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St. Ignace City Council Meeting Minutes Council Proceedings (Official) The regular meeting of the St. Ignace City Council was held on Monday, November 5, 2007 in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order at 8:03 p.m. by Mayor Grondin with the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilmember Gustafson gave the invocation. Present: Councilmember Della- Moretta, Fullerton, Gustafson, LaLonde, Tamlyn-Massaway, Wyse, Mayor Grondin. Absent: None. Staff Present: Eric Dodson, City Manager, Prentiss M. Brown, Jr., City Attorney; Renee' Vonderwerth, City Clerk; Eugene Elmer, Assessor/ Treasurer; Les Therrian, Superintendent of Utilities; Tim Matelski, Chief of Police; Deb Evashevski, DDA Director; Paul Sved, Bldg. Insp; Erica Mattson, Recreation Dept. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 15, 2007 were approved as presented. Additions to the Agenda: 10. Councilmember Gustafson - Inquiry. 1. MACKINAC COUNTY PROSECUTOR PRESENTATION: Fred Feleppa, Mackinac County Prosecutor, made a presentation to Council regarding the Open Meetings Act and informed them of his role in enforcing this act. Council thanked Mr. Feleppa for his attending the meeting and bringing this information to their attention. 2. OPEN MEETINGS ACT/FOIA TRAINING REPORT: City Manager Dodson presented two documents to Council for their review regarding the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information, stating that the training was very informative. After discussing the training, it was the consensus of Council to have the City Manager set up a workshop in St. Ignace for other agencies and citizens to attend. 3. RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO $725,000 STATE OF MICHIGAN SERVICE TAX: Resolution Expressing Opposition to the Michigan Service Tax The following resolution was offered to adoption by Councilmember Gustafson, supported by Councilmember Fullerton: WHEREAS, the Michigan Service Tax will generate $725 million, which is 91.5% of the total State Budget increase; and WHEREAS, an estimated two-thirds of that amount will be would be paid by the businesses; and WHEREAS, the City of St. Ignace believes that the Michigan Service Tax places a hardship on small businesses that are growing and providing jobs; and WHEREAS, the City of St. Ignace believes the Michigan Service Tax would create fiscal hardship on several small business owners in the City of St. Ignace; and WHEREAS, the City of St. Ignace finds that this Resolution should be forwarded to the Governor and the Michigan Legislature. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of St. Ignace declares its opposition to the Michigan State Service Tax and supports the "Ax the Tax" coalition in accordance with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and other businesses on the grounds that thriving business shouldn't be penalized for offering much needed services, especially in small communities where their absence could be devastating. Roll Call Vote: Yes: Councilmember Fullerton, Gustafson, LaLonde, Tamlyn-Massaway, Wyse, Mayor Grondin, Councilmember Della-Moretta. No: None. Absent: None. Resolution declared Adopted. 4. WASTE MANAGEMENT TRANSFER STATION FOLLOWUP: City Manager Dodson informed Council that he has been in contact with Waste Management regarding the commercial transfer station minimum charge and informed Council they have agreed to lower the rate from $100.00 to $50.00. 5. EMERALD ASH BORER REPORT: City Manager Dodson informed Council that the Emerald Ash Borer has been found in the Straits State Park and informed them that the Department of Agriculture will be holding a Public Hearing in St. Ignace at the Little Bear East on Monday November 19th from 7 to 9 p.m. 6. CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT PROCESS DISCUSSION: Mayor Grondin stated that at the request of Councilmember Tamlyn-Massaway this issue has been included on the agenda. At this time, Mayor Grondin asked Councilmember Tamlyn-Massaway and City Manager Dodson to address the charter amendment process. Councilmember Tamlyn-Massaway stated that both she and City Manager Dodson presented documents to Councilmembers regarding procedures for Charter Amendments, for their review, and requested Council to consider procedures for amending the charter. City Manager Dodson also requested Council to read the documents and reviewed the difference between amendments and revisions. Councilmember Della-Moretta inquired if the amendment committee is an appointed body or an elected body referred to in revision. Councilmember Tamlyn-Massaway stated that the Mayor appoints the charter amendment committee. After discussing the process, Mayor Grondin stated he would be interested in taking recommendations for appointments. At this time, Mayor Grondin suggested that Council take the opportunity to read, review and become familiar with the information provided and then this item will be placed on the agenda for further discussion. 7. REAL ESTATE PURCHASE ISSUE UPDATE: City Manager Dodson informed Council that Star Line has withdrawn the offer to sell the property located adjacent to the American Legion Park. 8. PRISONER WORK CREW REINSTATEMENT: City Manager Dodson informed Council that the Prisoner work release program has been reinstated and they could possibly return to work in 4 to 6 weeks. 9. HISTORICAL SOCIETY CORRESPONDENCE: City Manager Dodson reviewed the letter from the Historical Society requesting the City of St. Ignace to match $500.00 towards utilities at Fort de Buade for the winter. City Manager Dodson recommended to either refer this to the Fort de Buade committee or wait until all the outstanding bills are received to see what funds are available. Mayor Grondin requested that this be referred to the Fort de Buade committee for discussion. 10. COUNCILMEMBER GUSTAFSON - INQUIRY: Councilmember Gustafson, referring to the budget work session, asked the City Manager if the budget presented is based on the exact same millage amount as last year. City Manager Dodson informed him that it is and will note that in the budget. Consideration of Bills: Councilmember LaLonde inquired about the invoice for Tim Matelski regarding investigations for police in the amount of $669. Chief Matelski stated it is a reimbursement for GPS radios that were received through a grant. Councilmember Della-Moretta asked Gene Elmer if Carol Bell sends bills once a year for Planting and maintenance at the Marina and Boat Launch. Eugene Elmer stated it is an annual bill and will contact Carol Bell to see if could be bill earlier in the year. Public Comment: There were no comments at this time.
The following bills were presented to Council for payment: Mayor Paul Grondin Renee Vonderwerth, City Clerk |
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