Hello!

…and thanks for your interest in the City of Dexter and its City Council. Since my election to office in November 2020, I have distributed annotated meeting agendas (see below) prior to each Council meeting. These newsletters are my personal effort to make it as quick and easy as possible for interested parties to know what Council will be discussing and considering at each meeting. For the most part, descriptions of agenda items come straight from the meeting packet. Following each meeting (and when video links are available), I share links to the video recordings of the discussion of each agenda item. Past meeting agendas, packets, minutes, and video links (when available) can be found here: https://dextermi.gov/government/cc.php.

Hearing from residents is one of my favorite parts of being on Council! If you have questions, comments, or concerns about upcoming Council business or any other Council or City topic, please feel free to email me at my official City email: jgriffin@dextermi.gov. If you would rather share your thoughts anonymously, please respond here: https://polco.us/n/res/vote/councilwoman-jamie-griffin/i-value-your-input.

Sincerely,

Jamie

Dexter City Council Meeting

Monday, May 23, 2022 @ 7 p.m.

3515 Broad Street, Dexter, MI 48130 and via Zoom

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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88998076169

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

Meeting ID: 889 9807 6169#

Meeting Agenda: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2022/Agendas/2022-05-23-CC-A.pdf

Meeting Packet: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2022/Packets/2022-05-23-CC-P.pdf

2022-2027 Capital Improvements Plan: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2022/Packets/2022-05-23-CIP.approved_PC.pdf

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. See the agenda for details.

During pre-arranged participation, Council will hear from Wylie Elementary Students about their efforts to clean up around their school and along Mill Creek.

Council will review (1) minutes of its most recent meeting and work sessions and (2) the upcoming meeting list. We will also hear various updates from staff, including the City Manager and the Mayor (note that corresponding written reports are included in the meeting packet).

Following the presentation and any discussion of these reports, Council will consider the following items as part of the Consent Agenda. Unless Council votes to do otherwise, these items are voted on as a single bundle without Council discussion.

• Bills & Payroll in the amount of: $290,526.05
• Proposal from Bostwick Company Inc. for Catch Basin Repairs in an Amount not to Exceed $6,750
  • The Department of Public Works has solicited quotes for catch basin repair at two locations in the City. Staff is recommending approving the proposal(s) from Bostwick Company Inc. for this work.
    • In front of Dexter Fastener Technologies (2110 Bishop Cir. E – Cost: $4,250
    • Southwest Corner of Webster & Eastridge – Cost:$2,500
  • If approved, these repairs are expected to take place prior to July 1, 2022. This work was included in the FY 2021-22 roads funds budgets.
• Appointment of Jeanette Frost to the Parks and Recreation Commission

Council will discuss or consider (i.e., take action on) the following business:

• Special Land Use for Vacation Rental Housing – 8040 Huron St.
  • The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on Monday, May 2, 2022, for the purpose of considering an application for special land use. The applicants, Douglas Neal and Lisa Belanger Neal (Property Owner), are proposing vacation rental housing, for property located at 8040 Huron Street ((08- 03-32-360-005). In the project narrative included with the application, the applicants describe the property as consisting of a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,489 sq. ft. single-family dwelling, with 2 on-site parking spaces, along with public on-street parking on the same side of the street as the dwelling. The subject site is zoned VR Village Residential District. Vacation rental housing is a special land use in the VR District.
  • (my words) During the public hearing, three people spoke, all of whom were neighbors expressing support for the special land use.
  • The Planning Commission then voted unanimously to recommend approval of AP2021.22-12 Special Land Use request for vacation rental housing.
• Community Survey
  • Starting in November of 2021, City staff was tasked with designing, creating, distributing and analyzing input collected through a City-wide community survey. During review, City Council assisted with the presentation and verbiage of the various questions. The goal of the survey was to cover various topics and City functions, as well as present a variety of priorities to residents for feedback.
  • Upon closing the survey at the end of April, the 2022 Dexter Community Survey received 730 responses. Utilizing the 2020 Census population of 4,500 individuals, staff received a total of 616 in-City respondents (84.6% of total respondents) and collected a sample size of 13.7% (in-City). Based on a previous survey conducted in 2011, only 109 residents (in-City) responded with an estimated in-City sample size of 2.8%.
  • Summaries of many of the open-ended questions and questions with open-ended components are attached to this memo as well as benchmarks between the 2011 survey and the 2022 survey.
  • Excerpts from the packet that might be of interest:
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• Recommended Adoption of FY 2022-2027 Capital Improvements Plan
  • The CIP is a program that projects and coordinates public expenditures to improve the City’s transportation and utility systems, facilities, and other capital assets over a six-year period. The Planning Commission prepares and updates the CIP on an annual basis under the authority of the Planning Enabling Act (PA 33 of 2008), as amended. It is the Planning Commission’s goal that the CIP be used as a tool to implement the City’s Master Plan and assist in preparing the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.
  • A total of eighty-three (83) projects, including Cooperative and DDA, were carried over or initiated in this year’s CIP, with a six-year funding need of $19,408,000 and a first-year funding need of $1,959,500. Please note that a variety of funding sources contribute to the projects. For a complete breakdown of project expenditures by funding source, please refer to the Project and Fund Summary tables within the appendices. Also note that costs, funding sources, and schedules are unknown for several major projects, including the Downtown Property Acquisition, Downtown Façade Improvement, the Fire Station project, andany utility or street improvements planned in coordination with the Washtenaw County Road Commission’s Dexter-Chelsea, Main, Dexter-Pinkney Roundabout project.
• Resolution to Apply to the MDOT TED-B Grant Program for Dan Hoey Road Work
  • Following road planning discussions with OHM Advisors and DPW staff, staff is recommending moving forward with planning construction on Dan Hoey for the summer of 2023. This recommendation is based on current road conditions, PASER ratings, level of traffic, and amount of staff time spent on maintaining the road. The construction would encompass both sides of Dan Hoey as well as Lexington. The estimated cost from OHM Advisors is $557,000 for construction (design and CE are not included, and sidewalk on Dan Hoey is not included).
  • The TED-B grant is available for villages and small cities for a maximum grant of $250,000. Dan Hoey is eligible for the TED-B grant program because it is not classified as a state major road (and currently not eligible for TIP funds). In order to apply for the TED-B program, City Council is required to approve a resolution authorizing the application.
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• Discussion of: Dexter-Ann Arbor Road Speed Evaluation
  • In January, City Council discussed the posted speed limit on Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. following the receipt of a request from a resident for the City to consider lowering the speed near Carrington Dr. As described by OHM Advisors, the City has the ability to introduce a speed transition zone of 40mph between Carrington Dr. and Dan Hoey Rd. This is because of the existing (and unusual) speed limit change of 15mph (from 50 mph to 35 mph) on Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. at Ryan/Dan Hoey.
  • If the City would like to proceed with reducing the speed to 40 mph, OHM is prepared to put together a TCO reflecting the change. Staff would also work with the Washtenaw County Road Commission to seek the installation of "Reduced speeds ahead" signage in WCRC right-of-way outside of the City limits heading toward the City.