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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRDA MINUTES 2011-01-06 MINUTES OF THE 224th SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PLYMOUTH ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA The 224th Special Meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority of the City of Livonia, Michigan, was called to order at 3:10 p.m., Thursday, January 6, 2011, in the 4th floor conference room of City Hall. Members Present: Wayne Glass, Chairman Betsy McCue, Vice Chairman Jack Kirksey, Mayor Scott Grace John Hiltz Greg Meyer Lowell Peterson Dan West Absent: Toni Mette Jeff Staebler Others Present: Mark Taormina, Economic Development & Planning Director Christopher Martin, Resident Margie Watson, Secretary 1. Roll was called. A quorum was present. 2. Proposed Special Assessment District. Mr. Glass explained that the purpose of this Special Meeting was to obtain approval of the Board to proceed with creating a Special Assessment District (SAD) for the purpose of maintaining the irrigation system along Plymouth Road. Mr. Glass provided some background to the decision to move forward on the SAD. The idea of an SAD originated from the public meetings held in October 2010. Business owners at the meeting suggested that an SAD might serve to generate the necessary revenue to pay for the irrigation. The cost of the SAD would be borne by those businesses benefitting from the irrigation. After conversations with the City, other means of generating revenue do not appear viable. The SAD process starts with a petition from benefitting property owners to the City Council. The Council then refers the matter to the Engineering Department, which develops the detailed costs for the services the SAD will fund. Subsequent public hearings allow for additional public comment before the Council either approves or disapproves the SAD. The entire process will take months, so it is imperative that the petition to initiate the process be circulated for signatures as quickly as possible. A letter to businesses along the corridor has been drafted, which outlines the plans the PRDA and City have made thus far — using District Court probationers, asking businesses to maintain the landscaping on their rights of way, etc. This letter, a petition for the SAD and a short explanatory note about the SAD will be sent as soon as possible to businesses that have frontage on Plymouth Road. Drafts of the petition and a cover letter that January 6, 2011 2 would be sent to the Plymouth Road businesses were distributed to the Board for their input, and Mr. Glass requested that any proposed changes be emailed to him; he will then incorporate them and provide a final draft to the Board before mailing to business owners. Wayne Glass and Mark Taormina will be listed as the contacts for any questions regarding the S.A.D. A date certain will be indicated for when the petition should be returned and to whom. All Board Members will be assigned a portion of Plymouth Road to personally contact property owners to explain the process and solicit their support. Greg Meyer suggested that the Chamber of Commerce provide a list of members along Plymouth Road for this purpose. Mr. Taormina agreed that this would be a better list than one that could be generated from the City's assessment data base. The Engineering Department will be asked to provide a preliminary cost for talking purposes with business owners. On a motion made by Hiltz, seconded by McCue, and unanimously adopted, it was #2011-01 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby agree to proceed with the process of creating a Special Assessment District for the purpose of maintaining the irrigation system along Plymouth Road, with the funds created by the S.A.D. to pay for all of the expenses to operate the tre system, including labor, water, maintenance, repairs and replacement of parts. Mr. Glass, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Glass advised that a volunteer has come forward and expressed interest in helping the PRDA. Her experience is in marketing. Her name will be retained to contact in the future, as a need arises. Adjournment: On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 224th Special Meeting held by the Plymouth Road Development Authority on January 6, 2011, was adjourned at 3:40 p.m. The next meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority will be held on Thursday, January 20, 2011. Margie Watson, Secretary L