City Council Minutes

Mayor Johnson called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 7:30 p.m. in the City of Northville Municipal Building Council Chambers, 215 West Main Street, Northville, Michigan.

Council Comments and Discussion: Discussion ensued and questions were raised pertaining to the parking credit request, parking lot and parking space use, and the total number of parking spaces versus the number of parking spaces available for the purchase of parking credits.

Comments supporting the sale of parking credits to 201 E. Main Street included:

• Through the 116 E. Dunlap property acquisition and future reconfiguration of public parking area in Parking Lot 3 (behind the Marquis Theatre), the City will realize a total net gain of 40 or more spaces.
• Should the property sale receive approval, the two parking spaces lost would be included in the number of parking credits purchased.
• The proposed addition is not for walk-up retail, but rather for staff to use as meeting and conference rooms and necessary storage.
• Choosing to not act on the proposal could force the business to relocate to another community.
• Comments noting that some Councilmembers were approached by merchants expressing concern that it now appears there are too many available parking spaces in Parking Lot 3 behind the Marquis Theatre.
• It was noted that frequent visits to the downtown has found empty parking spaces on most days, which would support the belief that the City is selling parking spaces that exist.

Comments opposing the sale of parking credits to 201 E. Main Street included:

• The need for the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to complete and provide the City Council with a comprehensive parking space analysis, which would indicate whether the City has parking spaces to sell.
• Concern that approving the parking credit purchase, without knowing if a sufficient number of parking spaces exist, would violate the ordinance as the ordinance does not provide the latitude to offer spaces that do not exist.
• Concern that businesses could be in jeopardy if the City is overextended on available parking spaces without a plan to address future parking expansion.
• The need for the City Council to have complete data available in order to make an informed decision. Without this information, future parking credit requests would not be supported.

It was noted that the City might be close to a parking resolution and up front funds would assist in funding any parking solutions. As such, it was suggested that Mr. Shaffner consider paying the special assessment in full. Mr. Shaffner responded that he was not aware payment in full was an option and would consider doing so to avoid paying the 6% interest that would be applied against the unpaid balance. However, the ability to pay the special assessment in full would be contingent upon receiving lender approval to roll the parking credit special assessment into the mortgage.

Further discussion pertained to concern with the proposed second story bay window that would project over city property. It was responded that, in the past, this type of projection has been allowed as long as it does not create an obstruction. Mr. Shaffner stated that it was possible that the building design might change to allow the bay window to extend down to the first story as well. This change would require Planning Commission and Historic District Commission approval as well as the purchase of an additional 18 square feet land to accommodate the design modification.

Discussion ensued pertaining to the proposed sale of city-owned property and the fact that the agenda only indicated the request to purchase parking credits and not a request to purchase city-owned property as well. It was the consensus of the City Council to defer action on the proposed sale of city-owned property adjacent to 201 E. Main Street and add this item to the August 29, 2005 special City Council meeting agenda.

1. Determine that the need for parking space credits at 201 E. Main Street meets the criteria for the sale of parking credits under established City policy.
2. Allow the sale of twenty-two (22) parking credits at an established price of $5,000 per parking space credit for a total of $110,000.
3. Authorize City staff to prepare and effectuate a special assessment agreement to allow the payment of parking space credits over a ten-year period with an interest rate of 6% to be applied against the unpaid balance.

City staff has located two programs through the State of Michigan that may warrant further evaluation by City staff. The two programs were described as:

1. "Certified Local Government" program: A program founded in 1980 to provide for federal-state-local partnership in preservation projects. Grant funds, through the State Historic Preservation Office, are available to Certified Local Governments (CLGs) to initiate and support historic preservation activities.
2. "Cool Cities" program: A program that is part of a statewide economic plan to retain and attract jobs and people. The grant applications are reviewed by a State of Michigan multi-agency team looking for projects that demonstrate close partnerships with existing community organizations and the private sector.

The State compiled a "Toolbox," which is a document listing the grant programs that a local government could apply for alone, or in conjunction with a nonprofit organization or private sector entity. After reviewing the criteria for these grant programs, City staff believes the City of Northville appears to meet the program objectives. As financial resources become scarcer, investing time in pursuing grant or loan opportunities is now a higher priority. Further, it was found that the programs have positively impacted other communities and could be beneficial to Northville as well.

In order to pursue possible funding sources, it is necessary to begin the process to get on the list of eligible local governments. A budget of $3,500 was developed to cover the cost of a qualified intern or temporary part-time staff person, along with some training expenses, to start this process. The project would also include the development of a communication tool for other City Departments, Commissions, and related nonprofit organizations so they are aware of these programs. Adequate awareness and a project outline will equip departments and commissions with the tools needed to submit their own project applications.

Council Comments and Discussion: It was noted that certain grants might require matching funds and, typically, grant applications are more attractive when matching funds are available.

On August 9, 2005, the City received the following bids to purchase a 2006 Ford F-350 pick up truck equipped with a special service body. The new truck will replace the City’s water van.

Bill Brown Ford, Inc. $28,871.00
Blackwell Ford, Inc. $29,681.30

The low bid submitted by Bill Brown Ford meets the bid specifications and City staff recommended accepting the low bid. Funding for this purchase is included in the FY2005-2006 Equipment Fund Budget and the purchase price is within the budgeted amount.

On August 9, 2005, the City received the following bids for the purchase of a new zero-radius mower:

Mark’s Outdoor Power Equipment  $6,930 Bob Cat (Base Bid)
                                                   $7,085 Toro (Alternate Bid)

Thesier Equipment Company         $7,500 John Deere (Alternate Bid)

City staff reviewed the bids and submitted equipment literature and found that Mark’s Outdoor Power Equipment submitted the lowest qualified bid. The Bob Cat mower is identical to the two units currently owned and operated by the City. Funding for this purchase is included in the FY2005-2006 budget and is within the budgeted amount.

For several years, the City of Northville has utilized the services of the same collection agency for unpaid parking tickets. This has proven to be an effective means of collection and the service used consists of two phases:

Phase 1 – A series of collection letters that begins after the first collection letter from the City.

Phase 2 – Phone contact to encourage payment. To date, this option has not been utilized.

There have been some key personnel changes at the current vendor whose contract expired earlier this year. The personnel that the City worked with formed a new company, American Profit Recovery (APR) and APR contacted the City with a request to consider their service. The advantages of APR include improvements in the operational process, greater flexibility of the collection software for tracking and reporting purposes, and lower cost per item ($10.25 vs. the current rate of $10.99). APR is licensed with the State of Michigan, their service was verified with a local firm that utilizes APR’s assistance, and the proposed contract is consistent with the terms of the existing vendor.

Ayers stated that Interim Youth Assistance Director Susan Campbell had been appointed as the Northville Youth Assistance Director. Brief discussion ensued regarding recent programming implementation and the mentoring process.

Swigart questioned the reason for the August 29^th special City Council meeting and encouraged the City Council to delay acting on recommendations in the Gibbs Report until Beckett and Raider had completed their role in the strategic planning process. Brief discussion ensued pertaining to the benefit of reviewing the Gibbs Report recommendations to determine those recommendations that might be accomplished now and those that should be delayed until the completion of the strategic planning project.

Mittman spoke of his years living in Northville and of his service to the community as a member of the City Council and as well as a member of other boards and commissions. Mittman stated that two excellent candidates, Michele Fecht and James Allen, had expressed an interest in serving the community as councilmembers. He believed it was time to have a new generation serve and, at the present time, should both members file petitions, he would not seek re-election.

Johnson stated his intent to seek another term as Mayor.

Word stated that he would be out of the office during the week of August 22^nd.

There being no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Dianne Massa
City Clerk