The meeting begins with the following: APPOINTMENT OF JOSEPH SEMIFERO TO FILL SEAT VACATED BY JULIE KNIGHT (TERM ENDING NOVEMBER 2022) – RECOMMENDATION FROM THE MAYOR AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS IS INCLUDED IN THE PACKET

I want to know what you think about our current process for filling Council Member vacancies. Please consider completing the anonymous four-question survey available here: https://polco.us/szqd85.

Per Section 5.05 of our City Charter: (c) A vacancy in the office of Mayor or Council Member shall be filled in the following fashion: (1) City Council shall appoint a qualified, registered city elector within sixty (60) days from the date the vacancy was created. The appointment shall be for the balance of the term if within thirty (30) months of the expiration of the term. If the unexpired term exceeds thirty (30) months, the appointee shall hold office only until the first council meeting following the date of the next regular city election, at which election the office shall be filled for the remainder of the term. Notably, the Charter does not specify the procedure for filling such a vacancy. Rather, that procedure is outlined in the Council Rules, a document subject to Council revision.

Per our Council Rules: The appointment to fill the position of Mayor or Council Member shall proceed as below.

1. Officially vacate the Council Member position if required.

2. Provide adequate notification to the public regarding the open position through the city newsletter, a newspaper, the Internet, or any other means deemed appropriate.

3. The applicant will write a letter of intent or fill out an application in accordance with the advertised deadline, a copy of which will be provided to the Council in the Council packet.

4. At the next council meeting, the Mayor or Presiding Officer will announce all the applicants and provide copies of applications or letters of intent.

5. The Mayor or Presiding Officer makes a nomination from the applications received.

6. The nominee is then voted on.

7. If this nominee received four votes, he or she is then appointed and sworn into office.

8. In the event this nominee does not receive 4 votes, the process begins again at step 5.

**Notably, Council Rule 12 states that, “Council rules shall be reviewed and adopted within 60 days after the General Election and/or a change in the membership of the Council.” Although we have reviewed potential changes to the document, we have not yet adopted revised rules since the November 2020 election.

As always, there are two opportunities for non-arranged public participation: one near the beginning of the meeting and one near the end of the meeting.

Near the beginning of the meeting, we will hear from Tom Colis from Miller Canfield regarding the proposed resolution authorizing bonds for the purchase of 3515 Broad Street (proposed future location of City Offices). The draft resolution (see page 54 of the packet) identifies the following parameters for the bond: $2,500,000 bond issuance; one issuance series of tax-exempt bonds; 20 year payback period; and an option of refunding or early bond repayment starting in 2032.

Council will consider and discuss the following (with clarifying excerpts from the packet):

• 3515 Broad Street Potential Purchase (Due Diligence Updates) (Justin Breyer, Interim City Manager and City Clerk)
  • As City Council is aware, the City of Dexter entered into a purchase agreement to purchase property located at 3515 Broad Street for the location of City Offices. Per the purchase agreement and the bond issuance timeline, there are specific deadlines that the City must meet (a copy of the bond issuance timeline is attached to this memo). The most notable of these deadlines are:
    • End of 120 day due diligence period on June 24th
    • City Council adoption of the Bond Authorizing Resolution during the May 24, 2021 meeting
  • Staff has released the Request for Information for Use of Space for 3515 Broad St. to the public. Staff developed a form to assist with organizing the collection of information requested by Council. The RFI was shared via the website, E-Mail Update, and Facebook, and has a requested response date of Monday, May 17th. A copy of the RFI is attached.
• Proposal from OHM Advisors for Design and Construction Engineering for Dexter Crossing Road Work in an Amount not to Exceed $124,300 (Justin Breyer, Interim City Manager and City Clerk)
  • Per prior discussions, staff is proposing to move forward with the Dexter Crossing road work on Wellington, Bristol, and Kingsley. This would include resurfacing, as-needed aggregate base replacement, and curb/sidewalk repairs.
  • OHM has provided a proposed scope of services for project design and construction engineering activities for the Dexter Crossing road work and a Project Planning and Evaluation Form. Per the scope of services, the proposed cost of design and construction engineering would be $124,300.
• Settlement and Mutual Release Agreement with EGLE Regarding the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit (Justin Breyer, Interim City Manager and City Clerk)
  • Over the last 18 years, the City of Dexter, along with the City of Ann Arbor, City of Chelsea and Loch Alpine Sewer Authority have been engaged in a lawsuit with the State of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) over the communities’ National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and the associated phosphorous discharge levels from the communities’ wastewater treatment plants. EGLE’s goal is to lower the allowable levels of phosphorus that can be discharged into the Huron River Watershed by targeting wastewater treatment plants as “point sources.” EGLE argues that point source phosphorus discharge has led to an impairment of Ford and Belleville Lakes, which are a part of the Huron River Watershed.
  • The attorney working on behalf of the municipalities, Varnum, has reached a settlement agreement that is being proposed for adoption by each community’s boards/councils.
• Road Closure Permit for the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run (Justin Breyer, Interim City Manager and City Clerk)
  • A road closure permit request has been submitted by the Ann Arbor Track Club for the DexterAnn Arbor Run. The event is proposed to be held on August 15, 2021, starting at 8:30am at Creekside Intermediate School.
  • The race is proposed to travel: Baker Rd. at Creekside Intermediate School → Shield Rd. → Parker Rd. → Dexter-Chelsea Rd. → Main St. → Central St. → Huron River Dr. towards Ann Arbor
  • The event organizers have submitted a Covid Safety Plan containing additional information, including the number of participants, face mask requirements, mask and social distancing enforcement, sanitization, and other differences from previous years’ events. The City of Ann Arbor has approved the road closures within their jurisdiction. The event organizers have also applied for road closures in Scio Township.
• Park Use Permit Request for Yoga in the Park (Justin Breyer, Interim City Manager and City Clerk)
  • A park use permit request has been submitted by the Dexter Wellness Center for Yoga in the Park. This is an annual program held in Mill Creek Park South every Saturday from June through August. For Covid protocols, the program organizers have indicated that they will set-up rows for mats to ensure that participants are spaced at least 6’ apart.

Meeting Agenda: https://www.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2021/Agendas/2021-05-10-CC-A.pdf

Meeting Packet: https://www.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2021/Packets/2021-05-10-CC-P.pdf

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/95694820803

Dial In 877 853 5247 US Toll-free OR 888 788 0099 US Toll-free

Meeting ID: 956 9482 0803#

REMINDER: Video recordings of past Council meetings are now available on the City's website (in addition to the City's YouTube channel): https://www.dextermi.gov/government/cc.php. If there's a particular past discussion you're interested in watching, just let me know and I'll do my best to point you to the relevant excerpt.