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By Doug Marrin, STN Reporter
A synopsis of the Dexter City Council meeting on July 26, 2021
Public Hearing: A public hearing was held to hear comments on an amendment to the General Code of Ordinances for Small Cell Wireless Infrastructure. The Council took action following the public hearing.
See article: Small Cell Towers are Coming to Dexter
Communications: Dexter Area Fire Chief Robert Smith submitted a letter and a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1500 Report.
Chief Smith’s letter was in response to a question posed at the last council meeting – How do the firefighters feel about the current station conditions, and/or do they think it’s an unsafe working environment?
The Chief wrote in part, “It's difficult to characterize the emotions of 12 separate individuals, but they see the Council's recent decision to invest $3M to remedy the deficiencies of the City Hall. A facility that doesn't have nearly as many critical issues as the fire station, a facility that is used less than a third of the time as a fire station, a facility that no-one has to live in for a consecutive 24 hour period, a facility that no one sleeps at, a facility that doesn't do anything to directly preserve life, property or the environment, and a facility that has not responded to a single emergency incident.”
Chief Smith's entire letter can be found on page 43 of the council meeting packet posted on the City’s website.
Chief Smith also submitted, per Council’s request, an evaluation of the Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program using the NFPA 1500 standard. The assessment score was 81.91 out of 100. The detailed evaluation can be found in the Council’s meeting packet posted on the City’s website.
City Financial Report: Finance Director Marie Sherry presented the City’s Fourth Quarter Report for Fiscal Year 2020-21. The General Fund had a year-end revenue over expenditure balance of ($156,750). From an operating budget perspective, the year-end revenue over expenditure balance is $660,000. Ms. Sherry reminded the Council of the peculiarities of the past year. “We will be recording invoices attributable to this fiscal year through the end of August,” said Sherry. “All other funds have performed as expected.”
Community Development Report: Community Development Manager Michelle Aniol submitted her written report with several verbal updates.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Report: See article: Dexter Police Report, June 2021
City Manager Report: City Manager Justin Breyer submitted his written report with verbal updates.
Consent Agenda: The Council approved the following items in its consent agenda.
City Manager Contract: The Council approved a contract with Justin Breyer for employment as City Manager. The three-year contract includes a starting salary of $85,000, a 7% contribution to a retirement fund, and a $3,000 stipend for maintaining an Elections Administrator Certification.
Conflict of Interest Ordinance: The Council discussed different avenues of reaching a final draft. Council members are to bring their final ideas to the August 9 meeting, at which point a public hearing date will be set for the new ordinance.
Second Street Project: The City’s engineers, OHM Advisors, updated the Council on a Second Street water main and sidewalk project design. The current scope of the project is only for the installation of the sidewalk and water main. A meeting for Second St. residences is scheduled for August 12. Work is expected to begin in spring 2022.
Traffic Control Policy: The Council began a discussion of city Traffic Control Orders (TCO). A TCO is a written order used to establish regulatory control of traffic on public roads under the jurisdiction of a municipality. The City does not have a TCO. The Council was presented with an initial draft. Its comments will be included in a revised draft to be discussed at a future meeting.
Engineering Services for 3515 Broad St: The Council approved a proposal from Partners in Architecture for services for the proposed site of the new city offices for $60,000.
More Information: More information can be found in the meeting packet and video link that the City has posted online.