Following two budget work sessions, the Chelsea City Council heard a staff presentation on the highlights of the city’s proposed about $4.4 million general operating budget on May 15 prior to a public hearing.
No one spoke during the public hearing on the proposed budget,which shows no proposed millage increases, which has been the case since 2009.
The proposed general operating millage is 11.2 mills, municipal streets is 1.22 mills, solid waste is 0.7355 mills and the DDA millage is 1.628 mills, a decrease due to the Headlee rollback.
The proposed general fund balance is $650,000, a $50,000 reduction from the 2016-17 projected total of $700,000 to “support planned expenditures for parks and recreation using cash fund balance,” according to the budget presentation.
Below is a PDF of the budget presentation.
It’s expected that the City Council will discuss and vote upon the budget and set the millages on June 5 and a final approved budget is expected to be published on the city’s website on June 9.
In other business, the City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Elizabeth (Betsy) Voshel to the Human Rights Commission with Council Member Frank Hammer absent. According to the agenda summary, three people applied for the open position. One applicant withdrew and the other did not live in the city, which is a requirement. Voshel had also applied for a position on the commission previously.
The City Council also unanimously approved an agreement with the Washtenaw County Road Commission and the city to resurface sections of Old US-12 and Freer Road.
The Road Commission and the city plan to combine two resurfacing projects, one on Old US-12 from Freer Road to Fletcher Road and also part of South Fletcher Road and the other, a city project to resurface Freer Road from Old US-12 to Trinkle Road.
Planned is milling off 1.5 inches of pavement, repaving with 1.5 inches of asphalt, touch up the gravel shoulders and place new pavement markings.
The collaborative effort will be funded through Federal, Road Commission and city funds and the city’s portion is expected to be about $18,000.
A request by Smokehouse 52 to place about 7 tables on the sidewalk on Park Street was not approved when the City Council vote was deadlocked at 3-3. Council Members had multiple questions about the request and there was no representative from the restaurant present at the meeting to answer them.
Among the concerns was whether there would be enough room for pedestrians with strollers or folks in wheelchairs or with service dogs to get by. And, since this request did not include serving alcohol outside, would there be a subsequent request that did include it? Or could the tables be moved off the sidewalk into a parking space next to the restaurant to avoid any potential pedestrian difficulties?
With Hammer absent, Council Members Marcia White and Pete Feeney and Mayor Jason Lindauer voted in favor of the request while Council Members Cheri Albertson, Jane Pacheco and Melissa Johnson voted against it, deadlocking the vote.
To hear the whole discussion, the video is available here.
