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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL STUDY - 2012-02-13 CITY OF LIVONIA— CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF STUDY MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 13, 2012 Meeting was called to order at 8:00 p.m. Present: James McCann, Joe Laura, John Pastor, Tom Robinson, Maureen Miller Brosnan, Brandon Kritzman, and Laura Toy. Absent: None. Elected and appointed officials present: Todd Zilincik, City Engineer; Mark Taormina, Director of Planning and Economic Development; Don Knapp, City Attorney; Terry Marecki, City Clerk; and Jack E. Kirksey, Mayor. President Toy announced there is an "X" Item that will be discussed following tonight's Agenda. President Toy announced there will be a Public Hearing for the following item to be held in the Auditorium of the Livonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, MI 48154: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 6:45 p.m. Petition 2012-01-01-01 submitted by Menard, Inc. to rezone property at 12701 Middlebelt Road, located on the west side of Middlebelt Road between the CSX Railroad right-of-way and Schoolcraft Road in the Northeast '/4 of Section 26, from M-1 to C-2 (Light Manufacturing to General Business) McCann wished his wife Linda and the audience an early Happy Valentine's Day. AUDIENCE COMMUNICATION: Norma Jean Wade, 19012 Norwich, expressed her concerns regarding storm water management and its related charges in the City. NEW BUSINESS 1. REQUEST FOR NON-PROFIT DESIGNATION: Mike Horback, Michelle Horback Palgut Memorial Fund, re: as required by the State of Michigan to obtain a Charitable Gaming License to allow them to hold a raffle in April of 2012 to raise funds for their scholarship. Mike Horback, 34179 Pembroke, presented his request to Council and was ready to answer any questions from Council. McCann asked Mr. Horback what was being raffled. Mr. Horback said they will hosting a 3 day fund raising event and will be having 50/50 raffles and will also raffle off a 55" television. The event will be held April 13, 2012 - April 15, 2012. McCann said interested parties can check out the websites www.rememberingmichelle.org and www.michiganstate01.info for more information. They will also be promoting cervical cancer awareness. 2 McCann offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT 2. APPLICATION FOR MASSAGE THERAPIST PERMIT: Office of the City Clerk, re: submitted by Jennifer Lei Hunter in accordance with Chapter 5.49 of the Livonia Code of Ordinances, as amended. Jennifer Hunter, 33074 Hunter, Westland, was present to answer any questions from Council. Brosnan offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT 3. REAPPOINTMENT OF JACOB GHANNAM TO THE LIVONIA BOARD OF ETHICS: Office of the Mayor, re: for a three-year term, which shall expire on March 1, 2015. David Varga, Director of Administrative Services, presented the request to Council and was ready to answer questions from Council. McCann offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT 4. REAPPOINTMENT OF AUDREY GREENLEAF TO THE LIVONIA BOARD OF ETHICS: Office of the Mayor, re: for a three-year term, which shall expire on March 1, 2015. Mayor Kirksey presented the request to Council; Audrey Greenleaf was present with Mayor Kirksey. Mayor Kirksey said he highly recommends that Audrey Greenleaf be reappointed and he was ready to answer questions from Council. Pastor offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT 5. AWARD OF BID: Department of Parks & Recreation, re: for beverage and snack vending service at the Livonia Community Recreation Center for three (3) years. Lyle Trudell, Interim Superintendent, Parks and Recreation, said they went out for bids for beverage and snack vending service at the Livonia Community 3 Recreation Center. Three (3) bids were received; one company declined. After reviewing all proposals, it was determined that Corporate Dining Concept's option 1 proposal meets our specified requirements and will pay the highest percentage of commission at 34.1%. Choosing option 1 enables us to provide the lowest cost to our members and guests. Corporate Dining has been our service provider for the past three (3) years and they are confident Corporate Dining will continue to deliver excellent service. They are recommending that City Council authorize a three-year agreement from May 1, 2012 — April 30, 2015 with Corporate Dining Concepts, 1645 W. Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309. Brosnan offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT 6. REQUEST TO AMEND CREDIT CARD POLICY: Department of Finance, re: by deleting item nine from the policy to allow for enrollment into the Corporate Membership Rewards Program with American Express. (CR 161-05) Mike Slater, Director of Finance, said the City has an opportunity to enroll in the Corporate Membership Rewards Program with American Express. Under this program, the City is eligible for a 1 percent rebate on payments to participating vendors. Our intent would be to keep the American Express card in accounts payable and use it to pay the largest city vendors that will accept payment via American Express. The largest participating vendor is Waste Management. The City would earn a $50,000 rebate on the $5 million in annual payments if they were paid via American Express. The current credit card policy needs to be amended to permit the use of American Express for these large purchases. Specifically, item 9 should be deleted. They respectfully request that City Council amend the policy regulating credit card transactions by deleting item 9 from the policy. Brosnan asked Slater what they want to increase the limit to. Slater responded by stating they did not want to increase the limit; they wanted to eliminate a limit due to the nature of the request, i.e. paying large contracts worth millions of dollars setting a high limit defeats the purpose of a limit. He added that currently only 2 departments have credit cards, the Police Department and the Cable Department. He said together they spend approximately $40,000.00 annually. He said this American Express credit card they are requesting would be kept in the Accounting Division of the Finance Department and used strictly for paying bills, such as Waste Management. Brosnan offered the approving resolution for the Regular Agenda. Robinson asked Slater if rather than deleting item 9, if making this credit card an exception to the policy would work for this purpose. Slater said if that was what Council desired they could add a separate provision for vendor payments with 4 the American Express card. Robinson asked Slater where the revenue from this Corporate Membership Rewards Program with American Express would go. Slater said that would depend upon what service they would be purchasing. Robinson asked through the Chair to the Law Department whether those controls would be outlined in the resolution. Don Knapp, City Attorney, said that is not part of the proposed resolution and said he would have to discuss with the Finance Director whether that is even feasible or advisable to include those provisions and said it doesn't appear to be an issue. Robinson said he would like to see some of the intentions incorporated into the resolution. He commended Mr. Slater for his efforts in finding additional revenue for the City. Mayor Kirksey added some additional comments. He noted that he and Mr. Slater have met with the representative from American Express and have discussed the benefits of the Corporate Membership Rewards Program. President Toy asked Mr. Slater if other departments were able to request a credit card for their department's use. Mr. Slater said not without Council approval; otherwise, it would be a violation of state law. He added that under the current policy a department can only request a credit card for purchases that are not able to be made through the regular process. He said they can't just request a credit card because they want one. DIRECTION: APPROVING REGULAR 7. REQUEST TO ADJUST THE ADMISSION INCOME LIMITS FOR NEWBURGH VILLAGE, SILVER VILLAGE AND CITY-OWNED HOMES: Livonia Housing Commission, re: to reflect Detroit metropolitan area median income figures. The Livonia Housing Commission respectfully requests an adjustment to the income limits for admission to Newburgh Village, Silver Village and City-Owned Homes. The income limits are adjusted annually to reflect Detroit metropolitan area median income figures. The Housing Commission has revised the facility admission policies to reflect the new income limits. The following adjustments are hereby submitted for your review and concurrence: Present Income Limits Revised Income Limits One Person $37,200 $36,600 Two Persons $42,500 $41,800 Three Persons $47,800 $47,050 Four Persons $53,100 $52,250 Five Persons $57,350 $56,450 Six Persons $61,600 $60,650 5 The Livonia Housing Commission respectfully requests Council's concurrence to adjust the income limits for the properties owned by the City of Livonia. Brosnan offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. Pastor noted that current residents are safe and cannot be kicked out if their income exceeds the revised income limit. Inglis confirmed that information was correct. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT 8. REQUEST FOR INFORMAL APPROVAL OF PROPOSED PROGRAM AND TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR THE 2012-2013 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) PROGRAM: Livonia Housing Commission, re. so that a second public hearing can be held on this matter, after which time a final program and budget will be forwarded to Council for formal adoption. Jim Inglis, Executive Director of Housing, said they submitted a report containing an explanation of the CDBG program and the recommended budget, prepared by the CDBG Committee, for the use of CDBG funds for the 2012 program year (July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013). The CDBG entitlement grant for the 2012-2013 program year is $282,958.00 which is a $46,300.00 reduction from the current program year. In addition to the annual entitlement, $138,000.00 of anticipated program income is reflected in the proposed budget. Two long-standing CDBG activities, the Home Improvement Loan Program and Scattered Site Rental Housing Program, generate program income through the repayment of deferred loans and rental income. The importance of this figure is that fifteen percent (15%) of all program income generated in the previous program year plus fifteen percent (15%) of the entitlement grant allocation may be allocated to public service programs in the 2012-13 program year [$282,958 +138,000 x 15% _ $63,000]. The recommended CDBG program and budget has been submitted to, and approved by Mayor Jack Kirksey. Subsequent to receiving Mayor Kirksey's approval, the Housing Commission conducted a public hearing on January 26, 2012. The Housing Commission received no adverse comments on the proposed CDBG program or budget. At this time, they are requesting Council's informal approval of the proposed program and tentative budget so that they can hold a second public hearing on the matter as required by federal regulations. Based on the results of that hearing, a final program and budget will be prepared for formal adoption by the City Council. Pastor offered the approving resolution for the Regular Agenda. Brosnan said with the reduction in federal grant dollars it poses the question of how much does it cost to administer the grant and if it is feasible. Mr. Inglis said that he has had to reduce staffing in his office to help balance the department 6 budget. Brosnan said that she commended him on all his hard work and his ability to meet all the challenges with the reduction in federal grant funds. Robinson asked through the Chair to the Law Department if the Council were to approve the proposed grant if it was accurate to assume Council would not see a final budget for the grant until end of the grant program year in the form of an annual report. Knapp said that sounded accurate. Robinson said he comments have nothing to do with the intentions of the program. He did say that it comes down to a question of fiscal management. He indicated to Inglis that he would like to have some more discussion with regard to his input on the spending. Brosnan noted that there will be another Public Hearing regarding the proposed budget and then it will come back to Council for approval. Robinson asked through the Chair to the Law Department if the Housing Commission was required to come back to Council. Knapp responded indicating that while it has been past practice there is nothing in the law that requires the Housing Commission to come back before the Council. Robinson thanked the Administration and Law Department for their clarity on the matter. President Toy asked Inglis how residents can apply for these programs. Inglis said there is information on the City website and they can also call the Community Development Office at (734) 421-6450 DIRECTION: APPROVING REGULAR 9. REQUEST TO APPROVE PURCHASE: Public Service Division, re: of one (1) John Deere 2520 4-Wheel Drive Tractor with a 200cx Loader attachment, a 46 Backhoe attachment, and Enviro-Rim tires utilizing the State of Michigan bid process. Paul St. Henry, Superintendent, Public Service, The Department wishes to purchase one (1) John Deere 2520 4-Wheel Drive Tractor at $13,446.83, a 200CX Loader attachment at $2,582.51, a 46 Backhoe attachment at $5,614.53, and the Enviro-Rim tires at $320.00, for a total of $21,963.87. This unit is replacing a "New Holland" tractor I loader purchased in 1998 that has 1900 hours on it. They are recommending that Council authorize the purchase from Thesier Equipment Company, 28342 Pontiac Trail, South Lyon, MI 48178, for a total price of $21,963.87. They also recommend that the Council waive the formal bidding process since there would be no advantage to the City from competitive bidding. Brosnan offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT 10. REQUEST TO ADVISE THE WAYNE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES (PERMIT SECTION) THAT THE CITY HAS APPROVED THE 7 STORM SEWER PLANS AND WILL ACCEPT JURISDICTION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE STORM SEWER WITHIN THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT THE CAVELL WOODS SITE CONDOMINIUM; AND REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY ENGINEER TO EXECUTE A WAYNE COUNTY PERMIT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY: Engineering Division, re: for property located on the south side of Five Mile Road, west of Inkster Road in the N.E. '/4 of Section 24, with Leo Soave Building Company to reimburse the City for any such maintenance that may become necessary. Todd Zilincik, City Engineer, said that in connection with the development of the property located on the south side of Five Mile Road, west of Inkster Road, the Wayne County Department of Public Services has requested that the City take jurisdiction and control of the entire on-site storm sewer collection system to be constructed by the owner of the property at their expense. A representative of the City must also be designated to execute the County permit in connection with this storm sewer construction. The Engineering Division has reviewed this matter and recommends that the following actions be taken: 1) Advise the Wayne County Department of Public Services (Permit Section) that the City of Livonia has approved the storm sewer plans and further, that the City will accept jurisdiction and maintenance (at no expense to the County) of the storm sewer within the property located on the south side Five Mile Road, west of Inkster Road in the N.E. % of Section 24. In this connection, this office has received a maintenance agreement from the owner, Leo Soave Building Company, 20592 Chestnut Circle, Livonia, Michigan, 48152 requiring them to reimburse the City for any such maintenance that may become necessary. 2) Authorize the City Engineer to execute a Wayne County permit on behalf of the City of Livonia in connection with the above storm sewer construction. 3) Authorize the Mayor to execute the maintenance agreement on behalf of the City. Pastor offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT X1. REQUEST FROM THE MICHIGAN LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE REQUEST FROM KIMJ, INC. TO TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF A 2011 SDD & SDM LICENSED BUSINESS FROM NEWBURGH GROUP, INC.: Division of Police, re: for the business located at 15365 Newburgh, Livonia, MI 48154. Jason Yono, 35265 Newburgh, the current owner was present with the proposed new owner, Kais Karana, 37709 Glengrove Drive, Farmington Hills, to answer any questions from Council. President Toy asked Mr. Karana if he has ever operated a liquor store before. He said he has worked in a liquor store for the past 7-8 years for his brothers and is taking this opportunity to move forward and operate his own liquor store. 8 Laura offered the approving resolution for the Consent Agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVING CONSENT AUDIENCE COMMUNICATION: None. As there were no further questions or comments, President Toy adjourned the Study Session at 9:07 p.m. on Monday, February 13, 2012. DATED: February 17, 2012 TERRY A. MARECKI CITY CLERK