Starting with Agile got a meeting to order today is February 6. This is the Highland Park City Council in person and virtual virtual regular meeting. Madam Deputy Clerk, if you would open the meeting for us.
Yes sir.
Can you say what time it is please Council President Thomas 70676 Thank you. Meeting is called to order
Highland Park City Council in person and virtual regular meeting Monday February 6 2023, seven o'clock PM.
Thank you very much the first item on our agenda today as the opening ceremony and for today I would like to welcome the increasingly large numbers of members from the community who are taking time out of their day to join us at city council meetings. We cannot do this work without you and I'm hoping to see a significantly larger number of citizens who are logging in online. This is our first official full agenda, city council meeting. And for those of you who are not aware, let me take a moment as city council president to let you know that the individual sitting in front of you have gone through a transformation over the last 30 days. As a department head I get phone calls about everything that happens related to city council, but this month, and then the last week, all that I have received our phone calls about the steps that my colleagues are taking to fill out their roles and the advancements that they are making in their capabilities to do their jobs. And so I want you the people who voted for them and put them in these chairs to know that the individuals in front of you although they may be novices are definitely learning individuals and they are leaning into their roles and trying their best to make you all very proud. And it is making me proud to to be driving the bus that has such an amazing team on it. So with that, if we can have the roll call Madam Deputy Clerk.
So Councilman Shafi here, Councilwoman Martin, here. Councilwoman Monica here. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Here, Council President Thomas here.
First item on next item Excuse
me. Approval of agenda. Okay, at this
point I wanted to point out that there have been a number of suggested changes for the agenda. There was some items that the administration wanted to remove Under Item seven for community development. Seven D. There was a request to have seven D removed this came through the city attorney earlier. So seven D. So the removal of seven D Madam Deputy Clerk if you can make a note of that.
So Council President Thomas
Yes. Also section nine to the police department had a consultation with the city attorney and Mr. Lackey. He believes that it would be appropriate to gather more information for council to deliberate upon prior to bringing that item up for discussion.
Which item Council President Thomas
says Item nine at the police department all three of those a BNC Oh, okay. Oh yes, my
brass brass brass.
And then the last thing is there. Mr. Lackey, through Mr. Burgess submitted a resolution for that needs to be added to the agenda for the approval of the hardware equipment for City Council. This will provide them with the necessary internet and computer capability to discharge their duties remotely. And so that item was forwarded to the clerk's office initially in the form of a resolution that I believe you have and needs to be added to the agenda.
No, so I did not receive the resolution. Or where would you like that item to go Council President Thomas
let me consult with the attorney first. Okay. So ideally this will probably go before outside communication. Okay. And that that item will be a resolution to approve the purchase of computer equipment for city council use.
So is it going under Council affairs or city council?
Well, typically, under Council affairs, we don't have items that we vote on. Correct? Correct. Okay, so it would have to go before outside communication and I guess it will become the new item 12 and move outside communication to item 13 No, no, no. Excuse me. If we're removing Item nine for the police department.
Public Works becomes Item nine. The city treasurer becomes item 10. And then for item 11. We could have the the addition of the resolution to purchase the equipment for city council. Councilman Asha,
Councilman Castillo with the record
we have to wait for the clerk okay. We want to
sell okay Council President Thomas it'll be the new the no 11.
I'm gonna Shafi did you want to produce was this open or do you want Thanks. Please continue. All right. So with those changes, again let me go over them. That would be changes to item seven D removing it the removal of item nine for the police department and the addition of the resolution to approve the purchase of the computer equipment for city council.
Also President Thomas May I get the title of the resolution as it's actually worded. Mr.
Mr. Lackey, I know you sent it to me via email but I don't I don't typically open My Computer once while I'm in here. Just a second. Madam Deputy Clerk.
All right. Thank you
Yeah, so like Mr. Lackey is going to email that to you as well. The resolution is the resolution to purchase tablets for city council members. Okay.
Thank you, Council, President Thomas.
Council members. We're at a point now where we have to make a motion to accept this agenda. The Chair recognizes Councilman Shafie
a councilman I do have a few amendments for the agenda.
As far as amending the agenda, so, Mr. shopee as a as a rule, the agenda comes to us via the clerk through the department heads through the city administration amending it you know what, let me hear you out first.
Okay. Okay, because I do have the right to absolutely that's
why I said let me hear you out first because I want to I'm here to support Okay, so
I'm under tabled items.
Well, first, we have to take them off the table for when we take them off the table. We can dispose of them how we want to
I was under the understanding that Section D would be removed correctly. Correct. Okay, but I didn't hear you say it.
So here's to that. point after consultant with with both of the city attorneys. They left us the latitude and I was going to address it when I got there. Once we tabled them. We have the opportunity to dispose of them how we choose meaning the first three items, we could say we want to take those items to a workshop if we so chose and Item D which there's not appropriate information to resolve that. We could remove that or table that as well or send that back to the workshop. But again, this was I like to give the members of city council the control to do what they feel is best at the time. Does that answer your question?
If a man Yeah, city attorney wanted to interject, we have to wait to the item is brought back from the table in order to vote as to what the disposition of the item will be. So that's why that wasn't mentioned
or Okay. Now. Now. My concern is, is that not a violation of the Open Meetings Act?
It is not. If we are you sure that we had this we had our city attorney and we had the city attorney who was an expert in municipal law review that beforehand. So they gave us what they did is they gave us the power to decide in public in an open meeting, and I'm definitely in favor of putting the decision making power in your hands. As opposed to someone deciding to do it without your consent. Oh, that makes sense.
Okay, so does this fall in there under Robert's Rules of Order.
This is again, we're not making it. We're not making a motion until we take it off the table. So Robert's Rules of Order or the order the ADR instructions for the order to be administered by the chair so once it comes off the table, that five basketball rules once it comes the ball is bounced and is the rules of the game, but the ball is in your hand. It's just the ball in your hand. So I agree with the fact of giving the meeting control to members of city council to decide about those items once they come off the table and since they're not off the table yet there's really no discussion there. Once they come off the table. The floor is yours to decide how we dispose it up.
Okay, I'm, I'm the treasurer. Okay, I'm the treasurer. I would like to have the language amended. Instead, I would like to make a motion to have the language amended instead. Of is saying a resolution to approve the reappointment and appointment of the HP on a review. I would like to have scratched out the and reappointment and simply say resolution to approve the appointment of the HP board of directors
that would be so words have meaning. What we're what we're actually saying is there are three sitting members they will be re appointed and we will be appointing the members that were recommended by the body. If we take that word out legally by taking by changing the meaning of that word, we completely change the meaning of that sentence.
Okay, so, um, when was it decided council president for the three current members to be reappointed? And what's at discuss with the rest of this council?
So there is the county assessor here tonight the county assessor should be able to address that question for you as far as the appointment and reappointment that's that's in the actual meeting. We're still not approving the agenda, sir.
This is the resolution. Is that just a decision up or down? Yes, by the treasurer or up or down for your approval on that but they have three members that are already trained and see a happy seated, asking for reappointment of those members and then we'll have two alternates that will be the other appointments. So that's the way the resolution reads.
Okay, under, under item 11. I would like to have added the extension of the current towing contract for Toy toy, I would like to have that added an item 11.
Unfortunately, that's not something that we have control over that is under the city administration and I believe that that that company is under a month to month process right now the new fiscal year begins in June. That is not something I believe we have the latitude to make a decision upon. That's not under Council affairs that is under the city administration and based on the charter. We don't have the ability to interfere with city function.
Okay, so question where, where and I'm asking legal where could I put it down if I can't put it on item 11 can be put on the council affairs.
It's not something that we have to control to do and this is again, this is for something like that would need to go to a workshop or discussion and they'd be added to a meeting. An additional meeting in the future. We don't have the decision making power.
We asked for the item to be removed.
It's been removed that whole thing has been removed. All right.
Please continue.
So right now the floor is open for the approval of the agenda.
We're there's one more item sorry. Under public works. Now new nine temporary emergency should be temporary snow emergency contract.
Madam Deputy Clerk under the new item nine. Temporary snow. Emergency contract. Can we change the language there? Yes.
What does the resolute How was the resolution title Council President Thomas
for emergency
so right now it reads resolution to approve temporary emergency contract for snow removal. So we want the word emergency removal. You know what
you have to admit here.
It's a snow emergency. That's right. It's not a typical temporary emergency. for snow removal.
It's a temporary snow emergency.
No emergency is if it's snow six inches. Okay. That's that activates a snow emergency that gets declared by the mayor. So this isn't for snow removal. This is only for a snow emergency.
But how does the how does the actual resolution title because that's what we're going by that. I'm saying that because if you need to change the title that will need to be done once the once the item comes in for council, and the resolution needs to be changed. It's not it's not an agenda item. We're just focusing on the agenda the actual item if it has to be amended, that would have to be done by Council.
The presentation presentation show emergency not snow removal
No. Are we there yet? Yes. Okay, Madam Deputy Clerk that we get clarification on that the resolution to approve the temporary emergency. A snow emergency contract. It's a temporary snow emergency contract for snow removal on major roads.
We understand that there's a change however, the change has to be made as the item comes before Council. Right now it's on the agenda because that's how the actual resolution is titled.
All right, so Council y'all got that? Okay, we all task and we all purpose. Okay,
now we have two motions, one in terms of the items that have been removed and whether or not it was those and then to vote on the amended agenda.
So to approve them,
we need a motion to approve the removals. of the items from the agenda. Well, maybe well was one
was a little bit added but the modifications
Okay, so we need a motion to approve the removal of the items from the agenda. Council. What is your pleasure?
I'll make the motion. So we'll make into motion first before I make the motion is one to remove and then make a second one to add.
We're gonna talk together
about modifications. It's not about whether it's been added or whether it's
okay, that's fine. I can make the motion to make the modifications to the agenda under high to remove D under seven to remove D to remove line altogether.
manacle we can't yet we find five. Five. Yeah. So
we are brought up on the table yet. Okay.
So I'm making a motion to remove or modifications to the agenda. We're removing items D under community development. We move in police department, which was number nine altogether. Adding resolution resolution for to purchase. of computers for city council
That's it. Okay, so we have a motion on the floor. Do we have a second?
Go right ahead.
I like to make a motion for modification of agenda that is the removal of items D under community development. To remove all of the police department I don't die. New nine is public works. To add 10 purchase, purchase of I'm sorry resolution to purchase tablets for city council members.
We're gonna have a motion on the floor. Do we have a second this is your government at work Highland Park Do we have a second
so for the last 20 minutes, we have worked with the city attorney city attorney before this meeting, and with Miss square to make sure that we had these modifications in these items. We spent the last four days working on this and now we have a motion on the floor and here we are. And the question is do we have a second to carry this action of government forward? Five of us here to at large and three representing each district and the question is, do we have a second to move the city's business forward?
Any question so my motion
procedure isn't for two minutes
I'd like to call as the chair and a member of city council to second the motion. Madam Deputy Clerk, can you please call the roll
councilmember Shafi Oh Councilwoman Martin.
Councilwoman Monica?
Yes.
Council votes on Robinson. No. Council president at times.
Yes. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your government at work. The beauty of minutes is that the minutes are an account of what the votes are. But since 2020, our government decided to use a public medium called Zoom which has been in effect since 2013. So that is a way for you to be able to have an actual account of our behavior and what we actually do in city council. Everything that occurs here can be downloaded. So if there's ever a question about how your government is working, or how it's not, you have the ability to drop this information down. And we have all seen unfortunately, in the news that our community was highlighted by using the zoom feature to show the entire world what was taking place at our city council meetings. All right. So so the agenda amendments are not changed. So we're gonna go through the agenda as it is. Next item.
Before we proceed right we'll have the computer equipment added on either
Alright, Madam Deputy Clerk next item, please.
Approval of proposed minutes of the in person and virtual regular meeting held December 19 2020 to the table.
Under Robert's Rules, section 39, dilatory motions and improper motions. A motion is dilatory if it seeks to obstruct or thwart the will of the assembly. As clearly indicated by existing parliamentarian situation. parliamentarian forms are designated to assist in a transaction of business. Even without adopting rules on the subject. Every deliberative simply has the right to protect itself from dilatory use of this form in May or other motion that is frivolous, or absurd, or that contains no rational proposition is dilatory and cannot be introduced. So would you like an explanation? As it further explains, it is dilatory to obstruct the business by appealing from a ruling of the chair on a question about which there cannot possibly be two reasonable opinions by demanding of the division on a vote even when there has been a full and clear result by moving to lay on the table by the matter for which a special meeting has not been called. By constantly raising points of order or purely from the chairs decision on them, or by moving to adjourn again and again, when nothing has happened to justify the renewal of such a motion by use of such tactics and when not a minority of two. Or three members call for a business to standstill. I cannot recognize Councilman shop.
Call for question.
Your question, sir.
When the person calls for question, and Robert's Rules of Order, that means call for the vote.
There's a motion on the floor.
Deputy Chair,
would you call it a row?
There's been no support Council President Thomas I second.
Council Pro Tem Robinson has second is their debate. Discussion. That's debate. That's the proper terminology for debate discussion. Please go right ahead.
I guess I'm not clear. maybe I'm misunderstanding what what exactly are we mulching to our second
table the minutes. We have minutes from the previous session which have absolutely nothing to do with us. It is a common procedure of government to receive the minutes from the previous body. It happens in the Senate it happens in the House of Representatives. It happens in the Michigan Senate. It happens in the Michigan House. It happens in the county. Every time there's a transition of government. We also have two sets of minutes from our first meeting where we were sworn in and we had our organizational meeting and a special meeting. Those are the minutes that we have to approve
the motion to table it is
if if I will be allowed to talk I'll give a clear cut.
The floor is open to Mr. Our shop councilmember shocky forgive. Okay,
so So we've gone over this matter several times about the specific specific with the matter to make a record very specific with the matter. The minutes are not correct. Where it says the clerk states. I was at this meeting and I know for a fact the clerk was not here. It does not say the deputy clerk is saying that Madam Clerk wouldn't agree presided over these minutes that she did not I want to corrections me before we accept the minutes. It's not that complicated.
To your point Mr. Shafi you are correct. I wish I had known about this beforehand. Because to bring this on the floor at this time, we were all in the same meeting with the Michigan Municipal League and attorney said to us, be forthcoming with your colleagues because gotcha moments gets us off.
I apologize for making it a gotcha moment. That's not my intent.
So here's my Madam, please.
So here's my question, versus tabling my corrections to the minutes. Okay. I'm sorry. Instead of tabling it Yeah, we just make corrections to the minute. Yes.
Are we allowed to make corrections to them and can you amended?
Hold on? Go ahead, and I swear to please,
as the minutes were generated by the clerk's office, so Cydia
Madam Deputy Clerk, can you Madam Deputy Clerk, Madam Deputy Clerk, can you amend that the record of those minutes
where does it say that the that the clerk presided over the meeting
the clerk is the presiding officer for all record keeping for the city. Although the deputy clerk appears at the meeting, am I correct?
Yes, but where does it where the main is? Am I correct and where Clark green presided over the meeting.
Could you please answer her question? I haven't looked at this again. This is news to me. In
ordinance final read it says the clerk states that this was the final read of the following ordinance. We you and I both know the purpose not here for that final read it was you'd ever seen it? I believe it should have stated the deputy clerk says so. Yes, sir. Yeah, so minutes have to be accurate. Yes, sir.
Madam Deputy Clerk, can you provide a point of order for me and clarification? When you appear on behalf of the clerk's office? Are you in the body of the of the clerk?
That is correct. Council President times.
Okay. That's what I thought when Miss Burton appears on behalf of the city as a city attorney. And when Mr. Clark appears in on behalf of the city, as a city attorney, they are in the body of meaning they represent that branch of our government. And so we need to expand upon that I believe that we can but I'm the Deputy Clerk and the clerk is like when the Attorney General appears and some representative from our office that is still an office, a representative from the Attorney General. It is not a separation, because that is the office holder.
President Yes sir. Okay. So I want to I want I want to make it clear, I get that I get that and I understand that. But The minutes must be exact, who presided over them, when they will presided. Everything must be exact. Okay. There is no room for error here because when you make room for error here you open us up to liability and lawsuits. People are looking at these minutes. They're waiting on this counselor to make a mistake. How difficult is it to simply say the clerk, the deputy clerk presided over these minutes. How
complicated is that?
I don't think it's complicated.
It's not complicated. I'm not asking you to reinvent the wheel.
I don't think it's complicated to it. Let's make sure that we maintain the orders of decorum. So in my personal interactions with people in the city of Detroit, city, council Pro Tem and the Eastside district representative, these are not people I see on TV these are my friends. And let me tell you, the chance of liability for a city of this size 2.9 square miles, you'd have to be trying to hit it with a lawsuit for us to get hit with one. We get hit with a lot of them so it's deliberate. It's like trying to hit the side of a barn with the barns. So I get to a point, but the probability the likelihood that we will be found deficient of our duties, and this aspect is limited but to your point, Madam Deputy Clerk, can we have that amended to satisfy with the council minutes asking for
council President Thomas, when you say the clerk, the clerk is the person that was acting as the clerk for the meeting. It's not saying the city clerk is saying the clerk of the meeting is not referencing the city clerk. It's speaking to the clerk of the meeting. The the practice of saying the clerk refers to the clerk for the meeting.
Yes, ma'am. And in the large packet that we received from the Michigan Municipal League, this information was provided to us and clarity was provided. So that we understood that term. Just like if there was a deputy treasurer or there was a deputy mayor. We are acting in the body of the city council was five people but it is the city council. It is not any individual City Council when we act as approve. Miss Monica? Yes.
On the very last page. Yes, ma'am. On the very last page, Miss Whittaker brown signs that she certifies and attached a copy of the minutes of the in person and virtual regular meeting held on I'm only reading the one that's 19 December 2022. And then said minutes are available for public inspection. Designated on the postal public notice signed by the Deputy City Clerk satisfying
does it provide satisfaction?
Not really but you can have joy
is not this is not our stuff. This is not our my mom,
I'm asking council president for a simple correction. And so, so simple, it's so easy to clearly say even though she signed the back of it as deputy as as deputy clerk, the minister reflect that it was the deputy clerk that presided over two minutes. How complicated is that?
You're not a complete satisfaction. It's actually provided in this document listed here. It says, Do you want Cydia Walker brown deputy clerk the phrase is the we can move on council president so we're at the point where an item number four, we're at item pool approval and proposed minutes. Do we have a motion on the floor to approve the minutes
are you rejecting? Are you taking back your motion?
I'm taking back my motion please proceed.
Yes. Sir. We have a motion to approve the minutes
when you made a motion and a second day, but we wanted to stop to make sure that our colleague had his issues addressed. You can repeat that process.
Okay, so I like to make a motion again to I'm sorry, I like to make a motion to the agenda of the
we made
was made. We're on approval of minutes.
I know we
like to make it a motion to approve the minutes from December 19 2022 which was in person and virtual. Also the in person and virtual meeting on January 2 2023 individual Okay,
I'm sorry. First one. Motion for December 90. Yes. We have a second. Chair seconds and debit card. Can you call it a row? Madam Deputy Clerk Can you call the roll?
Yes. Council President Thomas. Councilman Shafi. Oh, I'm sorry. You broke up. No. council woman Martin.
Yes.
Councilwoman Monica Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. No. Council President Thomas.
Yes, motion passes. Next item. We need a motion for the approval of the minutes for January 2.
I motion that we approve the minutes for the in person and virtual regular meeting of January 2 2023.
Zero seconds.
We have the debate. Yes, please.
Council President this meeting took place January 2 2023. Is that correct? Okay, so why did the deputy clerk sign in January 3 2023.
Because it was nine o'clock at night the day after the holiday. I'm making it I'm just throwing it out. No, I don't know the answer to that question. Madam Deputy Clerk, can you answer yeah you signed it the next day? Is there a particular reason why you signed it the next day and not that night?
No, that's an error that can be corrected. I just put the third down but it should be the second.
Okay, if that's sufficient for you, sir, if she corrects it, okay, so we need to table that yes, please. Table.
Before we take hold on? Yes. I'm sorry. I just clearly we can't
just correct it now.
Oh, so. So, Eric, she said it was a clerical error. So how are we going to propose to correct that right now? What do we have to do is open to the floor. Madam Deputy Clerk to get that amended to get that corrected. What do we need to do
is move to approve the minutes with the necessary corrections. Okay, floor is open.
I move to amend the necessary corrections. I moved to amend the minutes for January 2 2023. I need the back of it to be corrected when it's all signed with the deputy clerk sign january third. I need that to be January the second 2023.
So you're amending to you're making a motion to amend not on a motion to amend with approved with the with the corrections. So you're making a motion to amend but natural approved the suggestion was I'll make
a motion to me with approval these minutes with the corrections.
So we have a motion on the floor from Councilman Shafi for the approval of these minutes with the amendment. And the corrections. Do we have a second a Second? Second by counsel approach and Robison Madam Deputy Clerk, can you call it a row?
Councilman Shafie Yes, Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes, council Pro Tem Robinson Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes. Item passes. Next, we have a motion to improve to approve the in person and virtual special meeting minutes.
I motion to approve the minutes from the in person and virtual special meeting. January 23 2023.
We have a second.
Council President I second with questions. Please.
floor is open for debate. We have a second. A motion to approve was entered by Councilwoman Monica. There is a second by Councilman Shafi. He asked questions the floor is open for debate.
Okay. Through the Chair, of course. We were promised he received an amended resolution from Mrs. Ann Zobel. Before this came back the council had we received that yet.
To my knowledge I spoke to Mr. Well today I will call her on that today. She told me she that will be forthcoming she also told me she will email the app the actual application that she submitted for council to see that okay, but that part I do not have as of yet yeah. I don't even remember
in the minutes we did say to date. I do remember those minutes. It was today. I'm not going to hold it up. I'm just saying I would like to see that application
to your point. I called her to date. I can show you record on my phone call. To make sure that the things you brought up, were addressed. And she told me and I can email it to you tonight when we leave here that she was going to send me a copy of her application and that she was going to follow up. All right. All right. So we have a motion on the floor. Madam Deputy Clerk Would you please call the roll.
Councilmember Shafi Shafie? Yes. Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Also Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes. Motion passes. Five minutes to get to the first floor we sail and the floor is open for Mayor McDonald to speak to council.
Good evening to the Citizens
Council.
And to my administration.
I did have about five minutes of updates but I'm gonna make sure so as you heard on the news about our what's happening in the city with the murders that happen please be not please know that state of Michigan is handling those Mayor those murders and that our police force is working diligently with them. We do not handle murders in house. So when you see it on the news, know that they are being handled. Archie is working hard to recruit new new officers. We have put it out over the over the wires. So please, if you know anyone who's interested in joining the police force, let us know. Make sure we'll bet them. They must be vetted before they even accept it. We also have a bunch send them to the police academy and if they would like to go so just know that we're actively recruiting for our police department. The more we have, the more that we can do. On February 22 at 6pm at the police department on Hamilton. Chief co sit with the CI meeting at 13 233. Hamilton is providing snacks and small refreshments. So please come over and come out. This is open to the public. bring as many people as you want to come and sit and hold a conversation with the chief of
police to give us that data.
On February 22. The Police Department hired two new police officers and had one officer transfer from part time to full time so we do have three new officers coming up but we still need about six more. So if you know somebody again, please make sure you let them know I see your coordinators on the move and has implemented some wonderful activities. They also introduce themselves to at least 10 Black club members for Tink black clubs and black club leaders. Within the past two weeks, they had a meet and greet at the Rec Center and provided numerous resources. A lot of people came out to that and thank you for coming out. Please continue to show up at these events. And bring out people that more people to come. Our fire department is currently applying for a new grant that will help them purchase new equipment and new apparatus. We need to get some more fire trucks I'd seen DPW a team is currently out cleaning up large dumping areas on the north east side of the city that's across Hamilton. They're moving from six mile down. So they will be in your area on days that it is warm enough to be out there. So they're starting with that area first because it has the largest of
W areas.
Also they're out picking up trash in the areas cleaning up as they go. Yeah, we'll also be ongoing projects. We're working on making sure that we keep dumpsters over at the DPW yard for residents only if you have large dumping materials that you need to bring over, bring your ID and come over and you can put those items in the dumpsters that we have from GFS. C D has been quite busy. We've been meeting for the last five weeks with various opportunities for development and growth. These business people are continuously coming in and giving us their ideas for projects. Does that mean they will happen? No. That just means that we're listening. We're open for business. Please let people know that we are open for business. Highland Park will grow and it will grow under the hands of people that come in and help us to do that. On March 30 of the city along with the HBPA ba will help host a business meeting. If you are interested in starting a business in Hyde Park. This is the meeting for you. We don't have a time yet but it will be a flyer generated wherever we are we are currently seeking two new administrative assistants Officee ed, and a part time for our procurement agent. If you know someone who was looking for a part time job or a full time job as a CTD assistant, please have them send their resume the cure Alliance and you can do that at K lions at Highland Park Am I got up
and water department
please plan to go to the water department and make payment arrangements on your overdue water bills. As you know and the previous administration the City Council voted to go forward with make up putting the overdue bills on your taxes. So you want to make sure that you go up and make arrangements paying for that you don't have to probably pay it all at once. But please make those arrangements to keep that from happening. And Oakland Avenue. Stay tuned. It's coming to fruition. We're finally going to see some covering of that street it's going to be done probably closer to the fall of 2023. They engineers are still working out the details of that and sending in all of the information and you'll get updates about when it was started. That's my update. Council. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Could you give us the address one more time for me? Yes, yes. 13 233 Hamilton, thank you
okay, so, last meeting was experimentation, and citizen participation. And before we start to citizens participation, I need to make a request of all of the people who are in this room and the people who are watching online. We need 10 times as many people watching these meetings and participating because what has happened over the years is Highland Park has been in a vacuum. The difficulties and challenges that we have had in government have been hidden away from the larger public public. I have personally made inroads and communication with each of the members of the Detroit City Council. Also with the local members of the Wayne County Commission. I have plans to meet with each one of those people that touch the city and every city council person in Detroit Albion city council chambers tomorrow in the city of Detroit. It is incumbent upon us to be present and to be here. Whatever is happening to us, if it happens in the dark, that very little can be done about it. I don't want our community to be on the news because of some tragedy. I want 8990 People watching what's happening here, because in just over three years, we're gonna have another election and it is my duty to make sure that are performed to a standard that is sufficient to my current tasking. The only way that I can be measured my report card is participation. So I would like to see standing room only in city council meetings and I'm going to go to every senior building and every person is home that I can between now and June to make sure that everyone is tuning in. Nothing is going to happen here in the dark. So what we're going to do right now is we're going to open this up to citizens participation already have a timer set for two minutes and three seconds. The more people that we allow to speak by being cognizant of the time, the more people we allowed to speak I did a fuzzy seller if you were paying attention the more people we allowed to speak the more people we allowed to speak. Okay. Are we good with that? All right. This is for agenda items. Only you guys can complain about us at the end. Okay, so this is about agenda items only. All right. So is there anyone that would like to be heard? We have a citizen raising her hand in the front row. Madam Mayor, now hold on let me get my timer because I've been getting no I've been getting. I've been getting equal treatment. I've been getting the Heisman lately, so I'm gonna get a chance to do you like you do me I gotta put you on a timer. hold you accountable. So you have two minutes.
Okay. I don't need two minutes. The agenda items on the agenda for under the police department, as well as D under Community Economic Development. Those items are not complete. And if you vote on them before they're complete, they can it could cause harm to the city. So that's why we're asking to have them removed from the agenda. You cannot vote on items that are not complete. And that's why I asked to have them removed I am asking this council to reconsider to remove those Iraq's and also you voted not to get your tablets to put that on to have your cabinets. So if you need them, you need to be re asked with that back on. I am quite sure you guys do not want us to have numerous lawsuits based on those items being voted on without all of the proper information and that the task of our water department under the threat under the 15 Victor, and everything that has not been completed. So please reconsider these agenda items to be removed. Thank you.
Thank you, ma'am. Thank you didn't take a fool all right. Do we have any other citizens that would like to be heard?
Do we have citizens online that would like to be heard
that at this time Council President Thomas
Wow. Okay. Let me adjust this time and then
next item on the agenda
item five A under tabled items, requests to issue RFQ to solicit bids for on call professional tree trimming arborist services.
Okay. Yes.
Is it possible that I can make a motion before we
do all this? Yes, ma'am. These are either wait a minute, hold on a sec. Hold on a second. Let me just let me explain this first, and then you can go ahead and do so. So these items were tabled. They were tabled in the last session of city council. The seated body at the time decided not to act on these items. To clarify these items at that time. were critical to city function. They were asking to get bids for professional tree trimming. I think their trees down on the ground across the community. And this item is tabled. It is for a request to solicit bids. The question is at this point counsel What is your pleasure? Would you like to remove this item from the table and bring it out for discussion and deliberation?
First, I'd like to know if I can go back to the original motion to remove those items. And then I'll address the table issue. But my question is, can I go back? Or can I now make another motion?
So so we know those items? So we had an opportunity to amend our agenda based on the corrections that were recommended by the city administration. And to attorneys. And the body said, No,
I understand. What I'm asking is can I still bring it back to the floor? Because there has been an explanation to why these items need to be removed. If
I'm not mistaken, correct me if I'm a burden city attorney, you have the ability and as well as do our members here. You have the ability in light of what that new information is to table these items to move these items to a workshop or whatever your pleasure is we are not obligated and or forced to do anything on any of the items on this agenda, even though we have been advised to do so by our city attorney. Councilman scharffen
Council President Yes, sir.
On the table items, yes, sir. items A, B and C were table December 5, correct. They should have came back December 19. Not today. That That is correct. Excuse me by them not coming back on the lightning fight they should they are dead on arrival. Uh huh. Summation
Yes, the clerk point of information please.
That's when they were originally table they were brought back on the 19th as well, but they they remained on the table. So I apologize that it's not clear that they were. They were originally tabled December 5, and they remain tabled at the December 19 meeting as well. Does that
provide you satisfaction? Sir,
then they should have been unstable and repayable December 19.
So your points are you you make a strong argument. Unfortunately, the only thing that we have control over now moving forward is the actions that we take rather than and I know that you don't intend to do this. We can't disparage those people who, for whatever reason, did not do what was necessary to make sure that these important items were addressed. But what we can do moving forward we can take full control over these items. We can take full control over these items and we can decide what we want to do it is at the pleasure of city council. What we do with these items and I am reminded to people who have a copy of the agenda. What we're talking about is getting bids for tree trimming, getting bids or quotes to cut the 1470 city owned properties with a grasp rose to your chest. We are talking about getting requests for quotes to solicit bids for the streets, more than seven miles of of common roads and 67 miles of private roads. These are the things that are on the table. The Chair recognizes Councilman
Shafi. Okay, so, council president Yes, sir. Looking at the minutes from the 19th Yes, on the tree trimming. No action was taking this item remains tabled. The RFQ for the Street Sweepers no action was taken. This item remains tabled. Reza resolution for us soliciting quotes to cut the grass. No motion dies lack of support. This item remains table.
So you have to bring I'm sorry. Yes, please go ahead. So the items must be brought back from the table. And that's today's meeting. And then Council can determine if they want to approve it or not. But you got to bring them back from the table in order to address them.
Yes, they stay on the table to make a motion to bring the island table and then we can toss them all out.
You can make the most okay. Now you don't have to understand you can make the motion to bring it back for the table.
Okay, so from what I'm reading, that's actually not something that we can do. You actually cannot bring something back from the table that's been taped. It's okay. No, no, no, no, no, not in the manner in which you're telling us that we can do it.
Die died.
Okay, it's dead. It's over. So what what's the problem with this process starting over again.
So I need you to help me. Help me. I need you to help me if I want to support what you're doing. But what I need you to do is I need you to show me how to die. Show me in the text. How this item does. Show up show me in it's because this is going to be a point of reference. Okay, show me where it died and give me a reference because we can't infer if you go back. I don't know what I need you to do what I need you to show me in meeting procedure, how it died. So that we can point to that and I can say according to such and such, it can't be Councilman Councilman Thomas and Councilman Shafi decided that I need to have a point. For example, in any legal framework, I need to be able to go back and show
case law and or a decision
or rendering and or an appeal. I am in support of you. What I'm asking you to do is I'm asking you for the sake of the record. Show me how this is actually dead so that we can either kill it or take it off the table. And kill it when it's on the date
for the sake of the record. Okay, again, I made this clear according to Robert's Rules of Order, if it was not brought back, if it if it had no movement on the 19th I would support okay, I'm just saying I don't have the book in front of our mind. Okay, you give me yours.
But it's a table item.
It says
leave it or leave it on the table. It's up to you. We have to address it, where it stands now is stagnant. And so we need some movement. If you don't want if you want to vote it down, you know, bring it back from the table and address if you want to bring it back from the table and send it to the workshop. You could do that we're asking the d be removed because ethically you have options. Let's be on the business at a city hall. You know we we were stagnated on stuff that I'm not saying it's not important, but let's address it one way or another. We're not gonna get anywhere it's eight o'clock. Okay.
I wouldn't understand. Difficult. I know this dop, I have the utmost respect for you. We couldn't function without Okay. Well, what I'm saying is, if these things are moved,
then the people
who lost these beers or whatever the case may be now we open ourselves up to liability
received we have not received it is a request to put up a sign that says we're looking for people to cut the grass. We're looking for people to cut the trees. We're looking for people to shovel the snow. That's what to see. This is a back west. Corner border from Councilwoman Monica.
So here's my solution. It would be to make a motion to bring these items back from the off table back can let me finish this and put them in a workshop. Bring the items back off the table. So listen, V is only to move and do it in a workshop and then bring it back to city council but we get an opportunity to talk about it in the workshops.
Ma'am, I
see you are you are you with the city? I'm a citizen. Okay, wait, hold on a second, ma'am. I can't. I can't point to
something that's on the table. And if you're going to get Robert's Rules of Order, Hey, you can't discuss it.
Out of order you at the City Council discussion, you are out of order. You are out of order to interjection as part of the disruption process. It's very well organized. I will tell you that much. The attempt is very well organized.
So did you understand what I was? Yeah.
Yeah. On the table on that. So what are we gonna do with it then that's the discussion part of it.
So can we just bring them into the table so they have to go to workshop
I see your hand over here. I'm sorry. I've been distracted by me. The Chair recognizes men and protein
for the sake of record. This agenda has been scratched, removed. For the sake of record, the person responsible to get our agenda right. Can it be right in the future?
What is it yes,
there are a number of people who work at putting on the agenda. So various departments submit things. And certainly we're trying to tighten it up in terms of the things that are submitted, but oftentimes, you think you may have the information that you may not certainly in the future moving forward. We're going to try to make sure that we have all the items that we need. There were some items that council felt or that the administration felt, well, we probably need to put more in that packet. For instance, our purchasing agent, put some items out and some of the department has didn't know. And so you know, we want to give as much information as possible because this is a new council. And some of these items, we didn't have that. And that was the reason why some of them were removed. They were not totally complete. So we're trying to, you know, make sure that we give as much information as possible. Next time, we'll make sure that we do that. But as it stands now, I think that that's clear in terms of on the record. What we need to do now is determine whether or not we are going to move remove those items from the table so that they can be voted on so that we can move this process along
Tyler Park, this is your government at work. Let me remind you, everyone who was in this room right now today is February the sixth. So that means this city council has been at work for 33 and a half days if it is the intent of any of us to assume that a baby does a month Oh can do more than a baby that's a month. Oh, we've had to make some adjustments here. Everyone in this room needs to know your first 30 days on your job. No matter what that is a learning curve. It is a learning curve. And the first 30 days on your job if you are in Chi we're in constant conflict with our co workers. We make no progress. We make no progress. We don't as a team we have we were building a car we'd have some challenges and I want this car to go together really well. The people on this team are talented. The five people on the city council, the representative from District Three for District Two from District One, council Pro Tem they are very talented people and we are new to our jobs. So I want you guys to give us some patience and some grace because everybody up here is trying. And although you may make the assertion to someone who's trying to be difficult. That's your personal prerogative. But the truth is people are trying to fill out their role. They have their own personal internal compass that they have to answer to. We all have to look in the mirror. So I would encourage you not to pass judgment on anybody sitting on this day as it's a hot seat up here, no matter which one of the five ones that you are in. And as the chair of this committee, I am committed to working with all the members whether I agree or not. And I'm hoping that you will be patient
to council protests
with the exception of our new mayor that took office when we took office, which was how many days you
count 3034 and change so the
person or persons responsible for making the agenda. How long have they been in their positions?
Wait.
Okay, if we can, yeah, so
we can shop along in terms of wind, how long people have been in positions. We have to start today and move forward. We can't do anything about that. And I appreciate the comments. But we we want to remove it from the table, and then you can decide what you want to do. You can make the decision at that point.
We're still on the table, but we're still we're still an open debate. Councilman Shafi
council person is it possible that we can take all five eight widens at one time?
I don't. We'll see. They're not they didn't all come together. The first three came together. And the fourth one again, it's incomplete. Okay. The first three today, I think that will be appropriate. Okay. I like
to make a motion to bring a, b and c. Back to the
table. We have a motion under Table items by made by Councilman sharpie to bring items A B and C off the table. Do we have a second? Second? We have a second by Councilwoman Monica. Madam Deputy Clerk can you take the roll please?
Councilman Shafi? Yes, Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes, these items are off the table. Now. They will be addressed individually. Counsel, what is your your pleasure to do to address item A the request to issue a request for quotes RFQ to solicit bids for an on call professional tree trimming arborist service this was tabled from December 5 2022. This service is provided as an emergency service is on call in the event of a storm or some untoward accident related to a tree. Do we have a motion?
I motion that we move item A on the table items to be discussed in a workshop.
To workshop.
We have a second. Second. We have a second we have a motion to remove item to move item a to a workshop made by Councilman malecha Second by Councilman Martin. Madam Deputy Clerk Would you please call the roll.
Awesome. Anna Shafi. Oh, council woman Matt Martin.
Yes.
Council President before we go further, council woman, manucho which workshop would you like for this item to appear on?
Our next workshop is our next workshop. She said. Thank you. So we you were taking the row we have two votes counted if you will continue. To roll please.
Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes. The motion has passed this item a request for RFQs for professional tree trimmer will be moved to a workshop to our next workshop. On February the 21st Correct. All right. Now we move on to Item b a resolution to solicit quotes to cut grass on the 1470 city on price properties. This was tabled from December 5 2022. Council What is your pleasure?
I make a motion to remove to remove the item to workshop to be discussing workshop. Item B to be discussed and workshop. February 21 2020.
So we have a motion on the floor made by Councilwoman Monica to move this resolution to solicit quotes to cut grass and 1470 city owned properties to the next upcoming workshop on February the 21st. Do we have a second? Second. We have a second by Councilwoman Martin Do we have any discussion at all on this item? Having heard no discussion? If the council does and I'd like to come in, we have a comment from the city attorney.
Okay, so with respect to the cutting of the grass, we have four and 14 Well 1470 City Hall properties that need to be cut and the time is coming on fast. March, April when that supposed to take place. We're going to have to allow times for bids. This is just to solicit bids, you still have an opportunity to vote on any bids that come in. So I just want to cancel be mindful of the time because people are going to start complaining it grasses and cut all these properties is continuing to grow. And it's already been lingering for some time. I'm not saying that this council is falling but I just wanted to put that out there that time is pressing on.
Okay. Thank you very much attorney in light of that. She pointed out something that is critical. Our reputation is at stake here and we cannot hang our hats on the previous City Council. Having heard that Councilwoman Monica, would you like to keep your motion on the floor would you be willing to rescind your motion and take action on getting these quotes?
Thank you. Thank you. You have is my motion. Okay. Councilman Martin. The motion that was put forward by Councilwoman Monica to to table this item and move it to a workshop has been rescinded. So I wanted to make take a minute to notify you that she has pulled that back. So your support, you can withdraw your support as well.
After right after under the advisement of the city attorney who thinks that it is incumbent that we decide sooner versus later. Councilwoman Monica has rescinded her motion to move it to a workshop in order to keep it on the floor so that we can decide on it today. This is this is just hanging up the sign that says we need our grass cut. Okay. You're just removing your support. Yeah. Okay, so now we have item b resolutions is listed close to cut grass on the 1470 city owned properties Council. What is your pleasure? Discussion? discussion, please.
I know this is only for quotes. How long wait, I'm just curious. I don't know if we would know this now or later. How long would that contract be? Is it just for a short period of time? We just need you to cut the grass for three weeks till we get more people in.
I'm gonna do is I'm gonna assume and I'm gonna defer to someone who knows more than I do. These type of contracts are annual because there's a season the season begins in spring and it ends just just before Thanksgiving. So that that timeframe those people will have to be measured on their performance. Nobody's going to get a free ride and just come from levy on board. That is my assumption and if you need to get further clarity, we do have a city manager here to provide some clarity for us. Yes, so you must Asha.
Garage. We don't have a garage, maintain the equipment. So we've gone through a period where we purchased equipment we purchased lot mores, but those things have to come in in the evening and they get serviced by mechanics. And we don't have mechanics. We don't have a garage. We don't have mechanics. So we're the city is at the point now where our core businesses to maintain the city to hold on to what we've got. And so cutting grass and and doing all the things that we used to do, we just don't have the capacity anymore. So this would be a contract much like city of Detroit. We're a small version of City of Detroit. They contracted out grass cutting a long time ago. We don't have people we don't have the equipment. We don't have the garage even if we hired the people and bought the equipment we wouldn't be able to maintain. So this would be an annual contract. Maybe we would ask them it's usually something like four cuts season. You know it's not going to be made it's not going to be manicured grass cutting like you have at your house. But this is going to be a company that comes in picks up the trash because if they cut that trash, we're gonna be furious. They cut the latch with the trash and trash will be ever so the contract usually is pick up the debris, cut the lights, and usually for maybe four cuts a season maybe two cuts in the spring to cut to the depends so that's what we're gonna get. We don't even know we can afford. So that's why we're going out for the quotes. But it's an attempt to get some prices because we failed miserably the last few years we're trying to to keep up with it because we have more and more lacks. Thank you.
Okay, so customer shock, sir.
I really didn't I really didn't I see no harm. And that's waiting two more weeks to get a better understanding on this particular matter. To get some better pricing some better understanding for this council to make a fair and impartial decision. Two weeks is not going to kill us. It's still cold in the witness to the outside.
Sir Robert decorum sir mama Watson.
All I'm saying is I don't see no harm in waiting two weeks.
Okay. It's particularly to address that I have spent more than 20 years working as a vendor and I can tell you that the season whatever that is, you are correct. But I will say this. There are other communities Huntington woods, Ferndale
center line.
They do they absolutely do. And so they can also lock down some of these vendors. Before us too. We need to be cognizant of the amount of time there is no way for us to guarantee how we're going to dispose of this matter in the future. And so the assumption is that 14 days is not going to it's not going to kill us. But we do need to be mindful of the fact that the longer that we wait to employ seasonal employees that we end up at the end of the line. And if that has the city administrators provided the clarity on that we have failed miserably in the past and now it's us The buck stops here with us. And so it's important that we get those quotes out so that we have the ability to discern what is the appropriate pathway moving forward. We still have to finish this fiscal year and we're limping into the fiscal year with the funds that we have. And it's critically important that we make sure that we are first in line because we are typically at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to revenues. So matter we've had some debate on this. It's it'd be hard Yes ma'am. City Attorney please.
Additional information so the two week period for workshop would be on the 21st of February. And then it will be brought back for vote
on March the sixth. So that's a full month. Councilman.
I still have to get the bids right now time for that. So I understand Councilman shopping you've been very astute trying to get information and so in order to make an informed decision, I understand that but remember, we're just making the request to get this, solicit them the bids. That's all we're asking
my name in this process. We have to ask ourselves, What would our constituents say we got 470 people in a room that voted for us. What would they say? Right now? What What would they say? Well, I mean, no, seriously, I mean, they're on television and they're in this room. But if you live in a section of the city where the grass comes up to your waist in the summertime and you have small children, the question is sooner versus later, when do we want to get these beds out? That's what they would actually say. And we are the people now who make the decisions on behalf of members of the community. And that's the part that I want to drive home to my fellow council people here. At some point they're going to come for us to ask why not? And it's important that we're able to answer those questions and it needs to be based on facts that we can stand on in circumstances we can justify Councilwoman Monica we are at a
I like to make a motion to pass resolution to solicit calls to cut grass on 1470 City on properties.
Do we have a second well hold on a second I'm sorry. We have a motion on the floor for table items under be resolutions to solicit quotes to cut grass on the 1470 city owned properties
made by Councilman Mallika, do we have a second? Chair offers a second. Madam Deputy Clerk Could you please call it a row
Councilman a Shafi I'm sorry, no. Councilwoman Martin. No. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Powell. Tim Robinson. No. Council President Congress.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen. This is our government at work. Please take note. Next Oh, yeah, that's the performance of your work. Yeah. Okay, moving on to Item C.
Ladies and gentlemen, please can we maintain order within chambers. Moving on to Item C resolution to issue RFQ to solicit bids for street sweeping Council What is your pleasure?
Stay with me ma'am.
I work for God if you're wondering. That's where I work for.
Yes, ma'am.
I like to make a motion to pass resolution to issue RFQ to solicit bids for street sweeping.
Do we have a second? Wait a minute. I'm sorry. We have a motion on the floor for Item C on the resolution to issue RFQ to solicit bids. For street sweeping. Made by Councilwoman Monica Do we have a second? Chair OPERS a second. Do we have discussion? I will can i Madam please?
My discussion is I understand that we did not get a chance. And we may not even know what RFQ means. And so going forward though, we will make sure that we all know what that means. But currently the issue is we only want to just get some bids. So we can be ahead of the game. We're not approving the bids. We're not saying people are going to do it right now. And I'm saying this to my colleagues right now, just so that you understand the importance a little bit. We're not approving right now. Anybody's bids we may not like anybody that come before us. But we do need to get it out that some people can say hey, I'd like to be your street sweeper. I'd like to be your cook I'd like to cut your grass and I'm offering it to you under this price. Or I'll do it for this and maybe something else but either way, at this point, what's going to happen is you're going to hear and I maybe nobody paid attention to the Street Sweepers. I did. Because when we started talking about our water and what is causing this is going to be the stuff that went into the into the sewer that we did not sweep is gonna be the grass we did not cut or it's gonna be finding you know, the guy came up here earlier talking about what was in all the high grass and people's going to complain right now. We just need to have some people say I'd like to do it for you at this price. And we look at it. And if we don't like any other bids, we can start over. But if we don't ever get any. We were not there. And believe it or not, we were getting some warm days. I actually want my grass cut now and trimmed up. I'm just seeing if I could get somebody to cut my grass and trim it up. Now I probably I do it myself just to make it look nice. But at this point we just want is providing also safety. Whether we realize it or not is providing safety. That's my discussion. Thank you.
Okay, so on Item C do we have a motion?
My motion again is to pass a resolution to issue an RFQ to solicit bids for street sweeping
and we have a second chair second Madam Deputy Clerk, can you please call the roll? Councilman Shafi. Sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't see I have my head down. Forgive me for that. I have questions from Councilwoman Martin.
We're not accepting bids at all today.
No, we can't City Council has to get permission. Okay, let me just give this provided for my colleague anything that anybody wants to do in this city contracts come to us. All Contracts Thank you can't you can't buy candles on behalf of the city without getting our approval. So no business gets done. Unless this body approves it. We are three districts and to add large members representing the 9000 people that live here.
I get that okay. So it says it was painful December 5.
This issue came up as a matter of course it has to we have to do this has to happen every year, meaning that the previous year that began January 2022. Whatever happened from January to December, with January to December, a new year was coming in. And so it's important that we that our vendors every year 2024 When January comes in, we don't have to vet a whole new set of vendors because we're not even sure if the vendors we find this year are going to be up to snuff in December based on the demands we make. We might hire these people to do work. And midway through we might be like Smith's grass cutting did a shoddy job. Their contract is over pizza no removal. It's so so work your contract is over so we don't give anyone an extended contract. So that we have the control. have no control to decide who our vendors are. So this will come up year after year after year after year as long as it's a city. We're gonna have to go through this process of soliciting quotes every single year for everything. This is gonna have to be annual nobody no vendor gets an extended contract like this except as a part of an infrastructure like fire or police. A police department would have to provide extended services over a period of time this is off board. This is for street sweeping. This is for snow removal. This is for grass cutting someone who might not even be in business next year. Okay, do we answer your questions? So yes, ma'am.
My next question is the vendor that has chosen not to go for that person for the whole year even if they did some backward?
No, they get a contract with us that is compartmentalized. That contract will have a timeframe that is set based on good business rules. For example, something you've talked to the city administrator about, they could get a four month contract for snow removal It is February. So that means in fact there is a trigger event where they have to come on and remove snow. We know what their price is and they're locked in for that amount. If again in October, we have been given permission to solicit quotes and we need to do this again in October it snows October 15. We have been given we have given the city permission to solicit bids and they will get a temporary contract for the snow season that will expire at a certain time. Does that make sense? Yeah. Okay.
Council council president. I just wanted to stay for the record to you and the public. He may think I'm trying to be difficult here. But I will remind you that the mayor just spoke here and said if we voted on any of these items, it will be very detrimental to the city. Her words exact okay. She was just surprised. I am talking. I am talking. All I am simply saying is you're setting a precedent for bed voting. I don't order these items are dead. I have made that clear. And we're going to sit here and vote on them anyway. It's not too much of an imposition to simply bring these items back to a workshop or start this process. So you can either hold a special emergency meeting just for these particular items. Next week. There's no reason to rush this process. There's no reason to step outside of our realm of what we're supposed to be doing. And city council members. We can hold a special meeting next weekend just for these items alone next week just for these items of all there's no reason to rest as well. There's no reason to push this issue. You are making a precedent and they're going to use that precedent later on down the line against us. Yes, we must follow the rules. We must follow Robert's Rules of Order this city and the state legislator and what they have set forth for us and how we can vote and what we can move and when we can move it these items are dead on arrival. Yes, sir. There's no problem with setting the special meeting next week Monday for these three nights.
It's a point taken but
to your point. These
items were brought up in December and this December coming we we will be charged. So let's just let's add a room up. These items came up in December, all before the members of the previous City Council were being grandfathered out of government. It was their choice to decide not to deal with these issues for whatever reason. It was it will be and it shall be every year in December and coming upon whoever sits in these chairs to call for these quotes. We are not rushing anything. This is what happens. In every municipality in southeastern Michigan and Midwestern Michigan all the way across the whole state. We are the only ones only Highland Park is deliberating over making these decisions, sir. So I support your due diligence and I don't think you are proud. In fact,
if Dad told me you support me,
I do a lot I do. Excuse me. I beg your pardon says no. I beg your pardon, sir. I beg your pardon. So
tell me you support.
I beg your pardon, sir. In this council chamber, and outside of this room and private conversations I am one of your biggest cheerleaders. I say to people, you don't have to go ask other people. I say whatever. Whatever you feel about Mr. Al Shafi, he is consistent. And before you ever sat on this city council, we used to stand in this chamber and you had issues to discuss. I approached you as a person because I wanted to know who you work. We live in a world full of wishy washy men, and I approached you not out of fear of your contentious personality out of respect for your ability to stand firm on your principles, and I have not wavered. And I appreciate being called ally with two men.
Out appreciate it.
It taught me a lot. You said on film. That's a lie. So let's go forward with these issues. Despite my respect, but despite what you believe my respect for you is not subject to believe it is not something that has to be believed by anybody. It is let's move forward. I believe I'm the chair sir.
I'm sure your
Thisara in Terrassa in Islam means insight and discernment. These are the principles that guide my behavior. I am a Muslim. I live my life in submission to the will of God. We have a motion on the floor do we get that bowl taken? Okay, Madam Clerk can you get that vote.
So mana Shafi. Oh, Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica. Council pro tem. My apologies. Council Pro Tem Robinson. No. Council President Thomas.
Yes, motion passes are tabled items we have item D resolution the sale make a commercial out of 15 Victor to Angelo Darrow Freeman. This item was tabled on the 19th we have heard discussion from both of our city attorneys and the mayor. That's sufficient evidence to bring this item out for discussion is not present. Counsel has made it clear during these proceedings that they have no intention on taking action on an item that will put us in undue peril. The floor is open for any action that pleases Council. Do we have a motion on the floor?
I'd like to make a motion to remove table Item D resolution to sell the vacant commercial line and 15 Victor to Angelo general Freeman
has been removed from the table in order to
this has not been removed. Nope. So we have to we need a resolution. We need a motion to have it removed from the table.
So I'm seeing my motion to make a motion to remove it from the big vacant emotional 15 Victor to Agile.
So we send it to floor is open for a motion on table Item D
I'd like to make a motion
for a second.
We have a motion to remove the item from table
I can make a motion to remove the item under Table Table items now routine number D letter D from table resolutions are sales of vacant commercial lights and Victor 15 Victor
to Angelo jail free
so we have a motion on the floor to remove this item from the tape from table. Two bringing it to open discussion is now the vacant commercialized 15 Victor to Angelo Darrell Freeman. We have a second. Chair off was a second. Madam Deputy Clerk. Excuse me, we have discussion. Just yet we were moving enough that we removed it from the table but I have to make sure that I get my colleagues and opportunity declared especially
where we're moving.
We're where it's been tabled. We're on tabling it and bringing it out for discussion. today. Yes. And whatever whatever happens when you get here we kill it if we drown it whatever. But we're it's been tabled. So we're taking it out of that table category into a category but we can decide on it. Until it Yeah, well this table has just been
disabled we do that. So we have a motion on the floor already seconder. Council President Okay. So can we often call for the vote? I want to make sure that the chair acknowledges the second I am the second on that. So can we call for a vote.
Councilmember Shafi? No. Councilwoman Martin? Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. No. Council President Thomas.
Yes, motion has been brought off of the table now Council. Resolution to sell bacon last commercial lots of big money Bigger, bigger to the Angelo Freeman has now been put discussion.
Motion or do I get away from discussion? What
I request would be now that is brought from the table. The administration is requesting that that item be removed.
Okay. So the attorney has provided us some insight saying that now that this item is the administration has come forward to say that they want this whole item removed to they're able to provide the necessary information for council to make a decision on this property has some issues with the boundaries with the the adjacent parties being given adequate opportunity to also seek ownership but this is very convoluted. So more of this will come up in the evening. But there's too much confusion here but to come before us for us to make an adequate decision. And that is the reason why after due diligence, the mayor said this is messy. Let's put it off the agenda and so we can get this straightened out. So that was the initial concern there. Yes, ma'am.
Thank you, we get it where it's all everything that we need from the mayor. Can we get that?
Well, no, I'm not in a position to answer that question. But I will say this, I wouldn't encourage her to bring it before his body until we got it together. I wouldn't bring it to us until we got it to get I don't know what that timeframe will be. The property probably has to be assessed. The property lines need to probably be redrawn. There's a lot that's going on there. And I don't have all the information. It's the language out of speed. So I'm reluctant to try and lean in and talk too much about something that I don't know a lot about. All I know is it's not prepared today. He's not adequately prepared to bring to this body to ask me to make a decision on its message in a nutshell.
So President May I speak to that?
Ma'am, this is bad as the mayor chair recognizes. Mayor Linda McDonald.
Miss Martin, when everything has everyone has done their due diligence of getting all the information needed. And all of the things have been taken care of by the water department, the engineers the treasurer, we will bring this back to you. It can be presented to you in a workshop if that's what you require. But once all of the information has been acquired, you would get it right after that on your next agenda. On the next by the next meeting once all of all of the information has been collected, all of their due diligence has been done to make sure that this property is properly sold. You will get it once all of that is done. It could be the next regular meeting or it might be after that in a workshop, whatever your preference is.
So you have no timeframe.
We have no timeframe because they have to complete the the process. Like I said it could be finished this week. Coming up. But I can't speak for the Treasurer I can't speak for I can speak for the water department they are out looking to see see about this property and then it can be brought back so that you guys can have all of the information that you need to either sell the property or not sell the property. There's there's quite a bit of bit of controversy about this property there and I don't know if you heard that there are two addresses that says 15 Victor, one is across the street from the other one. So that has to be taken care of so that they can get the proper address and partials the measurements of the partials and all of that to be so
sure she adequately address your question, man. Yeah. Do we have any further discussion on removing this item? Yes, Mr. Chairman,
just for the record, that's why I said it shouldn't be brought back in first place when it's okay. It's fine. Move forward.
We do it to your point. You've probably been the most vocal person on getting doing things the right way. And we do have to remember that we have been at this for one minute
to do a face for radio, okay. We need to Yeah, we need to make sure that we keep in considered keeping in mind that we are we can't get too far out ahead of our skis. One month. That's how long we've been doing this one month. So I will never claim expertise for anything. And I will be a novice until the end of this year at least. And so I would I would encourage everybody to give themselves a little bit of grace and know that we are all filling in. Yes, ma'am.
I agree with you one month but there should be direction, right? Because even with being ahead of your skis to skis, you still have some direction on where you're going. Even with skis on correct.
I think under the circumstances that the right direction has been moving pretty good with one regular meeting and one special meeting. I think two I think do we think we're doing pretty good. I think communication is going fairly well. Considering everybody gets what they need. Everyone has their package. I think we're doing okay. It's mail. So we're still we're moving on the motion please.
I like to make a motion to remove item D Undertale. tabled items resolution to sale. The vacant commercial lot and 15 Victor to Angelo Dale frame
Do we have a second say shouldn't be brought back. We have a second by Councilman Shafi on to I'm sorry. Sometimes surprises just just blow you away to remove the item. We have a second for Councilman sharp Can We Do you have any further discussion and can we take a vote? All right, Madam Clerk, could you please call the roll?
Councilmember Shafie Yes. Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Anika? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes, the item passes. All right. Moving on to the next agenda item item five city administration.
Good evening, everybody. Good evening. Audience citizens concerned interested parties. This item is a resolution. I'm so what I'm doing is I'm coming to counsel. Because the request has to come to counsel to even go out for bids to even go out for quote sometimes it's done. It has been done under previous administrations where they didn't come to count. They just did it. But the proper way just to come to council to ask if we can go out to solicit bids RFPs for a number for price for a service. So what I'm doing tonight is I'm coming to council and I'm asking council if it's okay. And this is worded incorrectly in the agenda because it's a resolution to issue an RFP for this is to solicit an urban planner. That's not what it's supposed to say it's supposed to say. Resolution to solicit an RFP or an urban planning consulting firm for a company. The intent is to find a company to do for us for planning. What Metro did for us for the water department. When I came here, this is my ninth year now and I don't know how many more I'm gonna make. But I've been here I mean, you're not right. Water Department was in a sham. Remember, Bill, something that builds up people didn't get bills we were having all kinds of issues. I ran an ad in the Michigan Simpson at the time looking for a company that ran it didn't find anybody ran it ran finally, I call Metro which was Damon and Jerian. They came in. I looked at their portfolio. I said I don't know about I found something in their portfolio that I could grass. Jerian was doing stormwater assessments. I said, You know what, that's what I told federal judge and I was going to keep them from throwing us dissolving us. We hired them and they were they do they came in and our water department for residents, the businesses we have 90% payments 90% We have fought like dogs we organized partment and he took your house yet the nine years and they stopped talking about it. In fact, Lee was sent out a letter saying that they weren't going to put Highland parks bill on the Suburbans bill this year, because they shouldn't have been doing it in the first place. But they did it for 10 years and cheated them. Bottom line, this consulting firm that the state has told me they're willing to fund when I know how much it costs so I'll be coming back. Because what we need to do is we know we have to move forward. We know Highland Park used to have a big community development department just like we had a big everything we were Highland Park we rich. We had a big we had people civil servants, union employees workers all over the place. We're still paying a lot of their pensions. This far farm we'll organize us because we know that we have a lot of issues. We've got a big city that needs to be developed. Right? We've got big state land bank here big Wayne County Land Bank here. We've got all the parcels that we own. We took our building department back from the state a few years ago Laura was doing a horrible job. We hired safe built, you know it's a performance contract. But that doesn't mean we have to stay with the performance. Contract. Maybe we need a different type of contract for the billing department. One that isn't based on just permits, one that perhaps is going out doing some proactive issues we know we have all these Class A structures in the building that cost a lot to tear down. We know that we have all these boards and commissions and we have a brownfield authority and a different authority and that the Community Development Department is the ex officio for those depart for those Commission's that's setting the schedule setting the agenda taking the minutes hurling the minutes into the clerk so that when folks learn looking for the minutes they have the minutes because somebody's done the minutes. We know we have records that need to be filed we also have a master plan on tonight's agenda both the workshop and the current agenda is people wanting to buy property. The city has had a difficult problem selling property because it didn't know whether it was going to use the property for something. That's why we need to get a firm. The firm comes in and works with the Community Development department right now. Our Community Development Department consists of part time person that's not a department. We have a property sales division, which is property sales because it's not organized into a plan of action for the city. And so this is the only way that we're going to move forward. We're not going to move forward with haphazard on court coordinated initiatives pretending that we have a department big department that can handle everything that we have, we're not going to work and so this is what this our if it's really kind of a it's an RFP was going to be an RFQ to see who's out there. And I'm not really interested in bringing folks that are big and that are going to come in and talk down to us. It needs to be a firm that was small firm like Metro because Metro came in and you all have all had some kind of interaction with them. And you know, they are very receptive to what Highland Park needs or wants. And so this process we'll see what we get, we might not get anything because nobody wants to do business with us anyway. Because they don't think we pay. We don't pay like they think it's gonna be a pain. They remember it I remember all kinds of bad instances so if we get any bids, any RFQ it'll be great. And so that's what this is tonight. Now there is a list of some sort of few things that they would be do doing but it's not limited to that. And the whole point of it being a firm is so that we have capacity. Because the problem that we have at the city is there's one person in every department so as we you know, I mean I'm just you know, you know, I'm gonna tell you like it is so as frustrated as we are about all the stuff that we're frustrated about. You're down to Dave's over there by himself. He doesn't have a sister G. He doesn't have a lot of officers. He's over there. Fire Chief, same way they got a few more people coming every department has one person in the director is the director and the whole department. Maybe there's a deputy if you're lucky. So this whole capacity problem is something that councils gonna have to be patient with, because Highland Park has shrunk to the point where you got one person running the department. So we really have to pull together because if we don't, we're gonna fail. Still just that simple. And I know it's frustrating, but we don't get a planning firm in here. We're going to be selling property to folks that are gonna bring a tax money the whole point of selling the property is to get some money to get money. Either we need they need workers so we can get some income tax. Or we gotta get properties back on the tax roll. And so that we can grow and so that we have money to pay for all the things label wants to charge a 6 million a year. That's not over. There. Listen, and now it's up to us. To try to determine whether or not we're worthy of no bail out. We have to be very careful.
Because that's the state they're willing to they know we don't even have money for this. This is why I'm saying we're arguing tonight over things that I don't know if we got the money for it anyway. But we can't take the position with all the heck with it. Because then we in high grass. We're in snow and we haven't had the services ever anyway. So it's not like if we don't do this because we don't have those services. So we just got to, you know really understand how fragile our entire existence is. We're still holding on now. haven't taken anybody's houses. And they probably lost the momentum for that but we still can't let up. So what I've said to the state is we need money to develop the city that's the only solution for Highland Park. Only solution is we've got to ever get back to the way things were we gotta have something some tax payer on all these bacon labs. We got to have workers coming back into the city. We've got to have stores, we got to have fabric and we got to redevelop the city. This is about developing the city. This is a redeveloping city. And it's got to be done systematically, and we need some professionals to come in to help us just like we did in the waterfront. That's kind of my vision is to do what we did in the water department, our water department now. Nobody could believe that Highland Park could restructure its water department. And so this is what this is and and and what we'll see what we get, and we're gonna keep putting it out Council approves this tonight. We get a back end we see who it is we don't like we're going to send it back up until we can find somebody we can have. We believe we'll come in and pull all of these different things together so that we can move forward this will give the council and the mayor and the city a great push for. It worked with water. This is how we're going to get more water customers last year we lost 100 customers and and they raised up there so this is the way to combat this is what what in their their fear is now we'll have the audit at one of the next meeting. We had the best thought we've had in forever. So we are exceeding all expectations even with the dysfunction and that's what we're going to keep doing we're gonna keep exceeding wishes and not under by now. But we're not we're I'm standing here tonight telling you we need to go out for an RFP for a planning firm so that planning firm can help the city decide what it's going to sell. What it's going to keep what what areas using the master plan that we have and maybe there's some revisions for that. We know they want to school we know that this building is ragged. We know we got a lot of I mean we've got all kinds of projects out there that need help. We haven't been able to help them because we don't have a planning firm at the city. And so this is what this is. This is the this is the move forward. Because in order to move forward, you've got to have direction. We've got a lot of resources, but we need to pull them all together. Because the only way we're going to get out of this stagnation that we're in and you can see it you have eyes, you can drive through this city and you can see what needs to be done but we need somebody with the perfect urban planners have gone to school for them. They've got tools and resources they've got all kinds of resources, Planning, Design redesigns, zoning, because you want this town to be rebuilt beautifully. And you need it organized and you need you need to just really have some synergy and look for so that's what this is. And the fact that we can get it funded. That's what we need to go out and see how much it costs. So that that we can so that the state can pay for the state is sitting on $9 billion in surplus. And what they've said is, you know, what are some things that we can pay for one of the things that they pay for is any continuing continuing education but any education that political that the elected officials have need what they will pay for it. So any any classes you want to take on whatever to help you do your jobs better, they're gonna reimburse us it they're gonna pay for this they're gonna pay for things because they know that, you know, we've been that injustice has been committed against us. So bottom line, that's what this is. This is a great project that we can sink our teeth into. And I also heard today that the muni code project can go back at you know the council approved that last council have never gotten off the ground. But that's a way to get all the ordinances updated in everything, get some practice what's going to help us to get these projects, then we have things to work on, that the citizens want to see people in this town. When somebody says something about people who've been here, they want to see
something. Yes. Yeah.
They want to see something. And so we start with this, these two projects. And and Councilwoman Martin is correct, you know, there's leadership, you know, counsel needs leadership, but at the same time, a lot of this is self generated, because we're so small. We don't have a deep bench. And so that's why we have to really hash out all of our fights like tonight's fight got to end tonight, customers notified and that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna move forward and we're gonna get this planning firm in here because that's the thing that's left. We know we've cleaned up a lot of other things. Yes, we need people but we know it's hard to get people because they can go work city of Detroit make a lot more money. We're here and then looking for people to everybody is so anyway, that's what this is. And I hope you allow us to go out and look for
apartment floors open for motion
shopping care for President Miss square. You had me at hello.
election to approve,
to approve the resolution to issue an RFP to solicit urban planner with the amendments that Miss square has put on?
Yes, but you know, you'll find it tomorrow.
We have a motion on the floor from Councilman Shafi we have a second from Councilwoman Monica. Madam Deputy Clerk, could you please take the roll
councilmember Shafi council woman Martin
Excellent question.
I'm sorry Forgive me ma'am.
Hello. Okay. Hello. Now you said that a firm and you were saying that what did you say no one wants to do business with us because we don't have money Correct. That's what you said earlier. Right.
I said that if we can find someone because it is very difficult to find people work here because because how many parts pass has been a pass pre bankruptcy right? We are still in a very fragile finance because even though we had a good audit,
Miss square, I'm gonna interrupt you forgive me. Because I was out of order. I was so enthusiastic about Mr. Howe, Shafi vote before with his with his hand with his hand in his heart. And so I was out of order. What I should have done is I should have asked for debate I wanted to hurry up and get that. So forgive me Councilwoman Martin so just you know you gotta jump you gotta you gotta strike when the iron is hot so I was
very you know before you got on cancel all last year, they had stories on the news about how we all fit in for a lot of it.
Okay. And when people
hear that they don't want to do business with us, right, because they think we're going wrong. Right. Okay. And we have lawsuits. We have a case next week. We've been waiting for the Supreme Court to decide whether or not they're taking our case for that $20 million Levy. We have serious problems, but those problems are not stopping us from moving forward.
Okay. Got it. Who is the head of the firm work? With they work with the mayor City Council administration, who did they work with?
So So planning firm so we get a planning firm in here and the planning firm will it will be under the administration because everything's under the event? Okay, but it will also work with the planning commission, with the board of zoning appeals with the temper with the Brownfield with the state land bank, there's the state land bank and Highland Park that's that's 500 parcels that's a whole relationship. There's the Wayne County Land Bank. There's the community block grant community development, block grant money that used to be administered by city of Highland Park now it's administered by Wayne County. So back to the relationship. There's countless other boards and commissions that story board and and others and so that job is a big deal. In addition to that, it oversees building which is safe bill, it oversees the the property sales and administers length of grants for the recreation department. Just ran were knocking on the top of my head that department is a US Department. And right now we have a part time person and that's a person.
You have a part time person right now. Yes.
Mr. Hinton.
That's it. So it's naive of us to think that we're going to rebuild the city it's just this was just you know, sitting here looking at everybody needs money. We need you know, please partner needs money and fire department needs fire trucks and council needed laptops for tonight. And we're how are we going to get? I mean, how are we going to move forward if we don't really do the work to move forward. So this is an attempt what we'll see but let's see who we get. They're gonna come in and make presentations. You know, we get, we get some, we review. Whatever gets submitted, we let March admin here, put some boards up, they'll look at our tools, some of the things that we'll give them as our master plan, and what all of the information that we have, that we're using that we need for data, and they'll come in here and they'll make presentations and folks will ask questions, and then you'll decide whether or not you think they can do it. And if they can't do it, we got to keep we're going to have to keep looking for somebody to wait find somebody because you want Highland Park to be rebuilt. Beautiful, organized, well, following all the rules falling off. And with our bench being so short because we have so few employees, you have to get you have to get some professional professional furniture and if the state is willing to because it's in the state's best interest. Now the reason why we're doing this in the timing is good because they're trying to figure out what they're gonna bail us out or not. We may end up with the Supreme Court doesn't take our case, we might have to bail ourselves out. Like we always have nobody's ever build out Highland Park. Parks always build up Highland Park. Nobody ever came in and build a site. But if we're trying to redevelop the city well you know, we'll let them you know, work their hand, maybe they can do it, but if they don't do it, we still have to be prepared to do it. And we're doing it because, you know, we're looking, this is why we have to do it because we got to have money.
Right. Thanks, man. So, okay,
that's what this is.
Thank you so much. So, at this point, we have a motion on I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm getting out. I'm sorry. It's what happens when you get a question.
My first question is, do could you say they come with a master plan, right? We have a master plan. So they implement the master plan that's already in place. That's well,
we have the master plan, the planning commission. This is why it's so important to get some organization because we have the master plan, but we also are under the we have a problem. Because even though we have a master plan, we have big land owners in the city that prevent us from doing things. So we've got the big you know, we've got the state land bank they own a lot of commercial property and what's kind of our downtown air. Then we've got the Wayne County Land Bank, they own a lot of housing in the neighborhoods. Those houses are distressed houses causing blight for the residents in this city. And so the whole point of, you know, bringing somebody in or bringing in a firm is is so that they have enough capacity to deal with all of the issues that we have going on at same time. And so the master plan is the plan for redevelopment. It's a plan so it can be revised right now. It had it took forever to get it done, but that's what we should be found. And so there were interested parties came in here tonight and wanted to buy property and develop property on Woodward Avenue. Well, we've got a master plan. So do those plans jive with the Master Plan? And so that's why it's just, you know, I feel that it's important for if the city's going to grow. The city's going to redevelop which it is just like Detroit, nobody ever thought that the central business district would look like it looks now how cars gonna look just like that. And either we're gonna know it or they're gonna run outside here and they're gonna do so we'd like to start out while I'm so happy because that's going to bring us in the money and and that's going to keep us from being run out. So that's the whole point of this. So this is going to give you projects. This is going to give you some very interesting things to sink your teeth into. This guy gave you some work to do to move the city forward. And Council will have to approve. You know, council approves all the initiatives. So you know these will bring some initiatives for you to approve so that you know you got some things to sink your teeth into and this will be great. this will this will take it a whole 14 160 days I figured for your parents 14 I was 16 you got 1400 60 days. Is
it possible? Is it I think it is I think I need to get your microphone minus day. Is it possible to get a copy of the master plan? Would that be Yeah, actually,
I can email you when I'm still the chairman and the zoning board. I can just email you once a night. Thank you. All right. Do we have anything else do you think further? Mr. Shafi, please take it away.
I would like to make a motion to approve the resolution to issue an RFP to solicit an urban and urban planner for planning firm. That's right. Okay. Yes. Okay. I would like to approve the resolution to issue an RFP to solicit our planning urban farm.
Do we have I mean? Do we have a second? That was a console I'm sorry, Madam Deputy Clerk. We have a motion on the floor by Councilman Shafi to approve the measure by the city administrator. Do we have a second? Second. We have a second by Councilwoman Monica, could you please call the roll?
councilmen Shafi. Yes. Councilwoman Martin Yes Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes. The measure passes. And we're taking a five minute recess because I have an engineering student and I have to answer my daughter's phone so we're here 915 got only five minutes
Thank you.
Yeah.
The people in the audience you notice I do not use my phone during the meetings. The use of a cell phone during a general session is a violation of the Open Meetings Act. Now the other members don't counsel if your phone rings if you receive text messages, please do not on camera. Please do not on camera. indict yourself by using the cell phone. App is in Congress. It happens in the House of Representatives. People get admonished and your whole life is put out there so please don't do it. These meetings are being recorded. And we are going to provide a library to the citizens of every meeting. During my tenure, I'm going to make a library available to the citizens to see and I encourage you all to go back and look at these meetings because a lot happens. And it's hard to keep up with some time and we have the wonderful benefit of zoom, which is a fabulous creation for meetings. So people can join us from anywhere but we can also be seen from anywhere.
So I would advise you
to look after yourself. We're just going to wait for Miss Monica to return and we will move on with item number seven for community development. It was an emergency. Yes ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Absolutely. You we got the same problem. I got we got kids. Yes. So your family comes first. Your family comes first?
Yeah, all right, the temperature good. Hear. Me Hi. Okay. Miss Monica. Once you come,
we can get it on.
Getting back in session, we're on to item seven. Community Development. Madam Deputy Clerk if you would.
Maybe she's on a break.
No, I'm here. What is it that you'd like me to do council president.
Item seven.
Resolution to accept round correction. Item A eight a resolution to accept round a neighborhood Enhancement Program Grant.
Motion to approve.
So we have a motion on the floor from Councilman sharpie to approve the resolution to accept the round a neighborhood Enhancement Program Grant. Do we have a second? Second? We have a second by council. Pro Tem Robinson. Do we have any discussion? Having heard no discussion we'll move on and take the row. Madam Deputy Clerk if you would
ask them in a Shafi pass a woman Martin? Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Council President Thomas
yes. The motion passes. Item B. Madam Deputy Clerk
resolution to sell the vacant residential adjacent lot at 126. Florence to property owner at 124 floors
Council What is your pleasure
did have some questions or discussion but I don't actually don't see Mr. Hidden out there. I was wondering that they make an effort is at you know what I didn't know there was another property on the other side of the lot that was my question.
Yes, ma'am. I'm and I believe you addressed that too in caucus to customer soccer. Do you have questions related to r&b?
Yes. So for Mr. Mr. Bryan and Julie Julie Donovan. Um, they listed they live at this residence me and council the one counselor counselor pro tip went by and the house is abandoned and they have dumpsters on the side. They're obviously working on a house but they clearly don't live in that. I have a problem with this particular one. Okay, I got no problem even having a resident piece of property but I got a problem with this.
Okay, so what would you like us to do with this one, sir? The floor is open. We have a number of different options. Here we could table it. Yeah, let's,
let's table it.
Okay. Okay. So the floor is offered to Mr. Shafi. Mr. Sharp, did you make a formal recommendation?
Yes, I can make a motion to table to our next. Well, I like to make a motion to table and bring it to our workshop.
Thank you, sir. So Mr. Shafi has made a motion on Item B the resolution to sell to vacant residential adjacent lot at 126. Florence property to the to the owner of the property at 124. Florence, do we have a second? I second. We have a second by Councilwoman Monica to table this item and bring it to the next workshop. Madam Deputy Clerk, could you please call the roll? Councilmember Shafi? Yes.
As well, woman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica. Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes, council president Tanis?
Yes. Motion passes. On to the next item item C please.
Resolution to sell the vacant residential adjacent lot at 373 Alpers. To property owner at 371. Elmhurst.
councilmembers What's your pleasure here?
I would like to make a motion to table table this one as well.
So this is something that you would also like to bring back to the workshop. Yes, sir. Please. I agree. So we have a motion on the floor from Councilman Shafi to tabled a resolution to sell the vacant residential adjacent lot to 373 Elmers to property owner at 371. Elmhurst Do we have a second? Second, we have a second by Councillor pro Tim Robinson do we have discussion? So I want to ask I'm I want to offer some context to this as well is Mr. Shafi his your issue here that whether or not they actually check with the other property owner adjacent to see if they wanted to? Exactly. Thank you. That's all that's all I need to know. That's all. Yes, sir. So Madam Deputy Parker, we caught a row.
Councilman a Shafi Yes. Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council protein Robinson. Yes. Council President times?
Yes. Motion passes. If Council will remember what would would have been Item D has been removed? No. Thank you. So we're now on Item D resolution to sell the vacant residential adjacent lot to 287 eats into the property owner at 288. Moss.
Yeah, the administrator
Okay, I'm gonna break protocol here and look at Google Maps. Just give me a second I want to make sure I'm mapping.
So council president is actually across the alley on the street. Okay, it's across the alley on Elm Street. We went out and personally took a look at this piece of property. They say that it's adjacent but it's actually across the alley. That's not adjacent Council.
That so that was requested to be removed. And now I understand. So this is something that I thought I heard Miss Brown. Yeah, we don't have what we need. And we don't have we got a butter knife and we need a Filipino screwdriver. So we don't have what we need. Is there any other input or comment from from anyone affiliated with the city? If not, I'm going to turn this over to my colleagues and they can do what to do. Okay. So at this point, at this point, the floor is open to dispose of this resolution as council sees fit. We have a motion.
I'd like to make a motion to remove item D under Community Development resolution to sell the vacant residential adjacent lot at 287 Easson. To travel the owner air to 88 marks
so we have a motion that we have a motion on the floor to remove this item. So it's just being removed. Yeah, period. Okie dokie. We have a second from Councilman Shafi to remove item D from our discussion resolution. So vacant residential, adjacent lot of 287. Eastern to property owner 288 Moss. Do we have any debate? Having heard no debate and a deputy clerk would you call it a row
so man Shafi? Yes, Councilmember Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes, this item has been removed from our agenda. Next item item II
resolution to sell the vacant residential adjacent lot and 238 for two property owner at 242 Ford.
We have a motion to move to table this item. Do you want to be able to timeframe that you want to get a table to just
want to put on a table until I want to bring it back to our next workshop? Okay,
so we have a motion on the floor to table item E to resolution so bacon adjacent residential property lot 238 for the property owner at 242 for by Councilman Shafi Do we have a second a second? We have a second from Councilwoman Martin, do we have any debate?
The reason for the I'm sure that the public is curious but the same thing applies. We don't know if the person that's next door to me and who has the right of refusal first is interested in the life.
Yes sir. I haven't found the total support it so let's take the roll on this one.
So Mina Shafi Castle woman, Mark then. Yes, Council President Thomas.
Yes, motion passes. This item is going to be pulled from my agenda and brought back at the next workshop. It is our hope that those property owners can and will be at the workshop to address the concerns of my colleagues here. Last item under community development. This is Item F resolution to sale vacant residential adjacent lot and 142, Colorado to property owner at 146. Colorado.
Okay, council president I have I have a question for this one here.
Yes. Sir. Please. Okay. So
this one here. advocate is open I believe
this is law lot something real estate
LLC. Okay, okay.
Has this property been appraised? So the reason I actually there and I resident, only a Highland Park residents are allowed to buy a vacant lot at the price of 500. But the speculative must be market back. Correct. Okay. And this is clearly a speculation. Okay, even if they want, it's fine, but they need to pay the market value for
it. Okay. Well, yeah, so so so as far as as far as your statement we residents do get preferential treatment but when somebody purchases a piece of property and they homes they they're not necessarily homesteading but they're, they become a part of the community and a taxpayer when they purchase a piece of property. And so I believe the original design for the adjacent property live sale in our area, not just in our city would I think in the general area was to try and incentivize the people who live next door to a blighted property to take ownership of that. But if this is something that you would like to have addressed even further, we can do so but I just wanted to make sure it's for a point of clarity once someone invests in town and becomes a taxpayer, they become a taxpayer. To be a voter, you gotta get you voter registration, but they do become a taxpayer and a part of our community. So that probably does have to be fleshed out a little bit more if we really don't know. Like, I haven't had a chance to talk to these people and find out what their intentions are, but to your point, I think that's valuable, that we make sure that people whoever they are, if they want to come in our community and investors, they at least offer us a couple, I would say minutes but some hours at a time to come in parley with us on this on this particular issue. So so
the mailing address was near the address there and they're in Madison Heights so
they're not they're not too far away. They could come and spend some time with okay. This is this is our city council. A man hours okay, so for Item F, you have any further discussion? Okay, at that point, haven't heard no further discussion. I'm gonna turn the floor over to my colleagues to see how they would like to dispose of this item. Do we have a motion on the floor
I will say I'm gonna say motion table and we will bring it back to our workshop.
Okay, so we have a motion on the floor by Councilman Shafia as it relates to read to item after resolution so bacon residential adjacent lot at 142, Colorado to the property owner at 146 Colorado. Do we have a second? Second Second by Councilwoman Martin. Any further debate or discussion? I have. We have discussion from city attorney man please.
Oh, we're tabling items. And we're running into the same problem that we run them before where they brought back to the table I want to you know remove them instead. of the workshop if you table and then you know that back in the same position. I'll actually
well I wanted to okay for the table item. I wanted my table order stuff. Right right. I wanted to table to give them opportunity to come and explain themselves to us, you know, okay, and then we can we can we can bring it back at the next meeting. So building up for that workshop, right? That's different. Okay. So so
is your desire to have them come and talk freely at a workshop? Because I see I see what she's saying. I procedure. If we table it, we put it in a box right and we can't touch it until we take it out of the box and put it back on the table. But if we take it to the workshop, those people have to appear and then it can be open discussion and we don't have to vote during the workshop. We can decide at the workshop whether or not they're going to make it on the next meeting. So that was that's your preference. That would be my preference. Okay, so then I'm going to ask you to amend your motion to have this item. Move to the workshop. Okay.
My motion and have further discussion.
Just one second.
They can also come to me your questions and the people. If you have one question and you're trying to determine whether or not they ask the adjacent owner, you know exactly.
It didn't disappoint my colleague, Mike, one of my questions is Is it possible for something to appear on the workshop and then late and then appear on the meeting after that? Well, okay. Okay. Just one day, okay. Okay. Just want to make sure we flesh that out. Yes, ma'am. Councilwoman Monica.
I know the discussion.
Okay, I gotta go around. I gotta give her at least a chance to add to your
I had the same question that was at the beginning about asking the adjacent. Well, my other question is Has it been measured? So if I'm correct, and I could be wrong, in the ordinance that vacant lots that are 45 feet and over will be so as buildable lot. So that means it has to go to reality or real estate and be looked at and then follow other procedures. I can read the total ordinance. But that was my question. And some of these cases if we continue to talk about development, and bringing in or building so that we can have a tax base, if we just keep giving people lots to just have a lot then we're taken away from building in the city and creating a tax base.
Okay, so hoping this works, Okay. so I would like to make a motion Under Community Development for items A, B, C, D, E,
we already, we already voted on it. Okay, yeah, we already bought it. Okay,
so just told me I had to come out, not
just for this one right here.
We were doing is we was we're building a cabinet of tables. And so as we went through this process, I see that the questions that each of you had were pertinent, relevant and fantastic questions. Do we give the other parties an opportunity to have their say, did we think about splitting the lights with the neighbor next door you consulted? Those things are excellent points to raise. And I think at this point, we are correcting ourselves and adjusting the way that we make this motion to get them to the workshop so that they can actually talk but since we did it for the other ones, we might as well do it for this one. I mean,
point of order. I don't think all of them were tabled. I think some was removed if we could ask the clerk Yes, Madam Clerk
in favor
of costume. That's the president time.
Okay, so on Item A Can you give us back what we did for item a resolution to accept? We accepted the grant Correct? Correct. Okay. So Item b, the resolution to sell Baker residential adjacent lots at 126. Florence to the property owner, we table that Correct? Correct. So the next one, okay, to the next workshop. Yes. So that may be on the workshop. Agenda. Correct? Correct. Okay. It is not a table voting item, correct.
Well, council president to the way it was explained to me in one of our clerks meetings, you can table to another meeting because no there's a difference between table and postpone. So when an item is postponed is normally postponed to a later time on the the current agenda, but because you've tabled it to another workshop, that is allowable but to Attorney Burton's point, wouldn't we're now at four because you've done that with item B, item C, item E, and now item F. So you do have four items for the next workshop. And so I guess it depends on how you all want to proceed from here if you want to,
can you know what I'm gonna support my colleague? The the motions that were made by Councilman Shafi were made with the intention of getting these people in front of us I have a conversation I'm gonna lean in and support him on this. So if we want to do the same, we already have a motion on the floor. We declared that motion he had a second for it. And so that motion was to have item F the resolution to sell to vacant residential adjacent lots at one point that you Colorado to the property owner at 146. That item was a motion was made to have that tabled to the next workshop. It was seconded by my Councilwoman Martin and so at this point, I think it's appropriate for us to take the roll and get a vote on it.
Councilmember Shafi? Yes. Councilwoman Martin? Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes, council Pro Tem Robinson. Council President times.
Yes. The motion passes. All right. We're in the homestretch for a second base. Okay, so now we're at item eight for the fire department. Madam Deputy Clerk if you would
resolution to apply for FEMA fiscal year 2022. assistance to firefighters grant program. Motion to approve.
We have a motion on the floor to approve the resolution to apply for the FEMA fiscal year 2022 assistance to firefighters grant program. Do we have a second? Second? We have a second from Councilwoman Pro. Pro Tem Robinson. Do we have any discussion?
Any debate?
Having heard none, and Deputy Clerk if you would call it a row.
Councilman the Shafi
yes
Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas Yes.
Motion passes.
Council President Thomas Green Greene would like to speak but she's having difficulty unmuting.
Mr. Lackey, could you assist the city clerk? Mr. Lackey has unmuted you Madam Clerk, if you would please. You might you be unmuted according to our technical support here.
Okay.
I believe she's a bone in color. Have you have you pin Mr. Burgess? Because he's the only person we see. Mr. Sharp. Mr. Sharp, okay. Hello, can you hear me? Ma'am? How are you? I'm great.
I have a question of the item. Add to that the items that to tabled
for your workshop. Meeting. You have to understand workshop meetings are no action meeting in order for you to talk about your table item.
You got to take them off the table to this to even discuss them. So I wanted to bring that to your attention.
Yes, ma'am. So that's part of our learning curve. So we're gonna have to take them off the meat off the table. They're gonna have to appear on the next agenda. They're gonna have to be on table and then add it to a workshop. I mean, that's just it is what it is. I know these people are really eager to to, to purchase this property, but I would have liked to have some of them here tonight. I would have saw something. I mean, do we have the people to fund these properties here? I'm sure they would have acknowledged themselves. I mean, so I don't think I understand exactly what you're saying. But
we're here.
The room is full. And so
it's good to bring it to your attention so you don't get in the workshop and find out that you can't do what you want it to do.
Ma'am, so I'm hoping that these parties will be contacted and that they will join us at the workshop. And they will take a couple of minutes at the podium to help answer the questions that my colleagues may have. And once those questions are answered, I think it will be fairly easy to get those items sent back to the clerk to see if they can be they can go on an agenda. And there's a possibility that they could be ticked off, you know, fairly quickly if the questions have been answered among colleagues.
I'm hopeful of that.
I'm hopeful of that. I would have liked to see them here today. All right.
Bring into
this man. Okay, so we're moving on to Item nine under the police department now. I want to to advise my colleagues these items that came on the agenda for the police department. We have the chief here. We were advised by the city attorney by both of them that all of these items should come off because they needed to be more work done on them. So how we move with these we should be very careful. I'm this my understanding that we're on a month to month contract for item A and we were waiting for the fiscal year to be able to try and create something that will be binding. I believe that there are more Mr. Lackey is obviously here you can address this there was some more information that needed to be provided about the flag safety cameras, and the animal shelter agreement with the Michigan Humane Society. There's still more to be able to do here. But again, this is not my city council. This is our city council. So I'm gonna have the deputy clerk, introduce these items and we can move forward with them as you decide. So Madam Deputy Clerk, Item nine please.
Item nine a police department resolution to issue RFP for towing and vehicle storage services. The chief on it
is this man we have the chief who's present to speak on behalf of that and and I wanted to recognize my colleague counsel approach and Robison, Jeff some input, ma'am. Miss protel. Well, I wanted to make sure I recognize my colleague first did you have something you wanted to say before that? Yes.
Would I be able to make a motion at this time?
Yes, ma'am. Okay.
I would like to make a motion to extend the current contract of choice time for two years with a one year review.
before we'd so we have a motion on the floor by counsel pro Jim Robinson to extend the current contract for Troy's towing. We have a second by Councilman our Shafi. Do we have any discussion or debate debate? Go ahead. Yes, okay. Yeah, yes, please.
So I was under the impression or I was actually going to make a motion to remove because they're not ready
for this. Okay. So knowing that the city is not in a position to let me do this first, we have the chief in front of us, Chief if you could expand the conversation around this item.
Yeah, so it's my understanding the contract is coming out due in February. And that it's probably would with all the controversy going on with towing would be in our best interest to put this out for bid. Nothing, nothing wrong with the current company that we have. services have been fine. Response Time has been fine. But given the climate regarding towing, you know, it's my suggestion to counsel that we do put it off for bid, but we postpone that. And so for the bid to take effect July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year. So we would continue with Troy's towing on a month to month basis with the contract to take effect the first of the year, with whomever you know as a successful bidder.
So on council CI you have inside knowledge on how has choice sewing been as a vendor working for the city could you help me understand what type of vendor they have been for us? Have they been a vendor that is subpar? Have they been effective? What what will be your assessment of their capabilities right now?
So at this time, they're they're meeting most of our needs. I think we want to amend the contract a little bit to requirements to cover a couple couple of concerns that we have that need to be discussed probably in a workshop because there are some some new concerns that we have with towing. I certainly believe that they would be capable of meeting those requirements. Maybe we there's no issues to my knowledge today. Okay, and
then I'm gonna ask you before I turn it over to my colleague, you're gonna have to make an omelet. You gotta crack some eggs. I want you to please be as with whatever brevity necessary. Please help tell the citizens to illustrate to my illustration. What you say when you mean the climate of tone, you're not going to hurt anybody's feelings. By getting that out. You've got I mean, I want you to speak very frankly.
So I mean, it's no secret Towing is in the news. There's all sorts of, you know, issues going on scandals regarding towing and things like that. I think we need to make some amendments to our contract to better serve the residents and and to make some amendments similar to the what the city of Detroit did. They made some amendments to help people that are in financial need. They've made amendments to to take away any any
basically,
the way of looking at something as though there's some kind of conflict involved with it, you know, they they've tightened up their contracts, and they made them very transparent and and, like I said, I'm not saying that they couldn't do that. I certainly think they can. We're looking for some more technical advances in our contract to where we have the ability to communicate and make notes and see pictures and things like that readily to date. They provide us with the information we need, but it's an extra step involved. You know, so I certainly think that our expectations, our expectations of the contract, are easily fulfilled. But, you know, we want to make sure that contracts amended a little bit to cover everyone's needs, you know, currently, we go to Troy's towing a lot to amend towing storage for people who are having difficulties or for people who somehow have been, you know, have had an injustice done to them in some way. And they've cooperated with that all on, you know, we want to make it to where similar to Detroit where if you're a victim of a carjacking or something somewhere that you know, we're not going to re victimize you and charge you a 400 ollar toll bill, okay. So those are some things that we want to have amended in the contract and again, with an open discussion with council and, and the residents and whomever, but just to be completely transparent with everyone.
Okay. I certainly appreciate that and the pressures that that you're under, to for transparency, I can understand the desire to be you know, as open as possible. You remove all doubt when you when you open it up. I know they've been great community partners, they do more than just towing. And so it's good to know that they have done a good job for us here. Councilman Ashrafi. Okay, well, the record, sir.
Short point has been a wonderful steward in the city. Extremely good. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty for service and out of bar. Now for those people who know me they know exactly how I feel about tow. I don't like totally it's illegal search and seizure. And sometimes officers abuse that privilege to tow somebody's car just because they simply don't like it. But tow toy has never been caught up in any scandals. They always have always came back clean. They had never had any problems anywhere they've when including the city of Highland Park. When they had the flooding in Detroit. Everybody else was gouging the city of Detroit to the totem cards out from underneath them by that I didn't influence Troy and charged him a standard fee that they normally charge which is 200 some dollars where everybody else was charging $1,000 Or better per car. Okay, they rate it short on Netflix.
Okay, let's make sure we use just for the sake just right that we don't want to have any triggers happening.
But um, Troy has been a wonderful steward in the city. In fact, if my memory serves me, right when we were short of Thanksgiving turkeys, he showed up with 1000 Thanksgiving turkeys for the seniors in his say, okay, so he's been a wonderful store. And I don't believe that at this time, it's necessary for us to rock the boat. It's going to take him time to find a replacement for Tow toy so why not extend their contract just long enough that some new people and then we can move on from that point on
to Yeah, I get what you're saying right now he's on a month to month and it sounds like the chief said he's not in any jeopardy of losing his contract, but to extend it out for two years when the fiscal okay, but even even to that we're not at the we're not the AI is my understanding that the contracts that we issued are going to try and be in alignment with the fiscal budget. So they're going to start and stop when the money starts and stops. So that's good business. If you have to do a p&l, you want to make sure that you get your profits and your losses in alignment when your revenues come in. And so I don't know if that will be the best way to move as a business person to extend out a contract beyond your ability to to guarantee the revenues coming in Madden pro Tim, you had a comment that you wanted to make? No, I was just
I made a motion. And it was second.
And we're in debate right now. We haven't Yeah, we're still in debate. And then two, I just wanted to make it clear. I don't believe that they're in jeopardy of being removed. Am I correct, Chief? No, we have no reason to remove them. So so in fact this this, this RFP if I'm not mistaken, city attorney if you can verify this addition on the agenda was made in error. Export to be removed. Exactly. So this was submitted early. This should have been submitted. This should have been submitted in a couple of months just to provide
clarity. This was came as a surprise to me. I had no idea this was coming on the agenda.
So he's the chief of police who didn't know that this was coming on AJ, this is his. I trust this man's integrity. He didn't even know it was coming up. So for us to go ahead and take action on it. It may it makes us look suspicious. Eye contact persons. Yeah, it does. It makes it very suspicious that we're that we're debating on this issue when the chief of police has said this was not supposed to be here and if it was a person in his department that made this move without checking with the mayor or the chief of police. I don't think this is something that city council should we I don't think that we should put ourselves our necks out. If they have told us especially at the beginning of the meeting, had we approved the amended agenda. This would not even be up for discussion. So I'm not on my hand and nobody no nails and no hands behind your back. I'm just saying we have it on. So this we're up for debate now is motion on the floor. And we're up for debate. And soon I'm going to close the discussion and I'm going to call it a row and we're going to let the chips fall where they may. Ma'am.
Ma'am, council president may I speak
to who we have addressing? This is the mayor. You I just wanted you to say who you are. So Madam Mayor. If you please address the body
Yes, I asked for this item to be removed from the agenda because it was put on here prematurely and that the contract for choice Tolan will continue month to month, until at which time we go before it come back before you to go for bidding on this item. So that it will align with our fiscal year. That does not mean that the contract for Toy toy will be ceased at this time.
So would you say I'm asking that you
remove this item because it should not be voted on at all. So that we can go forward with the process of continuing their mark to my contract
that's all I have to say.
Thank you. This is our government at work. The President is meant yes Excuse me. Yes, sir.
When that month the month to be more costly for us or would the contract be more costly for
so right now? No. So again, the contract has to be negotiated and if a contract is going to be negotiated, it's going to be negotiated per the requirements that the Chief of Police has stated. So right now, right now, it is February,
March, April May June.
We're talking four months of stability, for joy, towing and the opportunity for them to present and compete against anybody. This is their under a month to month contract again as a business person when you give somebody a month to month contract that says for the next 30 day rotation, it goes month to month to month if anything were to happen if all of a sudden they were to be embroiled in a scandal at the end of that 30 days. That's the end of it. And so the way that a month to month contract works is that it's written to whatever your your current contract isn't. It says at this this page, you go month to month as if you were a property owner, and you have a lease and you tell to your tenant, our leases from January to January, if something changes after that we can go month to month to renegotiate and or you could have could leave and that is how the contract situation work works. Okay. I
want to be very clear, we're, we're going to continue to utilize the services of Troy's towing until someone else is either gets a puts presents a better bid, or it's them again. We don't have any intention yet.
I got to beat them what you said about what they do in the community. You This is I want to I want to make this clear about the bidding process based on your admission, database game in town. Okay, so someone else has to come along and to either meet their performance standards and their budgeting and or exceed them.
Well, precedent is motion on the floor and it's been supported, please.
Okay, so do we have any further discussion before we? I'm sorry, Martin had a question. I'm sorry, miss mom, please.
We're gonna bring this back hits removed. Right now, are we saying we're bringing it back for later on?
Well, it's incomplete. The chief of police, city attorney and the mayor have said this is incomplete for voting. So yeah, so they're what they're saying is it needs to be in order to bring it to us. It should be complete. And those people who are responsible for this have said at this point is incomplete. So it's going
to be completed to be brought back around.
You Yes, yes. Yes.
What has to eventually the contract expires?
Exactly. That's what I'm saying the resolution to issue our MPP for towing and vehicle storage services. would be complete on mental RAM. Right. We're looking at right now right now.
We have a motion on the way we have a motion on the floor to approve it. Miss Martin. So so right, so there's a motion on the floor right now.
Most of this on the floor was to to add
a ticket in the contract and to extend the contract for over a year. As far as the resolution, right, that's not the resolution. So as a completely different resolution. We're
not removing we're just extending the contract. We're going on right now, but
actually, actually what we're doing is we're voting on whether or not to change this. This thing that you see written on the line. That's not even up for discussion. There was a motion to change the entire line item, which is a motion to extend well, that's not on here. It says a resolution to issue an RFP for towing and Madam Deputy Clerk. If I'm not mistaken, that was a motion to extend the contract. Madam Pro Tem Could you give me that again? I know you wrote it down.
I would like to make a motion to extend the current contract with choice toying for two years with a one year review
not as not written. This is something that is being introduced. So we can we can or
cannot. No,
no motion was anything that was walked on. We had motions that are here that would ask him to be removed.
Yes. Yeah. So that's that I mean, that's there. Listen, listen, folks. This is a we are a team here. So the madam pro Tim made a whole new motion. This is not the line item. She made a whole new motion. We have to approve her motion to get that on here.
So are we saying that it's feasible to do that, right.
No, no, no, man. It's not it's not fun. It's not for me to say it's feasible. You You Have you also have an opportunity to make motions and bring them members. It's not I didn't make the motion. I'm just the chair. I'm just driving the bus where we go is up to the people that's not even on the agenda. Right? It's
not on the agenda to extend the contract and just heard the chief indicate that at this time, it would not be wise to extend the patch. It does not contain all of the, you know, variables that we need and factors that we need to make it a contract that will comply with what we want for the police department serves the best interests of the city. So he's not saying that we're just ready to dump joy because what he's saying, Give us an opportunity to put something in place that you know the council can live with and the city can live with. So when we introduce these motions, this happened to be introduced erroneously, because the contract was expiring. And our purchasing agent when he sees the contracts are due to expire. He wants to make sure that we get somebody else in place. So that's the reason why he was saying oh, well let's go ahead and put it out for for B it basically. And that's not really what we want to do in terms of the item that's here, nor do we want to venture into a new contract and at this point
you have the opportunity to remove that to withdraw that motion. And to submit another motion as it relates to the two item a a resolution to issue an RFP for towing a vehicle storage is you can have it removed, you can throw it out. You have you have the option. We don't have the we don't have the latitude. We don't have a written resolution. And the resolution. As I mentioned, I've reached out to my colleagues before and I set it in the email our resolutions are legal documents that bind our behavior. They give us the power as city council people it's the resolutions it's not it's not what I say it's not the opinions. It's those legal documents that come in and they say whereas, and they list all of these things. So we it's we have these things prepared for us prior to arriving here. They give us the floor to stand on. So at this point, these items should have been gone, but they're here and so the question is what do you guys want to do with them? That's fishy. Yeah. It's very Yeah, sure does.
Motion is still on.
I think the question was, if we cannot put that motion because it's not on this gender. Am I right? Absolutely. This
is not a walk on item. It's not a chain within the agenda. That was something that was thought about and perhaps could have been added to the agenda early on. What we're doing now, the items that are listed here since it wasn't removed that we need to vote on we're still asking
so there's no motion then so the motion
because we can't vote on it.
So it's got to be a way to remove it or either we got to vote one either. We don't vote are we gonna remove this and in somebody make another motion? should be removed the mayor and
if you can't put the motion on the floor because it's it wasn't a wall and it wasn't in it's not an agenda. We're discussing something to meet as mute. So we will make a motion for this that's on here
to answer at this point, man, a pro tem whatever it is you want to do. I gotcha. We still in debate. We used to be. So we wait until until everyone has a voice if you still want to keep it open for debate, or are you done with debate and you look into take them off, take a vote to take a vote. Are you aware that by taking a vote we put ourselves in legal Jeopardy? Yes. We are now we have not made the motions and the votes that we take that go on that piece of paper right there. It comes in our minutes that is our record of our conduct as voting but we are on Zoom.
So if choice toy contract as of today,
no ma'am he has a a revolving month to month contract. It is month to month until the end of the fiscal year. He is not out of contract today is the sixth of February. His contract begins on the first of March. It begins on the first of April. It begins on the first of May. It begins on the first of June in June when the RFP goes out. There'll be competition for that contract ongoing and if if Troy is the vendor that wins that contract, he will have a contract of a timeframe and conditions that are determined at that time they will come before us and we'll get an opportunity to approve them. At the beginning of the fiscal year, we are government so we run on a fiscal year so he's protected every month unless he decides he no longer wants to do it. But he is protected month to month to month based on the revolving terms of a month to month contract. This is a very common practice in every aspect of business where contractual agreements flip at the end of a term.
It could actually go on indefinitely until it Yes, yes. Until we go out, find somebody else thanks
so whenever whenever I'm about
oh, I'd like to make a motion.
We already have a motion on the floor before we do that any consultancy.
Okay
so your approach after consulting with the city attorney, we don't even have a resolution written. We don't even have a written resolution. We don't have written resolution. So it will be legal Jeopardy. You don't have any we don't have language. And we don't have any due diligence on it. And so I think I would have to say that I am an agreement with you in that it's a good idea to to think it's a good idea to have strong feelings about a preferred vendor. I think that's a good idea. But we also want to make sure if we're supporting something if we're voting to extend a contract or to to have a preferred vendor that we do so under the floor of the law. So with the city attorney has just told me is that there is no written resolution. There's nothing for us to stand on.
We don't have any
please refer to the rules, but I don't think so.
I'm going back again, to I understand the motion. I think everybody in the room likes Troy's tall, but there's no there's nothing on this agenda for his contract. Nor is there a contract even present right now written for him to agree to or disagree to. We don't have any contract you have to have a current contract to vote on or in this case, a resolution to even get to the contract. So we can't really vote on that. We can't vote on it. And if we do, then we put ourselves in a different situation that may then in turn still prevent him from becoming that tone because yes, he may he may ultimately lose the contract. So we're not trying to do that. It doesn't sound like if I'm hearing from the chief that that's what's happening. They just want to have a conversation with Joe toying about possibly new contract in the future with these amendments that they already seen that they do anyway look like when they go to talk to him. He's been pretty good. about it, where they just kind of wanted in writing or they want to make some things just really clear. But what we should be actually looking at right now is the resolution to issue an RFP for towing and vehicle storage services. Which should not be on this agenda. And we cannot
identify love it.
Again, looks like everybody here is in total agreement that Troy is falling apart. But we just got it I get it but we got to move forward. We can't stay on this subject. We need to move forward it is now 1012 And I know where we should be. So either we
so let me let me just let me just point this out. This is in a Robert's Rules of Order. I wish we had that parliamentarian to help us with this is section 39.5 Improper motions motions that conflict with the corporate charter which this does. Constitution which it does, or bylaws of a society or with procedural rules prescribed by the national state or local laws are not in order. And if any motion of this kind is adopted, it is no and void we run the risk of Mr. Green Jr losing his contract or agreement with the city at all.
And oh ma ma'am
Oh, okay. I just want to stress this point. We have got to respect the sovereignty of the mayor and the people that she's put in place. Our chief is here saying, asking that it be removed. Our mayor is asking that it be removed. You have the city attorney who's asked the board to be removed. So can we just respect that is the reason that you have these parties making that request. We can bring it back to you at another time. But just respect the fact that that's her wishes were responsible for putting the items on the agenda. There's a section for city council, or we're asking what we put on there and that was placed on there erroneously to be removed. That's That's all we're already requesting.
So the force of logic, the force of reason the force of the person has been charged the force of law lawyers, one guy with a law firm of 40 people in there. If that is not enough to help get this. The question is what forces are making you move in this direction or what force? That's not for me to answer that's just one of those questions that the people in the room are going to want to ponder. Everything related to this is saying that we should do something else. But for whatever reason, there's something motivating you to do whatever it is that you're going to do. I cannot call it a roll on this I I can't eat it's not possible for me the car rolled on
legally.
Legally possible, and I just want to understand, like I said, I will support you with anything that you do. But we are at a point where we are gridlocked on this issue, and we still have other items on we still have public works. We still have it's 1020 We still have these issues. So all the forces of
city government
are saying that
this is something that in good conscience we could or should not act upon.
And yet here we are.
I don't know what to do, madam. City Administrator.
Hey, problem is
we don't have a contract. There we are. No, we can't we can't be had the contract.
They then you'll be able to move on but the council has no contract. Now what you could do was just head over to the next meeting and bring a contract to the next meeting. But we don't have the documents and so you don't know what you're approving to be a blank check. I don't. I'm just gonna say I haven't seen and if I haven't seen my recommendation is I wouldn't move on. Because I usually reviewed that's my job at the city to do the detail. That check that box dot the i's cross the T's. I would like to read that contract. I've never seen choice choice contract. It's not in this packet. I wouldn't recommend that. You extend it without me reading sablet Bring it to the next meeting. Let's get the contract.
I'm gonna dispute resolution professional. I do this but of course system all day long. I love doing this. I get the worst cases in Wayne County. I love helping people in disputes. I will do whatever y'all want. I wake up in the morning and looking for an opportunity to get in the middle of a dispute. So I'm at home. I'm literally at home doing this. Yes, ma'am. So what are we doing?
I would like to table
until the next meeting. I should have removed the emotion
first we need to have you withdraw.
My motion. Motion is withdrawn like to table
so we have a motion on the floor that came on by Councilwoman counselor Pro Tem Robinson to table the resolution to issue an RFP for towing vehicles and storage I second we have a second by Councilwoman Martin any discussion or debate? Having heard now can we take the row
councilmember Shafi
that's the table No, no, no, no she says. table to the next meeting. She did she rescinded? I guess you didn't you were in a vote. You go ahead, council president I may. Madam Deputy Clerk
Councilwoman Martin
Yes yes.
Councilwoman Monica. Yes to table Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes to table Council President Thomas.
Yes to table Thank you. The motion is this this item is table now. I'm striking while the iron is hot. We got two more on here. These are resolutions to purchase the black safety al RP I'm sorry l PR cameras and also the animal shelter agreement with the Humane Society. Both of these items are in the same situation. There is more that needs to be done. So the floor is open to council Councilman Shafi
council president is it possible that we can able this item to the next council meeting so we get a little bit more information on where these cameras are going to be? Exactly the exact cost per year then it's going to cost because somebody's got to maintain these cameras and service these cameras and I'm not seeing that here. So it's possible. Can we tabled to the next council?
We have a motion on the floor.
We have discussion. Discussion. Council President.
Yes.
That is the exact reason why we're asking for these be removed. We have a complete packet that didn't get sent to you guys. So it's missing information. We want. We want all your questions answered. We want to put the citizens mind at ease and let people know exactly what what our intention is with these cameras. Question for you, sir. Yes, sir.
Not to put any pressure on you. If we can't guarantee that we will have this ready by the next council meeting which is February 21. Can you let us know is it possible you think we will be ahead by the next council meeting. So we
had the packets ready? They just weren't distributed.
Okay. So Mr. Shafi The floor is yours. Wait, wait, wait. We don't have discussion. We're gonna have discussion. We have to get to it has to do the
most. Why can't we just remove it and then put it back on when it's ready when it's ready on the table, because now we can we call from the box
caucus, which a colleague that's between the two of you. Okay,
so y'all will prefer to just simply remove it,
remove it until it's ready. Okay, fine.
Let me take back my table. I say my motion to table
the motion has been rescinded by Councilman OSHA and I motion to remove until the 22nd so we have a motion on the floor to remove item b resolution to purchase to block safety ALPR camera and to until the packet is ready. We have a second by Councilwoman Martin, can we take a vote me sorry, I'm sorry. We have any discussion and debate. Having heard none, Madam Deputy Clerk, can you call it a row?
osmena Shafi? Yes. Councilwoman Martin. Can Class A woman Malika? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas. All right.
Item 10 in the public works
I like to make a motion to remove animal shelter in agreement with Michigan Humane under police departments. Item C
you know, let me let me stop and say thank you. Councilwoman Monica, for catching that for me. I'm just so excited to get down and again, we all knew on our job we have a motion on the floor to have item C remove the shelter agreement. We have support by Council. Mr. Shafi. Do we have any discussion and debate? Having heard none of deputy clerk would you please call the roll
councilmember Shafie? Yes. Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Council President Thomas. Yes. All right.
Let me just do a little bit of count. We have
1234
or items and then we have public comment. All right, so this is participation in a council affair. So I don't know how long I don't know when he kicked us out of here but we'll find out tonight. Moving on to item 10. Public Works. Madam Deputy Clerk if you would.
Attend a under Public Works resolution to approve temporary emergency contract for snow removal on major roads and streets salting.
We have a motion to approve a. Okay, so the city attorney is letting me know we have a motion on the floor but that I think is a modification to the Burbidge meaning that is a resolution to approve temporary snow. It's temporary. We have temporary emergency what we're missing is the word snow, temporary snow emergency so it is for snow emergencies where they shut the schools down on that. So we have to amend that language. Madam Clerk do we need to vote on getting that language amended or can we move forward with this motion that we have a motion to approve with the minutes so we have a motion on the floor for wire from Councilman Shafi to approve resolution a the resolution to approve the temporary snow emergency contract for snow removal on major roads and streets. Do we have a second? Second? We have a second by Councilman pro tem. We have any debate or discussion. Having heard none at a deputy clerk would you please call the roll.
okay. All right. Councilwoman Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes, council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes, motion is approved. That's a resolution to approve the temporary snow emergency contract for snow removal on major roads and street salting with the amended language included. Thank you very much going on to Item B.
Resolution to issue RFQ to solicit bids personnel removal of major roads and streets all team.
Okay. What is your pleasure here?
Motion to approve.
You have a motion on the floor from Councilman Shafi to for the resolution to issue RFQ to solicit. It is for snow removal on major roads and streets often do we have a second? Second, we have a second. Councilwoman Monica, do we have any debate or discussion?
Having heard none.
And the deputy clerk if you would please take the roll.
Councilmember Shafi? Yes. Councilwoman Mark Martin. Yes. Councilwoman Monica? Yes. Council Pro Tem Robinson. Yes. Council President Thomas.
Yes, motion carries we're moving on to item 11. Under the city treasurer. Deputy Clerk
resolution approving the reappointments and appointment to the Highland Park Board of Review
City Council. What's your pleasure? I'll make a motion. Yes, ma'am.
I would like to make a motion to approve the Board of Review with the following amendments.
Whereas one stays the same, whereas Tuesday's the same whereas three stays the same. Therefore, be it resolved that the Highland Park City Council approved the appointments with the Board of Review for the city of Highland Park, beginning March the first 2023 as follows Diane Hawaii Lucy fry, Brian Donovan Latoya Dortch
and why you want all Harland
second, man, we don't have any information on these people that you have mentioned here. Every single
one of these people council president were submitted and they hit the Regional Committee and they weren't any two of these people will put on the on the on the reserved seats.
Okay, that is their training complete that they have training is complete and they are ready to go. Okay, so here's what is the treasure on the line
and you on just one second ma'am? Miss? Counselor Pro Tem Can you please give me those names again?
Diane Hawaii Lucy fry, Brian Donovan Latoya Dortch roll harlots
So do we have the county assessor on?
Yes, the Shah, the city assessor is on.
Okay, so let me get this one of the questions that I had before. So how are we addressing the fact that there has been at least wait, I mean, do I want that list? I want it to be read again. I want to make some notes here. Could you please give me those names one more time. Sorry, invoice or invoice? We'll see fry fry, Brian Donovan. Donovan Latoya Dortch Latoya
Dortch Natalia
George.
Whoa, Harlan.
Row, Harlan. Yes. So, Florence Hamilton and Nathan Harvey are missing. There they are. They are not a part of that list of people that you are recommending. No. Okay.
So Mr. Harvey is a licensed architect and has been doing this work for a while we are asking that he be removed and if I'm not mistaken with boards and commissions. We have to have a special a special line item here. That removes people from there. And the reason why I know this is relevant is because Miss Diane hoy at some point she was added to the board of reviews and there was a process to have her edit. I won't lead you in this but I'll tell you there there are notes there are minutes for when she was added those minutes are available and you can go reference them. There are also a set of minutes for when Miss Hoyt was removed. In fact, it took an action of city council to have her removed. Her time didn't expire. She was removed. And so to have these individuals removed, and they're trained, I think we would also have to have that as a meeting in and of itself. Yes,
okay. So, so we understand that their appointments are indeed
before the end of this month. Okay, so they
can finish out their time as the new members can take their place March 1 right on the nose without a hesitation or hiccup to the city. Every single one of these individuals have been trained as Diana and re certifies every year Miss Lucy fry took her certification today and at Mr. Mr. Mr. Brian Donovan, which was your I know he has his certification.
Well to be to be clear this Mr. Donovan was not my pig. When we had a conversation about it. We both said once I found out that we have the ability to make recommendations. I searched my mind for Highland Park was who I knew had some extensive knowledge of urban planning development. He has a firm that does feasibility studies. That was just like think of the firt think of the smartest person you notice that could do this type of work. He's not necessarily my pick. And I remember a sharing the information with my colleagues once I found out that all of us had the ability to submit names now. We still have cannot get away from the issue of
the fact that
I've never heard of any of these people. Here we are. We are all the way at the meeting. And they might be fantastic people but President we don't I don't. I got a certificate in the email that show that that Mr. Donovan was trying he didn't have to send that to me, but he forwarded to me to show that he was actually trained. I don't have any information on these other for wonderful people whose names Yes sir. No
mortar this this this resolution that you submitted. Already had Miss Lucy for I had it on here. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Write it down and add it over here as an alternate. Yes, sir. Just change the last three. We moved Rahu Harlan who is currently sitting on the board as an alternate. We removed him from from where he was to the alternate see that we put Brian down and then in his place. Miss Lucy fry is replacing Mrs. Florence Hamilton and she has a certification that you don't wish well. And Mr. Boyd is certified in this report. And each one of these residents are home park residents. I don't see a conflict. I don't see the issue. I support the motion and I would like us to call
for the vote. Right now. We're in a stage of debate in this town shopping and when we get finished with debate, I'll be happy to call for a vote but do we have the county assessor who does the work on the line
no. Shaw please unmute yourself.
Lackey could help us with this
Hello, can you
hear me? Yes. Okay. How are you sir?
Good. This is Dutch WCA SS.
Okay, excellent. We have some new names that have been added to the list. And what I wanted you to do for the people who are sitting in the audience. Could you give us an idea about how the Board of reviews works? You I had a conversation with you a couple of weeks ago I explained to you I don't even speak the language of the board reviews. You're very kind and providing me with some insight. Let us know how it works and let us also know about what it would mean to have or who's the chair for the board reviews.
The current chair is is Nathan Harvey.
So we are talking about removing the sitting chair with that as an architect. Okay, so I need to know from you as an assessor who services many communities, what this will look like for you going into a review period. With the removal of the chairman. This is again we're in debate and discussion right now and I don't know the answer to this question, but I'm hoping that you could provide some insight for
me. Yeah, the the board review function is to win the assessment notices set out near the end of February, roughly the third week of February. The board review handles any type of appeals, a value or inability to pay taxes based on what we deem as a poverty appeal. And principal residence exemption. I'm sorry, principal residence exemptions occur in July and December Buneary, but they primarily handle value and poverty appeals at their march for review. And then in the July and December board review meetings, the board will oversee any type of clerical errors or corrections as needed to the role usually calculation errs and they'll also look at poverty appeals and they'll look at any type of other corrections that are needed throughout the assessment roll process. The current board has been in place for I arrived, my firm arrived in 2015. And Mr. Harvey and Mrs. Hamilton were there at that time, and they still are there. Mr. Harlan ahead was appointed I want to say two or three years ago, probably three years ago. They provide a great stability to the board review process. My firm represents 39 communities and the border view is one of the most difficult boards typically filled with jurisdictions. It's time requirements. It's up to
you. To your point it appears as if you're saying that experience is relevant when dealing with your the different municipalities that you work with and that the more experienced and more tenured the individuals are that are working there that makes your job that much easier. It also makes this assessment process that much better. That'd be a correct assessment.
Yeah, so you know, my job's gonna be the same regardless of who's there. But really, it comes down to equity and fairness for the all the property owners, even the even the property owners or taxpayers in the community that don't come to the border of view. You want to make sure your border review is making fair and just adjustments or denials because it's fair for the property owners before them. But it's also for the fair, the property owners that aren't there that have to share in the tax burden that a border review might relinquish throughout the community.
So offer us before just before I have one of my colleagues that wants to speak so we have an option now to do something slightly different. And so I want to make sure that you can provide my colleagues with the support that they need. As we introduce a number of neophyte members to the border reviews, what are some of the things that we need to be mindful of as we move into this process? This is it. This is a biannual process if I'm not mistaken.
Yeah, they meet three times, three times during this
three times the triangle, okay. So is there any insight that you want to provide for us any recommendations, anything that you'd like to offer to help color this dialogue that we're having? Well, I,
I always feel it's always a good idea to have alternates in place. We haven't had alternates in place for a while, and I really think you really need to bridge that gap of bringing in new alternates. And pairing them up with seasoned
well.
Well, knowledgeable, current board members, to try to give that ease of education on how the process works, you know, to ask for what to look for. And that basic knowledge of how to handle values and how to handle income levels to look at and what to look for. It's very important. That gap bridged by active board members. Okay,
so what you're basically saying is experience matters. Yes, it does. Okay, thank you, sir. Mr. shopper. Yes, ma'am. But I'm
speaking about experience because I had extensive experience on this board. In fact, she's one of the few people and when, when this board was unfairly accessing our property taxes higher than what they should have been accessed at the time that our property taxes was in Detroit. She was systematically kicked out by our predecessor because she stood in the wake of what they were trying to do. Okay, so I watched this board a long time. So let me give you an example. Ladies and gentlemen, of what this board is supposed to. So this for assesses your property tax. So when your property tax where your property value is in the port, your property taxes are supposed to go there. This boy does not lower your property tax. In fact, every year they have assessed your property taxes. Higher than what he should have been affected. So you've actually paid more than what you should pay in property taxes. And that's the fact they have assessed. I'll give you a prime example my property three oilfield, the county assessor's my property at $100,000 the market says my property is now worth more than 14 to $20,000. So why am I paying an excessive amount of property tax to the cap?
Mr. Shafi, I'm gonna need you to do some explaining for people in the audience who are not familiar. So you say and I want to hold on a second. Hold on a second. I don't know there are people in a room. There are people in the room who do not understand the way that the assessment comes as well as you do you and I now have unique knowledge. So if you would not mind explaining to them what you mean when you say the assessed value is one thing and the market value is another because you
show the assessed value. The county says your house is worth
and that value is typically higher or lower than.
So the assessed value is what the county says your house is worth. They base that assessment off of this bowl and what this board county so the county is in the kitchen only keeping you have dealt keeping you out. Okay, and I don't know what reason they're doing it for but the county assessor is based off of the recommendations of this board. When your property taxes drop your where your property values drop your property taxes are supposed to drop with them not stay the same or go up.
All right, thank you Mr. Shafi. Let me ask you Mr. Sharp.
You know if this will all I'm simply saying is if we're being oversexed and this board has been here all day. They may be a part of the bottom and we need
some new people. Okay, so Mr. Shoppies point Mr. Shaw, would you please as your as an experienced property assessor Can you explain to us in your own words what is the difference between the assessed value and the market value if you will be so kind? How does that look, I get get that document for my property too. So help us explain what that is.
Yeah, the price though. The assessed value was half the market value of the property that the value changes every year based on what the sales are indicating in that neighborhood. Now, the sales analysis comes from the Wayne County Department of equalization.
They that's not your department, right? That's a different department.
That's the Kopete would be the county No, okay. They would do the analysis they would recommend to us what the values need to change overall for the city. Now as the assessor, I decide by area of our neighborhood, what assessment should go up or down based on those sales. Now, where the board review comes in is after all the assessment notices are mailed out if somebody feels their property is either higher or low assessed, they can come in even if it's assessed long. They would come to the local border or view. The border of you does not set the value for every single property in the city. That wouldn't be the border review only looks at the values for the cases brought before them under appeal.
They're only an appellate board is what you're saying.
Yeah, and they probably you know when I first arrived they were handling hundreds of appeals. Versus
defending anyone. Excuse me, sir, I'm not defending anyone. There are people in the room who don't know anything about this. It's my job to make sure that I get it explained and if you don't mind, I want to make sure that the people in the back who don't know what's going on get this explain to them if it's okay with you. I'm not defending anyone. I don't have a position I'm neutral. That's my job. That's what I get paid for. That's what I eat off of being paid as a neutral, sir, the weird a portion of debate and discussion. And as you said before, if you don't know enough, you're not going to vote. I don't know enough and I'm making sure that people in the back who have questions can get those questions answered. Is
that okay? Is that okay? Okay, all round Council presidents. Ma'am. This is Janice bibs again, when you get Spanish Can I speak? Ma'am? Go ahead. Take the floor. Okay. I noticed Councilman said that his property was assessed at 100,000 and I'm looking I'm actually here in the building. I'm sitting at my desk and I'm limited. I'm looking at the assessing records. And they go all the way back to 2003. Their property. He just said 312 pilgrim has never been assessed. Over $20,000. Now he might be talking about market value, that's when he goes sell the property and that might be how he's trying what he's trying to collect or something. But his taxes are based on his taxable value and his current taxable value right now is 14,000. Well, that'd be for 2023 14,000 208 I don't know where you get 100,000 Please do not say that. Please, please do not say that. But your taxes are based upon
your letter treasurer. Madam treasurer. I hate to interrupt you. I don't like anybody's public business being discussed in the street. I don't I know I know. It was I know it was a point of reference and you needed to you needed to prove you needed to to provide factual you need you needed to prove factual reference and that and that you're not making this easy for me you're not you're not making this easy for me. You're not making this easy for me because I'm trying to do right by everybody. All right, and you're not making this easy for me. But I'm okay because this is what I do for a living. I don't want anybody, not just my colleagues on city council. I don't want nobody's business discussed like this in a city council meeting, right? I prefer discretion and decorum. So you created a scenario by which there was no choice. We're on the ball with the county assessor and you make a statement of fact we are all we are all dear guy. We are all held at the highest standards of the law and this
is recorded. Right? This is admissible
evidence, right? admissible evidence. We have a motion on the floor
was still discussion.
Yes, ma'am.
How many years can you serve? To?
Is there as you can serve? Two year term, a two year term?
People who are in the term in there for seven years. That's five years longer than the two year term?
Correct. And that's news to me. That makes perfect sense.
So you can only serve two years. How are the folks in there him?
Says appointment so
for two appointments after two years, but there are no term limits. There's no term limits written in there.
Can I read this please? Go ahead. It says start with a board a review is hereby created as follows composed of the entire membership of the city council. They shall meet me as required by law and select the chairman from their number. They may select a clerk who may be the assessor they shall perform the functions and have the privileges of assessors under the general law or the city council may appoint a Board of Review to hear and determine appeals from property tax assessments. The Board shall process the duties and powers provided by the law, which may be exercised by the whole board or by committees there of such Board of Review under this subsection B shall be representative of a cross section of the community. And it shall be composed of three, six or nine residents and electors of the city, who shall be appointed by a majority of the city council. Residents shall be construed to mean an individual outside with actual domicile in the city. If six or nine members are appointed, as provided by the subsection, the membership of the border review shall be divided into border review committees consisting of three members each for the purpose of hearing and deciding property, value valuation issues being protested. As far as possible, different professions and occupations and persons having knowledge of the familiarity with real estate property values, assessment practice and taxation shall be represented on the board members appointed shall serve for terms of two years, beginning at 12. No on January first, we know we're kind of past that of each audit number year, I'm sorry of each odd number year. Each member of the board review shall qualify by taking the constitutional oath of office within 10 days after appointment. Any vacancies on the board review shall be filled by majority of the city council. A board member may be removed from office without cause by a majority of the city council members. The board members shall not be members of any other city agency, board, department, commission or other division of the city. A member of the city council shall not be eligible to serve on the Board of Review or committee to feel any vacancy. At least two members of a three member Board of Review or committee shall be present to conduct any business or hearing of the board review. A majority of the entire board review membership shall endorse the assessment role as provided by the law except for hearing and assigning property valuations protest. The duties and responsibilities of the Board shall be carried out by the entire membership of the Board of Review in the majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum for such purpose. Thank you.
Thank you very much. We have a motion on the floor.
So there is a two year time it is a it was a limit. But there is a two year child. All right. It should be experienced according to this and we don't do six and nine we do three with two alternates, am I correct? That's correct.
So what we have is a motion on the floor. Now again, these boards or commissions that we build, were building them were responsible. It is us and February 2 2023. If a question ever comes up about the border reviews, it is this meeting that you need to go back to and find it on his own file and make sure that you're looking because we are responsible. We are about one to six council president six. That's six. Yeah. Thank you very well. That's six. Come on, come on. So let's go ahead now we have a motion on the floor. Can you please read that motion again. We had a lot of discussion. I want to make sure people hear when we vote no matter.
And before I ask you all these people have been submitted and they have taken their test. They have every single one No, no,
no. So you can remove Miss Dortch.
Miss Dortch has not completed her test. No. Okay.
has had to complete.
Madam Clerk. Can you help give me some confirmation on the timeframe for everybody to be tested.
Me know that. You are you met the treasurer. Treasurer. Correct. Yes, ma'am. Okay,
this is Miss Miss Dortch has she completed her training. Councilwoman Monica continues that she has not completed her training as of yet. Can you give us some confirmation? Is she Mr. Lackey? Sorry.
I had to unmute.
Yes, it's Georgia. She completed her training.
I do not submit any information to miss Dortch.
So we have Miss bride miss so we can at a later date. We can have Miss doors but we need to go with the people who have completed that training that will be missed it down a minute Miss Brock and miss and Miss Hoyt. Okay, so one more time if you could. Council protein,
okay. Mr. Boies completed his training. Okay, it's
Miss Hoyts training up to date. Do you have a sir Do you have certification of our training?
I don't have and I'm sorry. I don't
know she took. We I know we can't say we know we gotta have certificate. We're voting on it. They're gonna have to give you does she have lucify Do you have training certification from his friend?
Miss Frey was taking her tests her I'm sorry not test but she was taking the class today. She had previously. As in previous days, can you hear me yes I can. And also, Miss Hawaii is not a registered voter.
Okay. Council President Okay. Okay. So so, so I know for a fact that Miss spy took a certification day because Council protests were that okay, well, so when I needed when I needed the document, although second, I got your name. I got your name. Okay. So clearly she doesn't have up to date information yet. It hasn't come across her desk yet. Okay, so there's still time. Either way I go. We can have these people in limbo, but ready to go. And this Friday is sitting here and I know she took her test today. Miss Brown, would you mind
stepping up to the podium please? How are you today? Okay, so Miss Brown. I have a question for you. It's very this is a very short little question and answer period. It is my understanding that you would take in your training for the board of reviews. Did you complete your training today? Did they issue you a certificate? Can you provide that certificate to the clerk? Okay, how soon can you provide a certificate? To the clerk? they email it to you. Go ahead. You have a physical certificate. Do you have it with you? Ah Can you get it? We can pause for that. Okay. No, I mean, so the vote is contingent upon whether or not she can go to the car and get it for us. So I mean, we got we're gonna be at 1130 miles. Well, I mean, you know, a minute or two. And those two important thing that I want to drive home to members of city council was that
by God
if we don't get our poop in a group, council president Yes. Sir.
Can we take a short recess please?
So Madam, madam treasurer, confirmation on whether or not she's a registered voter in this city. When did you acquire that? When Wendy Woods is confirmed