Council approved the new City Manager contract, engineering contracts for upcoming infrastructure projects, and temporary HR help. We also discussed special event procedures and boards and commissions.
- City Manager Contract
- Bacon Road Reconstruction
- Lead Service Line Identification Grant
- Temporary HR Assistance
- Policy and Procedures Discussions
- Halloween Decoration and Treat Map
- More Info
- Kitten Update
- Upcoming Events
- Other News Resources
City Manager Contract
Council approved a contract with Crystal VanVleck to be our new City Manager.
She will begin work on December 2, 2024 but has already hit the ground running. Once she was appointed, she began having regular meetings with our Interim City Manager. The Interim has also included her in all major decisions.
Bacon Road Reconstruction
A contract with HRC was approved to begin survey and design work for reconstructing Bacon Road.
- The water main, road, and lead service lines will be replaced on Bacon from 11 to 12 mile.
- The project is estimated to cost $6.7 million.
- The project will begin in the spring of 2026.
- Sewer lines will be inspected. If you are notified that yours needs repairs, you will save thousands of dollars doing it before the project begins. This is because you will not need to repair the road since the road is going to be rebuilt anyway.
The factors used to choose roads for these projects are: road condition, water main condition, and number of lead service lines.
Lead Service Line Identification Grant
The city was awarded a $570,900 grant to help identify lead service lines in the city.
We estimate that 85% of homes in the city either are known to have lead lines or may have them and need to be checked.
The grant will be used to create a portal where people can self-report the condition of their lines.
The state requires us to have all of our lead lines removed over the next 17 years. However, the EPA just issued rules requiring lead to be removed nationwide over the next 13 years.
We have already raised our water rates significantly to cover this unfunded mandate. But with the new federal rules, we don't think we can meet the shorter deadline without significant federal funding.
Temporary HR Assistance
We expect to hire an HR director early in 2025. Meanwhile, the city is in immediate need of help with HR.
Council approved a contract with our current HR consultants, Gallagher. They are already familiar with Berkley and our benefits so they'll be able to start being productive immediately.
Policy and Procedures Discussions
Community Events
Before the regular meeting, Council held a work session to discuss our policies around Community Events.
We are looking to determine the best pricing structure that allows the City to recover more of its costs. However, we still want to make running an event in the city affordable.
We are also looking to streamline the application process for staff.
The discussion on this will continue.
Boards and Commissions
At the end of the meeting, we discussed Council's relationship to our volunteer boards and commissions.
There was recognition that our boards are underutilized and Council needs to delegate more to them.
We also discussed that we need to improve our appointment process and how to handle board members who aren't participating.
Council formed an ad hoc committee to continue to study the issue with staff. Patterson, Baker, and Gavin were appointed to that committee.
Halloween Decoration and Treat Map
My annual Halloween Decoration and Treat Map is now live.
Use the "Add New" link in the top right to add your home or business.
New this year is the ability to upload photos of your decorations!
More Info
The meeting packet.
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Kitten Update
Nicolette and Cosette helping make the bed
Upcoming Events
- City Council meeting on November 18.
- Planning Commission meeting on November 26.
- Zoning Board of Appeals will not hold a November meeting.
- More events are on the City Calendar.
Other News Resources
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- I'm active on Nextdoor and the Berkley Residents Forum on Facebook.
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