City Council - Regular Meeting

Turn on your mics. We are live. Ready to go. This meeting of the Oak Park City Council is called to order. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

clerk Norris would you call the roll mayor McClellan here mayor Pro Tem Edgar here councilmember Radnor here councilmember Crawford here we have a quorum

A motion to approve the agenda. So moved. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carried. The consent agenda. These are routine items presented for approval without discussion. Any member can ask for an item to be dropped from the blanket. Motion and considered separately. A, regular city council meeting minutes for May 18th. B, appointment of a representative and alternate to SACRA board. C, request authorization to bid the 45th District Court renovation project. D, payment of invoices from OHM advisors for engineering services in the amount of $1,456.50. approval of a cost participation agreement with the road commission of oakland county for the greenfield road project lincoln to 12 mile in the amount of forty five thousand eight hundred eighty nine dollars f approval of pay application number four for the two thousand two 25 Sewer and Catch Basin Cleaning and TV Inspection Project, M783, to Taplin Group, LLC, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the amount of 86,000, $1.50. G, request to advertise for bids for the 2026 Sewer and Catch Basin Cleaning and Television Inspection Project, M802. H, request to advertise for bids for the 2026 Catch Basin Line Replacement Project, M-792. I, approval of pay application number two for the Multiple Campus Buildings Demolition Project, M-796, to Mirzwa Construction Company of Pontiac, Michigan, in the amount of $79,875. J, Payment of invoice from Desiree Kelly Art for the mural included in the 11-mile road alleys and parking lot reconfiguration project in the amount of $31,000. K, request to approve payment application number one for the 2026 Event Hub Access Control and Camera Project to Interstate Security of Shelby Township, Michigan in the amount of $34,750. L, approval of payment number three to McCarthy and Smith Incorporated for construction services for Tyler Park in the amount of $13,312. M, payment request from John Stilson of Media Storage Group for audio-visual installation services on the Event Hub project for the total amount of $118,465. there a motion to approve the consent agenda all those let's see all those in favor please say aye aye any opposed motion carried I don't see visited visiting elected officials but we do have a special recognition presentation a proclamation declaring June 5th, 2026, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Oak Park, Michigan. And some of us are wearing orange, and two in the audience are really wearing orange in honor of this day. I will read the proclamation. It declares the first Friday in June National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Oak Park to honor and remember all victims and survivors of gun violence and to declare that we as a country must do more to end this public health crisis. Whereas every day nearly 130 people in the United States are killed by gun violence, more than 200 are shot and wounded with an average of more than 19,000 gun homicides every year. And whereas Americans are 26 more times likely to die by gun homicide than people in other high-income countries. That's astounding. Whereas Michigan has 1,423 gun deaths a year with a rate of 14.2 deaths per 100,000 people, a crisis that cost the state $16.8 billion each year, of which 380.5 million is played by taxpayers. Michigan has the 28th highest rate of gun deaths in the U.S., and whereas gun homicides and assaults are concentrated in cities with more than half of all firearm-related gun deaths in the nation occurring in 42 cities, and whereas cities across the nation, including Oak Park, are working to end the senseless violence with evidence-based solutions. And whereas protecting public safety in the communities they serve is mayor's highest responsibility, and whereas support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from people with dangerous histories, And whereas mayors, council members, and law enforcement officers know their communities best, are most familiar with local criminal activity and how to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep their citizens safe. And whereas gun violence prevention is more important than ever, as we see gun violence continue to impact communities across the nation, And whereas in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton was tragically shot and killed at age 15, and on June 5th, 2026, to recognize the 29th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton, born June 2nd, 1997, People across the United States will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day and wear Aunt Orange in tribute to her and other victims of gun violence and the loved ones and friends of those victims. Whereas the idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya's friends who asked their classmates to commemorate her life by wearing orange. They chose this color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods. And orange is a color that symbolizes the value of human life. And whereas anyone can join this campaign by pledging to wear orange on June 6th, the first Friday in June 2025, to raise awareness about gun violence. And whereas by wearing orange, Americans will raise awareness about gun violence and honor the victims and survivors. Whereas we renew our commitment and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have access. Encourage responsible gun ownership to help our families and keep our families and communities safe. Now, therefore, be it resolved. City of City Council of the City of Oak Park, Michigan proclaims today, June 5th, 2026. Nope. Coming up June 5th to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day and encourages all citizens to support their local communities efforts. I, Edwin Norris, authorized clerk, certify the above resolution is a true and correct copy of a resolution adopted by the City of Oak Park Council at a regular meeting held June 1st, 2026. Would you like to come up and? We do a photo op here. I think they want to say Oh, say a few words. Yes. Mm hmm. Surely. You have to press the little button, make the green light go on. There you go.

Good evening, everyone.

Good evening.

Okay. Thank good evening. And thank you very much for having us tonight. My name is Diana Darland.

And I'm here with Jeb Bettis.

And he's handing out some wear orange ribbons, I believe. Jeb and I are mayors of moms demand action for gun sense in America, the South Oakland County chapter. We'd like to thank the Oak Park Mayor, Mayor McClelland, and all the council members for proclaiming Friday, June 5th, National Gun Violence Awareness Wear Orange Day in the good city of Oak Park. In doing so, you have demonstrated a shared commitment with us to commemorate and honor the lives of gun violence victims, to acknowledge and support survivors, and to demand that we as a society do everything within our power to end this senseless and uniquely American public health crisis. It bears repeating that Americans are 26 times more likely to die by gun homicide than people in other high-income countries, and tragically, gun violence has become the number one leading cause of death for children, teens, and college-aged youth. Behind every gun violence statistic is a person whose life was ended or damaged by gun violence. Someone's parent, someone's child, someone's sibling, best friend. It is also important to support gun violence survivors, the ones whose lives have been forever damaged because they were at the scene of a gun violence threat or event, or they lost someone who was dear to them. They are the family, the friends, the teachers, the coworkers. Members of Moms Demand Action South Oakland work hard to combat gun violence through advocacy at the local and state level, involvement in community-based violence prevention initiatives and groups, and public education about gun violence, gun safety, and secure storage measures. One program that we advocate is called Be Smart for Kids. It's a framework for parents, caretakers, and community leaders to keep our children safe through secure storage measures and open communication about guns in homes and gun safety. Please let us know if you would like for us to make presentations about Be Smart or set up displays in public areas such as your city hall foyer or your public library. Thank you for making firearm safety a priority. And please don't forget to wear orange on June 5th to raise awareness about gun violence and to honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

OK. Item 8. Sorry. Oh, would you like a picture? Yes. Let's see. Do we have Benny?

And you know, you'll help us. Yeah, that'd be good. All right, here we go. Smile.

Thanks again.

Thank you. Thank you.

We have four special licenses we will take one at a time item 8a is a request for special license submitted by Laura Schultz for the Kingston Street Black Party to be held July 26th from 2 to 6 is there a motion to approve Second. Okay. These are not charged fee for nonprofits. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carried. B, request for special event license submitted by Jog and Pony Show Brewing, 14661 West 11 Mile Road for the Camp Casey Give Back event to be held on June 7th, the last day of their five-year anniversary celebration. event from noon to five. Is there a motion? Second. Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? They did pay a fee because this is a non-profit. 8C, request for special events license and waiver of application fee submitted by the Oak Park Corridor Improvement Authority for Oak Park Cruise and Groove to be held in the 11-mile Water Tower Social District August 13th from 6 to 9. Is there a motion to approve the request?

So moved.

Yes. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. I assume there's no discussion. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carried. Last but not least, request for special event license and waiver of fee submitted by the Oak Park Corridor Improvement Authority for a PAR-T at the Water Tower District to be held in the 11 Mile Water Tower Social District Thursday, July 9th from 3 to 8. Is there a motion to approve? Thank you. Thank you all those in favor aye any opposed great down to 9a Second reading and adoption of proposed text amendments to the City of Oak Park zoning ordinance in the following sections article 3 division 1 general provisions to add regulations regarding electric vehicles EV charging stations and article 4 division 4 signs it's their motion to approve the second reading I Thank you. Discussion questions. This was brought up last meeting. Roll call, please.

Council Member Crawford. Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Edgar.

Yes.

Mayor McClellan. Yes. Council Member Radner. Yes.

Motion carried. Thank you. City Attorney, is there anything on Freedom of Information Act's appeals? No, we do not have any appeals this evening. Thank you. City Manager, Eric Tungate.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, members of Council. 11A1, I am going to call our Deputy Finance Director Extraordinaire, Josh Johnson, to the podium. Please, Josh.

Johnson. JJ. That's me.

JJ.

Hello, everybody. Thanks, City Manager Tongate.

Good evening, Mayor, Council Members.

Today I have a resolution to establish the special assessment district 730 for the 11 mile parking lot reconstruction The deputy treasurer is submitting a list of 14 properties bordering the reconstruction of the parking lot Located on 11 mile is requesting that the city assessor be authorized and directed to prepare the special assessment roll 730 total cost of said reconstruction is $2,300,502 minus the CIA contribution, which is $961,337.30, minus the grants, which is totaling $100,000, Minus a hundred thousand from the city of Oak Park general fund and minus the requested County ARPA funds which totals eight hundred and fifty eight thousand one hundred and sixty four dollars and seventy cents which leaves two hundred eighty one thousand to be spilled to other parcels for the eleven mile parking So, we recommend action is to adopt the attached resolution establishing the special assessment district, 730.

Okay. First, a motion to establish the district.

So moved. Second.

Thank you. Thank you. Then questions or discussion? $281,000 divided by how many properties?

I think it's 14. 14? Yeah.

And that's how much per property?

A good pair. Yeah, it depends on the parcel number.

Yeah. And do they have time to pay it? Can they?

Yeah. Yeah.

These are the 14 businesses. These are businesses primarily.

Yeah.

And do they, has this been discussed with them? Oh, yeah. Yeah.

This isn't just, you know. Yeah.

So they know this is coming. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And they are, I'm sure, pleased with the way.

Who knows?

Surprisingly, some of them are because they want the improvements. I did want to mention something, too. The.

the parcels are not all built exactly the same amount so they're they're built based on the size right right it's like lakefront property yeah um any questions or discussion roll call please uh mayor pro tem edgar yes mayor mcclellan yes council member radnor council member crawford Yes, motion carried unanimously. Item 11A2.

Yes, this is the resolution setting the date and the time of the public hearing to establish the special assessment, 7-30. The City Council received a list of the 14 properties that border the 11-mile parking lot prepared by the Deputy Treasurer and the Finance Director and establishing Special Assessment District 730. The City is required to hold a public hearing and provide notice of the hearing via newspaper. This will be held next Council meeting at 7 o'clock in the Council Chambers. so the recommended action here is to adopt the resolution setting the date and time for the public hearing for the special assessment district thank you okay do we have a motion in a second thank you discussion um roll call please mayor mcclellan yes council member radnor council member crawford yes mayor pro tem edgar yes

Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

Thank you, Josh. Okay, 11B1, we have our esteemed colleague, our Municipal Services Director, double extraordinaire, Economic Development Planning, Kimberly Maroney. Kim, 11B1, please.

Good evening, Mayor, Mayor Potem, and City Council members. Item 11B1 is the approval of pay application number three and change order number one to DVM Utilities for the 2026 Sewer Lining Project M791 in the amounts of $54,133.85 and negative $1,323.50, respectively. the project is a hundred percent complete the change order is for a sewer repair prior to the lining and then for balancing out the contract items so it did come in under budget okay we need a motion to approve the pay application second okay discussion or questions

So there were repairs that had to be made before they could line. In one area. They're lining it with some plastic that is turned into permanent. Can you just give us a couple sentences about that?

So the sewer lining projects helps prolong the life of the sewers. And you're correct, Mayor, that we do a lining in them in order to make that effective.

And it's some kind of plastic that is then heated. I'm not sure what the exact material is.

Right. Any discussion or questions?

Roll call, please.

Council Member Radner. Yes. Council Member Crawford. Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Edgar. Yes. Mayor McClellan. Yes.

Motion carried. Thank you.

Okay. Kim, 11B2, please.

Yes, this is approval pay application number 6 and change or number 3 to Warren contractors. This is for the 11 mile parking lot and alleyway improvement project and 694 in the amount of $280,000 779. Like $280,779.09 and the change order is $66,598.14. The parking lot is 100% complete. We will be just finishing up the landscaping on that, which was a separate project. And the change order was for the addition of the string light poles and the balancing of all the contract items. And does that include the lights?

I couldn't hear you that include the lights?

Yes. Yes. Haha. Love those ones. All right. Sarah motion to approve. Thank you. Discussion or questions?

Madam Mayor, do you have a question?

Yes, Mayor Pro Tem, Julie Edgar. Just two quick questions. Sure.

So the alleyways on 11 Mile, where are those, and how do we distinguish them from the parking lot?

Yeah, so it's all one project. The alleyways is the area directly behind the businesses that the vehicular traffic is going through, and then the parking lot is immediately south of that.

Okay, and then the Special Assessment District that's proposed, this is for the parking lot reconstruction. Tell us the difference between that and this.

It's the same project.

Okay, so that $280,000 is the...

Special assessment what we're proposing the 281 thousand is a special assessment district. You want me to describe what it's for? So we've had numerous conversations with the business owners for the past four years in regards to this project and we kept their Amount to be two hundred and eighty one thousand dollars, which was divided among the fourteen businesses Based on their linear frontage and that's how the billing is done for the special assessment district I believe two of the businesses paid up front so they are not included in the special assessment district and the other ones Because City Council voted to approve it are allowed to enter into a 10-year repayment program at 2% interest And it come if they were exactly the same size it would be about $20,000 each I'd have to look back at the numbers there, I'm sorry. All right, any other questions?

Thank you, roll call please.

Council Member Crawford? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Edgar? Yes. Mayor McClellan? Yes. Council Member Radner?

Yes.

Motion carried, thank you.

Next is approval of pay application number one and change order two to eminent contracting. This is for the Capitol Avenue Rehabilitation Project M-786 in the amounts of $365,585.22 and $5,000 respectively. This project is approximately 35 percent complete, and the change order is for unforeseen subgrade undercuts in some patches. So this is restoring Capitol Avenue. It's not a full reconstruct. So in this instance, the change order is due to them having to go deeper down to make the repairs before they do the overlay.

Okay. Do we have a motion, please? Questions or comments Roll call, please Mayor Pro Tem Edgar.

Yes mayor McClellan. Yes councilmember Radnor councilmember Crawford.

Yes motion carry Okay, and finally 11 before him

Last, approval of change order number two and budget amendment for the 2025-2026 Miscellaneous Concrete Project M782 to Mattioli Cement Company in the amount of $186,243.18. This will allow us to redo the off-street parking on the Coolidge lots, the three that are north of 10 Mile Road.

Okay. Is there a motion?

So moved. Second.

Thank you. What is the location of this one more time?

It's the three parking lots that are off of Coolidge, north of 10 Mile. So there's two just north of Lincoln, and then there's one south of Lincoln. So that's in front of Lincoln Drugs? Correct. Ah, glory be.

Yes.

They're falling apart.

Really falling apart. That was a mess, and I'm very happy to hear that they're going to redo it. Aren't they going to redo it with some landscaping?

Landscaping will be a separate part of the project. We are awaiting cost estimates for that to add it to our current landscaping project. That'll come to you later.

This is long overdue. Yes. Do we have a motion? Roll call, please.

Mayor McClellan. Yes. Council Member Radner. Yes. Council Member Crawford. Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Edgar.

Yes. Motion carries. Can I vote twice? Kidding. It was near my house and it's a mess.

Okay. 11C1.

Deputy city manager the cluster place to be mayor city council city manager tongue gate before tonight is a one-year contract with Lamar services LLC. This is an essentially a one-year extension to his current contract. This contract includes services to assist the city with public works and community related projects. as assigned by city management under the direction of the city manager. The agreement will be effective through May 31st, 2027. It is recommended that the city council approve this professional services contract with Lamar Services LLC, subject to final approval by the city attorney. It is further recommended to allow the city manager to sign the contract on behalf of the city. This project is funded in the major streets, local streets, water, sewer, and solid waste accounts. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

okay um first we need a motion to approve second second then any questions um mr lamar worked with us and we were delighted with him and he is a contractor now correct and we've used him last year correct and are more than thrilled more than thrilled okay um uh we have a motion in a second Yep. Any discussion? Roll call, please.

Council Member Radner. Yes. Council Member Crawford. Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Edgar.

Yes.

And Mayor McClellan.

Yes. Motion carried. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay. And I think we have a graphic, if I'm not mistaken, for 11D, State of the City Update their staring blankly. There we go. OK. I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that on June 30, which will be Tuesday evening, June 30, beginning at 5.30 PM, we are going to be hosting our first ever Event Hub reception, followed by our formal program, which will be our State of the City address at 6.30. And then we're going to be hosting the first ever summer concert Kimmy Horn will be performing at our new amphitheater. You probably have noticed, council members and members of the public, the event hub is really coming together nicely. We are reaching the final stage of this project, and I cannot wait to show it off to the residents. Not to mention, we'll be having some pretty big announcements, I think, at this event. The mayor and I will be talking about some of the future projects for the city, along with a bunch of other things. So, hope to see all of you there. It's probably going to be hot, so dress accordingly. And with that, that completes the City of Manchester report for this evening. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Keep bringing us good news.

um call to the audience did you want sure okay this is the call to the audience portion of the meeting each speaker's remarks are a matter of public record the speaker is responsible for his or her comments and the city of oak park does not by permitting such remarks support endorse or accept the content as being true or accurate Any person, while being heard at a city council meeting, may be called to order by the chair or any council member for failure to be germane to the business of the city, for using vulgarity or personal attacks on people or institutions. And there is a three-minute time limit per speaker. Anybody?

Nicole Cate?

Hi, my name is Nicole Kate and I've been living here for 20, 25 years. I live on 24210 Oneida Street and I came here to see if there was some help that can be given to me for a repair of a roof. I recently lost my job last week And I need to get repair done before I start to get tickets. So I came here to see if there was any funding or some type of, you know, something out there that I can get for help.

Please see Director Kim Maroney. Okay. Thank you. Thank you and good luck.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Candace Calloway.

Good evening, Council, Mayor Pro Temp, City Manager. My name is Candace Calloway. This weekend I was out with family and friends meeting neighbors, walking the neighborhood, and we had the opportunity to do the sneak preview of the farmers market over at the community center. There were tons of products and vendors and small businesses, and it was really exciting to see how the community came out to support one another. When the pandemic started, I actually went back to school and got licensed as a massage therapist because I wanted to make sure that I had opportunities to start my own business. And I actually got my start doing massages at farmers markets. So it was really good to see the cooking demos and the plants and all the ways that folks were interacting with one another. way more money than I should have, but all for a good cause. So I just want to say thank you to Oak Park for the way you all continue to commit to and uplift the small businesses in your community. It makes a difference to provide that platform for folks like me who want to start a small business and make sure they have ways to take care of their family and friends. So thank you also to the market manager as well for putting that on. I'm looking forward to a summer full of products and interaction and being at the community center here in Oak Park.

Thank you for coming.

Of course, you.

Can Sherman.

good evening Ken Sherman 23840 Jerome Street no Park two things one last week DTE came by and dropped off one of those light poles that now sits across three of my neighbors front lawns so my question is can the city somehow determine when DTE plans to take down the old light pole and put up the new light pole like I said it's been there since early last week just Stretched across three of my neighbors lawns on Jerome right off of Oak Park Boulevard Thank you. My second point is regarding the Lamar LLC Consulting or you know contract now I have nothing against Scott He was our representative before he retired on the recycling Commission. So I think very highly of him but I noticed in the agenda packet that the contract was not put out for bids which is the usual procedure with the city when they award somebody a contract that it's put out for bids and there is nothing in the agenda packet that said this contract was put out for bids and i wonder why to me although it may not be there's the appearance of nepotism awarding a contract without putting it out for bids to a recently retired opark dpw employee thank you

Thank you. That's it. Anyone else? Nope. Benny, you've got my picture? I, too, went to the farmer's market. And one of the remarkable people who was there is Paula Morks. And we started chatting. And she is from California, came from California to Michigan. I said, what induced you to come from California to Michigan when a lot of people are going the other way? She said it was a guy, tall, dark, and handsome. Explain no more.

It always is.

So, she is a doll, and she is selling soap and other products, and she is just one of the many wonderful vendors at Oak Park Farmer's Market. So, come on down, and let's support our neighbors. Thank you. Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you all for coming tonight. We have the Fun Fest coming up on Saturday. The event is going to run from 1 to 4. It's a 9-mile between Scotia and Highland. There will be lots of things going on. Crafts, a puppet show, sidewalk sales. It's a really fun event. The Corridor Improvement Authority is one of our boards that will have... A table, they'll be passing out maps and so forth, and they're looking for volunteers. So, if there's anybody out there who would like to give a couple hours for a very fun event, please call Michelle at 248-691-2350. And that's the Fun Fest. And secondly, I'd like to thank our guest tonight from Moms Demand Action. I'm with you. It's an ongoing fight and we will prevail one day if we elect the right people. Thank you for coming out.

Thank you. Councilman Radner.

Thank you all for coming out and have a great evening.

Councilmember Stephanie Crawford. and a final reminder uh june 19th is coming up and we'll be having our juneteenth celebration and we have packed a day that is going to just be fun filled and something for everyone it's going to start in the morning again that's on june 19th we're going to have the walk which is at oak park high school you can come and register at seven the walk will be at eight o'clock We're gonna have a mobile health unit, line dancing, we're gonna have hustle, walking around the track, and then we have our Juneteenth program from four to six, and that's at Oak Park High School in the auditorium. We're gonna have speakers, we're gonna have dancers, we're gonna have music, we're gonna have a dynamic program. And then this year, something new, we're partnering with our public safety and we are gonna have a community block party. And that's going to be from six to eight. It's on the grassy knoll right next to the community center. And we'll have a DJ, we're gonna have vendors, we're gonna have music, something for the kids, something for young and old. We would like the entire community to come out. This year, our theme is where freedom lives, community grows. and we know Oak Park, greatest city there is on earth, and we are free from hatred, we're free from discrimination, we advocate free from any of those negativities. Our community grows because of it, and we would love to have everyone come on out and celebrate. Again, that's June 19th for the Juneteenth celebration. Thank you, and good night, everyone. Be safe and be kind to one another.

Amen. There being no further business to come before the council, this meeting is adjourned.