View Agenda for this meeting

REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NOVI

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011 AT 7:00 P.M.

COUNCIL CHAMBERS – NOVI CIVIC CENTER – 45175 W. TEN MILE ROAD

Mayor Landry called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.        

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL:  Mayor Landry, Mayor Pro Tem Gatt, Council Members Fischer, Margolis, Mutch, Staudt, Wrobel

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

CM-11-05-059           Moved by Gatt, seconded by Margolis; CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

To approve the Agenda as presented

Roll call vote on CM-11-05-059                Yeas:      Gatt, Fischer, Margolis, Mutch, Staudt, Wrobel, Landry
                                                                        Nays:      None

PUBLIC HEARING

1. Proposed Budget Fiscal Year 2011-2012 – There was no public comment.

PRESENTATIONS

1.      Proclamation in recognition for National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive Day, May 14, 2011 – Sherri McIntosh

Mayor Landry presented the proclamation to Sherri McIntosh.

Ms. McIntosh thanked Council. She said it was the 19th year of the Letter Carriers Food Drive and nationwide over the last two decades the Post Office had collected over one billion pounds of food. She said all the food collected in Novi stays in Novi and goes to two local food banks. She said last year over 11 thousand pounds of food were collected and she was hoping to get close to 12 billion pounds this year.

2.      Proclamation in recognition of National Public Works Week, May 15-21, 2011 – Rob Hayes

Mayor Landry presented the proclamation to Rob Hayes.

Mr. Hayes thanked the Mayor and Council. He said on behalf of the 45 men and women that comprised the Department of Public Service they appreciated the recognition and looked forward to providing outstanding service going forward.

3.   Proclamation in recognition of National Police Week, May 15 - 21, 2011 and Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, May 15, 2011 – David Molloy

Mayor Landry presented the proclamation to Chief Molloy.

Chief Molloy said he proudly accepted the proclamation on behalf of the men and women of the Novi Police Department and also on behalf of the families who have lost their loved ones this past year to tragedy. He said 2011 had been one of the most deadly years in recent history for law enforcement officers, 66 officers nationwide had been killed year-to-date which was an 8% increase from last year and there was a 41% increase in the number of law enforcement officers being killed by gun fire.

INTERVIEWS FOR YOUTH COUNCIL AND YOUTH BOARDS & COMMISSIONS REPRESENTATIVES

1.        Ashi Arora                                                         15.   Rubini Naidu
2.        Adithya Balasubramanian                             16.   Sachin Padmanabhan
3.        Rebecca Chen                                               17.   Rachel Patel
4.        Shashank Chitta                                              18.   Ramya Pinreddy
5.        Andrew Cho                                                    19.   Prasanti Ravipati
6.        Alice Jiang                                                        20.   Eugene Song
7.        Lisa Jin                                                                21.   Katie Song
8.        Nirali Kadakia                                                   22.   Amber Staudt  
9.     Katelyn Kerbrat                                                23.   Bhavana Tetali            
10.   Suhas Kodali                                                     24.   Andrew Ying
11.   Kimberly Louie                                                  25.   Torry Yu
12.   Karthik Munugala                                            26.   Katherine Zhao
13.   Melanie Murphy                                              27.   Emma Holdaway
14.   Shravya Musku

Ashi Arora said Youth Council would provide her with an opportunity to connect with the community on a new level and give back to those who had helped her. She had become passionate about being a member of the Youth Council through her older sister who was a member during her Junior and Senior years of High School. She said in order to gain more insight on Youth Council she attended the event Addicted to Games not Drugs and loved helping out at the event. She said volunteering gave her a feeling of pride and her passion for volunteer work would make her a great candidate for Youth Council. She said she had many great qualities to contribute to Youth Council; she was able to listen to others perspectives, she was able to make tough decisions and come up with unique ideas. She said she had been contributing in community service projects since the beginning of 6th grade. She felt that the students were the future. She said in addition to community service she had participated in many fundraisers and service projects.

Adithya Balasubramanian said he would be a good candidate because he was hard working and got along with people well. He said he was a part of the Quiz Bowl, Science, Math, and Spanish Clubs, he could manage many activities at once and thought Youth Council would be a great addition. He said in 7th and 8th grade he participated in the National Engineers Week Future City Competition where his computer generated model was selected as the blueprint to build the physical model both years. He completed U.S. History in summer school so he could complete Civics and Economics in 9th grade. He said he would make it a top priority to attend every meeting and participate in the volunteer opportunities that were provided. He said he would like to impact the City of Novi in a positive way and reduce electricity consumption because it saved money and helped the environment. He said he would like to take away the satisfaction of giving to the community that had always been there for him and take advantage of all the volunteer opportunities that were available.

Rebecca Chen said she had volunteered extensively at the Manor of Novi. She recently received a Presidents Volunteer Service Award for her volunteering. She said she learned that you can connect with people of many ages by volunteering there and she had learned a lot from sharing stories with the residents.  She said she had a number of good character traits that would make her a good candidate; she was hard working, responsible, and motivated to give her best. She said while on Youth Council she would like to organize more activities for kids to attend such as the Addicted to Movies not Drugs program. She said she would like to learn all aspects of organizing activities including fundraising, advertising, and actually putting on the activity. She said she would also like to have fun because that was what Youth Council provided for kids.

Shashank Chitta said Novi had great teachers, great schools, and great parks that were taken for granted. He said he was responsible and hardworking, if there was something that needed to be done he would make sure it was done on time. He enjoyed challenges and helping people. He said if he was given the chance to serve on Youth Council his main goal would be to make the City of Novi a better place to live, whether through educating kids or doing a program like Addicted to Games not Drugs he would like to improve the City and help the citizens of Novi. He said by participating in Addicted to Movies not Drugs he could encourage the High School students to participate. He said he would also participate in the Memorial Day Parade and encourage Novi Middle School students to participate. He would participate in Sticker Shock, a campaign to help reduce underage drinking. He said if given the opportunity to serve on Novi Youth Council he hoped to become a more mature and helpful person.

Andrew Cho said he would make a good Youth Council Member because of his diligence; he was a dedicated worker and got things done. He said he would help in all ways possible to make sure work was accomplished, whether through putting in extra hours himself or encouraging others to work harder by example. He felt Novi was very isolated from the rest of the world and many students took things for granted and weren’t aware of the world outside Novi. He said he hoped Youth Council could devise a program to better educate students and the community of life outside the City of Novi. He said he hoped Youth Council would help him become more civically active within the community. He said civic education wasn’t stressed during adolescence and Youth Council would give him the opportunity to learn how to be an active, effective, and responsible citizen.

Alice Jiang said from what she had seen, heard, and read the Novi Youth Council helped in the community, gave back to the community, and created a greater sense of unity which coincided with her own interests. She volunteered every week at her Chinese School and had accumulated over 200 volunteer hours while in High School. She said she had leadership qualities; she was an officer for interact club which emphasized charity work and volunteering and was a co-captain for Relay for Life. She said she was dependable, efficient, and involved but would like to become more involved. She liked the activities that Youth Council organized such as Addicted to Movies not Drugs and the Senior to Senior Prom. She said she would love to learn how to organize different events, especially ones involving a lot of people; it would take a lot of planning and organization which would be great skills for her to take away. She said the interaction with people during Youth Council would help improve her leadership and people skills.

Lisa Jin said she would make a good candidate because she was very caring and believed that helping others was a good interest. She said although she hadn’t volunteered much, through her discovery of volunteering she had learned a lot about how to connect with people and make their lives better. She said she was responsible and mature enough to handle the different challenges that she might face on Youth Council. She said she was persistent and hardworking and put as much effort as she could into everything she did. She said she wanted to help others in the community more and connect with more people. She would like to promote more environmental measures such as recycling. She would like to take away a better sense of leadership and learn more about the civic system.

Nirali Kadakia said she had been involved in the community for the past 4 to 5 years. She helped raise money by making greeting cards and selling them, donating the money to the Hindu Temple where she volunteers. She said she received an award for outstanding and dedicated service from the Temple. She also volunteered at Village Oaks Elementary School. She said she was a friendly and flexible person and loved to help and motivate the people around her. She said her goal was to be a part of the Novi Community and make a difference in whatever way she could to set a good example for the youth, as well as, adults. She said her goal was to be a cohesive team member and bring creative ideas to Youth Council. She said the experience would allow her to grow and the opportunity would give her insight to the challenges and issues facing the community. She said it would help her prepare to be an active and caring citizen. She said the Novi Youth Council would not only enhance her skills and knowledge but would be a special and unique experience for her.

Katelyn Kerbrat was unable to interview due to illness.

Suhas Kodali said he was responsible, organized, and good at working with others. He said he was in a private robotics club where he worked with his teammates to create a robot which completed missions. He said he was the treasurer of the Youth Toastmasters Club. He said he participated in the Volunteer Club in 7th grade where he helped with the recycling program, birdhouse program, and improved the environment. He said he would like to help the Novi Youth Council come up with new ideas to serve the community including building more parks. He said he would like to take away more responsibility by working with his team members and serving the community which had done a lot for him.

Kimberly Louie said she just moved to Novi from California where she integrated herself with the community in every way possible. In California she served as the class treasurer on Student Council for two years and was a part of the orientation program for freshman and new students. She said she was on the swim team and marching band, as well as, National Honor Society and she wanted to do the same thing in Novi. She said her combination of experience and new ideas would make her a good candidate for Novi Youth Council. One of her goals was to increase teenage involvement in Novi. She said a lot of times teens didn’t realize how valuable and rewarding their involvement in the community could be. She said through increased events and activities she could show the teens how rewarding the experiences were. She said she wanted to take away a sense of service and commitment from what would be a really rewarding experience. She said in addition she hoped to develop leadership skills that she could utilize for the rest of her life.

Melanie Murphy did not appear for the interview but is still interested.

Karthik Munugala said he wanted to make a change. He said the meaning of change was making a difference in the community. He found it important to serve his community and make a change which he would be able to accomplish by joining Novi Youth Council. He said he would give his best and contribute as much as he could to the Youth Council, he didn’t like to procrastinate. He said he was aware of the many programs Youth Council had brought to Novi, such as Addicted to Movies not Drugs and Sticker Shock and he was willing to help out and contribute as much as he could. He said he had many innovative ideas for programs that the Youth Council could initiate such as programs for Fuerst Park to make it livelier. He said he volunteered at the Manor of Novi every Sunday and it gave him a sense of satisfaction. He said he was a member of the Youth Leadership Corps which was a civic group that helped represent the voice of Asians in voting because many Asians didn’t have an equal representation due to financial reasons.

Shravya Musku said she was hard working, diligent, and very responsible. She said she had very good leadership skills. She said her freshman year she participated in Relay for Life and last year she took initiative and co-captained her own team. She said that was one of her hardest challenges because as co-captains they were in charge of 18 other people, fundraised, planned, and made sure everything ran smoothly during the event. She said she was a good people person and worked well in groups. She said she was a part of the IB Diploma Program and in February the IB Diploma candidates put together an international talent show to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. She said through that, she was able to learn a lot about working with others and making the show successful. She hoped that by being on the Youth Council she would be able to propose new ideas and give a voice to the youth of Novi because the youth was a very important part. She would like to take away the satisfaction that she helped and served Novi and she would like to take away more leadership skills because she thought the skills would help make her a better person and be more successful in the future.

Rubini Naidu had been on the Novi Youth Council for two complete years and wanted to be reappointed. She said being on the Council had become a core component to her high school experience and she now set aside every other Wednesday for Youth Council meetings. She said she was a varsity cross country runner and would be a captain next year. She said this year she was the Vice Chair for Relay for Life for Northville and Novi High Schools, they had over 500 participants and raised over $50,000 dollars, next year she would be the Chair of the event. She said she was the President of the Novi Public Library’s Teen Advisory Board and served as a liaison between high school students and the public library. She also volunteered weekly at Providence Park Hospital. She said by extending her term on the Novi Youth Council she wanted to grow and expand her leadership and communication skills. She said she would like to take away the feeling of fulfilling her responsibility of giving back to the community. She said she would be a good candidate because she would be a committed member, contribute both in and outside a structured setting of meetings and help serve as a role model to new members and answer any of the questions they may have.

Sachin Padmanabhan said he was an efficient and focused worker. He said he had a strong background in civics and economics. He said he had done a lot of community service and accumulated over 100 hours each year. He would learn about working on a committee and about the issues present in Novi today. He said he would like to improve his people skills and the ability to work with different people in different organizations.

Ramya Pinreddy said she would be a good candidate because she had been volunteering for the past 2 years and was part of many organizations that helped the community such as the Teen Advisory Board at the Novi Public Library. She said she was also a part of Habitat for Humanity. She said she would like to promote volunteering for students in the community. She said through programs like Addicted to Movies not Drugs and Sticker Shock she hoped to address issues that Novi faced. She said she would like to have the satisfaction that she was able to help and be involved in the community.

Prasanti Ravipati said Novi meant a tight knit community that allowed for the successes of all its members. She said she would be a good candidate for the Novi Youth Council because she enjoyed helping the City. She said she had the patience and perseverance to accomplish all the goals of the Novi Youth Council. She said she was a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the Interact Club, and a JV tennis player. She said those activities had taught her that as the youth they do have the power to make a change and that people can do anything if they put their minds to it. She said if things got arduous or difficult she would remember that hard work and never giving up took them a long way. She said she wanted to promote teenage involvement in the community and for other teens to recognize that they had the power to make a difference. She said she would like to have the satisfaction of helping others. She thought that making a difference was vital so future generations could have a prosperous world to live in and that they would learn the responsibilities of being a caring a compassionate citizen.

Eugene Song said the last few years at Novi had been the most crucial years of his life; he had been able to develop as a student and an individual who could contribute to the community. He said through the Novi School District he was able to explore his interests and challenge himself in his studies developing a wide range of knowledge and a drive to excel. He said he joined the High School Swim Team where he developed a sense of leadership that helped him become captain. He said he was also fortunate enough to serve on the Historical Commission where he was able to learn about local government and take on a level of responsibility. He said without the City of Novi he wouldn’t be able to cultivate those qualities and he decided to make the opportunities he had available to others by serving on the Novi Youth Council. He said through the several programs conducted by the Youth Council he wished to interact with the community in a positive environment and contribute to the enhancement of the City of Novi. He said through that experience he wanted to reinforce his sense of leadership and he hoped it would help him become a leader not only in Novi but also in any future communities he might serve in.

Katie Song said her personality and experience would make her a good candidate for Youth Council. She said she was naturally outgoing which would help her reach out and get others involved in things that they did. She had work experience at Emagine Theater and volunteer experience, in National Honor Society and other various opportunities. She said being a co-captain for Relay for Life was a big responsibility but also a lot of fun because she interacted with other people. She said she felt Youth Council would be a similar feeling in the aspect that she would make a lot of friends and have a lot of fun while doing something that helped the community. She said she wanted to initiate new programs that promoted diversity, getting people together that may not interact often and making them spread the word to people they talked to. She said she would like to become a better leader in everything she did. 

Amber Staudt said she would be a good candidate because she had a strong work ethic and was willing to give 100% of her effort to attend the meetings and be an active participant in all the events. She said she had excellent organization skills which would help her be successful in planning events and meetings. She said she took ownership and responsibility, when assigned a task she would do her best at it and if she made a mistake she would own up to it. She said she was responsible and would keep her GPA at a 3.8 level and compete in school sports such as volleyball and track and field while serving on Youth Council. She said during the past 2 years she participated in many of the events while her sister served on Youth Council. She learned from her sister what it took to be an effective member of the team. Her goal was to help the community in a positive manner and be a role model to younger children and future Youth Council members. She would like to take away better leadership and communication skills.

Bhavana Tetali said being a part of the Youth Council would give her an opportunity to not only preserve the community’s wonderful environment, facilities, and schools but also to take part in future programs that were designed to further enhance the community. She said it would allow her to gain new friends and gain new skills that would help her in the future. She said being a member of the Council would allow her to represent her peers and give them a voice in the government. She said being a part of the Council required communication and leadership skills, both of which qualities she had. She had acquired those skills by being a state level debater, a captain of the JV tennis team and a member of National Honors Society. She said those various experiences had taught her to stand up for both herself and others and how to effectively voice her opinions. She said through her volunteer experiences with students at Orchard Hills Elementary School she learned the importance of being a good leader and role model to those around her. She wanted the satisfaction of knowing she was able to make a difference in the community. She looked forward to making new friends and working with them to help the City and those who were in need of help.

Andrew Ying said he would be a good candidate because he had been loyal both in school and extracurricular so far and there was no reason why serving the City of Novi would be an exception to that rule. He said when he was wrong about anything he wasn’t reluctant to admit to it, if he was allowed to share his thought with others he was positive that conversations and ideas would flow smoothly, productively, and for the better of Novi. He said he liked to have fun but made work his number 1 priority and that mentality would apply to the work that needed to be done if he had the opportunity to serve Novi. He said he was a hardworking and reliable individual and if others were counting on him to complete something he would get it done. He said in life one of the most important things to do was to help others and make positive impacts on their lives. He said he wanted to shed light on the problematic issue of eating disorders, over 4% of teens suffered from either anorexia or bulimia which meant there were approximately 80 students at Novi High School suffering. He said for other issues, such as drugs and alcohol, programs such as Addicted to Movies not Drugs and Sticker Shock had been created and successfully implemented. He said his goal was to draw some attention to the potentially overlooked issue of eating disorders. He said hopefully; if he was allowed the chance to share his ideas, those 80 unfortunate students might have something to really brighten up their day. He said he wanted to take away experience, he wanted to learn how the local government worked and this opportunity seemed perfect. He said he would also like the feeling that he had made the lives of the adults and youth of Novi better.

Torry Yu said he would be a good candidate for Youth Council or the Library Board because he had volunteered at Hickory Woods Elementary School in the media center and classrooms. He said he was also a volunteer at the Novi Library working at the Teen Advisory Board and in a lot of youth, teen, and adult programs. He said a lot of the programs at the library got cancelled because not enough people were signing up and his goal was to increase the usage of the library among teens. He said his future goal was to be a teacher and this opportunity would allow him to learn about working in the local area.

Katherine Zhao said she would be a good candidate because she was a very responsible, hardworking, and dedicated person. She said she wanted to volunteer more because volunteering gave her the feeling of becoming a better person while helping others. She said she would like to take away the knowledge of how the Council worked.

Emma Holdaway said through her experience as a piano teacher she had developed many skills such as compromise, organization, leadership, communication, and patience. She said she had developed good time management skills and was currently balancing 5 AP and honor classes with many extracurricular activities and still managed to make volunteer work a big part of her life. She said she wanted to be a member of Youth Council to promote awareness in society. She said she agreed with all of the programs that promoted the dangers of drugs and drinking and she thought that promoting awareness through activities that got the youth involved was a very important way to give back to the community. She would also like to learn about the structure of the government and how citizens, especially the youth, could get involved. She said Youth Council provided a wonderful opportunity to develop good leadership skills and give back a little of what her community had given to her. 

REPORTS:

1.  MANAGER/STAFF

a.      Introduction of Jason S. Mangum, Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural ServicesClay Pearson

Mr. Pearson introduced the new Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, Jason Mangum. Mr. Mangum was from Show Low, Arizona.

Mr. Mangum thanked the Council for the opportunity to serve the citizens and residents of Novi. He said Parks and Recreation was a passion of his and he loved the opportunity to interact with great people on a regular basis. He said Novi was a unique situation because it had everything he was looking for, including a dedication to Parks and Recreation.

2.  ATTORNEY

AUDIENCE COMMENT – None

CONSENT AGENDA REMOVALS AND APPROVALS (See items A-M)

CM-11-05-060           Moved by Wrobel, seconded by Margolis; CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

To approve the Consent Agenda as presented

Roll call vote on CM-11-05-060                Yeas:      Fischer, Margolis, Mutch, Staudt, Wrobel, Landry, Gatt
                                                                        Nays:      None

A. Approve Minutes of:
   
1.      April 16, 2011 – Special meeting
   
2.      April 18, 2011 – Regular meeting
   
3.      April 27, 2011 – Special meeting

B.   Approval of Ordinance 11-20.05, as recommended by the Ordinance Review Committee, to repeal and delete Chapter 4, Article II, “Recreational Facilities”, in its entirety.  Second Reading

C. Approval of the final payment to MAS Electrical Services, Inc. for the Ten Mile Road Lighting Project (Fuerst Park) in the amount of $2,935.

D.  Approval to award an amendment to the professional services contract with Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio for additional services related to the Fuerst Park (Phase 2) Lighting and Irrigation project in the amount of $2,038.

E. Approval to award an amendment to the engineering services agreement with Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment (OHM) for additional design engineering services related the Nine Mile Road Pathway (Meadowbrook Road to Haggerty Road) project in the amount of $25,401.

F. Adoption of a Resolution to Withdraw the Nine Mile Road Pathway (Meadowbrook Road to Haggerty Road) from the Michigan Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant Program.

G. Approval to extend the 2010 Uniform Contract (an annual contract with two (2) one year renewal options) with Allie Brothers, Inc. for the Police Department and add the Fire Department uniforms to the contract for one year based on the same terms, conditions and pricing as the original contract at an estimated amount of $50,000-$60,000.

H. Approval to award the one (1) year contract renewal option to Terzo Bologna Inc., Fuller Appraisal Services, and Integra Realty Resources, to provide Property Appraisal and Related Services, for an estimated annual amount of $98,000.

I. Approval to waive the Maintenance and Guarantee Bond requirement for water and sewer facilities at the Charneth Fen Condominiums project, located at 28401 Melanie Lane, south of 12 ½ Mile Road in Section 10 (parcel 22-10-426-001).

J. Approval of the Final Payment to Service Control Inc. for the Novi Civic Center Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Upgrade project, in the amount of $7,815.50, utilizing Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding.

K. Approval of a 5-year Installment Contract and a Monitoring Agreement with Windward Bay Condominiums for water tap fees in connection with the Pontiac Trail water main.

L. Approval of ownership transfer of escrowed 2010 Class C license, located at 1686 John R, Troy, MI 48083, Oakland County from TKE Restaurants, Inc. to Cazadores, LLC; Transfer location and Governmental Unit (436.5131(1) to 25750 Novi, Suite 101, Novi, MI 48375, Oakland County.

M. Approval of Claims and Accounts – Warrant No. 843

MATTERS FOR COUNCIL ACTION – Part I

1.            Approval of resolution to authorize Budget Amendment #2011-3.

Mr. Pearson said it dealt specifically with recommendations from Mr. Hayes and his team at DPS for additional equipment and services to help with primarily snow and ice control, but the equipment would be multipurpose for all DPS operations.

CM-11-05-061           Moved by Margolis, seconded by Fischer; CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

To approve the resolution to authorize Budget Amendment #2011-3

Member Staudt said he would like to look into the other 3 elements that made up the issues of the past season equipment, personnel, and policy. He said this primarily dealt with the equipment side. He asked how this fit into improving what occurred this past winter.

Mr. Hayes said there were 5 trucks that were inoperable during that storm, 1 was inoperable before the storm started and the other 4 broke down during the storm. He said all 5 of the trucks were over 10 years old, once a truck was over 10 years, it became more difficult to get parts. He said they didn’t have a standardized fleet where all of the trucks were the same make and model.

Member Staudt said it appeared that the larger truck would be much more efficient than just replacing the existing truck; it would potentially provide them with extra productivity.

Mr. Hayes said the tandem axle truck had a lot more power and could more effectively and efficiently move the wet heavy snow.

Member Staudt asked if Mr. Hayes was confident that with additional trucks they would have the adequate personnel to man them during difficult situation like the past year.

Mr. Hayes said once they had a full complement of trucks they could rely on and additional language in the union contract stating a certain level of percentage of overtime that must be accepted, those two things together would give them a level of assurance that they could respond to any storm.

Member Staudt asked if the current policy, the 4 inch policy, had to be addressed prior to the next snow season.

Mr. Hayes said he thought it was an adequate policy. He said there was a snow storm in early February that didn’t quite reach the 4 inch threshold and it was a unique storm which made the snow difficult to negotiate because temperatures rose. He said in that case, he would like administration to have the discretion to allow overtime. He said he didn’t believe he currently had that discretion and would like to see a policy change.

Member Staudt said he would support it; it was a very considerable contribution from Fund Balance but was a high priority on the residents list. He said hopefully they could come up with some policy language to approve. He asked why there was a need for a $15,000 expenditure on a study.

Mr. Hayes said the management team’s level of knowledge had been piecemealed and they would like to have a comprehensive study done by a consultant to look at the operations and understand what the expectations were to give a good clear set of recommendations to be implemented, as far as improving the management practices to develop some real best practices. He said this would be done concurrently to the implementation of the software requested which would track where the fleet was going, optimize the routes, and provide a history of which routes had been cleared.

Member Wrobel asked if the trucks that were being replaced would be sold, kept for parts, or remain part of the fleet for emergencies.

Mr. Hayes said they would be auctioned off through Bidnet.

Mr. Wiktorowski said the trucks might auction between $10,000 and $15,000.

Member Wrobel said he had dealt with fleet vehicles before and these vehicles had a lot of miles; he understood why they were due to be replaced. He said he would support the item; he wanted to make sure there were people available to utilize the trucks.

Roll call vote on CM-11-05-061                Yeas:      Margolis, Mutch, Staudt, Wrobel, Landry, Gatt, Fischer
                                                                        Nays:      None

2. Adoption of 2011 Millage Rates and 2011-12 Budget Resolution.

CM-11-05-062           Moved by Gatt, seconded by Fischer; CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

To approve the adoption of 2011 Millage Rates and 2011-12 Budget Resolution

Member Mutch said he didn’t see specific language in the resolution related to the deferral list. He asked if they were to assume that would be incorporated through previous motions or formally in the budget.

Mr. Pearson said in his mind it was clear from the minutes of the budget meetings. He said the items that were changed affected the budget and they were called out, the other items remained in the budget. He said he believed this was how they were handled in past years.

Member Mutch asked if they would be spelled out in a list in the budget document.

Mr. Pearson said they hadn’t called them out in the final budget document but they could add a page for it if he felt more comfortable.

Member Mutch said he would like to see that for clarity for the residents who didn’t follow the budget meetings.

Mayor Landry commended his colleagues for looking very diligently and closely with collegial discussions about the budget. He said it was the 12th year that they maintained a millage rate of 10.5416.

Roll call vote on CM-11-05-062                Yeas:      Mutch, Staudt, Wrobel, Landry, Gatt, Fischer, Margolis
                                                                        Nays:      None

3. Consideration of City-initiated Zoning Map Amendment 18.697 for the “Knightsbridge Gate” property, to rezone land located south of Twelve Mile Road, east of Napier Road in Section 18, from OS-2, Planned Office Service District to R-4, One-Family Residential District. The subject property totals approximately 74.5 acres.

Mr. Pearson said it was a straight forward cleanup of the zoning map for the extreme northwest corner of the City.

CM-11-05-063           Moved by Margolis, seconded by Gatt; CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

To approve the City-initiated Zoning Map Amendment 18.697 for the “Knightsbridge Gate” property, to rezone land located south of Twelve Mile Road, east of Napier Road in Section 18, from OS-2, Planned Office Service District to R-4, One-Family Residential District. The subject property totals approximately 74.5 acres

Roll call vote on CM-11-05-063                Yeas:      Staudt, Wrobel, Landry, Gatt, Fischer, Margolis, Mutch
                                                                        Nays:      None

4. Approval of cost participation agreement with Road Commission for Oakland County for preliminary engineering for the 12 Mile Road Widening (Beck Road to Dixon Road) project in the amount of $150,000. 

Mr. Pearson said this was a longer range project. He said it was an important infrastructure improvement but construction wouldn’t be for a long time down the road.

CM-11-05-064           Moved by Margolis, seconded by Gatt; CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

To approve the cost participation agreement with Road Commission for Oakland County for preliminary engineering for the 12 Mile Road Widening (Beck Road to Dixon Road) project in the amount of $150,000

Member Mutch said the memo indicated the engineering phase would take 6 years.

Mr. Pearson said it wasn’t just the drawings for it, there were environmental impact studies, coordination with utilities, and the Road Commission would run it. He said there wasn’t construction monies so they knew they had time and it would take considerable lead time and wouldn’t be a rushed job. He said it wasn’t at the top of the list; it would get done but would be a long process.

Member Mutch asked if they were essentially giving them the $150,000 up front to cover the engineering costs for however long it took.

Mr. Pearson said the $150,000 was the City’s portion of the scope that they identified and it was in the agreement. He said it would cover the preliminary engineering pieces.

Member Mutch said one of the issues they were aware of on 12 Mile Road was right-of-way acquisition. He said in some cases the right-of-way costs were as expensive as the actual construction costs. He asked if there was expectation that this project would require significant right-of-way or was this too preliminary to know.

Mr. Pearson said right-of-ways were expensive and took a long time. He said it shouldn’t be as complicated or expensive as the Novi Road Link, there were less properties and larger parcels. He said Liberty Park was already setback and there wouldn’t be a bridge over the railroad track, it would be an at-grade crossing which would save a significant amount of money.

Member Mutch said there were a couple different concepts discussed for 12 Mile west of Liberty Park heading to Beck Road and some of the projects in the W. Park Drive area didn’t contemplate a boulevard cross section. He said he hoped as this moved forward that the Planning Department would make sure future projects in that area wouldn’t create a situation where buildings or parking lots were within a future right-of-way area. He said he would like to see the staff look at it to make sure that we do get clean right-of-ways versus the complicated ones they’ve seen along Novi Road.

Mr. Pearson said what was envisioned for the right-of-way was pretty well set and the boulevard stopped where it was currently.

Member Fischer asked if there had been any discussion of a bridge over those railroad tracks.

Mr. Pearson said that was the original concept but the Novi Road Link Project was a determining factor for the Road Commission that if we wanted a bridge, the City would be paying the difference.

Member Fischer asked if the difference would be in the millions because the City was very proud of the Novi Road Link Project and as that part of the City grew, some type of bridge would probably be beneficial.

Mr. Hayes said the rough estimate the City received from the County was anywhere from $10 to $20 million additional. He said one of the main problems was Taft Road, it would dead end right into the approach and a frontage road would have to be built to get people onto and off of Taft Road.

Roll call vote on CM-11-05-064                Yeas:      Wrobel, Landry, Gatt, Fischer, Margolis, Mutch, Staudt
                                                                        Nays:      None

5. Approval to award a pavement marking services contract to RS Contracting, Inc. in the amount of $188,066.80. The term of the contract is one year with three one-year renewal options.

CM-11-05-065           Moved by Margolis, seconded by Gatt; CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

To approve the award of a pavement marking services contract to RS Contracting, Inc. in the amount of $188,066.80. The term of the contract is one year with three one-year renewal options

Roll call vote on CM-11-05-065                Yeas:      Landry, Gatt, Fischer, Margolis, Mutch, Staudt, Wrobel
                                                                        Nays:      None

AUDIENCE COMMENT – None

MATTERS FOR COUNCIL ACTION – Part II

COMMITTEE REPORTS

MAYOR AND COUNCIL ISSUES

1.  Evaluate City Fuel Procurement Alternatives – Council Member Wrobel

Member Wrobel said as a result of the last budget, one of the line items was a new Gas Boy purchase for approximately $27,000 to replace the existing system. He said from a business perspective, the organization he worked for no longer provided their own fuel at their locations; they used a Wright Express card, where you could go to any gas station, put the card in and the cost came back to their organization. He said seeing that they were looking outside the box for ways to possibly save money he approached Mr. Pearson and Mr. Hayes with that idea. He said there were some preliminary figures to look at to determine if it was feasible for the City to do. He said based on the figures they came back with, it was close but still behooved them to go the way they were currently going.  They could possibly work with the school districts to see if there was something they could work out. His only question was if the $27,000 included all the costs involved with the gas or were there other hidden costs that would increase the number.

Mr. Pearson said they captured the capitals for the operating costs and they would have to analyze the cost of an alternative. He said right now the Public Works crew could fuel up at one time and didn’t have to go somewhere each day to get gas as they would with a satellite location. He said they would look at alternatives before they proceeded with the $27,000.

AUDIENCE COMMENT – None

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:27 P.M.

________________________________                                ________________________________

David Landry, Mayor                                              Maryanne Cornelius, City Clerk

________________________________                                Date approved:  May 23, 2011

Transcribed by Natalie Laitinen