City Council Update, September 16, 2024

Topics discussed include firearm retailers, the future of Berkley Days, bag tags and brush pickup, finance updates, short term rentals, a new park on Coolidge, City Manager finalists, and the Michigan Municipal League.

Firearm Retailers

A firearm retailer was planning to open a store on Coolidge near the high school.

They have since pulled their business application, but this opened the conversation on if this is an appropriate location for this kind of use.

Due to State and Federal law, Berkley must allow firearm retailers somewhere in the city. However, we can put some reasonable regulations.

Staff have recommended an ordinance that allows them only on Woodward and the retail sections of 11 Mile, 1,000 feet from schools and from each other.

I further asked that we fast-track the process, but unfortunately even moving fast for an item like this will still take 2-3 months.

Future of Berkley Days

Berkley Days is being re-imagined but, at least for now, will no longer have a carnival.

Berkley is not alone in seeing the trend of fights at carnivals. The sad reality is neither the city nor the Berkley Days Committee have the resources to ensure a safe event in this climate.

Staff were instructed to prepare an ordinance prohibiting carnivals in Berkley. We discussed that "carnival" will need to be narrowly defined so we do not impact other festivals. I also asked that we revisit this from time to time to see if we believe it is safe to hold carnivals again.

Meanwhile, we were told that the Berkley Days Committee is working on many new and exciting ideas for the future.

Bag Tags and Brush Pickup

The need for yard waste bag tags will end October 1, 2024 and will not be needed next season.

Brush pickup will resume on a bi-weekly basis in April 2025—no need to schedule a pickup.

For the safety of our crews, only branches 2 inches in diameter and 4 feet or longer can be picked up. Smaller branches must be bagged.

Bag tags were implemented to keep the solid waste fund solvent. Estimates were made conservatively, but revenues were significantly higher than expected. Re-evaluating the program this year, we believe we can offer these services again. It will be paid through the solid waste fee on your water bill, which will need to go up each year to pass along the increase in costs from our vendors.

Finance and Budget Updates

Council received the quarterly budget amendment report and approved routine budget amendments.

The June 30 quarterly report comes out later than other quarterly reports because that date marks the end of the fiscal year and it is a more complex process to close out the books.

All general fund accounts were under budget.

While the budget surplus appears to be well over one million dollars, in actuality it is only about $300,000.

First, much of the surplus is already committed to pay for projects that have started, but we haven't been billed for yet. Further, we budget assuming all staff positions are filled, but currently there are some vacancies which leaves some extra money.

The water, local roads, and major road funds went over budget. This is largely due to the costs of the state-mandated lead line replacements. Particularly for the road funds, the purpose is to invest that money into our infrastructure, not let it sit in a bank account.

There is a law that we cannot go over budget on our general fund, but that law does not apply to the water and road funds. This gives us the flexibility to meet our infrastructure needs.

The $1.6 million "loan" to the water fund was first explained months ago but was explained again to try and eliminate the confusion surrounding it. This is an extremely common accounting practice in some circumstances for cash-flow-based accounts like the water fund. The previous finance team could have done it better, but they did nothing wrong.

The State Department of Treasury found that our auditor forgot a footnote about this, but they have since clarified this is a very common mistake auditors make. Besides this, Treasury sees nothing wrong with our finances. There is no money missing and we do not need any corrective action plans.

Short Term Rentals

Berkley already has a number of Airbnb locations, more formally known as "Short Term Rentals."

Until recently, they haven't been problems. However, one rental that is repeatedly being used as a party house has led us to re-evaluate our ordinance.

The first reading of an ordinance update was passed that has additional regulations for Short Term Rentals.

Council asked that the second reading come back with some changes, most notably finding a way to hold the property owner accountable if a series of renters cause neighborhood disruptions.

Dorothea Pocket Park

Council allowed the closure of Dorothea at Coolidge for the creation of a prototype pocket park. We have received grant money to help plan the space and want to activate it now to see what works there. We will then be able to leverage the planning documents to get a larger implementation grant. The DDA is funding this effort.

City Manager Finalists

On October 1 from 4-5pm there will be an open house for the community to meet the four finalists for the City Manager position.

The finalists are:

M. Jon Dean – Chief of Human Resources, Veterinary United
Mohamed “Moe” Ayoub – Planning Director, City of Westland, MI
Khalfani Stephens – Deputy Mayor, City of Pontiac, MI
Crystal VanVleck – Deputy City Manager of Community Services, City of Oak Park, MI

Council will then interview the candidates at 6pm in Council Chambers and likely make their decision the following week.

You can read more from the city's press release.

Michigan Municipal League Recognitions

The Michigan Municipal League (MML) is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by providing training and services for them and lobbying on their behalf. They have been a very valuable resource and partner for the City.

Last week all of Council was able to attend their annual convention.

There, Mayor Dean was elected to the board of the MML's Michigan Association of Mayors. They help promote cooperation between communities and advocate for local interests at the state and federal levels.

I have been a member of the league's Elected Officials Academy for five years. We work to help provide educational opportunities for elected officials state-wide so they can better serve their communities. My peers elected me as President of the academy.

Finally, I was elected to the MML's Board of Trustees. It's been a great honor to be recognized for contributions I have been able to make at the state level. While my role there will be to advocate for all communities state-wide, I'm also looking forward to bringing the things I learn back to Berkley to help us to continue to improve.