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May 2003 Status Report
It is my pleasure to once again provide you this monthly status report. As is the case in the past, these items are not listed in any particular order, and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
1. Meet Me In Mt. Pleasant
I want to take this opportunity to thank and compliment the staff for the great job they did in putting together the weekend events. I think it was very well received and really showcased the improvements to our parks system and downtown. There were a number of people involved, and I would like to thank all of them but specifically thank the following people for all of their work in making the weekend so successful: Greg Baderschneider, Chris Bundy, Dave Campbell, Sarah Cuthbertson, Jana Ervin, Kathie Grinzinger, Jeremy Howard, Tony Kulick, Nate Lockwood, Carol Moody, Jane Sundberg, Becky Swab and Eric Van Hevel. I apologize if I missed anyone.
I also want to thank the Commissioners who participated in the weekend events, and I'm glad to hear that none of our canoeists or kayakers got wet on their trip down the Chippewa River.
2. Update Of The Master Plan
City staff met this week with our consultant, Carlisle & Wortman, to plan for preparation of the master plan, community vision and recreation plan. They are currently doing background research and beginning to prepare for the community visioning event that will be held in the fall. The first community visioning meeting is scheduled for September 16th. Obviously there will be much more information provided on the kick-off session in September as we get closer to the event.
3. Project 2000
We still have nothing to report on a decision from the Tax Tribunal regarding our appeal on the property tax issue.
As you know, we took bids on the 23 acres located east of Sweeney. We received two bids, and we are in the process of checking references and setting up a meeting with the high bidder who is located in the Macomb County area. Hopefully we will be able to bring the sale of the property before the Commission in the near future.
4. Jana's Part-Time Assistant
We have gone through the search process for a new part-time assistant for Jana, and hopefully some time the week of May 27th we will be able to extend an offer to a candidate.
5. Water Ordinance Referendum
A group of citizens is mounting a campaign again to have the Commission amend the current water ordinance as follows:
It shall be unlawful and a public nuisance for any person, agent, or water system to add any product, substance, or chemical to the public water supply for the purpose of treating or affecting the physical or mental functions of the body of any person, rather than to make water safe or potable, such as in the use of chlorine, unless the substance meets a number of criteria. (The petition is too long to include in this report.)
As you recall, a couple of years ago there was an effort to have the Commission amend the ordinance to prohibit the addition of fluoride to the water. On the surface this seems to be even more restrictive than the fluoride restriction.
Under our Charter citizens, if they obtain a sufficient number of petition signatures, can ask that the City adopt the recommended ordinance. If the City chooses not to adopt the ordinance, the matter is then put before the voters for their consideration.
There are certain timelines that they must meet, and we're hoping that if they do proceed with this issue that they are able to get the matter on the General Election ballot so that a special election is not required. We will keep you informed of their status.
6. Commission Problem-Solving
As you recall, at our goal-setting session you requested that we schedule a training session on problem-solving techniques for the Commission. I have been in touch with Dr. Hal Stack, who has done a number of training sessions for City staff on problem-solving and principal-based bargaining. He has indicated a willingness to lead a session he thinks would be beneficial for the Commission. I will be working with him over the next few days to fine-tune a program and get some tentative dates for the training. When I have some dates I will get in touch with you to try to finalize a time that is convenient for all of you.
7. New Agenda Format
As I mentioned on the regular agenda, if you have any questions or comments about the new agenda format as we begin to implement it, I would ask that you contact us so we can address any concerns you might have.
8. Electric Aggregation
This issue was first presented to the Commission a couple of years ago. At that time you authorized staff to proceed with other Michigan municipalities and the Michigan Municipal League to try to create an electric purchasing pool. The hope was that we could buy electric power cheaper through the pool than from our current provider.
The matter has been dormant for the last year or so; however, it now appears to be moving forward again. On Wednesday, May 21st, I attended a meeting in Lansing with a number of other municipalities. The group decided at the meeting to proceed with some further feasibility studies so that a decision could be made as to whether or not to proceed with the concept. I anticipate that the study will take probably three to four months, at which time I will report back to you.
9. McGuirk Sidewalk
As you may recall, some time ago the Planning Commission required McGuirk to install a sidewalk as part of their site plan review for their property on West Pickard Street. The issue became entangled in a legal question as to whether or not we could require the installation of sidewalk without having the appropriate right-of-way. This matter was amicably resolved between ourselves and McGuirk, and as you may know he has not only constructed the sidewalk as called for in our agreement, but has also done some very nice landscaping in front of his building.
10. City-CMU Liaison Meeting
The most recent meeting of the Committee was held this past week. It was a relatively short meeting with the University informing us of the status of their residence hall construction project and the new health science building. Both of them are supposed to be ready for use for the fall term. They also advised us of the parking rate increases for students, staff and faculty. We did express some concern that the higher fees would drive people to park further away from the campus on our residential streets. We indicated we would be monitoring this issue to see if there has been any negative impact.
Most of the rest of the meeting was spent bringing each other up to date on the status of our various projects and initiatives. I did indicate to them that we would make sure they were invited to participate in the master plan and visioning project which I discussed earlier in this report.
11. City-County Liaison Meeting
We also held our most recent liaison meeting with the County in the second week of May. At that time we discussed the first community facility recreation center task force meeting, as well as a status report on various projects and issues before both the City and County.
12. Principal Shopping District Management Board
The first meeting of the Board was held on May 22nd. It was essentially an organizational meeting, and Nancy Ridley made a presentation on the duties and responsibilities of the Board. This is the same presentation she made at a City Commission meeting a couple of weeks ago. We will meet again in a week to begin our deliberations on how best to set up a special assessment district for financing parking maintenance and improvements in the Central Business District. We will also address the issues raised at the City Commission meeting regarding contributions to the DCC as part of the parking budget and General Fund.
13. Family Recreation Center
The Task Force has met twice, and a third meeting is scheduled for the end of this month. At that meeting a consultant will be here to discuss with the committee some of the steps they may want to take in studying the issue. We will keep you informed of their work.
14. Construction Projects
I do not need to tell you that if you try to get around town it is obvious construction has begun in earnest. Since Duane Ellis always does a very nice job of listing the status of the City projects, I will not repeat it here, but needless to say our staff is very busy with the large number of projects underway.
15. Fire Funding
I believe I have mentioned this before, but it is my understanding that at some time in the near future a couple of representatives will be introducing legislation in the House that would increase fire funding. It is my understanding that the proposal would call for an increase in liquor fees to cover the additional funding. I do not know, at this point in time, when the legislation will be introduced or if it stands much chance of passage with the tight state budget.