City Commission - Special Meeting

The following program was produced by CTV Community Television. For more than 20 years, CTV has captured the moments that matter in our community. From our studios in St. Clair, you're watching Focus with Paul Dingman. Well, hello again. I am Paul Dingman and we've got a very special focus program for the citizens of the city of St. Clara. This is a specific show because there's some specific, if I could say it, specific reasons to talk about it. The city clerk, Annette Sturdy, welcome back to the focus set. We nice to nice to see you again. Thanks, Paul.

Thank you for bringing sun and warmth to uh to our community. Couple big things are happening uh in the next few weeks or so, and we thought we better spend some time talking about it. Uh the first one is going to be on April 18th. It's a Saturday from 9:00 in the morning until 1. What's it all about? Yes. Thank you so much for the opportunity. It's hot off the press. We just got everything organized for this day. So, on Saturday, April 18th, again, from 9:00 a.m. to 100 p.m., we'll be offering community cleanout and shred day for the residents of the city of St. Clair. Community cleanout and shred day. Yes. So, what is a community cleanout?

Well, it's the first of this type of event here. So um it's our beta test and we will have waste management on site and shredcore on site. Waste management is our current u rubbish and recycle contracted provider that you know garbage day on Thursday recycle day. Yes. So they will be on site to do the collection of bulk items and bag trash and other things. Yeah. And then shredcore will be on site also and they will be providing shredding services.

Okay. So let's go through it individually. So, I can clean out the garage and the basement if I live in the city of St. Clair. Uh, and I can bring uh unusable furniture, large items, bulk items. That's number one. Let's go. Let's talk about that. Sure. Yes, that's exactly what it's for. So, we've had some changes with our contract that the residents will will understand. Um, and so you can no longer put as many items as you want out as far as large items on Thursday anymore. Oh, on normal pickup day.

Correct. Yes, there is an opportunity to put one item out on a Friday with a scheduled appointment for pickup. Um, but being springtime and spring cleaning and just uh offering a service to the residents, we're going to allow residents to bring as many of these large items as they would like on this particular day. Okay. Uh household trash bag. So, if you've got extra bags that you normally uh you can put out those out in a normal day, but if you want to bring some extra ones, this is the day for it. That's it. Yeah. Right. Clean out your basement, clean out your garage, and bring it on Saturday the 18th.

Okay. And paper documents, no limit. I like that one. So, we all collect income tax reports and bank statements and all that kind of stuff. And there's different dates and years that you've got to keep them for, but after that, you know, you want to clean them out, right? Yeah. Everything has a retention schedule, even our personal items. So, this again is an opportunity to bring those items here. You will watch them being shred on site. So you have um you know peace of mind that it actually was destroyed. And again, no limit. So bring as many boxes as you'd like and um between 9 and 1 and we'll take care of it for you. Okay. Where where am I bringing this stuff? So this will be in the parking lot next to Pine Shores Golf Course.

There's a picture of Pine Shores and coming in right by that first driveway. Uh you'll have a table set up so you can check for residency. Yes. Thank you for bringing that up and with the visual aid because it will be a one-way traffic flow. Okay. So, that will be important. We'll have people there. We'll have um orange cones directing the traffic, but in the south entrance and out the north entrance. So, um again, logistically, it'll be a nice flow. And yes, I'll be there and a couple of my colleagues will be there checking for proof of residency because it is a service for city of St. Clair res. Bring your driver's license or a tax bill or a water bill or something. Anything that says that you live in the city of St. Clair. Yes. Okay. Yep.

Um now, and the shred, we talked about the shred. Uh there were some things that were surprising to me when this came out and is that I can bring TVs. Yes. I cannot really bring computers though. Correct. Not really electronics per se. Um but television specifically was requested. So a television and the monitor. Yes. Okay. Um, let's see. What are we missing? Um, tires is a big question. Yes, people ask about tires. So, no fullsize tires, but if you cut them up, you can bring those. Uh, cut them up. Cut them in half or I've got to come in a quarter. More more than in half. More than in half. Okay. All right. Continue with what else I can bring. Oh, paint.

Um, you can bring paint if it's dried out. So, put the kitty litter in it or the sand in your paint cans. Make sure it's dried. But yes, you can bring that as well. And what else? Um, there was freon small appliances. Uh, refrigerators were were questioned as well. And yes, you can bring a refrigerator as a bulk item, but it has to be stickered that it's freon free. How do I do that? How do I get the free onere? So, that has to be inspected by somebody, a freon freector. Yes. Yes. So, I'm not sure um how what information to provide to people on that. Call appliance store. They might be able to help you. Yeah.

Have we missed any of the items? No hazardous materials accepted. Um two waste management trucks will be there. Shred core. Televisions be accepted. Whole tires, but unless they're cut up. Residency required. Um let's see. Yeah. For more information on the detailed items, I would recommend going to Waste Management's website, which is wm.com, and uh go to their schedule of bulk item pickup, and it lists the items that they typically pick up. Okay? So, that'll give a a really good list of what they will accept.

Now, let's move on to number two. We got anything more to talk about about shred day? Let's go through the date again. is April 18th, 9:00 a.m. till 100 p.m. at Fredmore on Fredmore Highway at Pine Shores Golf Course. Yep, that's it. Saturday the 18th, community cleanout and shred day. Number two, I'm going to hold up a dirty old sign. This is a dirty old sign that has been hanging around the city of St. Clair for a long, long time. And a major project is underway to upgrade the signs and remove them. these kind of signs, but I have an opportunity as a resident to buy the sign. Let's talk about that.

You do? Yes. Thank you. As you can see, it's in a little bit of rough shape here. Um, but aside from the aesthetics of the sign, the priority was to be compliant with MDOT specifications and requirements. Oh. Uh, so um specifically regarding reflectivity. So, these are our new signs that adhere to all of those specifications. They're a little bigger. Aren't they? They are, but they look so big when you're holding it, but when they're out there, they really don't. Um, so that was surprising to me, but yes. So, along with the program, the street sign replacement program, uh, the city is offering an opportunity to purchase the road signs that are being replaced. Oh, really? Yep. So, there's a simple

So, I've lived on Clinton forever. My family's lived on Clinton forever. I can buy a Clinton sign. You can. Yes. It's first come, first serve as as availability allows. So, if someone is interested, I would encourage to fill out the pre-order form and submit that. And once the sign's available, the person will be contacted. So, I don't imagine they're all going to be taken down one day and all put up one day. It's going to be a slow process of uh when the DPW has time to to switch them out. Yes. Yep. It is a citywide program and you're right, it's going in phases. Got to be thousands of signs

there. I wish I had the number, but I don't. Um, but yes, there's a lot of signs, so it is going to take a lot of time. Thank you for pointing that out. So, as they're replaced, they will be available for residents to purchase at $10 a sign. Wow, pretty cool. I'll hold up the old one. So, you get the old one, you can put it in your garage or put it in your cabin up north, wherever you want it. And I think most of them are coming with that hardware on it, too. Hardware on top here. Yeah. Well, it's amazing to see the difference in the size. And boys can get a shot of that. They can pull back out a little bit. Yeah, there there's quite a difference in the size of the signs there. So,

yeah. And you can see them on the south side of town. It's we the the DPW started south and they're moving their way north. So, up until the south side of Clinton, they've been replaced. And this next phase will be from Clinton to I believe Vine. So you'll see them slowly merging up north. Oh, it probably takes a little while to take them down and put the new ones up. So, but these are beautiful and they're all uh reflective. So, that's great. And um last for years and years and years.

Yeah, they look really nice and we have a hardworking DPW team who's doing the install. So, you know, as you mentioned, as time allows, amongst all of their other, you know, responsibilities, we're getting these signs replaced. We had a chair open here for a fellow by the name of Bob Bee. We did, but he was probably up putting his sign up. So, we'll probably we'll we'll let him let him off this time, but next time we want him sitting there. I agree. And that's Sturdy. You are doing a busy busy job as the clerk of the city of St. Clair. Talk to me about elections.

Oh, yeah. Okay. We have two elections coming up this year. We'll have a primary in August and then our general election in November. Uh we will have early voting at both of those elections nine days prior to. So you can check the website for those dates and information on that. Um this year being an even year, we also have local elections. Oh, local. Okay. Yep. So our mayor and council member are two-year terms. So this is their election year. That term will start in January of 2027. Are there staggered terms or are they all up all the city council people? They are not staggered terms. So every two years mayor and all six council seats are up for election. Okay. So um that will happen um

in August. Well if there are a certain number of candidates then we will have the primary in August. Okay. So the rule is if you have at least one more than double the number of candidates. For instance we have one mayor. If we have three people running for mayor then there would be a primary in August. Okay. And for instance, for city council, we have two seats per ward, right? If you have five people running per ward, then that ward would have a primary. Yes. So the primary in August and then the general election in November. Okay. And they would take office in January. Yes. Okay. Yep. Did we miss anything?

Um there's a lot going on always in the city of St. Clair, but I think these are good topics for today. So thank you so much. And your website to check on all the stuff we discussed is is city of St. Clairmi.gov. mi.gov. Yes. Annette Sturdy. Thanks again for all your time.

And that's about it for this edition of the focus program. A special focus program for the city of Slair residents. Well, we invite everybody else to watch. Talk talk to you soon. Thanks for watching Focus with Paul Dingman. Focus is produced at the CTV Community Television Studios in St. Clair. For over 20 years, CTV has captured the moments that matter to our community. The preceding program was produced by CTV Community Television. CTV Community Television is supported by the cities of Marine City and St. Claire, East China Township, Carterville Township, and the East China School District.