sure our police are working.
Um, the other item, the noise at Tech Plaza
that does a gentleman leave?
No, you're right here. Um, that,
that Plaza is actually owned by a member of the DDA
and, uh, perhaps, uh, if we contact the, uh, uh,
economic development office, the DDA office,
that they would reach out, um, to that owner
and indicate that some of our residents are unhappy with.
Um, and that's what, what you described
to me sounds like a violation of our noise ordinance
or our working hours ordinance.
Uh, if I remember correctly, the,
the limitations we put on developers
and, uh, business owners.
So I'm, you know, Mr.
Uh, nobody from building departments here,
but I, they're probably right.
Uh, Mr. Um, vest, you probably are aware, right?
He's not hearing me. Okay. Anyway, um, I would suggest Ms.
Camp if we can send a message to, uh, maybe, uh, the DDA.
Yep. Yep. And also, you know,
there's a lot going on up here.
Uh, we have a lot of agenda.
Sorry, we have a lot of agenda items to cover.
There are a lot of people here, there are people
that stand up here all at once.
People wait till the last minute.
'cause everybody wants to be the last one to talk.
Um, we have a lot to handle.
We get texts from people that the streaming's down
and we can't hear and all kinds of things going on.
Ms. Rosy has a lot to take care of.
She's gotta keep the vote straight
and all, all the things that are going on in the audience,
we all have things going on.
She's doing the best job she can.
And if somebody's missed, I miss agenda items all the time
and somebody has to say, Hey, you missed one.
We're not perfect. And we can't see every single thing
that's going on in this auditorium.
There are people behind the curtain.
There are people came out,
I didn't even know they were there.
So, you know, we all do the best I we can.
And there's nobody up here that wants to stifle free speech
and audience participation.
We have two audience participations in the meeting. And Ms.
Rosy was absolutely fully in favor of that.
And we give you two opportunities to speak, not just one,
because we wanna hear from you.
We had many public hearings tonight, and Ms. Ms.
rogenSi does nothing to stop anyone from speaking.
Nothing's on purpose. I'm up here.
We we go back and forth on items all night.
'cause we're trying to work out things that are coming up
or documents we have to send to Miss Camp.
So I think it's unfair to think
and to accuse her of doing something on purpose to talk
to keep anyone from speaking that.
I just don't think that's the case. Thank you.
Bye-Bye Ms. Pigge.
I wanted to say that I placed two events that are, uh,
information here below some flyers.
Um, first event, um,
that I was asked about at the senior housing is, uh, safety
for our seniors and those who are dis disabled.
And we will be putting on an event on April the 29th, uh,
for active shooters training.
It will be a two hour event on the 29th of April from two
o'clock to 4:00 PM and really all are welcome to come.
Um, we have to have at least 30 people that participate,
but it's up to a hundred people.
So you are more than welcome to, um, to take the flyer.
The other item we talked about today,
earlier today about when we talked about salaries
for our attorneys
and salaries for our HR directors,
were having an upcoming skill trace
and career event on May 16th in the City of Warren.
It was a large event that took place in 2019.
We had about 500 participants.
We had all high schools, we had counselors, we had adults,
we had people who caught the bus from eight mile all the way
down to participate in the Skilled Trades Fair.
And they are gonna be taking applications for the City
of Warren job openings.
So if you know of people who want to come, who's looking
for opportunities, um,
and have these type of careers,
we have several skilled chair apprentice schools
right here in Warren.
We have the brick layers, we have the carpenters,
we have millwrights.
All of them are located right here in Warren.
And you can get accepted into their program.
And it's a learn as you earn program
that mean you get paid along the way with benefits,
full benefits along the way, pension programs.
So if you know of people in the city of Warren,
I'm all about Warren first, we wanna make sure
that you fill these openings first.
So make sure they know all about it.
Happens on May 16th from four to 7:00 PM
and we're allowing, um, high school student buses, um,
from all schools around Macomb
to come in at three o'clock, starting at three o'clock.
I appreciate it. Thank you so much
Mr. Newan.
Thank you. Also, um, I've arranged to have
a gun lock and backpack giveaway event.
Um, I, I requested 30 gun locks from,
uh, commissioner Rushton.
And, um, I've arranged to have the, uh,
community room in the Burnett Branch Library
on Thursday, May 9th.
We are, um, planning on meeting there from six
o'clock until eight o'clock.
And also there'll be an officer there to explain how
to use the gun locks and,
and why it's important to use them.
And I, anyone that wants to come as welcome, I'm, uh,
I'm especially doing that for
City Council District five mm-Hmm.
But anyone's welcome. And if anyone else wants
to repeat the event, it will probably be very repeatable.
So thank you very much.
Mad president, council member Lafferty. Thank you.
There were once again some unfair
and demeaning attacks made against
Mr. Schroeder this evening.
And once again, I am going to come to his defense.
Why? Because an attorney
that is probably one of the most dignified, well-educated
and astute representatives
of his trade in the legal profession,
it should be demanded that kind of respect.
Because he has earned it.
He is worth every single penny we have
paid for his services.
And this latest win in the Court of appeals, the US Court
of Appeals is another feather in his cap.
It was his arguments that were carried forward, his
expertise on paper that were carried forward to court
after court, after court.
I think were up to what 11 judges now
that have sided with Mr. Schroeder.
That is a testament to his legal expertise.
And he's sitting here representing the city of Warren
and Council, who represents the people we should be proud of
that that kind of representation could be
worth a lot more.
And he chooses to sit here with us
and represent us, paying a, a paltry sum
as far as I'm concerned.
And I call on him for many different items.
And I'm always afforded terrific legal advice
in support of my position.
The argument used tonight, I found amusing
because the charter doesn't call for
a city attorney and a council
appointed attorney.
The two divested separate branches of government.
Well, here's what the charter does call
for Section 7.5.
The mayor shall be paid a salary
of $14,000 per annum.
It also says the mayor shall be paid for his
services to the city.
So the mayor should only be a man.
Our ch our charter has been changed time and time again.
We offered three good examples tonight, asking the City
of Warren to modify and modernize the charter.
This council body
and the council prior to recognize the need
for legal representation
that is separate from the representation
of the executive branch.
We are two separate branches of government
and we will operate as such.
City attorney representing, uh,
the legal department
and the city council attorney are two separate,
representing two separate areas.
And I have the utmost confidence in Mr.
Schroeder's competent
and continued leadership of this, of this body.
And I thank you for everything you have done
for the citizens of Warren.
I thank you for your continued leadership
and you do not deserve the treatment
that you receive at these meetings.
Time and time again. We had an election,
it was back in November.
All of us have moved on.
It is time for everyone to follow that lead. Thank you
Adam. Chair.
Uh, council member Nunan.
Thank you. I just like to say
that I very much appreciate the kind words
that Councilman Lafferty has given to our,
uh, uh, city attorney Jeff Schroeder.
Who I also believe as Jonathan does, is first class.
And if we hire a city attorney for the, uh, for the
mayor's, uh, attorney, I hope that he will be the model
for whoever we hire.
And if, if that person was hired at that great expense, uh,
the, the nice pay raise over what,
what they've been paid in the past, I, I think
that would probably be appropriate for someone
of Jeff Schroeder's caliber.
But I don't think, uh, would you cost that much, Jeff?
We should hire you. You know, we'll, we'll talk.
Oh, we'll talk, we'll talk. Okay.
Um, also, I'd like to say that, uh, Zach Wooten,
though you've left the, uh, chamber, I'm looking forward
to getting in contact with you to help, um,
help you resolve the matter of the sound
and hours, uh, violations of our ordinances.
And I'll, I'll, uh, ask our Mary camp to please, uh,
forward his contact info to me.
And I, I feel very much for the, uh, Buddhist temples
and the Buddhist population, um, suffering from,
uh, repeated attacks.
It's just, it's totally unacceptable.
And, uh, I'm so glad that you're here in Warren,
and I hope that even, uh, more of your friends
and family will come to Warren also
and find it a good place to live.
So, thank you.
Any additional announcements? Uh, I have a couple.
Uh, Mr. Orlowski, there is a tree committee, uh,
that has been taken up on council.
I don't know who is all on tree committee.
Okay. So, uh, I, I'm actually the chair of the, uh, tree,
tree ordinance, uh, item.
It's, it's a subcommittee.
Uh, anyways, uh, Gary Bokey
and Melody are also on it,
and tree pre tree preservation is an important item.
Um, the good news really is that
the city's planning on increasing the tree canopy
by a hundred percent from about 20 to 40.
And they actually have plans of, uh, afoot
using the resources of the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources
and also the, uh, green Macomb, um,
Macomb County people in the planning department.
So it's coming along. Um,
apparently the former mayor, if anyone asked
to have a tree taken down, he would just say, take it down,
which is sort of indiscriminate, whether it really needed
to be, and, and, uh, this, uh, consideration,
if we had someone who was like a tree surgeon
who could figure out when
to just take down a branch rather than killing the whole
tree, uh, that would be very good.
Right now, I, I think we're a little bit down in
that department, so hopefully we're, we'll,
we'll be hiring a forester
and getting better, um, advice, uh, guiding
the city when it comes to trees.
Thank you. I knew there was an update.
I just didn't have it Ready.
Uh, next, um,
I'm planning a service day at the Mobile Home
Park Landmark Estate.
Uh, I don't have a date yet,
but, uh, a number of these folks, I, I spoke
to the sheet metal workers.
They have the number of the trailers have missing skirting
and there's roof problems,
and talking to the roofers about coming
in, doing a service day.
If anyone would like to participate, please let me know.
Uh, the many of the folks own their individual trailers,
but rent the lot that they're on
and don't have the means to improve their conditions.
And as I stated earlier, the, um,
ownership group is not, not being very helpful.
So anyone who's interested in that
or has things that they could donate to the day,
I think would be tremendously helpful.
So feel free to contact me. Uh, I appreciate Ms.
Moore's, uh, remarks about, uh,
the things going on here we're I do my best to keep track
of everything, to monitor the clock, which I monitor myself,
keep track of votes I can't actually see over here very well
because there's things in my way,
and I'm a very small person.
So if there are people over here, I,
I'm maybe not even able to see them.
Uh, I, I'm never intending to quiet anyone's voice.
If you spent any time with me, you would know, uh, that
I want to hear from everyone and,
and always, I even listen
to Mr. Bell threaten me every meeting.
Um, and I do so, uh, patiently sitting here, uh,
because he has a right to, to share his perspective
and his opinion, as does everybody else.
So there is never an intention.
And if I happen to make a mistake, I am human,
as Ms. Moore said, and doing my best to run the meetings
and keep everything moving forward.
So appreciate everyone's patience
and grace, uh, as assuming the best of intent, uh,
for particularly Ms. Moore
and I who do have to run the meetings regularly.
So appreciate that. Uh, I think that is all that I had.
Any other motion to adjourn? Okay.
Support. All in favor? Aye. Motion carries. Thank you.