[0:04] Okay. All right. Just wanted to make sure I was in the right place.
[0:07] Yes. It's still not working. Call the meeting to order.
[0:10] Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
[0:13] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic
[0:18] for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice
[0:24] for all.
[0:29] Please call the roll.
[0:30] Yes.
[0:31] Councilman Alderman.
[0:33] Here.
[0:33] Councilman Calvin.
[0:34] Here.
[0:35] Councilwoman Cirilla.
[0:36] Here.
[0:36] Councilman Hannah.
[0:37] Here.
[0:37] Councilwoman Steck.
[0:38] Here.
[0:39] And Councilman Sucka.
[0:40] Here.
[0:41] Also with us this evening, our city attorney, Tom Kuzmia, and city engineer, Jesus
[0:46] Placencia. Our city assessor, Ted Galeski, and city treasurer, Todd Browning, have
[0:52] asked to be excused.
[0:54] Okay, we have a presentation tonight from Joe Gruber regarding the site
[1:00] known as Beaver Park.
[1:08] Good evening, mayor and council.
[1:09] Good evening.
[1:10] Thank you for giving me the opportunity to present this evening.
[1:15] I understand that it's been brought to your attention, brought to our attention,
[1:18] that there are some concerns from residents in the neighborhood expressed over
[1:23] rumors of new residential apartments being developed.
[1:27] I don't have a visual presentation, but I do have some talking points.
[1:32] The area in question is what's known as Beaver Park.
[1:34] It's a vacant grass field on the north end of town, generally bound by the Ecorse
[1:39] Creek, River Road, and Gotter Road.
[1:42] Hopefully, this presentation sheds some light, provides some more detail.
[1:45] Hopefully, we clear up some facts, and hopefully, the residents, I believe, will be
[1:49] pleased with what we hear tonight.
[1:52] Number one, first and foremost, plain as day, black and white, there are no
[1:56] residential developments being planned or proposed at Beaver Park.
[2:00] Neither my office nor the building and engineering department have received any
[2:04] proposals for projects, houses, apartments.
[2:08] There's no land sales being considered at the moment.
[2:12] So we can state that pretty factually.
[2:14] We are not aware of any proposed projects for residential developments at Beaver
[2:17] Park.
[2:19] Looking back at it, it's understandable as to why some might think that there would
[2:24] be or have been. The engineering department was able to dig up some files dating
[2:30] all the way back to 1966, 60 years ago, the original proposals.
[2:36] Obviously, nothing has been built at Beaver Park since those early days of
[2:40] proposals. But again, that's reasonable.
[2:43] Beaver Park, as it's known, is zoned residential property.
[2:47] The city's zoning map shows that it's RA, single-family zoning district.
[2:53] The draft revised zoning map also shows the property as RA, single family, and the
[2:58] city's recreational master plan does not denote this area as an official city of
[3:03] Wyandotte park. So again, that makes sense that thoughts or talks or ideas of
[3:08] residential development are and always have been considered at Beaver Park.
[3:13] Additionally, and this is worth noting and considering, the 2019 master plan of the
[3:18] city does look at Beaver Park and does consider it for future land use for parks
[3:22] and open space. So it's something that the city has considered and has looked at in
[3:26] consideration for future land use.
[3:29] Not to get too technical, but there is a difference between zoning and what you're
[3:33] allowed to build where, and land use, which is more of a playbook that guides the
[3:38] city's vision.
[3:40] That same master plan also talks plenty and extensively about engaging with the
[3:45] community about developments, promoting new housing types, promoting new
[3:50] construction of housing, but also protecting and preserving the identity of
[3:55] neighborhoods. That's all taken directly from the city's master plan.
[3:59] So again, summary, first point, there are no residential development plans
[4:03] currently being considered for Beaver Park.
[4:07] Secondly, and this is worth noting, again, as to why there might be plans for
[4:12] Beaver Park or why there might be considerations for it, we have a really strong
[4:16] track record of redevelopment in this community.
[4:19] That dates back to the 1960s as well.
[4:21] Urban renewal, strict code enforcement, beautification, infill housing, building
[4:27] new houses in neighborhoods. These are all things we've been doing for decades, and
[4:30] we do a really, really good job of it in Wyandotte, and I think it's something that
[4:33] we're all very proud of and should be proud of because we have beautiful, strong
[4:37] neighborhoods. That being said, we also have a great park system.
[4:42] Our parks and recreation department works really hard.
[4:44] We have a great network of public parks and green spaces, and Wyandotte also prides
[4:48] itself on that. And together, neighborhoods, housing, parks, green spaces, I mean,
[4:54] these things really work interconnected.
[4:56] They work with each other to promote quality of life and development.
[4:59] So both are taken into consideration, and that's why you see it so much in our
[5:03] master plan as well.
[5:06] So wanted to clear that up. Another point of consideration for this presentation is
[5:11] what are we actually doing at Ecorse Creek, Beaver Park?
[5:16] And that is since 2020, we've been involved with what's called the Ecorse Creek
[5:21] Committee. So the City of Wyandotte has, along with the cities of
[5:26] Ecorse and Lincoln Park, worked together with groups of residents,
[5:32] elected officials from those communities, nonprofit organizations, and advocacy
[5:36] groups for planning, envisioning, and projects along the Ecorse Creek.
[5:40] So again, the Ecorse Creek comes off of the Detroit River, and it splits into two
[5:44] branches. It forms the natural boundaries between the cities of Ecorse, Lincoln
[5:49] Park, and Wyandotte. We are located on the south branch of Ecorse Creek, generally,
[5:54] which is actually technically referred to as the Sexton-Keuf soil drain by the
[5:58] Wayne County Drain Commissioners.
[6:02] But that committee, we've done some projects.
[6:04] There have been community meetings, community groups, a handful of community
[6:08] cleanups. I myself have participated in some of those community cleanups.
[6:12] I've gotten into a kayak and seen some people wading in the waters of
[6:18] Ecorse Creek, picking up trash in Wyandotte and Lincoln Park and Ecorse.
[6:22] I mean, it's a nice collection. I believe you were there as well, Councilman
[6:27] Calvin. You helped out some days. Mayor DeSanctis was there helping out some of
[6:30] those days, too. So cleaning up the Ecorse Creek, picking up trash along Beaver
[6:34] Park. But the Ecorse Creek Committee has also done a really good job at looking at
[6:39] projects and programs to enhance the creek, the natural environments around the
[6:43] creek.
[6:45] A lot of their efforts have focused more on the North Branch.
[6:48] We have not really invested a lot of resources to assist in any of the North Branch
[6:52] projects because, I mean, it's not in Wyandotte.
[6:55] But we support the group, and we support the organization and the collection.
[7:00] That brings me to the next point, which is that Wyandotte has been introduced to a
[7:04] variety of grant programs that we can apply to, to enhance this area.
[7:10] All of these grant programs are pretty much exclusive to natural habitat
[7:15] restoration,
[7:17] shoreline creek restoration, preventing erosion, getting rid of invasive species,
[7:23] which, if you visit the Ecorse Creek and you look up and down the creek, it's
[7:28] pretty much all invasive species being grown there.
[7:32] Not being grown, but growing there.
[7:36] Groups that are participating in this, again, in addition to the Ecorse Creek
[7:40] Committee, which is like a public agency group, the funding agencies are a
[7:45] combination of the Friends of the Detroit River, the Michigan EGLE, Environment
[7:50] Great Lakes Energy, NOAA, which is a federal organization, the National Oceanic
[7:55] Atmospheric Administration, and one group called the Great Lakes and St.
[7:59] Lawrence Seaways Cities Initiative.
[8:02] They've helped bring some technical assistance and grants, but it's only been for
[8:06] planning, hiring architects and engineers to actually take a professional look at
[8:10] the park.
[8:13] And again, all of these projects and programs that we're working on and what we're
[8:16] doing on-site, and probably what some of the residents have been seeing, groups of
[8:20] people walking around, they're environmental engineers.
[8:23] They're people looking at the site for improvement.
[8:29] Next point is, and this goes hand-in-hand with grants and grant funding, is that,
[8:35] yes, Beaver Park is generally known to at one time might have been a dumping
[8:39] ground. It might have been a junkyard of sorts.
[8:42] We've heard that from stories from
[8:45] folks who've been around Wyandotte for a long, long time.
[8:49] And factually, there have been multiple environmental investigations done on-site.
[8:53] Recently, the DCC, the Downriver Community Conference, their
[8:59] Brownfield Consortium awarded the City of Wyandotte a grant, which we used to
[9:03] conduct a phase one and phase two environmental assessment, a BEA, Baseline
[9:08] Environmental Assessment This is stuff that we've done over the past years.
[9:12] I think the first one I have here shows it was from 1995 to 1996.
[9:17] Same environmental conditions were revealed.
[9:21] There's a presence of heavy metals on site, particularly on the north end of the
[9:26] site near Beaver Park. There's fill and junk in the ground.
[9:31] A lot of that stuff we saw and found on the shores of the Ecorse Creek itself.
[9:38] But nothing that causes an immediate concern for health and human safety.
[9:43] I'm not an environmental engineer, I'm not an environmental attorney, but based on
[9:48] the reports that we've seen, it's below ground, it's below grade.
[9:52] Hypothetically, if there was a residential development to be constructed there,
[9:56] they would have to deal with those conditions.
[9:58] By law, in accordance with the state of Michigan, in accordance with the federal
[10:01] government, they would have to do these things as constructors, builders,
[10:06] developers. But again, that's not what we're proposing.
[10:09] That's not anything that we're actively considering.
[10:12] So, that being said, right now we're focusing on the Ecorse Creek Committee work.
[10:19] The work with the professional engineers, the environmental engineers looking at
[10:24] the creek, enhancing the creek bed, protecting and preserving this waterway,
[10:29] invasive species removal, and hopefully the construction or installation of some
[10:35] nice walking paths or recreational enhancements for the community.
[10:40] Really preserving and enhancing what's known as Beaver Park.
[10:45] I don't think there's any proposed changes to the zoning.
[10:49] I don't think there's any proposed changing to the park's master planning.
[10:54] And it's just a reminder that, if we as a community were going to consider those
[10:58] things, we have a really good track record of thoughtful redevelopment that would
[11:04] reconcile both our residential zoning and our parks and green space master
[11:09] planning.
[11:11] We would have a thoughtful development process that promotes neighborhood growth
[11:16] and housing, as well as the preservation of our ecological habitat.
[11:21] These are things that we can do and have done.
[11:23] I think a great example is the McKinley Park neighborhood.
[11:28] This council is very familiar with the redevelopment of the McKinley School
[11:32] and the council that predates this one.
[11:34] Years of community organizations and community groups, McKinley Park,
[11:40] Save the Park, McKinley Park. Similarly, the Beaver Park wasn't really a park.
[11:44] It was a vacated school playground and vacant field that became
[11:50] a park in the identity in the eyes of the neighborhood, and this council recognized
[11:55] that. And this council, and the mayor and the council before, also recognized that
[12:00] that was really important to the community.
[12:02] So what we ultimately decided was a thoughtful redevelopment of the vacant space,
[12:06] the redevelopment of the school building, as well as the construction of an actual,
[12:11] now, City of Wyandotte Park, capital P Park, which will be McKinley Park, a new
[12:16] playscape, some recreational space,
[12:20] some courts, and a pavilion, and a really nice project.
[12:23] Beaver Park could be that, but it's a challenged site, just like the McKinley
[12:27] School was a challenged site. But we're a ways away from that.
[12:31] So
[12:33] in summation, in summary, nothing planned right now in terms of housing.
[12:37] Yes, things are being talked about for enhancing the parks and the recreational
[12:41] space of Beaver Park, specifically through the Ecorse Creek Committee.
[12:45] But that's all still pretty conceptual too.
[12:48] We don't have any funding that's been awarded for grants to deliver any projects.
[12:52] We're still for planning and organizing.
[12:57] So I guess those are the major talking points.
[13:00] I can pause, break, or stop for questions if anybody has any.
[13:06] Very good presentation.
[13:07] Okay. Yeah. Thank you. Appreciate it.
[13:09] We appreciate the information. And also, an interesting point, someone had told me
[13:14] that that site known as Beaver Park was originally considered for the
[13:20] construction of the Gabriel Richard High School back in the late 1960s-
[13:23] I heard that as well
[13:24] ... before they chose the site in Riverview today.
[13:26] Yeah. Yeah, I heard that as well.
[13:28] Thought it was an interesting fact.
[13:30] Yeah, it was rejected because of the toxic stuff.
[13:32] Gabriel Richard wanted
[13:35] non-toxic sites.
[13:35] Okay. Great. And we appreciate the-
[13:37] Any other questions?
[13:38] ... the information-
[13:39] Yeah
[13:39] ... and your presentation, Jeff.
[13:41] Great job, Gil.
[13:42] All right. My pleasure. Thank you.
[13:43] Thank you.
[13:45] Okay, presentations of petitions. We have none. Public hearing.
[13:56] We have the-
[13:57] The budget
[13:57] ... budget. The budget, I'm sorry. Yeah. 2027 budget public hearing.
[14:02] Taking. We're going to take item nine-
[14:05] We're going to take number-
[14:06] ... following the hearing. Sorry. I'm deferring to you. I'm just asking.
[14:08] Okay. Yeah, no, that's fine. That's why...
[14:11] The paperwork wasn't in order, and I wasn't prepared,
[14:17] so...
[14:19] Number nine.
[14:20] Yeah, number nine.
[14:21] This first and final reading of 1562, the 2027
[14:27] fiscal year budget ordinance. We all have copies of all of the elements laid out in
[14:33] the
[14:36] budget. Shall this ordinance now pass?
[14:40] Mr. Mayor, do we need to close the public hearing before we take up that item, or
[14:43] Mr. Kuzmic? I just want to clarify if there is an opportunity for any public
[14:47] comment. Not that I-
[14:49] Yeah, no.
[14:49] Okay. Just making sure.
[14:51] Yeah, no.
[14:51] Okay.
[14:52] That's correct.
[14:52] All right.
[14:54] Is there any public hearing? Anybody got a comment on the budget for 2027?
[15:01] Being none,
[15:03] shall this ordinance now pass?
[15:04] Shall this ordinance now pass?
[15:05] Call the roll.
[15:06] Councilman Alderman?
[15:07] Yes.
[15:08] Councilman Calvin?
[15:09] Yes.
[15:10] Councilwoman Cirulla?
[15:11] Yes.
[15:11] Councilman Hannah?
[15:12] Yes.
[15:13] Councilwoman Steck?
[15:14] Yes.
[15:14] And Councilman Sucka.
[15:16] Yes.
[15:17] 6-0, motion carries.
[15:19] Do we have to take number nine?
[15:20] Do number nine now?
[15:21] I thought that was-
[15:22] That was number nine.
[15:23] Oh, I'm sorry.
[15:24] That was number nine.
[15:26] Yep.
[15:27] The portion on the agenda was the public hearing part.
[15:31] I just moved it up
[15:33] in conversations seeing there was no public comment.
[15:36] Okay.
[15:37] So I presented the resolution in its six pages.
[15:42] We all have copies.
[15:44] So do we need to take a vote on that as well?
[15:47] I don't think we just did.
[15:48] We just did. Yeah.
[15:49] Yeah.
[15:50] Okay. We just did. We closed the public hearing session and moved to this, number
[15:54] nine. All right, there's no unfinished business at this time.
[15:58] Any persons having matters of immediate importance which they were unable to place
[16:02] in writing prior to the agenda deadline may approach the podium, and will have
[16:07] three minutes to address the mayor and council.
[16:13] Good evening.
[16:15] State your name and address for the record.
[16:17] 3366 12th Street.
[16:21] Wyandotte, of course. This is the homeowner, Amy McDill.
[16:26] I'm her brother-in-law. And so we're trying to get through...
[16:31] When she bought the home, how many years was it now? Four?
[16:34] Four.
[16:35] So approximately four years ago, we had an array of things to get through to
[16:39] satisfy the C of O, and ultimately, the C of A.
[16:44] One of the last things that we have to deal with is the guardrail around the front
[16:49] porch. So Jesus has gotten some of my photos,
[16:55] and it's just simply under the
[17:00] allowable measure. It's 24 inches tall.
[17:05] We see that as a problem throughout the whole area, but in our case, we have to do
[17:09] something to address this. I think it has to come up to a 36-inch minimum height.
[17:14] So we have an inspection for the C of A coming up on the 15th of
[17:20] October,
[17:22] which I postponed on a couple of occasions due to my work schedule, rain, life in
[17:28] general. So we are running out of time and certainly money.
[17:34] So my hope is that we want to address the handrail guardrail height,
[17:39] but can we ask for an extension on that item only until the new
[17:45] calendar year when we have warm weather?
[17:49] Like I say, we're physically running out of money, and certainly time.
[17:54] And that'll be the only thing of the C of A that will not be completed
[18:01] for October 15th.
[18:06] Mr. Engineer?
[18:07] Pardon me?
[18:07] Mayor and council, I just wanted to let everyone know that Chris had already
[18:12] reached out to me via email and provided pictures with
[18:17] measurements of the guardrail. I had already outlined to him in the email how to
[18:22] proceed. That item should not come before council, but he does have the right to
[18:27] appeal the height requirement to the Building Board of Appeals.
[18:31] That was explained to him, so I don't think this board should vote on it.
[18:36] And any extensions for his certificate should also go through the engineering
[18:40] department.
[18:43] Absolutely.
[18:44] Well, is that another $200 expense to us to be able to go in front of that board as
[18:50] I did for the off-street parking?
[18:52] I believe the office already told you the answer to that.
[18:55] They did not.
[18:56] And from memory, I don't have it in front of me because I don't ever handle fees,
[19:00] but I don't think there is a fee to go before the building board.
[19:04] But
[19:05] I don't want you to hold me to that because I don't ever handle cash and payments
[19:09] for any of the meetings.
[19:11] Yeah. So for the off-street parking, it was very clear that what we had to do, pay
[19:15] a $200 fee, and then explain our point of contention with the off-street
[19:20] parking. Which that was satisfied.
[19:23] We were able to negate all of that for Amy's particular home.
[19:28] However, what I was told, and the reason that we're here tonight, is because when I
[19:33] made the phone call and talked to,
[19:37] I want to say, I didn't bring her name with me, but one of the gals.
[19:41] There's three gals that answer when you call the engineering line.
[19:47] She had said, "This is the place that I need to go to have this next discussion."
[19:52] So nobody had ever mentioned, other than when I had a petition about the off-street
[19:57] parking,
[20:00] what was mentioned by one of the individuals was, "You could probably have that
[20:05] handrail
[20:08] grandfathered in." Well, we'd love to do that, but I think we're going to move
[20:12] ahead and repair it. I just wanted to extend the length of when it needs
[20:18] to be inspected. Because, as I say, we're running out of time and money.
[20:22] So that decision is not going to be made here tonight.
[20:25] I would suggest that you get with the city engineer, particularly regarding the
[20:29] extension, and then you can find out if there's a fee to go in front of the
[20:34] Building Board-
[20:36] Building Board of Appeals
[20:37] ... Building Board of Appeals.
[20:38] So Building Board of Appeals.
[20:40] It was outlined in the email I had sent you on the 21st.
[20:44] I'm sorry. Say that again?
[20:46] The Building Board of Appeals was outlined in the email that I had sent you on-
[20:50] Okay
[20:50] ... September 21st.
[20:51] Okay, very good. All right, I think that's all that we have for now.
[20:55] Thank you very much.
[20:56] Thank you.
[20:56] Thank you.
[20:57] Thank you.
[20:58] Stay well.
[21:05] Mr. Mayor, Council, thank you for this opportunity.
[21:08] Carlo Castiglioni, 5301 Russell Street, Detroit.
[21:13] I'm not pretty, but I'm all you got right now. Don has moved on to better things.
[21:18] I'm now the Town River Community Engagement Liaison for you all, and I'll leave my
[21:23] cards with you. I know you have a big agenda tonight.
[21:25] Please give me a holler if you need anything, and on behalf of Ray Washington, we
[21:29] thank you all for your work.
[21:31] Thank you.
[21:31] Thank you.
[21:31] Thank you very much for being here and introducing yourself.
[21:41] Good evening, Mr. Mayor and City Council.
[21:44] Donovan McKinney,
[21:46] 4365 Otto Drive, Detroit.
[21:50] State rep now, but will soon to be, once the November election happens, your
[21:56] congressman in the 13th district.
[21:58] So just wanted to introduce myself formally to the body as well as to the community
[22:03] who's here. If you ever need anything from our office, we'll be available and
[22:06] accessible.
[22:08] As well as I'm excited to work with you all.
[22:12] Because Wyandotte, we have 20 communities, 20 cities that we will represent soon,
[22:17] starting in January. And I wanted to make sure that Wyandotte knows that we're
[22:22] going to be representing you guys pretty well.
[22:24] So whatever your needs are, whether it's from our community or from you guys as
[22:28] local officials, please let me know. We are here to serve.
[22:31] So thank you so much for your time.
[22:33] Thank you.
[22:33] Thank you very much. In the book.
[22:35] Thank you.
[22:38] Anybody else?
[22:44] All right.
[22:47] Nobody else? Let's go to the consent agenda.
[22:51] On this evening's consent agenda, there's three items: approval of City Council
[22:55] minutes from September 14th, 2026, a citizen communication from Mr.
[23:01] M. Naven, and the City of Wyandotte holiday happenings.
[23:07] Madam Clerk, I'm going to move number two to the new business, and the resolution
[23:12] coming forward for number one is to receive and place on file, if there are no
[23:18] exceptions noted by my council colleagues.
[23:22] And number three as well, receive and place on file the information
[23:28] provided about the City of Wyandotte holiday happenings.
[23:33] I second the motion.
[23:34] Any comments, questions from my colleagues on those? Anybody from the public?
[23:38] If none, clerk, please call the roll.
[23:42] Councilman Alderman?
[23:43] Yes.
[23:44] Councilman Calvin?
[23:45] Yes.
[23:45] Councilwoman Cirilla? Yes. Councilman Hannah?
[23:47] Yes.
[23:48] Councilwoman Sex? Yes. And Councilman Setta?
[23:51] Yes.
[23:51] Six yes, motion is carried.
[23:53] Okay. In number two, there's a communication we all received from Mr.
[23:57] Michael Naven. My resolution coming forward is to refer communication from
[24:02] Michael Naven to the city engineer and the police department for review and report
[24:07] back to the mayor and city council. Mr.
[24:10] Naven has put a lot of information and suggestions in this communication, so I
[24:15] think it was best to forward it and to see what their department heads have to say
[24:20] about this.
[24:21] Mr. Setta, are you suggesting a timeline for a report back? A month from now?
[24:25] That would-
[24:25] Two meetings from now?
[24:26] That would be just fine.
[24:27] I second the motion.
[24:28] Any comments, questions from the colleagues? Anybody from the public?
[24:33] If none, clerk, please call the roll.
[24:35] Councilman Alderman?
[24:36] Yes.
[24:36] Councilman Calvin?
[24:37] Yes.
[24:38] Councilwoman Cirilla? Yes. Councilman Hannah?
[24:40] Yes.
[24:40] Councilwoman Sex? Yes. And Councilman Setta?
[24:43] Yes.
[24:44] Six yes, motion carries.
[24:47] Okay, number four.
[24:49] Number four.
[24:49] Number four? Number four is brought to us by Special Events Coordinator, Heather TD
[24:54] Champlin,
[24:57] regarding the Vote Ready Wyandotte event.
[25:01] This event will be held October 23rd, 2026, and it will provide Wyandotte residents
[25:07] with clear, accessible information about how, when, and where they can vote in the
[25:11] upcoming election. The event can help residents better understand voting options,
[25:15] important deadlines, registration requirements, and what to expect on election day.
[25:21] Ms. TD Champlin is asking council to support this event and send along needed
[25:26] paperwork to the Special Events Coordinator, Department of Public Service, Police,
[25:30] Fire, and Rec Department.
[25:36] Resolution coming forward, the council approve the use of city property for the
[25:40] Vote Ready Wyandotte event to be held on October 23rd, 2026,
[25:46] and that all the proper paperwork be in place for this event.
[25:51] I second the motion.
[25:52] Any comments, questions from my colleagues?
[25:54] I just want to add, it is listed in the agenda item that there will be food.
[25:58] We will also be giving out information on all the upcoming trunk or treats as well.
[26:03] So take your kids out and get them a lot of candy while you figure out how to vote.
[26:09] Okay. Anybody from the public regarding this item?
[26:13] If none, clerk, please call the roll.
[26:14] Councilman Alderman?
[26:15] Yes.
[26:16] Councilman Calvin?
[26:17] Yes.
[26:17] Councilwoman Cirilla? Yes. Councilman Hannah?
[26:19] Yes.
[26:20] Councilwoman Sex? Yes. And Councilman Setta?
[26:23] Yes.
[26:23] Six yes, motion carries.
[26:26] Number five is brought to us by Human Resource Specialist Ann Gowdy.
[26:30] A resignation has occurred within the 27th District Court.
[26:35] This position is deemed necessary to provide effective services to the public.
[26:40] As such, Brandi Bumstead is recommended. Hiring procedures were followed, and Ms.
[26:44] Bumstead possesses the qualifications and has been recommended for hire.
[26:49] Resolute City Council, the council approve the hire of Brandi Bumstead as a
[26:53] full-time
[26:56] court clerk, typist one at class code 27A within the 27th District
[27:02] Court.
[27:03] I second the motion.
[27:05] Any comments, questions from the colleagues?
[27:08] Anybody from the public regarding this item? If none, clerk, please call the roll.
[27:12] Councilman Alderman?
[27:13] Yes.
[27:14] Councilman Calvin?
[27:15] Yes.
[27:15] Councilwoman Cirilla? Yes. Councilman Hannah?
[27:18] Yes.
[27:18] Councilwoman Sex? Yes. And Councilman Setta?
[27:21] Yes.
[27:21] Six yes, motion carries
[27:25] Item six is brought to us by City Engineer, Jesus Plascencia.
[27:29] The Department of Public Service will begin leaf collection services on Monday,
[27:32] October 26th, 2026.
[27:36] Mr. Plascencia has included a 2026 collection schedule and map indicating the dates
[27:41] and areas of collection. He is asking council to adopt a resolution to concur with
[27:46] the 2026 leaf collection schedule and map.
[27:51] Resolution is to receive this communication placed on file, and also resolve that
[27:55] the council authorize the city clerk to publish the 2026 leaf collection schedule
[28:01] and map in the "News Herald" and other newspapers and other public
[28:06] distributions, including cable TV, Facebook, and the city's website.
[28:10] I second the motion.
[28:12] Any comments, questions from my colleagues?
[28:14] Anybody from the public regarding this item?
[28:19] Bill on 4093-17. Just a question. We have a lot of road construction going on in
[28:24] the city. My street is being tore up right now.
[28:26] They're finally fixing it, which is great.
[28:30] Any
[28:32] special things for us that are tore up and will probably not be back together in
[28:37] time for these collections?
[28:40] The street will likely not be completed in time for the collection.
[28:43] However, the contractor has been helpful in the past in collecting those, at least
[28:49] the asphalt paving contractor.
[28:52] But I can gather you some more info.
[28:54] Okay.
[28:55] I'll go over it with DPS.
[28:57] Okay.
[28:59] I know there's a lot of projects going on, and that was just a question for people
[29:03] getting their leaves from their trees. Thank you.
[29:05] Thank you.
[29:06] Thank you.
[29:08] Anybody else on this item? Being none, clerk, please call the roll.
[29:11] Councilman Alderman?
[29:12] Yes.
[29:13] Councilman Calvin?
[29:14] Yes.
[29:14] Councilwoman Cirullo? Yes. Councilman Hannah?
[29:16] Yes.
[29:17] Councilwoman Steck? Yes. And Councilman Setta.
[29:20] Yes.
[29:20] Six yeas. Motion carries.
[29:23] Item seven is brought to us by Heather Zieger, Customer Assistant Supervisor.
[29:28] On Saturday, October 3rd, 2026, Municipal Services is proposing to host a
[29:34] free paper shredding event from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
[29:37] in the City Hall parking lot. Ms. Zieger is asking council's approval for Municipal
[29:44] Services to host a paper shred day on October 3rd, 2026.
[29:51] City Council approves shred day on October 3rd, 2026, between 9:00 a.m.
[29:55] and 12:00 p.m. in the City Hall parking lot.
[29:58] I second the motion.
[29:59] Any comments, questions from my colleagues? Anybody from the public on this item?
[30:03] Being none, clerk, please call the roll.
[30:05] Councilman Alderman?
[30:06] Yes.
[30:06] Councilman Calvin?
[30:07] Yes.
[30:08] Councilwoman Cirullo? Yes. Councilman Hannah?
[30:10] Yes.
[30:11] Councilwoman Steck? Yes. And Councilman Setta.
[30:14] Yes.
[30:14] Six yeas. Motion carries.
[30:18] Item eight is the 2026 fiscal year budget amendments brought to us by
[30:23] Robert Scheidtowski, Deputy Treasurer Assistant Finance Director.
[30:28] Budget amendments are required to meet general fund and special revenue fund
[30:32] obligations. Mr. Scheidtowski is asking council to adopt the resolution concurring
[30:37] with the Deputy Treasurer Assistant Finance Director's recommendation of the 2026
[30:42] fiscal year budget amendments.
[30:46] City Council hereby concurs in the recommendations of the Deputy Treasurer
[30:50] Assistant Finance Director and approve the necessary 2026 fiscal year budget
[30:55] amendments as outlined in the communication.
[30:58] I second the motion.
[30:59] Any comments, questions from my colleagues?
[31:01] Anybody from the public regarding this item?
[31:04] Being none, clerk, please call the roll.
[31:05] Councilman Alderman?
[31:06] Yes.
[31:07] Councilman Calvin?
[31:08] Yes.
[31:08] Councilwoman Cirullo? Yes. Councilman Hannah?
[31:10] Yes.
[31:11] Councilwoman Steck? Yes. And Councilman Setta.
[31:14] Yes.
[31:14] Six yeas. Motion carries.
[31:16] We've already taken the budget ordinance on nine. If you could proceed to 10.
[31:22] Item 10 is brought to us by Paul Lemains, General Manager.
[31:27] Operating and capital budgets for electric, water, and ConneX for fiscal year 2027,
[31:32] as approved by the Municipal Services Commission on 9/15/2026. Mr.
[31:37] Lemains is asking council to adopt a resolution concurring with the Wyandotte
[31:41] Municipal Services Commission
[31:44] as recommended by WMS Management.
[31:49] Resolved by City Council, we concur with the Wyandotte Municipal Service Commission
[31:55] in approving the electric, water, and ConneX operating capital budgets for fiscal
[32:00] 2027 as recommended by WMS Management.
[32:04] I second the motion.
[32:06] Any comments, questions from my colleagues?
[32:08] Anybody from the public regarding this item?
[32:09] Paul wanted to maybe make a couple remarks about the budget. He's here.
[32:13] Paul, did you want to say anything or- Yeah ...
[32:15] does anybody got any questions for him?
[32:17] Hey, did you come out and, you know-
[32:19] I appreciate that
[32:20] ... I didn't want you just to pass-
[32:22] I appreciate the recognition for being here.
[32:24] Yeah.
[32:25] I am certainly open to answering any questions that you might have.
[32:28] Yeah. Now we've all got copies of-
[32:30] Okay
[32:30] ... the budgets. Is there anything in there that you might want to point out to the
[32:34] public or to the council?
[32:34] I'll speak specifically to electric.
[32:37] Okay.
[32:39] We spent about three months on a four-year rate plan.
[32:43] The impact per month for a residential customer that uses 700 kilowatts an hour is
[32:49] about $8 a month. However, the rates are 13% to 16% less than what
[32:55] DTE is currently at.
[32:56] Good.
[32:57] So electric, we've all read for the last year and a half about how we have
[33:03] infrastructure needs to address.
[33:06] We again took about three or four months working on not only a condition
[33:10] assessment, probably about a year working on the condition assessment, but we took
[33:15] a lot of time working on developing rates in a four-year plan.
[33:19] For a residential customer that uses five T gallons, the increase per month would
[33:24] be about $6.
[33:27] And I can tell you that that customer, including the fixed charge, will spend about
[33:32] $33 a month on water, and that is extremely
[33:37] competitive and beats a lot of the surrounding communities.
[33:40] I know there's been a lot of
[33:44] information that has been publicized about surrounding communities and their rate
[33:48] increases. And even with water, we take into account about 12 different
[33:53] communities, not only surrounding Wyandotte, but downriver as well.
[33:58] And
[34:00] it's really to address an aging infrastructure with the water department.
[34:06] I do have a question for you-
[34:07] Sure
[34:07] ... if you don't mind. While we're on water infrastructure, two things I noticed
[34:10] that I really enjoyed about this budget.
[34:12] Could you speak a little bit to ongoing lead line replacement, if you could?
[34:16] And also, our state grant that we received in 2021 to mitigate PFAS-
[34:20] Absolutely.
[34:21] Thank you.
[34:21] So we are required by November 1st of 2027 to verify all the
[34:27] remaining unverified service lines in the city, and that is a huge capital
[34:33] expense in the water budget for all of '27 in one month.
[34:38] You'll see it for one month in the fiscal '28 budget.
[34:41] Unfortunately, that's one of the few capital projects for water that I
[34:47] and my staff have not come up with an offsetting either grant or appropriation for.
[34:54] So that's going to take place,
[34:57] if you heard Justice of the Tax speak at the meeting where we approved the bid, it
[35:02] will require two roughly six-by-12-inch holes to be
[35:09] taken at each house where they have to verify the service, and we will go forward
[35:13] from there with the replacement. The current state appropriation, a
[35:19] federal appropriation we have, which is 5.7 million, we're still working on that.
[35:23] We budget roughly $10,000 per house on average to do the replacement.
[35:29] We've had the contractor out here for the, the contractor that was bid relative to
[35:33] the state
[35:37] appropriation has been out here for well over a year now, and they've been doing
[35:41] the work. So
[35:45] the carbon grant, we've had it since '21.
[35:47] We've had to do several pilot studies as required by EGLE.
[35:52] I want to say we're close to the end of those pilot studies, but whenever I say
[35:55] that, there's another pilot study that has to be done.
[35:59] We have Barr Engineering that has been doing that.
[36:01] They have a test filtration system set up at the filter plant to test the various
[36:06] types of
[36:08] carbon additives that they would potentially place in the filters.
[36:13] Fabulous. Thank you. I appreciate that.
[36:15] All right.
[36:15] Thank you.
[36:15] Could you talk briefly about the ConneX budget, formerly known as Wyandotte Cable?
[36:20] Right.
[36:20] There's been a lot of changes there over the last few years, and there was some
[36:25] debt assumed to make the changes. How are we doing in that area?
[36:30] So it's actually Wyandotte ConneX, okay, because Wyandotte ConneX connects the dot.
[36:37] We changed the name to Connects because that utility is now more of
[36:43] a connectivity utility and not what I would deem an old-school cable utility.
[36:48] Our video is definitely declining. People are cutting the cord.
[36:52] However, the internet business is extremely strong for us.
[36:56] We did go out to bond for the project in July of 2020.
[37:01] I sat in the basement at my house during COVID, and we took the bonds to market.
[37:05] Actually, we did not take them to market. They were directly placed, I'm sorry.
[37:08] The electric bonds in 2015 were taken to market.
[37:11] We have a goal currently to have the project completed by the end of this calendar
[37:16] year. We're about 86% completed right now in the service drops for
[37:22] fiber to the homes. And currently, the big part of the project are the MDUs, which
[37:27] are your condo complexes and your apartment buildings.
[37:32] Okay. Well, thank you, Paul. I appreciate you coming forward with a few remarks.
[37:37] Our community takes great pride in our public utilities, and I think it's important
[37:42] that they see you up here.
[37:43] Okay, great. Thank you.
[37:45] Thank you very much.
[37:45] Thank you.
[37:49] Okay, is there a second?
[37:50] Yes.
[37:50] Any comments?
[37:53] Comments from the council? Nope. Anybody from the council?
[37:56] Anybody from the public on this item?
[37:59] Being none, clerk, please call the roll.
[38:01] Councilman Alderman?
[38:02] Yes.
[38:02] Councilman Calvin?
[38:03] Yes.
[38:04] Councilwoman Zerella?
[38:05] Yes.
[38:06] Councilman Hannah?
[38:06] Yes.
[38:07] Councilwoman Steck?
[38:08] Yes.
[38:08] And Councilman Sucka.
[38:10] Yes.
[38:10] Six yeas, motion carries. Item 11, brought to us by City Engineer Jesus Placencia
[38:16] regarding
[38:18] 810 Chestnut and 820 Oak Street property exchange. Mr.
[38:23] Placencia is asking city council to concur with the recommendation to approve the
[38:28] purchase agreements for 810 Chestnut and 820 Oak Street and authorize the mayor and
[38:32] city clerk to execute the agreements and any documents necessary to effectuate the
[38:37] simultaneous transactions.
[38:40] A proper resolution coming forward to facilitate the exchange of property
[38:46] at 820 Oak Street and 810 Chestnut Street between the Fraternal Order of
[38:52] Police Lodge 111 and the City of Wyandotte.
[38:57] I second the motion.
[38:58] Any comments, questions from my colleagues?
[39:01] Anybody from the public regarding this item?
[39:03] Being none, clerk, please call the roll.
[39:05] Councilman Alderman?
[39:06] Yes.
[39:06] Councilman Calvin?
[39:07] Yes.
[39:07] Councilwoman Zerella?
[39:09] Yes.
[39:09] Councilman Hannah?
[39:10] Yes.
[39:10] Councilwoman Steck?
[39:11] Yes.
[39:12] And Councilman Sucka.
[39:13] Yes.
[39:14] Six yeas, motion carries.
[39:17] Item 12 is brought to us by City Engineer Jesus Placencia.
[39:24] In July 2024, the city sold a vacant property known as 2127 11th Street.
[39:31] Mr. Placencia is asking city council to approve the purchase agreement to sell said
[39:35] property to Tony Manzella in the amount of $10,000.
[39:40] Proper resolution coming forward to concur with the recommendation of the city
[39:44] engineer to sell the property formerly known as 2127 11th Street to Tony Manzella
[39:50] in the amount of $10,000.
[39:52] I second the motion.
[39:53] Any comments, questions from my colleagues?
[39:55] Anybody from the public regarding this item?
[39:57] Being none, clerk, please call the roll.
[39:59] Councilman Alderman?
[40:00] Yes.
[40:00] Councilman Calvin?
[40:01] Yes.
[40:02] Councilwoman Zerella?
[40:03] Yes.
[40:03] Councilman Hannah?
[40:04] Yes.
[40:05] Councilwoman Steck?
[40:05] Yes.
[40:06] And Councilman Sucka.
[40:07] Yes.
[40:09] Six yeas, motion carries.
[40:12] Item 13, also brought to us by City Engineer Jesus Placencia on the demolition of
[40:18] various structures.
[40:21] Two bids were received at the August 10th bid opening.
[40:26] Mr. Placencia is asking city council to approve awarding the demolition of various
[40:31] structures to the Piso Development Group in the amount of $148,740.
[40:39] Resolution being advanced as the council concurs in the recommendation of city
[40:42] engineer to approve an award, bid file number 4912, the Piso Development Group of
[40:48] Wyandotte, Michigan, for the demolition of various structures in the total amount
[40:53] of $164,740.
[40:56] I second the motion.
[40:57] Any comments, questions from my colleagues?
[41:00] I have a question for the engineer.
[41:04] With these structures on here, do you know the approximate time from start to
[41:08] finish for the contractor?
[41:11] I could look that up. I don't remember it offhand. Let me see if I can find that.
[41:17] But I would think no more than six months.
[41:20] And I do want to state the last structure that you see there, 2127 11th,
[41:26] that was the previous agenda item. We did sell that.
[41:30] It's a partially built basement. If for some reason this contractor doesn't
[41:36] move within 60 days, I believe is when we asked him to have his permits certified
[41:40] or in hand, then we already have a bid item to demolish that.
[41:46] But I don't remember offhand, but I can look it up.
[41:50] I can find it before the end of the meeting.
[41:53] Yeah. No, it was just because we had an issue with the contractor that delayed
[41:58] things in the past. So as long as we're on top of it, I'm good. Thank you.
[42:03] I believe it's here in the agenda.
[42:07] I can't give you the page number because it doesn't show it on my end, but it says
[42:13] after the blueprints are submitted, estimate to build time for six months.
[42:19] That's for the new build.
[42:20] Oh, okay. I thought that's what you were asking. Sorry.
[42:24] No problem.
[42:27] You want to wait until you look that up and we can... Mr. Dolan?
[42:32] Philip Dolan again, 409317. So, before I start, are there some
[42:37] typos on this thing? Because I went online and looked at these homes, and today I
[42:43] drove through and looked at every one of these homes, and I don't understand why
[42:46] they're being demolished. There's a couple beautiful homes in there.
[42:49] There's a couple shakies, but as far as I can see, many of them are
[42:55] occupied. There's a few empty ones, but they look like they could all be rehabbed
[43:00] and kept on the rolls, because for decades, as the one gentleman who
[43:06] gave the presentation earlier, we are notorious for tearing down homes and then
[43:11] complaining at budget time we have no money.
[43:15] You're taking eight houses out here and a garage that we are now not going to get
[43:20] tax money from. We're going to have vacant lots.
[43:23] Most of them that I looked at will not be buildable lots.
[43:27] So they'll be sitting there empty. We may split them between people.
[43:31] I talked to Mr. Galeski. I wish he was here tonight.
[43:35] Even a kind of rundown house brings us a lot more money in taxes
[43:41] than an empty lot that nobody's doing anything with or one that's split between the
[43:46] neighbors. This is ridiculous, and we've been doing this.
[43:50] You guys come back to us for millages because we don't have tax money. Why?
[43:55] Because you tear down houses. We don't have the money anymore. We need to fix this.
[44:00] There are 11 lots right now on the city website that are buildable lots, 10
[44:06] of which have been on for over 1,600 days.
[44:09] If anybody doesn't want to do the math, over four and a third years.
[44:14] The new one is about 100 days.
[44:17] We're tearing these things down. You guys, a few meetings back, voted to tear a
[44:22] guy's house down who said he had a contractor looking to buy it.
[44:27] Where's our tax dollars coming from?
[44:29] Because I want an increase in my millage next time, or you guys coming around for a
[44:33] special something or whatever to get us more tax dollars because you keep tearing
[44:38] houses down. Keep the houses up, rehab them, and get people in them.
[44:42] This is ridiculous. Why are we doing this?
[44:47] And we have a 50-foot rule on these homes now where most of the city has been built
[44:52] on 30 and 40-foot lots, and yet they didn't grandfather us in.
[44:57] So I know of four people right now, including myself, that will not improve their
[45:01] house because I'm not going to pay $250 to the zoning board.
[45:05] And if they tore down, just as an example, the house south of me and split the lot,
[45:10] I'd have a 60-foot lot. My neighbor south of me that would buy the other half, he's
[45:15] now got a conforming lot. I still don't have a conforming lot. So I can't build.
[45:21] I can't improve my money without going to the zoning board.
[45:24] And I refuse to spend an extra $250 on a project, and at the time I wanted to do
[45:29] it, I was working afternoons, so I would have to take a day off and not get paid.
[45:34] But this is ridiculous to keep tearing down houses in the city and then come budget
[45:37] time, "Oh, we don't have any money." And then we come up with, "Please give us more
[45:42] money, citizens. We want to increase your millage.
[45:44] We want to increase this." This is crazy
[45:47] Keep these houses on the market, keep them filled with people, and keep the tax
[45:51] dollars coming in, because vacant lots don't do a thing for us.
[45:55] And we've got all those lots that are ready to be built on, and nobody wants to buy
[45:59] them. We had 13 until just a couple of meetings ago, when you guys approved three
[46:04] to be sold. But over 1,600 days, nobody was buying
[46:10] lots in here. They'll buy a house, and that's even slowing down.
[46:14] So please consider, do not tear these houses down.
[46:18] Get them fixed up and keep them on tax rolls, so we don't have to pay more money as
[46:22] citizens. Thank you very much.
[46:24] Thank you. Mr. Engineer, could you speak to the condition of these houses?
[46:33] Looking at that list that's before you-
[46:35] Yes
[46:35] ... 2127 11th, again, that's a foundation with no house built.
[46:40] The builder walked away. 536 Bondi was order demolished for lack of property
[46:46] maintenance. The garage on 425 Elm, same thing, order demolished for lack of
[46:51] property maintenance.
[46:54] 1006 Eureka,
[46:57] that person didn't pay their taxes.
[46:59] We acquired that property from
[47:03] Wayne County with the first right of refusal.
[47:06] And that home, the previous owner is still in there, and we are working
[47:12] through with our
[47:17] real estate attorney. He is in the eviction process with that gentleman, but he
[47:21] hasn't paid his taxes. He hasn't paid it in several years.
[47:25] That's why we were able to acquire that property.
[47:28] He hasn't reached out to the city to want to buy that one back either, so there's a
[47:33] loss of revenue there. 542 Ford Avenue, that's a city-owned building.
[47:40] It's been city-owned as long as I can remember.
[47:42] It's on Ford Avenue, the north side, right up against the tracks.
[47:46] They hope to build apartments or something out there.
[47:48] Of course. Yeah. Yes.
[47:51] I can't remember on the Goddard and Lincoln and 10th Street house, but I could
[47:56] provide those lot dimensions if council wants me to.
[47:58] Not a problem.
[47:59] I just don't remember the-
[48:00] I just want clarity that these lots were more valuable to be sold at lots at this
[48:03] point in your estimation.
[48:05] Yeah. The intent, as Mr. Mix always states, is to remove the dilapidated houses and
[48:11] improve our housing stock. That is the intent of the procedures that we go through.
[48:16] No doubt. And our housing stock in the state as a whole, but in the city, is aging.
[48:21] There will come a point where new builds are needed. So thank you.
[48:24] Thank you.
[48:25] And you said Elm Street's just a garage, right?
[48:27] It is just a garage.
[48:28] Just a garage. And the city's not in business to spend money and update houses and
[48:33] sell them. We can't do that, correct?
[48:35] Correct.
[48:36] We can't rehab a house.
[48:37] No, we don't. But we've had contractors who have.
[48:40] Right.
[48:40] Not for a profit, but we-
[48:41] And we've had city groups that have gone in and bought a house.
[48:45] The one right across from Yak is a beautiful house that the city people went in,
[48:50] got, rehabbed, and sold. So there's...
[48:53] But listen, you're not-
[48:55] Yeah, but Mr. Dillon, we're up here discussing this right now.
[48:58] Okay.
[48:58] If you can hold off a second, okay?
[49:00] Okay. I will.
[49:00] The one he's talking about was moved, and that was a Wyandotte Community Alliance,
[49:05] which the city bought a house. Sold it to them for a dollar.
[49:08] They went through them top to bottom, inside out, and put them on the market.
[49:12] The last one just sold on... It was a couple of years ago now.
[49:15] Yeah.
[49:16] On Poplar and 5th for $230,000. So that's back on the tax rolls where it
[49:22] had a lot more than it was.
[49:24] Mm-hmm.
[49:25] But my point is the city can't spend money to rehab and sell it for a profit.
[49:30] No.
[49:31] No.
[49:31] We can't sell a piece of property for any more than what we paid for the taxes from
[49:36] the county-
[49:37] Mm-hmm
[49:37] ... or whatever we have into it to clean it up.
[49:40] Yep.
[49:41] So there's a house on 21st Street North of Northline that the city paid $21,000
[49:46] for. It just sold for $300,000.
[49:52] Thank you.
[49:53] I would like to say that the 1275 Lincoln is a beautiful home, manicured lawn,
[49:59] nice
[50:01] bushes, nice backyard in front-
[50:03] 1275 Lincoln, where's that at?
[50:04] Huh?
[50:05] 1233.
[50:07] 1275 Lincoln.
[50:07] 1275 Lincoln. Third one down.
[50:09] I got 1233 Lincoln.
[50:11] 1233.
[50:12] Right underneath that is 1275.
[50:14] 1275 is not on this agenda. It was pulled last time.
[50:18] Okay.
[50:19] We removed that one from the agenda-
[50:20] Okay
[50:20] ... so it is not on here.
[50:22] There wasn't an updated list on the minutes when I went in this morning, so I have
[50:28] the one from last week before it got pulled.
[50:32] But yeah, like I said,
[50:34] there is things we could do. There are a number of things we could do with some
[50:39] city contractors or something to put these back online.
[50:43] I understand you got to get people out of certain ones and all that. That's cool.
[50:47] But to go through and just demolish them, to me, is a waste, and it's going to take
[50:51] our tax dollars away.
[50:54] Thank you.
[50:56] We got a motion and a second.
[50:57] We have a motion and a second. We have another person regarding this item?
[51:02] And I think we only have three-
[51:03] Regarding items in general with the properties that Wyandotte sells.
[51:07] John Chart, 505 Superior.
[51:09] We're only talking about number 11, John, or number 13, excuse me.
[51:13] Which is?
[51:15] Demolition of their structures.
[51:16] Demolition of their vacant lots.
[51:17] Demolition, okay.
[51:19] All right. I know you're talking about all your properties.
[51:20] Yeah. Nobody else on this item? Clerk, please call the roll.
[51:26] Councilman Alderman?
[51:26] Yes.
[51:27] Councilman Calvin?
[51:28] Yes.
[51:28] Councilwoman Cirella?
[51:29] Yes.
[51:29] Councilman Hannah?
[51:30] Yes.
[51:31] Councilwoman Steck?
[51:32] Yes.
[51:32] And Councilman Sutka?
[51:33] Yes.
[51:34] Six yeas. Motion carries.
[51:39] Oops, sorry.
[51:40] 14.
[51:40] Okay. Item 14 is the final reading, number 1561, the ordinance amendment
[51:46] rezoning of 507 Biddle Avenue brought to us by City Engineer Jesus Plascencia.
[51:53] We have the final reading of the ordinance to rezone property known as
[51:59] 507 Biddle Avenue from General Business District B-2 to planned development.
[52:05] On the question, shall this ordinance now pass?
[52:08] Call the roll.
[52:10] Councilman Alderman?
[52:11] Yes.
[52:11] Councilman Calvin?
[52:12] Yes.
[52:13] Councilwoman Cirella?
[52:14] Yes.
[52:14] Councilman Hannah?
[52:15] Yes.
[52:16] Councilwoman Steck?
[52:17] Yes.
[52:17] And Councilman Sutka?
[52:18] Yes.
[52:19] Six yeas. Motion carries.
[52:23] Bills and accounts.
[52:25] Bills and accounts this evening are in the amount of
[52:27] $4,557,293.36.
[52:32] Resolve that we pay the total bills approved for payment.
[52:36] I second the motion.
[52:37] Clerk, please call the roll.
[52:39] Councilman Alderman?
[52:39] Yes.
[52:40] Councilman Calvin?
[52:41] Yes.
[52:41] Councilwoman Cirella?
[52:43] Yes.
[52:43] Councilman Hannah?
[52:44] Yes.
[52:44] Councilwoman Steck?
[52:45] Yes.
[52:46] And Councilman Sutka?
[52:47] Yes.
[52:48] Six yeas. Motion carries.
[52:51] Reports and minutes?
[52:54] Received on place and file. We all have copies.
[52:56] Thank you.
[52:57] Okay. Councilman Calvin.
[53:00] Mr. Mayor, I just want to do a little blast for our
[53:07] volunteer organizations. I'm a member of Kiwanis 1000, and
[53:13] I know
[53:14] Madam Steck is also a member of Kiwanis 1000, and we are currently
[53:20] working on growing that club. And what we do in
[53:26] Kiwanis is do projects for children and help children
[53:32] in our communities and worldwide.
[53:35] So if anybody would like to be a part of an organization that has been doing
[53:41] this for many years
[53:44] and just being out there and helping children, if they could get hold of me, I
[53:49] would love to explain more about our club and what we do in the city of
[53:55] Wyandotte and worldwide, and like to have them come join us in
[54:02] those endeavors that we do for the children.
[54:06] So thank you for that commercial time.
[54:09] Okay. Councilwoman Cirella.
[54:12] Yesterday, I attended the Sunday Socials in Wyandotte, and it was so fun.
[54:18] I'm so happy that we have a program like that here at Wyandotte.
[54:21] There's only a few left, so if you can make it, go on down on Sundays from 2:00 to
[54:26] 6:00. And that's all for tonight.
[54:30] Councilman Alderman.
[54:30] Nothing this evening. Thank you.
[54:32] Madam Clerk.
[54:33] Absentee voter ballots are out, and people are already voting.
[54:37] So drop boxes are in city clerk's office, outside by Eureka and Biddle, or in front
[54:43] of the police department. Vote early.
[54:48] Mr. Mayor.
[54:48] Mr. Engineer.
[54:49] No, sir.
[54:50] Wyandotte
[54:51] Not yet.
[54:51] Okay. Councilman Hannan.
[54:53] Nothing.
[54:53] Councilwoman Stech.
[54:54] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The Wyandotte Museum's annual cemetery walk is coming up.
[55:01] That will be next weekend, October 9th and 10th.
[55:05] We are back at Oakwood Cemetery this year, so if you've been in the last few years
[55:09] at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, this is a chance to do the walk in a new location.
[55:14] Please stop by the museum to buy tickets, and you might even see some people from
[55:18] this horseshoe portraying a figure from Wyandotte's past.
[55:23] Very good. Okay. Councilman Nick.
[55:26] Just enjoy this beautiful fall weather in Downtown Wyandotte and patronize our
[55:30] businesses.
[55:31] Okay. I have a few items. Friday, the city was honored
[55:37] to have a memorial service for a veteran by the name
[55:43] of Vester Hicks Jr. He was killed in 1950 in the Korean
[55:49] War, and he was brought back here to Wyandotte and Chopecks, and
[55:55] VFW 1136 organized a memorial for him.
[55:59] And
[56:01] obviously, his dad died in '61, his mom's 1971.
[56:05] All of his siblings are passed, but he had a good representation of nieces and
[56:10] nephews there, and it
[56:17] was a pretty neat ceremony, his memorial.
[56:22] Family had no clue where he was at since 1950.
[56:25] In '54, the North Koreans shipped
[56:29] these
[56:31] men and women that were killed over there in service to Hawaii, along with the
[56:36] prisoners of war.
[56:39] In this case here, he was unknown. And then in 2020, I think it was,
[56:44] the government had a forensic
[56:48] department, and his niece and a nephew gave their DNA,
[56:54] and they were able to identify him.
[56:58] So it was a moving ceremony. It really was.
[57:03] Anyway, that's a long time ago, 76 years.
[57:07] So anyway, and then
[57:12] October 4th, this Sunday at 10:00, there's going to be a mass at Mount Carmel,
[57:18] Our Lady of Staedtler, for Casimir Pulaski, whose statue is in Pulaski Park.
[57:24] So that's at 10:00, and then they march to Pulaski Park and have a little ceremony
[57:28] there. And then afterwards, there's a luncheon at Post 95, and what is that, 11th
[57:34] and Elm?
[57:35] And Elm.
[57:36] Okay.
[57:37] Yeah.
[57:37] And then I got
[57:39] a letter that I want to read.
[57:42] Well, first of all, this one here.
[57:46] Mr. Romans was up earlier talking about the different departments of the water.
[57:50] Some of you may have noticed today there was a pop-up tent outside here that was
[57:55] run by a third company and part of the EPA, and it was regarding
[58:00] Get the Lead Out. And so they're going to be going around, and I'll read this.
[58:05] "The Water Department, along with representatives from the EPA, will once again be
[58:08] knocking on doors to identify unknown water service lines in the area of the north
[58:13] side of Goddard, the North Drive, east of Electric Creek to the river.
[58:20] Door knocking will be taking place Tuesday, September 29th through October 1st.
[58:26] So if residents prefer to skip an in-home inspection, they can complete it and
[58:31] submit an online survey by following the link supplied on the Help Us Get the Lead
[58:37] Out page on the Municipal Service website, and that's
[58:41] www.wyn.org, or call
[58:45] 734-324-4470 to schedule an appointment."
[58:53] Comment. That's exactly where Beaver Park is.
[58:57] The DCC rejected the Brownfield-
[59:00] You're out of order
[59:00] ... and will not pay for that.
[59:01] You're out of order. Right now, you're out of order.
[59:05] 100% of his stuff he said is wrong.
[59:08] Officer, remove him.
[59:09] And that's why they're doing the EPA thing. I've already filed FOAs on all of it.
[59:13] I've already talked to DCC. They said they refuse to do the Brownfield.
[59:20] All right.
[59:20] Well, he's wrong. I can tell you he's wrong.
[59:22] And there's a map, an actual construction map of condos.
[59:26] Okay. I have another letter here that I want to read.
[59:28] "The City of Wyandotte and the Wyandotte Municipal Service Department have been
[59:34] made aware that there may be a letter and petition circulating to align the water
[59:39] services provided by the department with the Great Lakes Water Authority, known as
[59:44] GLWA, G-L-W-A. Wyandotte Municipal Services has operated the water services for the
[59:50] residents and customers in the city of Wyandotte since 1889.
[59:55] During this period of time, the water services rendered have been dependable and
[59:59] cost-effective. The Wyandotte Water System received its report card from
[1:00:05] EGLE in April of 2025 and continues to make progress at meeting the requirements.
[1:00:11] Drinking water tests conducted for our system continue to meet and exceed all
[1:00:16] regulatory requirements. The department has been able to manage the water system
[1:00:21] and continues to make strategic investments within the system.
[1:00:25] Municipal Services believes it can maintain a strong and independent water service
[1:00:30] for the residents of the city. The Great Lakes Water Authority, GLWA, also
[1:00:36] experiences substantial challenges in meeting utility service for their respective
[1:00:41] communities. However, communities that GLWA services are
[1:00:46] dependent on GLWA and lack the local control and local ownership that Wyandotte
[1:00:51] residents and customers are afforded over their entire water system.
[1:00:55] The Wyandotte Municipal Service Commission has and will continue to offer a
[1:00:59] dependable and quality water service to the residents and customers of the city,
[1:01:05] and any effort to cause the loss of the city's independence, local control, and
[1:01:10] local ownership would be a grave error." And then this will be posted, too, just in
[1:01:16] response to this.
[1:01:17] No, it's a fair statement that needs to be said.
[1:01:20] Yeah. So anyway.
[1:01:22] Mayor, I have a question on the knocking on the doors.
[1:01:24] Mm-hmm.
[1:01:25] Is the city going to be working in conjunction with these groups?
[1:01:29] No. It's a third party along with the EPA, and they're
[1:01:34] identified wearing vests and clothing.
[1:01:38] Mark, you've been working with them.
[1:01:40] And the reason I say that,
[1:01:44] last time one of our senior citizens had a knock on her door with two young
[1:01:48] individuals in their 20s with no uniforms, no ID, no nothing, wanting her to show
[1:01:54] them the basement.
[1:01:57] We need some kind of identification to confirm all this before anybody knocks on
[1:02:02] any doors.
[1:02:02] The Get the Lead Out people are wearing high-vis vests-
[1:02:04] Yep
[1:02:04] ... and big giant badges that say Get the Lead Out.
[1:02:07] Yeah.
[1:02:07] You cannot mistake them for anybody else.
[1:02:09] Well, so were the last ones, and they didn't have a vest, and they didn't have any
[1:02:12] ID.
[1:02:13] Well, they might not have been part of this group.
[1:02:16] Well, they might not have been. I'm asking.
[1:02:18] Are they going to-
[1:02:19] How do I know if they were or weren't?
[1:02:21] Will we talk with the company that's doing the knocking?
[1:02:25] They all have their identification and uniforms on.
[1:02:32] Okay. I hope so.
[1:02:32] They don't have a person-
[1:02:33] Well, if somebody knocked on somebody's door, wanted to show the basement, the
[1:02:37] lady's 90 years old.
[1:02:38] She should never let them in.
[1:02:40] I totally agree. But what do they do?
[1:02:42] They call the police, they confirm, yes, they were legit.
[1:02:45] No.
[1:02:45] But they didn't have a vest, they didn't have ID.
[1:02:47] I'm just asking, with this company, is the city going to confirm or have any
[1:02:54] control
[1:02:56] on them knocking on doors? Just confirming, making sure we got uniforms, making
[1:03:00] sure we got badges, because whoever knocked on her door didn't have all that stuff,
[1:03:04] and they were asking about water. They wanted to see water.
[1:03:06] Well, it starts tomorrow. We'll make sure we ask that.
[1:03:09] That'd be a great question.
[1:03:10] If I may interject on this particular subject.
[1:03:13] No.
[1:03:13] Out of order.
[1:03:14] Scott-
[1:03:14] Out of order
[1:03:15] ... you're out of order right now. This meeting is over.
[1:03:18] We're just making a public announcement.
[1:03:19] He's working the best he can on it, Scott, with the municipal department.
[1:03:23] He's doing good.
[1:03:24] That's all I need to hear. Thank you.
[1:03:27] All right. Any other business here?
[1:04:00] Hearing
[1:04:01] none.
[1:04:02] Motion to adjourn.
[1:04:03] Motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned. God bless Wyandotte.
[1:04:09] Our next meeting is next Monday, October 4th.