I think
Now calling to order a regular meeting
of the city council.
Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 at 7:00 PM Please stand
for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance, pledge
Allegiance. The flag. The
flag of the United States, America,
and to the Republic for which
Stands? One
Nation under God, indivisible.
Liberty, with liberty and justice for all.
Roll call Madam Secretary Councilman Roy?
Here. Councilman Dwyer?
Here. Councilwoman McGee. Here. Councilman Bokey.
Present. Councilman Nunan? Here. Councilman Lafferty. Here.
Councilwoman Moore. We have a quorum.
Next item. Next item is for adoption
of the consent agenda. So moved.
Support Lafferty.
Discussion. Hearing none. I'll call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is? Yes.
Motion carries. Next item. Next
Item is adoption of the agenda.
So moved with discussion.
Support Lafferty. Discussion Madam Secretary.
Thank you. We have one item to add under 12 D.
Um, this is a request for a 60 day extension
of Mad House LLC located at 21 445 Hoover Road,
suite two 10 in Warren.
Um, their license expires on the 31st, so
that's why it's being put on tonight.
Any other discussion? Hearing none?
I'll 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 six. A calendar of pending matters.
Motion to receive and file with discussion
Support Lafferty.
Discussion Ms. Moore. Thank you.
I did receive some, um, information on the Habitat
for Humanity, um, issue.
I've not had a chance to look at those documents
and, um, we'll maybe have some further discussion on that,
but I'll make sure everybody gets a copy of what we got.
Any other discussion,
hearing and seeing 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.
Next item is seven.
A approval of the minutes of the regular meeting
of January 14th, 2025. So moved.
Support Dwyer. Discussion, hearing, seeing none?
I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is eight.
A approval of the bills
of the General Revenue funds. So moved.
Support Lafferty. Discussion,
hearing and seeing none.
I'll 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 eight B.
Approval of the bills of the water
and sewer systems. So moved.
Support Dwyer.
Discussion Call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is audience participation for agenda items only.
Members of the audience who would like
to address the city council this evening may do so
by filling out an audience form
to the right side of the stage.
Uh, you have three minutes. This audience is
for agenda items only.
There is additional time at the end of the meeting
for general audience.
First up is Lori Harris.
Good evening.
The screen's not on. Hmm.
You can start counting in about 30 seconds.
Um, the countdown screen.
I will, um, Just No, it's okay. Just Okay. Yeah.
Alright. Um, I did send a letter to counsel.
I am a little, I, I know I was kind of passionate in
that letter, but I'm disappointed that I didn't hear back.
I'm talked to one person about it,
but I didn't hear back from anybody.
But I wanna point out on 12 C this, uh,
proposed resolution authorizes an agreement between the city
of Warren and Mc Crest.
As a part of the CDBG program, your budget
and the amount of $15,000 is completely unnecessary
and unacceptable.
Um, I think in that letter I pointed out quite a few reasons
why you need to ask a lot of questions about this situation.
Number one, this wasn't presented two weeks ago at the
committee of the whole, um, if this was on the table,
it should have been discussed then it's, um,
uh, There's some inappropriate, um,
relationships between Mc Crest and, um, Mr.
DeLoach. Um, there's information about Mr.
DeLoach that I think we have to be careful with in terms of
how much we are supporting his,
uh, nice endeavor.
I mean, he wants to help. We all want to help.
Um, but we have to ask the right questions.
And, uh, you don't just blank, you know,
just give someone a blank check, so to speak
and make them your, uh, the person doing your work
and you don't know anything about him.
Um, or, or, or who he reports to or who helps him
or what it, my letter was pretty self-explanatory.
Um, this is, this is, um, very distressing
that this would happen, um, in two weeks.
How did it go to being written reviewed by attorney,
reviewed by the mayor, and then sent, how does that happen?
Nothing happens in this city in two weeks like that.
Plus there were errors in that, in that agreement.
So, uh, shame on Tom Bato.
And I also wanna beg you again, stop giving approval
to these pot places
because they haven't done their licensing.
Um, they shouldn't get extensions if they can't keep track
of when their license is due to be renewed
or what, what information needs to happen.
They've had long enough. Why are we giving them extensions?
Make them shut down and get the right, uh, paperwork
or whatever they need to do.
Let them get it done on time.
Nobody else gets a 60 day
extension 'cause they don't do their work.
And there was somebody in the city building department
who was supposed to remind them.
I don't know if that person still works there.
Um, but we need to stop doing that.
Uh, how many businesses do we have in the city like that?
So, thank you.
Thank you. Next is Za Booker.
Hi. I'm sorry. I think I put my name
down for the wrong one.
I apologize. You can speak at the end. Okay. Thank you.
Mm-hmm.
That is the end of audience. Next item.
Next item is 10, a fire department appreciation.
I received a call from a resident, um, I dunno. Last week.
Um, Mr. Tim Dale, um, who's been ver was very,
very active in city affairs when, on my first term, um,
was nice to get a phone call from him,
and especially what he had to say.
Um, so if we could invite, uh, Mr. Dale up, um,
he can tell you his story.
Thank you, Mindy. Uh, good evening Council members.
I'd like to share a real quick letter here
with something I posted on social media
and then I tagged it in the Warren Scanner,
um, page as well.
Uh, I, after this incident happened, I went
to the mayor's office and informed the mayor of
what had happened and told the mayor's office that I was
not gonna let this go by.
Uh, I want to preach it from the rooftops.
I want everyone to know, uh, what happened.
And I, I've contacted the council office
and every, everybody I can think of Cable warn I've,
you know, I I'm not gonna let this go.
I, it'll just states, uh, dear family
and friends, Christine, my wife
and I, for the most part,
keep our personal lives when it comes to ups
and downs of, to ourselves.
But I feel the need to tell a story of something
that happened to us last night.
This was last week while we were at home.
Our carbon monoxide detectors went off.
First thing I did was call my son-in-law, Devon Rice.
Devon is a warned firefighter.
He called the fire department for me while I open doors
to start ventilating the house.
My wife is handicapped. She uses a walker.
And so it's, you know, I have to make sure that I
do things like that, Christine.
And I just want everyone to know how proud
and thankful we are for the Warren Fire Department.
For their quick response.
They got here, put in a fan,
tested the carbon monoxide levels,
and they were dangerously high.
After investigating, they found out it was from my furnace.
They had done a testing, they can't tell exactly,
but they tested the water heater.
You know, we shut one off.
And then, and they determined it was the furnace.
Um, um,
after investigating, they found out it was from my furnace.
We then shut off the furnace
and they cleared the house of carbon monoxide till the
levels were near zero.
You can say carbon monoxide detectors saved our lives.
But now I will tell you the rest of the story.
Last year, the Warren Fire Department came to our house
and installed smoke detectors
and carbon monoxide detectors for us at no cost
through a government program.
So we chose to believe that the Warren Fire Department
and all of its employees have saved our lives.
We would like to give a special shout out to Lieutenant Cam,
firefighter Dane Harvey, Nate Hayward,
and of course our son-in-law, Devon Rice,
and of course to everyone that took part in the install, uh,
installing our carbon monoxide detectors.
So if you think heroes don't exist,
I will gladly introduce you to a few.
And I would just like everyone to know that, uh, you know,
it was stated by a couple
of the fire people involved in this program
that if it saved one life, it was well worth it.
It saved two. Thank, thank you very much.
Thank you, Tim. Um, I would just remind, uh,
everyone in the audience, anybody that's watching,
if you contact the Warren Fire Department, they will come
to your home and install new
or replacement, uh, smoke detectors and co detectors.
Um, the number is
5 8 6 7 5 9 9 3 2 0.
Or email at smoke
detector@warrenfiredpt.org.
Free of charge? Yes. Thank you, uh, commissioner.
And it's free of charge to the homeowner
and the fire, um, fighters will come out
and install them for you.
Did you want Mr. Or Commissioner?
Um, McAdams, do you wanna add something?
Yes. I just wanted to add that the resident
who just spoke, um,
carbon monoxide in his home was 140,000 parts per minute.
Pill per million.
40 parts per million will activate the alarm.
Um, so his reading was high
and it could have, it would've been life threatening to him
and his family probably when they went to sleep.
But this program, as stated, is a free program.
We work around the residents schedule.
We will come out after hours four o'clock to, up
to about seven o'clock, depending on how many we have to do.
We come out during the morning,
depending on your work schedule.
The only only criteria is that one, you have
to be a resident of the city of Warren homeowner.
Doesn't mean your home has to be paid off.
It just means to, has to be your house.
And we will install them for free.
This is about a $250
free program per house.
The average smoke detector, high quality one costs about 35
to $40 a piece on an average install.
We install five smoke detectors
and one carbon monoxide detector, about 250
to 300 plus.
We get up on the ladders
and install them in the correct place.
So you, you don't have to be 90 for us to do it.
You can be 20. We will install save you the trouble.
We bring our own ladders, we bring our own tools,
and we'll leave your home in the same condition
as when we arrive, except for the smoke detectors.
So we want every citizen homeowner in Warren
to take advantage of this free program.
And we enjoy going to a resident
and helping them out with this situation
before a tragedy happens.
And it makes us feel good.
And I didn't know the names of the actual individuals
who responded to this incident.
I did. I was provided the basics of it.
But now I know which crew to track down
and make sure that they get their attaboy.
And it's the fire Inspection Division, all five
of those employees who actually do the install.
So it's a, it is a great program for the residents of honey.
It's not in, I'm sorry, Warren, wrong city.
You used to work there. Um,
it's a great program for the residents.
It's not income driven.
It's free to all resident homeowners. Thank
You. Thank, thank you Commissioner.
Um, I think, I don't know if you were with us, Mr.
Lafferty, when we, we went around and,
and when the first, the program first started, we went
and helped install, uh, smoke detectors
and the people were so happy.
And everybody I have run across,
'cause a lot of people talk about getting smoke detectors,
you go door to door, people call up for something else
and they mention and they mention how nice everybody is
that come, they come and do that.
And the other thing that I have to mention too,
this is a little off this topic,
but so many people I've talked
to over the last several years have someone
that they're taking care of in their home.
And, you know, sometimes there's a wife with a husband
that has, uh, a disability and they have problems with falls
and they have to call so often.
And they, they feel like they're such a burden on the
department calling and asking for lift des assist.
And they all say just hound nice.
The firefighters are when they come
and they, nobody ever acts put out or anything
and they tell them, you keep calling us anytime
you need us, you call us.
And that, that's so reassuring to people
that are vulnerable.
Yes, we work, we truly work
for the residents of this city.
And when in doubt, call us.
We're coming, we come to mitigate the situation.
Um, and we don't, we do charge for services,
but only what your insurance will pay.
And we don't charge for lift assist at all. $0, period.
Some other communities do.
But the citizens of Warren, the residents of Warren,
they pay enough in taxes for quality services.
And this is just one of the quality services
that all the city departments provide.
And that's thanks to you guys
and the elected, all elected officials make it possible.
Thank you. Thank you.
Additional announcements? Yep. One more.
Uh, next item is recognition of police officers,
Brian Stanko and Chad Rosso Rosso,
I think they're in the audience.
Um, so we all know
how hard both our fire and police work.
Um, they are brave
and, um, work under bad situations sometimes.
And, um, they are, uh, put in,
they are called to task many times.
And, um, sometimes they just go beyond the call of duty.
And that's what happened with these officers.
And, um, I am going to read this resolution
and this will explain everything that Happened.
Whereas the Warren City Council is proud to recognize
and honor individuals who embody the highest ideals
of service, compassion, and community spirit
and officers Brian Stanko
and Chad Au of the Warren Police Department have
demonstrated extraordinary care
and dedication by going above
and beyond the call of duty
to assist a Warren resident in need.
And earlier this month, officer Stanko
and AU responded to a call
for service at a home in Southwest
Warren, where they met Ms.
Lillian Holt, a single mother working the midnight shift at
a local factory while raising two young sons aged 14 and 15.
And Officer Stanko and Rosso moved by Ms.
Holt's dedication to her family
and her struggle to provide necessities, chose
to take personal action
to improve her family's living conditions
and ease her hardships.
And whereas these officers mobilized their own friends
and family to secure donations of essential furniture,
including couches and a bed,
and further donated their own belongings,
including a king-sized bed dresser tv,
and other home furnishings.
And Officer Rossell additionally reached out to Walmart,
which donated a twin bed, set sheets
and other essential items,
and contributed his own funds to purchase groceries for Mrs.
Holt's family. And on his day off,
officer Rossell personally delivered these donated
items to Ms.
Holt's residence profoundly touching her family
with his kindness and generosity.
And whereas the actions of officers Stanko
and Rossel reflect the highest values
of the Warren Police Department
and exemplify the profound impact
that law enforcement officers can have on the community.
And whereas their selfless contributions
and humility in seeking no recognition
for their actions serve as an inspiration
to their fellow officers and to the residents of Warren.
Now therefore, be it resolved
that the Warren City Council hereby proudly salutes
and commences officers, Brian Stanko and Chad Sau.
Am I saying that right? Sau? Yes. Rossa. Rosso, yeah.
For their extraordinary acts of kindness, compassion,
and community service.
And B, it further resolved
that this council recognizes these officers
as shining examples of the dedication
and integrity that define the Warren Police Department
and extend our heartfelt gratitude for their efforts
to make a positive difference in the lives
of those they serve.
Resolution declared, adopted on this 28th day
of January, 2025.
So moved.
Support doer. All in favor? Aye.
Aye. Okay.
Any other announcements?
Oh,
I wanted to make a few announcements.
Uh, first announcement was, oh,
Okay.
Okay. Um, I wanted to bring information to you
regarding the McCall Business Development.
Um, Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business Detroit,
Southeast Michigan, our opening up for applications.
Um, this is in partnership
for small businesses in partnership
with McComb Community College.
This program teaches business owners
with annual rep revenues between 75,000
and $20 million, how to work on their business
and not just their business.
If accept into the program, tuition is fully paid for
by the Goldman Sachs Foundation.
The deadline is February the 14th.
Um, and the program will begin on in May.
So I left out of few flyers here at the end of the stage
so you guys can have that application information along
with McComb Business Awards.
Um, McComb does give out business awards for every city.
And this event recognizes organizations that are striving
to build their workforce, expand market share,
be good neighbors, embrace diversity or start a business.
So if you would like to put in, um, a recommendation
for business in the city of Warren,
you can call the number
(586) 469-5100.
That's
5 8 6 4 6 9 5 1 0.
And that information is also at the edge of this stage.
And then the last, um, announcement is that Warren now has,
uh, have a transportation program for seniors
and disabled transfer transportation services.
The hours of operation would be Monday
through Friday from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM
All appointments must be, um, concluded by 2:00 PM If you go
beyond our transportation hours of 2:00 PM
you must make your own arrangements for transportation home.
Um, transportation hours again is Monday
through Friday from seven 30 until 2:30 PM
And who's eligible any wor
or center line residents who is 55 years of age of older?
All appointments must be scheduled
through the transportation aid in office.
Please make your request two weeks in advance.
No days of requests.
There are specific numbers of appointment slots each day.
Passengers must be, must be able to get from their home
to the curb on their own.
And drivers are only allowed to leave the bus
to assist customers.
On and off the lift, you can call
the number
(586) 268-0551.
That's 5 8 6 2 6 8 0 5 5 1.
And then my last announcement is there, um,
they're having free pickleball on Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM
um, at the Owen Jacks recreational center.
And you can call
5 8 6 7 5 7 7 4 8 0 if you
want to participate.
And this is located at 82 0 7 East Nine Mile Road
on in Warren, Michigan.
Thank you.
Any additional announcements?
Mad and president, Mr. Lafferty.
Okay. The Warren Parks
and Recreation is sponsoring the annual Cold rush.
That's going to be Saturday, February 8th from two
to 8:00 PM and they'll be, uh, featuring ice skating,
ice sculptures,
and carving food trucks, hot cocoa and s'mores.
And this all takes place again.
Saturday, February 8th, two to 8:00 PM
at Warren Civic Square.
It's a fun time. Always enjoy lacing up my skates
and going around the ice a couple of times.
Good times. Thank you.
Any additional announcements? Hearing and seeing none.
We will move on. Next item. Next
Item is 12.
A consideration
and adoption of a resolution approving consulting services
agreement with Willis Towers Watson for calculation
of actuarially required reserves
for the city's self-insured.
No fault automobile liability. So moved,
Support laborer.
Discussion, Hearing,
And seeing 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? Yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12 B Proposed resolution
authorizing quick claim deed to City
of Warren downtown development authority
for real property at 36 37.
Shaner Warren, Michigan.
Parcel ID number 13 11 2 2 9 0 3 8.
Consideration and adoption of a resolution
So moved.
Support Dwyer. Discussion,
hearing, and seeing none.
I'll call the question Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes.
Mr. Bokey? Yes. Um, Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Rogan is a yes. Motion carries. Next
Item. Next item is
12 C.
Proposed resolution authorizing an agreement
between the city of Warren
and Mc Crest as part of the 20 24, 20 25 CDBG program.
Year budget in the amount of $15,000 consideration
and adoption of a resolution.
So moved for the purposes of discussion.
Support. Support,
Support McGee.
Discussion Mr. Lafferty?
Thank you, uh, through the chair to Mr. Bato.
Oh, Ms. Chenko and Ms.
Michaels, I will probably likely need you as well.
Good evening. Good evening, ma'am.
The, the timing of this resolution is, is rather
timely, but I'm failing to see how it is
related to the actions we took at the last council meeting
relative to the emergency.
If it's tied at all to it. Can you answer Not that question
First? It's not tied, um,
it's not tied to any of that.
This allocation was made part of our budget
for the 24 25 season.
Um, our office has been in communication with Mcgras
for several months, working on a new contract.
Um, part of the new, um, regulations require the city to pay
the full amount, um, of a shelter night
to the, the shelters.
And that model, um, you know, it's very difficult to come up
with the amount that it costs
for an actual night of shelter.
So we've restructured the agreement to pay for nights
of shelter that are housed in a hotel,
and that actual cost that is incurred
by mc Crest will be reimbursed by the city.
So this has nothing to do with, I,
I wasn't at the council meeting that had to do with that,
but this has been in the works, um, for quite a while
and it's a completely separate item than was
addressed at the last council meeting.
Okay. Thank you for the clarification. Yes.
Uh, historically, what has been our allocations, uh,
from the Title one money that you receive
through the City two mcress
Title?
Are you talking about from CDBG funds
that we allocate to Mcst?
Mm-hmm. Um, historically it's about 15, 10 to $15,000
that we allocate to Merest
and we also give funding to Turning Point as well.
Right. Turning point, uh, St. Vincent de Paul.
Right. In terms of shelter, it would be, um, uh,
turning Point and Mcress.
And, um, at one time we also gave money to Matts as well.
Okay. And so with, with this particular,
I'm, again, I'm going back to the timing
because we did the allocations several months ago.
So, and I don't ever recall having, having this come back
to us later in the year.
We always get the allocation
and that's approved by counsel.
And then after the allocation is done,
an individual contract is approved by counsel as well.
Okay. And then,
and I'm not certain if you can answer this, if not, Ms.
Uh, to Ms. Michaels, the, the terms
of the agreement in section two
are from October 1st, 2024 to September 30th.
So we're, our current contract
was up until September 30.
And then this is, and we're we're
approving contract backdating it.
Yes. Like I said, we were working, we've been working
with them for several months to come to an agreement on
what we're gonna reimburse for.
If it was going to be, um, like I said,
we thought the easiest route would be to take these, um,
these nights of shelter that are housed in a hotel.
Um, and opposed to trying to have tons of documentation
what the actual cost is for a shelter night,
that would include, you know, the overhead, their staff, um,
any supplies, all of that.
And coming up with that
and documenting that for HUD is, is very cumbersome.
It's much easier to say, okay,
if you house someone in a hotel, what is that actual cost
and what was incurred by Mcress?
We can get an invoice, um,
and we can reimburse 'em for those actual costs.
So that's the exact same model
that we use for Turning Point.
Right now, we're, we're reimbursing them for nights
of shelter that are in a hotel.
Um, our, all of our shelters are pretty much at capacity,
so the need is definitely there in the community.
Okay. And in terms of
the contract comparative year over year, the, the terms
and conditions of this contract versus, uh, the contract
that ended September 30,
were there any other material changes to it?
No, just what we're reimbursing for.
Actually the dollar amount is the exact same one
from the previous contract.
Uh, I have no other questions.
Madam Sheriff. Mr. Bokey,
Uh, just to follow up on that, uh, so you're asking us to
execute the contract
and so that, uh, some
of the funds could be expended retroactively.
Correct. Uh, has any funds been paid yet?
No, the contract hasn't been executed.
So no funds have transferred.
And why wasn't this, uh, presented
to enter the contract here for renewal?
Like I said, I didn't hear,
'cause like I said, we, we've been in discussion, um,
like this is her shelter season.
Um, she's, this is a very busy time for everyone
and we finally came to an agreement, um,
after months of discussion, so.
Okay. Thank you. I'd like to just, uh, refer
to Mr. Schroeder.
Um, can we approve retroactively,
you can approve a contract effective October 1st
with these expenses to be reimbursed.
Uh, Ms. Michaels, I, she's nodding in agreement.
You agree with that? Um,
but you know, the funds can't be spent
until counsel approves it.
Okay. Thank you. Yep. Thank you
Mr. Nunan?
Yes. Uh, so Merest is a countywide program, correct?
Correct. And if we wanted to assure that the money, uh,
that we're allocating was used in Warren, um, how would
that, how would that work?
So the way that we've been reimbursing Mcress is someone
who is, um, last known, addressed was in the city of Warren,
is gonna be eligible for these reimbursements from
Mcress from the city.
Oh, Okay. Thanks.
Any additional discussion?
Hearing and hearing and seeing none?
I will call the question Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Mr. Newnan? Yes. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Rogan CA? Yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 13 a Council Secretary Mindy Moore.
Discussion and rate council representative
to serve on the a DA, uh, transition plan.
Um, before we make a motion,
if I could just explain where we're at with this.
Um, I received correspondence from, um,
Ms. Murphy who's working on the a DA transition plan.
And while it's not an RFP where a council person is
required, um, she asked if there was somebody
that was interested in serving on that.
It's not necessary, no one has to do it,
but if someone has an interest in, um, being involved in
that transition plan, I think a lot of it's been done
and it's in the draft form.
But if anybody would, um, um, like to do that, um,
now would be the time
to volunteer. We'll go back.
Alright. No, we, we,
Okay.
Okay. I missed one. We'll have to go back.
I'm willing. Okay. I, I make a motion that Mr.
Nunan sit on the a DA transition plan.
Support dwy. Support Dwy, thanks for the support.
All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? It's
Important. Congrats
Mr. Nunan.
And now we'll go back to 13 D That I, yes. 12 D.
12 D, which is, uh, the extension of
madhouse LLC located at 2 1 4 4 4 5 Hoover Road.
Motion to approve
Support. Lafferty.
Discussion,
hearing, seeing none?
I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Grogan. See as a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 13 B Council Secretary Mindy Moore.
Discussion and Ray amendment to the council rules
of procedure Section 2.1.
The order of business proposed moving the minutes
of the agenda to the consent agenda.
So moved with discussion
Support Dwyer.
Discussion Ms. Moore.
Thank, thank you. I've been watching other municipality
council meetings and looking at agendas
and, um, most of them put the minutes on the consent agenda.
So I thought it would be more efficient if we do that.
Of course, if somebody has a problem, we can,
like any item on the consent agenda can be
put on the regular agenda.
Just be more efficient.
Thank you. Any other discussion, hearing and scene? None.
I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is C, council President Angela Rogan.
C Discussion inre request for a pro process to be created
for soliciting proposals from lobbying firms upon expiration
of the current firm's renewal.
A motion from somebody for the purposes of discussion.
So, so moved. Thank you. Support. Thank you Mr.
Nunan, uh, discussion.
Uh, we have had the same lobbying firm for another number
of years, and, um, there's a number of folks, uh,
I wasn't even really a part of, um, having them come aboard.
There's four new members that haven't had a chance to kind
of weigh in on the process or, um,
participate in selecting them.
So, I don't know. Um, I'm open to a process, uh,
maybe from Mr. Schroeder on if it's a couple council members
that, um, uh, look at, uh,
various firms and or ask for proposals to be submitted
and then bring a recommendation, including our current firm.
Um, back to the Body,
Madam Chair, Ms. Moore. Um,
Um, one of the things we have for the last 20 years,
we have paid the exact same amount
of money to the lobbying firm.
So there's no reason to go out for any, um, saving
of any money at all.
Um, this lobbying firm, uh, the current state of, um,
leadership in Lansing, this firm is perfectly, um, suited
for that, um, dynamic.
Probably better than anybody around.
I just don't see at this point the need to go out.
We have vendors that we've had for 25 years,
and I just don't see a reason to, uh,
make a change at this point.
Um, you know, things have changed now.
Um, we spent the last year sort of being reactionary,
and I think that we're gonna be doing some proactive things.
You weren't at the meeting when I discussed actually,
with the council about three weeks ago.
Um, we're gonna be setting up some meetings with the, uh,
lobby firm, um, Mr. Schroeder
and two council people at a time to discuss goals
for next year and what we have planned,
and then what the lobbyists can do for us,
what we can do in the way of, um, ordinances
that I just don't think this is the time.
We have a lot of things on our plate right now.
Um, we're gonna be going through, uh, RFQ for, um,
um, you know, legal.
It's the first time in like 25 years
or something that's gonna be a big deal.
Um, so I just don't see the reason to do that at this point.
Any other Ms. Biggie?
Um, I know you said that we don't know the process.
I would like to know the process
before making that decision to not to move forward,
because, you know, I feel as though when you stick
with one person all the time, it, you know, we get used to
that person, but we may have some cost savings,
whether it be small or large.
So if we're not gonna move forward, we're getting, um, going
through A-A-R-F-P process, at least help the, the four
that are new, that are new to understand what
that process is.
Any other discussion?
Okay. Um, I, um, Mr. Lafferty, you made a motion.
Is there, um, what's the I would like to make a motion
to assemble, uh, a committee.
I don't know what the appropriate, given that it's my item.
Gotcha. I don't see a point of doing
that at this point, but
I, I do, and I am a member of the body,
and I think, I think it's not an unreasonable thing
to revisit a vendor that we've had for four or five years
and to ask for lots of, there's lots of firms that,
that work with multi-client.
And we may end up with the same firm.
I don't, I don't know why we wouldn't just explore
and allow four new members to have an opportunity to
decide who's going to represent us
with our legislative leaders.
Madam Chair, Mr. Bokey.
So what you're asking us to do based, based on that, is
to, uh, to solicit bids.
But when you refer to the four due cons, people, I like
to know just what they do first.
Mm-hmm. I mean, I like to talk to 'em
and then make that decision.
Not now, because, uh, they may be perfectly,
uh, what we want.
And, uh, I, I can't go along with you on that
until at least know what the process and interview 'em
and see, see what they've done for us.
That's how I feel about it.
Madam Chair. Mm-hmm. I mean, that's one of the reasons I,
I spoke about it three weeks ago
or a month ago, maybe, doing that so that everybody knew
what they could do, what they, they were capable of doing
what we wanted to do, how they,
we could utilize them in that process.
So, and I, 'cause the last year we've been pretty busy doing
a lot of other things and, um, we've had to take on a lot
of things that, you know, you know,
what situation we've been in.
So I think that we should at least sit down and have a plan
and talk to them, um,
and see what, how they can help us move the ball forward
on things we want to do.
Maam, Madam. Sure. Just to follow up. Mm-hmm.
You know, after the interview, um,
and we could ask the questions.
Uh, we may agree with you and, you know, propose that,
but, uh, I can't, like I said, I can't, uh, go forward now
and say they're not doing their job or we could get more,
or there, there should be a change when, I don't even know.
I think, I mean, I think that's a problem.
We've been here for a year and you don't know them,
but that's, you know, that's here nor there.
Uh, question Ms. McGee.
Um, I'm, I'm just, I wanna make it clear of
what you were saying, um, councilman is
that once we understand the process, um,
we can move forward with trying to put out a RFP.
We may not wanna move forward, but we may just want to
Yeah. We have an option.
Correct. We have an option there.
I don't wanna say that we're not, once we get to Norm
and they can tell us how they can do cost savings
and all of that, we may wanna move forward once we learn
what the process is.
Madam President, Mr. Nunan.
So, uh, in order to assemble, uh, prospective, uh,
people to interview, we would pretty much need an RFP first,
I believe to call? No,
No, because this is a professional service
through counsel. Oh,
RFQ. Mm-hmm. I
can tell you how we
Do it. Oh, good. That
how we it. Please do. Please
Do. We, we've done
all RF QS
through the Legal Affairs Committee.
It's run through counsel office.
Um, we do, I mean, we did legal
and we've done some other contracts and things
and, um, you know, legal is different
because we kind of know who we can't use
because everybody has a conflict.
Um, and we did that. The same thing with lobbying firms.
We looked at the time who was the best fit with,
who was in power at the time.
Um, when we hired them, um,
the Republicans were in charge in Lansing.
And so we wanted a firm that was comfortable with
Republican legislators as well as the Democrats.
And that was a huge, um, point for us at that time.
Then we had a short period of time
because we have, we have not, um, we had Art Miller
before, um, and we know Art Miller passed away
and, um, he, you know, was, had a good relationship then.
We had an absolute void of, um,
we got nothing from anybody in the legislature.
Nobody, no state reps. Nobody came to us.
Um, for a long time we had no relationship at all.
And so we had to have a voice,
and we had a very short time where we had the change
of power in Lansing.
Now we're back again. Um, so, you know,
the people from Warren are not gonna have the power
that they would've in the last two years.
So it's a whole different dynamic.
And I think we have to be very strategic about
what we do here, um,
because we want to be able to get the most we can.
Um, you know, we write a grant, we want somebody to go
and push that if something in the state,
they can go and fight for that.
They know who to go to, who's in the, in power at the time.
So, um, that's how we, that's how we came about the firm.
You know, we researched all over and talked to people
and, um, people in government
and other, you know, people that used lo lobbying firms.
So none
Of president I'm still on, I think.
Okay. You still, I, I'm, uh, I'm glad to hear
that council secretary is happy with the current, uh,
lobbyist and, um, thinks
that they would be good going forward at this time.
Uh, I'm pretty happy with that,
but, um, if, uh, if the council can have a review
of what, what's involved in finding a, a new, uh, new one,
uh, then we'll be more ready
for the next time there's a shift, uh, in, uh,
in the political realm. Thank you,
Ms. McGee.
My question is, does it require RFQ
and how long the contract is supposed to last?
It doesn't require RFQ to lo to, to get a lobbyist?
No. So my, my request,
We have the ability to enter into a contract with us, um,
and, um, we can make the contract
however long we can.
We, we wish it to be
Okay. We just renewed
it for a year.
I asked for this during that time that I only wanted
to renew it for a year because I wanted the opportunity
for the full body to be able to be involved
and that I wasn't involved back when we
hired them in the first place.
I think they're great. Don't, I mean, they're great guys.
Um, but I, I think it's appropriate to say
to a number of firms who are multi-client,
they have both Democratic and Republican
and independent lobbyists.
They're all over Lansing to say, what do you offer
for the amount of money we're paying?
We may say we can't, it's more expensive and
therefore we're not going to move.
But I do think these are taxpayer dollars.
It's a basically a salary of a person
that we should be doing as much as we can to make sure
that we're getting the services we're expected,
and that we're exploring what exists out there.
I don't think that's an inappropriate request.
And lobbyists pivot on a dime.
The timeliness of this
people lobby about municipal issues all day long.
Switching Affirm tomorrow would not change the
representation we would have in Lansing
or in the federal government
because it is all relationships.
And most lobbyists have very strong relationships across the
aisle because that's what they do for a living. So,
And President Mr. Nunan, uh,
With your having said that, I would support
that we do it the way you're saying.
Mm-hmm. I was supported also,
Madam Chair. Mr. Bokey,
Just another follow up.
Um, do the lobbyists write the grants?
No. So if the grants weren't written,
he doesn't have much to lobby.
Right?
They can lobby on legislative issues
or a budget appropriation
during the budget time. But otherwise,
And that's usually, you know, through the administra, uh,
uh, mayor's office
or administration, not the council. Correct.
And it's the lobbyist's, city council's lobby
For an example. Mr.
Maselli, uh, uh,
writes up a grant in, in a lobbyist.
They lobby for 'em and they try to push it, don't they?
That's not how it worked. No, the,
the lobbyist represents city council,
not the administration.
So I'm gonna guess Mr. Maselli has probably
never talked to the lobbyist. Yeah.
What I'm trying to say is if the grants aren't written
or we don't, you know, what if a grant's written,
isn't that what the lobby is supposed to do to lobby for it?
I mean, you're making my point is
that we should have an understanding of what is being
provided on a regular basis and
Well, that's, that's why I'd like to, to have a sit down.
Maybe we need more grant writers.
Maybe we need a higher on grant writer
For sure.
You know, I, I read the papers.
Uh, I look at cities, uh, Mr.
Councilman Newman has been with the forestry.
I read about the City of Hamtramck getting 180,000 hours
for coordinator from the States.
Why can't we get it? And if you don't write the grant,
That's a great point.
It, you know, it, it's gotta work hand in hand.
What I'm trying to say is,
and we'll sit down, you know, like I said,
we'll discuss it and that's what we're here for.
And if it, if it needs to be changed
and, you know, we'll take a vote,
however, ever redo it, whatever passes, we'll,
we'll go along with, but, uh, I for one cannot, uh,
you know, push a company out when I don't even
know what the company's done.
I'm not asking to push them out.
I'm asking for us to revisit and ask for other proposals
or other information from firms right along with theirs so
that everyone has a good understanding of
what services we're receiving
and what services are offered
for the money that we're paying.
That's what I'm asking for.
Mad Madam Chair. Mm-hmm. Um, Mr. Boy.
So for instance, um,
we are very interested in keeping local control on,
um, Airbnb, what do you call it?
Short term rentals. Mm-hmm.
They worked in that regard for us in, in Lansing.
Um, and that's, that's a tough one to go, but
Secretary, I apologize.
I I couldn't hear half of what
You said. Oh, we've
been interested in keeping local control on
short-term rentals.
Right. So they did some work trying to move that forward
for local control.
Uh, they watch all of our council meetings
and if they see something that comes up, they haven't,
like last term, something came up about a railroad track.
They were on the phone the next day
and they had the federal, the railroad people come in
and they got that fixed.
Things like that. Um,
and I think may, I probably confused it by saying grants.
It's really earmarks probably that Mr.
Shoulder knows better than Yeah. Earmarks.
Earmarks that, you know, they go for different than a grant.
Right? I know, right? Right.
Yeah. So Madam President, Mr. Dwyer.
Yeah, I, I would suggest that we have a committee
of the whole meeting with our current lobbying firm to see
what they're all about, what they've done,
what they've accomplished,
and what they intend to do in the future.
That way we can all see what they're all about,
especially the four new, uh, new ones here.
That's it.
Madam President, Mr. Lafferty.
Yeah. And counsel, you do receive the monthly updates,
the up monthly, uh, municipal updates
from capital relations.
So those are, uh, delivered to our inboxes.
That gives us a list of the bills moving through the House
and Senate and any of the, uh, uh, the items they've been,
you know, involved in anything, you know, very, uh,
keenly related to topics that are on our agendas.
Uh, I've always been impressed with, with their work.
I've talked to, uh, Shannon
and the team, you know, many times.
And you know, Ms. Ms.
Mor, you brought up the short term rentals.
I, a lot of good guidance was
provided when we were having those discussions a couple
of years ago, especially when we were having
problems in my neck of the woods.
And, you know, they were, they were instrumental in,
uh, in that respect.
Uh, and I, I do want to clarify, uh, Ms.
Rogan, you said you weren't involved, you were involved,
you voted for the contract.
You did, did vote for the contract?
I was not involved in the selection process,
is what I was trying to clarify.
Okay. The sub, the Legal Affairs Committee,
I wasn't on the Legal Affairs committee.
Right. It's a sub. We have subcommittees for things,
and that's what the Legal Affairs does. I
Totally understand that. I wasn't, I
Wasn't, I just, I want to clarify
that this was not an arbitrary decision.
It wasn't made for counsel. Counsel made the decision.
And just like all of the contracts that we're supposed
to vote on, uh, even during that litigation time, uh,
you know, we did all have the opportunity to vote on it so
that at, at any point that a contract does come up, uh,
for this council, always reserves the right
to vote on that contract.
So I agree with you, Mr. Bokey.
Um, I'm all for having a committee of the whole
and, you know, meeting if, if everyone has not had a chance
to meet, uh, capital relations, great opportunity, uh,
you'll, you will be impressed.
And, uh, you know, I don't see,
they've been performing very well for us.
I don't see any reason to, uh, move at this point.
But, uh, you know, certainly let's have a committee
of the whole get to get to know them, uh, explore all
of their services and, you know, maybe, uh,
at some point thereafter, if, uh, there's dissatisfaction,
uh, we can talk through that.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty.
Uh, yes. I, I'd, I'd certainly like
to meet our current vendor.
Um, I do like the idea of, of going ahead with, uh,
president Zis idea of, um, investigating
who all is out there, let them come and talk to us
because it seems like that would be very valuable to know,
even if we stuck with our current, um, our current vendor.
You can make a motion, Mr. Newan, if that's okay.
Well, I can't really,
Yeah, I'm willing to make that motion.
I make the motion that we do just that, that we meet
with the current vendor and that we also, um,
see who else is out there.
Second, support,
Support McGee.
Um, I'll call the question, um,
Point, point of clarification.
What, what exactly are we voting on
Mr. Rein? So,
uh, one part would be we would meet
with the current vendor,
and the other part is we would do what Angela, uh,
president CIA is saying,
and, uh, meet with, um, the other, uh,
lobbyists who are out there
to find out what they have to offer.
Partly just to get ourselves up more up
to speed in what's out there and also to know the process.
I think we're mixing things
Still. I'm,
I'm sorry, Mr. Newton, I'm, I am not clear on,
we can have a committee of the whole, we certainly Right.
Don't need to vote on a committee of the whole, so I'm not,
I, I appreciate Oh, okay.
Well, we can have the motion.
We don't need to vote on the, on the committee of the whole,
I'm, I'm in favor of having a committee
of the whole on a num on numerous topics.
Sure. I I offer those all the time.
What, what exactly are we voting on? Madam President
That it ref is referred to the Legal Affairs Committee
to determine how we might entertain and
or review additional proposals from firms
and that that is organized by the Legal Affairs Committee.
And then that's shared with the Balance of Counsel.
Something we already do though,
Years ago. What
I'm asking, I I don't understand why it's,
why this is like such an extraordinary request.
What I'm asking for is additional transparency
and to understand what exists out there.
We are, we have a duty to shepherd taxpayer dollars.
I do not understand why this is like a monumental request.
Madam Chair, can I explain? Yeah.
You know, we have vendors, we have attorneys
that have done work for us for 25 years.
Right. Um, we have all kinds of people,
but we don't go out every three or four years
and get our FQs when somebody's doing a good job.
We, we continue.
And I think it's, that's why I offered
to have those meetings, those goal setting meetings,
you know, a month ago to, you know, in fact, I just sent out
to Mr. Schroeder and, uh, Mr. Price to come up with dates,
but I just don't see why you change.
We're not gonna get a better price, that's for sure.
Nobody's gonna give a price
lower than they did 20 years ago,
But we don't know that.
Mm-hmm. Oh, I, I, I can guarantee you that
We don't know that. That's
why I want to do it,
because we don't know that we need to know that we can get
the best for our monies and we haven't done it in years.
We need to go out there
and make sure that we're getting the right lobbyists.
It might be this person.
You guys speak very highly of them, and it may be them,
but the four of us that are new, we don't know that
Madam President, Mr.
Nina,
If their current lobbyist is the best for us, which I,
I am imagining they are, if we go through this process,
then we'll all understand that.
And, um, then we'll be able to move forward
and we'll be able to move forward
better going in the future.
Um, Madam Secretary
is in her last term,
and we all need to, uh, try to catch up to her speed.
And, and I think this is one way of helping to get us there.
Thank you,
Madam President. Mm-hmm.
If I may, so just clarity on what,
what is being requested.
I, The clarity of what's being requested is
that there is a mechanism that is determined by the body,
whether that's sent to the Legal Affairs Committee
to determine, I, I don't,
I'm less concerned about the process.
The goal would be that there are, uh, conversations
that happen with various lobbyist firms about
what services they pride their pricing that is shared
with council in a report or some, uh, written communication.
And then a recommendation to either stay
with our current firm or select a new one is made
to the body and a new vote is taken so
that everyone has a clear understanding of what they do,
what services they provide,
and what we're getting for our money.
Okay. And so,
and I don't have the, the current contract in front of me,
so I'm not aware
of the end date or
Six months.
End of June. We have plenty of time.
Okay. And then at this point,
I mean, I, I think a motion to refer
to the Legal Affairs Committee to provide
the process for a potential renewal
and the ti a
timeline of what an RFQ would look like.
And then not part of the motion,
but We'll, also, I think we have the guarantee
that we're going to have a committee of the whole meeting.
Is, is that acceptable? Does
That sounds good to me?
Yes, that's acceptable.
Okay. Yeah.
I, I, I needed the clarity relative to the contract.
'cause we're, if we're somewhere in mid-contract
and we don't, there's al there are termination clauses
that we have to be aware of.
We have, and those are usually very specific
30 days and either of us can cancel.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. So as long as there's, you know,
an opportunity there, I don't
want to be in violation of that.
And I wanna make certain, if we're, if we're going
to make any changes, we're not going to protract with this,
you know, process and then, oh, well we missed it.
See you again next year. Mm-hmm. Alright.
I just wanna make sure we're doing
everything in the right order.
Sounds good. I I,
I'm imagining Madam President, that, um, we would stick
with the current vendor at least until the end
of the current contract.
I wasn't thinking that we would suddenly ditch them.
Correct. That stopped the, my intention. Okay.
So, um, Mr.
Lafferty restated a motion, um, Mr. Noonan and Ms. McGee
Discussion on a motion?
Yes. Just, just for clarification, we're not voting
to solicit, we're just voting to refer it, uh, a a process
to initiate a process
or look into a process of possibly doing
that. Correct? Correct.
Referring it to the Legal Affairs,
Referring it to Legal Affairs to come back with, uh, what
a timeline could look like.
And then certainly we can vote on that timeline on, on
actually going out for bids.
I'm happy to compromise on that.
I don't understand, I still don't understand why this is
as complicated as it's
Just creating work. We don't need
To do Madam Chair, just, you know, I'm new here and,
and I wanna learn as much as I could Absolutely.
From them with, with a committee of a whole.
And for you're asking me to vote on something
or agree with you for a process that I may not want it
or I may want it.
So I think for, for the best interest
of the four new council members that we meet
with the company, see what they do, you know,
and in the meantime, I'll, I'll do my own research
what a lobbyist could, could do.
But at this time, you know, at a stage, I can't,
I can't support that, you know,
because this company may be
all, that's all we need.
I don't know that though, uh, I'll yield back.
So it was a motion to refer it
to the Legal Affairs Committee to discuss
what a procedure would be.
Yes. And that, that's brought back to counsel.
Okay. I can live with that.
Mr. Newan and Ms. McGee, are you comfortable
with, uh, that amendment?
Yes. Yes. Okay. I will call the question. Ms. Newan? Yes.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Uh, Ms. Moore? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 13 D.
Appointment of Michael Assessor to the zoning board
of appeals in the position of alternate with the term
to expire September 20, 27.
So moved. Support,
Discussion, Uh, discussion manager.
Mr. Lafferty, I'd like to introduce Mr. Assessor.
He's sitting here in the middle.
Very, uh, talented individual, uh,
very studious when it comes to neighborhood issues.
And, uh, lifetime member of the Warren community will be a,
uh, excellent addition to the zoning board.
Madam Chair, Ms. Moore,
When I was on my first term of council, Mr.
Assessor was, ran all of this.
Um, he worked for the contractor that recorded all
of the council meeting, so he's certainly, uh, familiar
with zoning and all the rest of the things that go on here.
I think it'll be a good addition.
Any additional discussion I
Hearing in seeing none?
I will call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes.
Mr. Deguire? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Noonan? Yes.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Grogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next. Item is 13 e Consideration
and adoption of a resolution.
Um, approval of recommendation of litigation counsel
and order of court appointed special master
and opioid litigation to dismiss claims without prejudice
with respect to defendants of the pain center,
U-S-A-P-L-L-C, and Interventional Pain Center, PLLC.
So moved with discussion
Support, Lafferty Discussion Ms. Moore, did you
Want to add anything to this, Mr. Schroeder?
Just that this is the recommendation of Edelson
pc, which is the trial council for the city
and the global opioid litigation.
Uh, most of the targets
of this litigation were large pharmaceutical manufacturers.
We're talking billion dollar a year
pharmaceutical industries.
Um, and they, a lot of them have settled out with the city,
which has resolved in the settlement.
There are two, what we call remnant defendants left here.
Um, they're local, um, sort of clinics that, um,
there's a discovery master in the case
that's recommended they be dismissed without prejudice, um,
to sort of move this case forward.
I don't know that there's been any discovery
or facts developed that would, uh, allow this
to move forward.
So we could always bring case, uh,
back against them if we want to.
I also talked to local counsel, um, the Kirk
and Huth firm on this, and they did say
that we could also refer these two parties to, um,
the Attorney General's office as well
for further investigation if we believe there's any issues.
So I recommend approval of this.
Um, we really have to do it
because, um, there hasn't been any discovery, um,
that would allow us to move forward
with these defendants at this point in time.
And there the other, yeah,
the other issue is they're notable.
There's always the issue of collectibility. Mm-hmm.
Um, you know, the billion dollar deep pockets of the
large manufacturers of pharmaceuticals versus some of these,
uh, local clinics that we would spend more money
than we would ever get from them pursuing this.
Any discussion? Thanks for your work on that
Hearing and scene. 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
13 F, request for a 60 day extension of cannabis license
for Amber Tracom Trichome, L-L-C-D-B-A.
Forest Brothers, located at 23 300 Amber Avenue. So moved
Support with discussion.
Discussion. Mr. Lafferty?
Thank you, uh, through the chair to Mr. Elli.
I had a conversation earlier today with Mr.
Mazare relative to this item,
and he had some, uh, additional comments about this, uh,
relative to our, our motion this evening.
Good evening, counsel. Um,
our zoning inspectors are out at the,
the establishment today.
Um, they're mostly compliant, almost ready to go.
They had also a medical license as well
that they've let expire.
They're not interested in the medical license anymore.
We did want to add a stipulation to the 60 day extension
that by the end of the 60 days, they need to have all
of the medical plants out of the facility
as a, a stipulation.
Um, they had, they were unaware that they,
they thought they could transition those plants into the
plants for the other, the provisioning part, and they can't.
So we cleared that up with them today.
So we just wanted to make sure
that they have those plants out of the facility
before the end of the 60 days.
Madam Chair, Mr. Lafferty.
So I will, uh, as a part of our motion, uh, my motion
to approve, I will add the following condition, uh,
that this, uh, that this motion is approved
with the condition that all medical marijuana plants are
to be harvested or destroyed within 60
days of this decision.
If the Mari medical marijuana plants are not harvested
or destroyed within 60 days, the adult use
and medical licenses will be suspended
until the grow establishment is rendered in compliance
by the city of Warren Building
Department. Is that acceptable?
Acceptable. Thank you. Okay.
And I have one other, oh, hold, hold on.
I've got one other question. Uh, one of our, uh,
audience members brought up a, uh, a question,
and this has been asked before, so it's, uh,
it's probably a good, good time to ask again.
We do these quite often.
There are a number of 60 day extensions.
There seem to be quite a few in the processes, uh,
remains largely unchanged.
So year to year, these, the zoning ordinance has changed.
And the CRA changes stuff from week to week, it seems.
Um, so when we go in there
and inspect these facilities, sometimes the something
that needs to be updated or something needs to be changed.
Um, when we get in there, and it's two weeks
before their license is due, or 30 days
before their license is due, it might not be time enough
to get a contractor in there to make those upgrades.
So sometimes we'll grant them the 60 day ordinance, uh,
on behalf of the, the, the US holding their hand through it.
We're making it an automated system now.
So at 90 days, we'll send out an automated response
that your, your license is expiring in 90 days,
and that's the notice that they'll be given.
So, um, we're trying
to move into the 21st century with all of this.
So, um, uh, we're, we're getting there
with the new BSNA and everything.
We're working the bugs out.
Um, Everett's doing a great job in trying
to get everything automated.
So the, these responses are sent out to email addresses
and it prints out a postcard
that will mail out directly to 'em.
They can download the forms online.
Um, and we're doing the best we can to,
to streamline this process.
So,
You answered my next 10 questions.
I, I was hoping to, Ms. Moore.
Thanks you, so Thank you, sir.
Yep. Any additional
discussion, hearing, and scene?
None. I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty?
Yes. As amended. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. As amended. Mr. Bokey?
Yes. Mr. Noonan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 13 G.
Proposed ordinance to amend Chapter 38
to establish an urban forestry commission
and provide standards for removal, planting,
and preservation of the city's urban forest.
And amend chapter one,
to give the zoning department the authority to issue tickets
for failing to comply with the requirements of Chapter 38.
So moved with discussion,
Support, discussion. Ms. Moore?
I, I don't wanna comment on the ordinance.
I just wanna commend Mr.
Nunan for shepherding this through the process
and really, really appreciate your work on this. Thank you.
Thank you. Any other discussion?
Madam President? Mr. Lafferty?
Thank you. Uh, I've been meeting every so often with, uh,
Councilman Nunan
and, uh, a councilman with
his heart in the game.
And when you, uh, when you went to your first meeting
and you said, I want to help the community, I want to
beautify it, I want to protect the environment.
This is action right here. Mm-hmm. Well done.
On everything you've done so far,
these are, these are great changes.
Uh, I have, uh, I have no issue with them.
I, I hope in the future that we can plant,
you know, a hundred thousand trees a year.
'cause we certainly need them.
And there are, there are so many, I've, I've, we've talked
for years up here about the need for more trees, the need
for a better program, you know, sidewalk to street, uh,
backyards, front yards we're, uh, where we can,
and we, we need to do it responsibly so
that we don't repeat some of the mistakes that we've,
we've made in previous years with the silver maples
and the tree roots and the,
the collapsed drains and, and things like that.
So I, I believe this will be, uh, a good step forward.
So well done.
Thank you so much, Adam. Sheriff. Mr. Bokey.
Uh, I wanna second that
What Mr. Councilman
Lafferty said.
Well, I met with you a few times
and you were very detailed in the work you did.
I think I told you that.
Um, but, but bigger point here is the cooperation
with the administration, the city attorney's office, Mr.
M and other members of the committee,
everybody worked together back and forth, back and forth.
Mm-hmm. And you got, you got it done. Congratulations.
Great job.
Any other discussion, Madam President? Through the chair?
Mr. Dwyer? To Mr. Zare?
Yes, sir. I really only had one question,
and that is, as far as the tree planting goes,
will the residents have the option of saying, yes,
we want a tree in front of our house, or no, we don't.
So I missed the last couple meetings,
but having reading, read through the, the ordinance tonight,
uh, since I spoke with, uh, the, um,
got the ordinance in hand, the last, the last version of it,
um, it looks like there is a couple of options for them.
They will be able to say no, there is a, um, it depends on
how the tree came down.
Um, if they don't have a tree on there,
they're not being gonna be forced to put a tree down.
If a tree is removed, and it depends on how it was removed
or why it was removed, um, certain,
certain versions, they will have an option of whether
or not to put it another tree there.
Um, certainly if it's gonna be a hindrance to, uh,
an elderly, elderly couple
or something, we're not gonna force
them to have a tree there.
But we'd like to get as many trees as possible
to up our tree canopy.
Okay. Thank you Madam Chair. Mr. Bokey.
Mr. Roy, one last question. Yeah.
Uh, because I'm getting a lot of questions. Sure.
Uh, I understand we got funding for trees.
Yes. Um, The calls I'm getting is when,
when do you expect maybe to start hitting the, the field?
So, I don't know if you heard about this morning's
announcement, but, uh, pardon.
Uh, all federal grants are put on hold for at least 90 days.
Okay. So it's gonna be a minute.
Alright. So probably if if it clears, it'll be
End summer. And technically
we probably wouldn't do any planning
until the fall anyway, so.
Okay. So I can at least tell him that. Thank you. Yeah,
Mr. Elli
matter, president, I may, um, so, uh,
silver Maples will, would not be allowed,
Right? Nope. We have
our approved list,
and like I said, uh, I, you guys have an a list on there,
and I know I suggested going off the DNRs approved list
for our region, but it looks like you guys added a list
of our approved trees for this area.
Uh, mainly I think it calls for us to refer
to the DNR list, right?
Or the, uh, Michigan MSU, uh,
List. No, that's what it
was. The Michigan. Yeah.
Um, but when it comes to planting trees, we'd be planning
to, uh, plant native trees,
All native trees in a variety of 'em.
So we don't have the silver maple
or the birch problem again.
And we have enough knowledge to know where to place them
so that they're not interfering
with the septic systems. Right. Correct.
And we, we've built their sew great relationship
with the local DNR agents,
and they're more than willing to help us.
And, um, we've built up some, uh,
great knowledge in our team through the,
the, the tree ordinance.
So, and Anthony's staff is phenomenal, so we're gonna,
and Scott over at DPW, those guys are fantastic.
So I, I think we've got a good plan moving forward,
But going forward, we, we don't want new newly trans
police to ever trees to ever mess
with anybody's sewer system.
Right, right. Absolutely.
Um, another thing is, uh,
we're gonna continue fighting blight.
Correct. This is,
this does not stop us from fighting blight.
It allows us to have more native plant gardens.
Correct. And the city itself has an intent to,
um, plant more native plants and trees in our parks
and on our properties. Yep.
I'm still working on more butterfly gardens myself,
so hopefully we'll have more of those around the city.
I, I remember when you were telling me that once,
one thing the city might do is just plant
sunflower seeds. Even.
I'd still love to do that here along the walking path.
I like that idea. Or,
or let's have it be, uh,
perennials that'll keep coming back every year Yep.
And help the pollinators and, and make the air smell better.
Absolutely. Reduce the amount of, uh, runoff that's, uh,
that sometimes floods people's houses.
Um, these are really great objectives.
Thank you so much for, uh,
tirelessly cooperating with what we're doing.
Um, I'm, I appreciate the whole city council
for referring this matter, um,
to the environmental review count, uh, committee
of the council,
and, um, uh, thank you Gary Bo, uh,
commissioner Gary Bokey
and commissioner, um, melody McGee for working with me, uh,
supporting me continuously.
This has been so smooth and easy
and I really think that this, this is, uh, the new age
of city government in Warren,
where everybody can work together.
The mayor worked with us.
The, um, Kaitlyn Murphy, uh, worked, uh, amazingly well
with everybody and, um, other, I'm just so happy
We had a really good team.
This is a dream come true for me. So thank
You. We had a really good
team, and thank you for your support.
Okay. I yield for the moment. Any, don't get me started.
Any additional discussion? Hearing none.
I will call the question. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Sorry. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Nunan?
Well, Yes. I went outta order. Thank you. Mr. Lafferty?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 14 a requests of the Parks
and Recreation director for an increase in budgeted revenues
and appropriations in the amount of $47,358
to cover the costs associated
with replacing two fuel dispensers
and pedestals located at 3 2 6 0 1 War Cup
to upgrade the electrical power panel in the transportation
building, and to cover the costs
for attending the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association.
Annual conference and trade show consideration
and adoption of a resolution. So moved.
Support Dwyer. Discussion?
Uh, yes, Madam President. Mr.
Newnan, Uh, I noticed that item 14 B
is talking about the fuel dispensers, which were in 14 A,
and I'm just curious as to why there needed
to be Two notes on that.
First one, Madam is transfer of funds. First one
Is Transfer of funds. First one
is transfer of funds,
the second one is approving the item.
Oh. So we have to transfer the funds and approve that
before we can approve the item that
Thank you much. Okay.
Any other discussion? Call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Uh, Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Grogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item. Next item
Is request of the Parks
and Recreation Department to award ITBW 1415 to furnish
and install two fuel dispensers
and pedestals to Oscar w Larson Company in an amount not
to exceed $29,382 consideration
and adoption of a resolution. So moved.
Support Dwyer. Discussion.
We'll call the question Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is audience participation for general topics.
Members of the audience who would like to address, uh,
the city council this evening may do so
by filling out an audience form located at the
right side of the stage.
You have three minutes. This audience is for general topics.
Uh, Zaza Booker can go first
then Ms. Harris, you'll go next.
Go ahead.
Oh, hi. Good evening.
Um, my name is Jaja Booker and I'm a Warren resident,
and I wanted to speak to you about, um,
my interest in the crime commission, uh,
the Warren Crime Commission.
Um, I wanted to talk a little bit about my background.
Um, I am, again, a Warren resident, a mom of a student in,
uh, Fitzgerald School District.
And, um, I currently work at Wayne State.
Um, I have a degree in, um, uh, PhD in,
um, sorry, educational statistics.
Forgive me, I'm a little nervous.
Um, educational statistics.
And, um, I've been working in higher ed for quite some time.
I've also worked in the K through 12 sector.
And I know you're probably thinking, well,
why are you interested in the crime commission?
Um, I wanna say that first I see the correlation
and the connection between our kids' education
and our criminal justice system.
Um, and I just wanna say that, um, I definitely
understand the value of education and,
and the importance it plays on, you know,
how our, our kids end up.
And so, uh, I've been attending the crime commission
meetings for several months now,
and, um, I enjoy the work that this commission does.
I think it's very valuable and important to our community,
and I would be honored to be a part of the, that, that team.
Um, I also wanna talk about a little bit of my experience
that I have, um, that my background in forensic science,
I do have a bachelor's in forensic science.
And so I did at one time work
with the Detroit Police Department in their
firearm and bombing unit.
And, um, I worked specifically with ballistics.
And so I test fired weapons from, uh,
crime scenes in Detroit.
And so I do have experience working alongside law
enforcement, and that's where I really gathered a lot
of respect and admiration for the work
that our law enforcement officers do.
And so with that, that has really kind of guided my steps
and, and helped me kind of find a fitting here.
I'll be honest, I I ran for school board, uh,
back in this past election, and I didn't get it.
But that opportunity
or that experience led me to this opportunity to work
with the Crime Commission.
And so I just wanted to introduce myself.
I wanted to let you know why I wanted to be a part of this.
And, uh, just thank you and ask for your support
and, uh, just let you know that, um, I would be honored
to be a part of the commission. Thank you.
Thank you. Next is Lori Harris.
I will say I'm a little disappointed.
Um, I wish that you'd asked more questions.
I think because you were all, were at the committee
of the whole meeting, you probably heard Ms.
Fiddler say that she was going to be putting people at Mr.
Uh, Deloche shelter. She was paying him to take them.
So, I'm, I'm just confused.
Um, but I, I want to tell you what else I learned this week.
I learned that the house next door to me,
where they've been growing pot, um, is in foreclosure.
I knew that. Here's what I learned
by looking a little further, that the rental department,
that the city for the last three years has taken him
to court because he doesn't have a rental license.
Okay? So he doesn't have a rental license.
He has to go to court, he has to pay a fine,
he hasn't paid his taxes,
but he gets approved to have a rental and he gets approved
and, and to grow pot there.
Tell me why this is happening in our city.
This is very discouraging to go up.
It's probably been seven years.
It's at least six years that I've wanted the city
to be responsible
and have, um, uh, pay attention
to what's going on.
So why are we allowing rentals when the taxes aren't paid?
I, I, you know, hope, I'm sorry Mr.
Elli left, but that is very discouraging,
uh, that that's happening.
I also wanna know why no one took off the consent agenda,
the Animal Welfare Commission not having
to record their meetings.
I mean, why wouldn't they record their meetings?
Don't we ask everyone else to record their meetings? No.
Well, I think people would like
to know what's going on in an,
an animal welfare commission meeting.
Uh, there's no minutes.
Uh, is, uh,
and, um, I'm just,
I'm, I'm disappointed.
I'm disappointed in the mayor.
I'm disappointed in the, um, uh,
the constant feeding information
of all the ways she's listening
and all the ways that nothing's happening.
That we don't have a city attorney.
We have an acting city attorney.
We don't have an HR department that's functional.
We need an ACT, HR director, um,
not providing information about the commissioner, hiring.
Um, these are, these are big deals,
and all we get is pictures of everything she does.
So, uh, those are my comments. I'm a bit sad tonight.
Thank you. Thank you. Next is Margaret Lewis.
I,
Good evening. My
name is Margaret Lewis,
and I'd like to express my interest in the Senior
Healthcare Commission.
I've been a resident of District two for 15 years.
Shout out to Councilman Lafferty.
After 50 years of dedicated service to the people
of the state of Michigan,
I recently retired from the Michigan Department of Health
and Human Services,
where I managed a public welfare office in Wayne County.
I oversaw the work of 86 employees ensuring applications
for public assistance.
Programs such as medical assistance, food assistance,
financial assistance,
and emergency assistance were processed, timely
and accurately.
Now that I have retired, I am seeking an opportunity
to become more involved with and to serve my community.
That's why I applied for a position
with the Senior Healthcare Commission.
I'd like to thank you in advance for your support
of my nomination, and thank you for your time.
Thank you. Next is Wesley Arnold
Running as fast As I can.
Good evening, our wonderful counsel.
I am Professor Wesley Arnold, also known
as the Warren Historian.
Uh, just a note from my observations, uh,
of many years, I think this is the best Warren Council
that we've ever had.
And I witnessed this last week.
Councilman and women took on their own time,
met in special session
and helped to resolve our homeless problem here in the city.
And I think that's just wonderful.
I didn't see that kind of care happening in many past years.
And thank you very much. Special shout out to Melody McGee,
who's helped to resolve this Fitzgerald Thug problem.
Maybe that's the wrong word, kids.
Uh, one thing I just found out, uh, at our
homeless meeting here Sunday, uh, the man spoke
and said that a lot of Fitzgerald kids are homeless.
Wow, I didn't know that. Uh, okay.
Uh, my main, uh, thing this evening, uh, is to announce
that there is a new website in Warren, Warren,
michigan.fyi.
And that is important
because the old guy that put that up has got a lot of
valuable information on there.
Just learned yesterday
that HUD has got several million bucks
that Warren might be able to use going
through Macomb County action.
But then this morning's news is, uh, our,
our Trumper has put a kibosh on that, at least temporarily.
So, heads up, uh, Councilman Wiki,
you were talking about grants and money.
Uh, hopefully McComb
action is going to get some, some of those millions
of dollars and we can channel it to our Warren residents.
So this website also has,
because I'm a college professor, has a lot of, uh,
good stuff about science
and has some very, very valuable information.
I've got, uh, two new FBI warnings on there that,
that haven't hit the news.
So it's Warren, Michigan.
Fyi, thank you very much
for being our best Warren City Council ever.
Thank you.
Thank you. That is the end of audience.
Next item is, uh, council response
to audience. Madam Chair
Ms. Moore, I'd like to clarify the good, um,
government ordinance that requires some all,
it requires all commissions to record their meetings.
And, um, we put in that ordinance
that if certain commissions wish
to be exempted from recording their meetings, um,
they could request that.
And, um, you know, we're, we're really concerned
with the commissions that spend
and boards that spend large amounts of money, DDA, tfa, um,
You know, things like that.
All of the commissions have to keep minutes,
and all the minutes for all of the commissions
and boards are to be kept by the clerk in the office.
And those should be readily available.
We've asked for all the minutes
to also be put on the website so that anybody has access
to the minutes of the commissions,
and you can find out at least what action, um, was taken.
Some of the commissions are down to two members
and three members, and they're stretched.
And to add, um, you know, the, the function of having
to record and all that kind of thing and, and download it
and those kind of things, sophisticated things
and tactical things that they're,
some people might not have the ability to do.
So some commissions have asked to be exempted
and we've approved those.
So that's just to clarify, that is in the ordinance,
the ability to ask for that.
Thank you.
Anything further? Hearing none.
Next item. So move
Audience.
So move to adjourn
Support Third audience.
All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? We are adjourned.
Good.