CITY COUNCIL MINUTES

November 19, 2007

 

The Cadillac City Council met in a regular meeting on Monday, November 19, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Complex, 200 N. Lake Street , Cadillac , Michigan .

 

COUNCIL PRESENT:   Baas, Dean, Dyer, Stevens, Mayor Blanchard   

      

COUNCIL ABSENT:   None

Staff Present:     Stalker, McCurdy, Garland, Owen Roberts, Adams, Hawke, Nelson

 

Mayor Blanchard called the regularly scheduled Cadillac City Council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

CONSENT AGENDA

 

2007.180 Consent agenda approved

Motion was made by Baas and supported by Dyer to approve the consent agenda consisting of the minutes of the regular city council meeting held November 5, 2007.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

PUBLIC HEARINGS

 

At 7:01 p.m., Mayor Blanchard opened a public hearing to consider the adoption of Ordinance No. 2007-11 which would vacate that portion of the undeveloped public alley bounded by Lots 9 through 40, located in Block 4 in the Plat of the Highway Park Addition to the City of Cadillac Wexford County, Michigan. Jerry Adams, Planning/Zoning Administrator, responded to a question from a property owner regarding ownership of the land, if vacated. The public hearing closed at 7:04 p.m.

 

2007.181 Ordinance No. 2007-11 adopted, vacation of portion of alley

Motion was made by Dyer and supported by Baas to adopt Ordinance No. 2007-11 vacating a portion of an alley in the Highway Park Addition.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

At 7:05 p.m., Mayor Blanchard opened a public hearing to consider the adoption of the Five Year Capital Improvement Program for July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2013 . Owen Roberts, Assistant Director of Finance, presented a summary of the program. There was no public comment. The public hearing closed at 7:25 p.m. Council member Stevens expressed concern that desired programs, as voiced by residents at the budget work sessions, were not specifically addressed in the capital improvement program.

 

2007.182 Five Year Capital Improvement Program approved

Motion was made by Dean and supported by Baas to approve the Five Year Capital Improvement Program for July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2013.

 

Ayes:     Baas, Dean, Dyer, Mayor Blanchard

Nays:     Stevens

Absent:   None

Motion carried.

 

COMMUNICATIONS

 

2007.183 Public hearing set for Lanoga IFT request, Resolution No. 1824

Motion was made by Dyer and supported by Stevens to adopt Industrial Facilities Tax Resolution No. 3, file no. 1824, setting a public hearing for December 3, 2007 to consider the request from Lanoga Corporation for an IFT certificate in the amount of $142,660 for machinery and equipment.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

2007.184 Street closure for First Night activities approved

Motion was made by Dyer and supported by Stevens to approve the request from the 2007 First Night Cadillac Committee to close Beech Street and Shelby Street between Beech and Harris Streets on December 31, 2007 between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. for the annual community photograph.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

 

City Manager Stalker announced the retirement of Director of Finance/ Deputy City Manager Dale Walker and said that a deputy must be designated as outlined in the Cadillac City Charter in Section 7.2, Subsection D.

 

2007.185 Garland appointed Deputy City Manager

Motion was made by Baas and supported by Dean to appoint Precia Garland, Assistant City Manager, as Deputy City Manager to act on the city manager’s behalf in his absence.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

City Manager Stalker said Phase II of the Environmental Review of the Harris Milling property must be approved to allow for the purchase and redevelopment of the site. He said that Otwell Mawby, PC, performed the Phase I review.

 

2007.186 Harris Milling Phase II review approved

Motion was made by Dyer and supported by Baas to approve the proposal from Otwell Mawby, PC for a not-to-exceed amount of $10,800 to conduct the Phase II Environmental Review of the Harris Milling property using monies available in the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Fund and to waive competitive bidding allowing the project to proceed in a timely and coordinated manner.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

City Manager Stalker said the Cadillac Police Department had been chosen by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning to participate in a pilot program for the electronic transfer of traffic accident reports.

 

2007.187 Purchase of police computers using grant monies approved

Motion was made by Dyer and supported by Stevens to approve the purchase of four laptop computers and software to be installed in city patrol cars for on-scene traffic crash reporting and data transfer to the state using grant monies in the amount of $24,253.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

MINUTES OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

 

The minutes of the Maple Hill Cemetery Board from the meeting held October 31, 2007 and the Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority from the meeting held October 18, 2007 were presented for information only.

 

APPOINTMENTS

 

2007.188 Bontrager reappointed to ZPA

Motion was made by Baas and supported by Dean to approve the reappointment of Larry Bontrager to the Zoning/Building Board of Appeals for a three-year term to expire January 2, 2011.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

2007.189 Benson reappointed to LDFA

Motion was made by Baas and supported by Dyer to reappoint Jack Benson to the Local Development Finance Authority for a four-year term to expire December 31, 2011.

Motion unanimously approved.

2007.190 Appointments to Diggins Hill committee approved

Motion was made by Dyer and supported by Stevens to appoint the following to the Diggins Hill Tennis Court Fundraising Committee: James Kenyon, Bill Allen, Terry Mickelson, and Tim Elenbaas.

Motion unanimously approved.

 

GOOD OF THE ORDER

 

Using paper ballots, council unanimously elected Council member James Dean as Mayor Pro Tem for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2008. The marked ballots are on file in the city clerk’s office.

 

Director of Public Safety Jeff Hawke reviewed the CALEA (Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies) recognition received by his department. Following CALEA’s assessment and review, Hawke said the Cadillac Police Department was in the top 1% in the state and top 5% nationally.

 

City Attorney McCurdy complimented Nathan Piwowarski of McCurdy & Wotila P.C. who recently passed the state bar exam and is now a licensed attorney.

 

Council member Art Stevens and others congratulated Director of Finance Dale Walker, via TV2, on his retirement following 30 years of service.

 

ADJOURNMENT

As there was no further business to come before the City Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:06 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Ronald J. Blanchard, Mayor       Janice E. Nelson, City Clerk