From bus transportation contracts to consideration of zoning text and budget amendments, the Chelsea City Council will have a busy meeting on Monday, June 18, with 11 items on its business agenda.
In addition, the city manager, police chief and City Council will give reports at the end of the meeting. Then the council heads into closed session to discuss collective bargaining as well as the city manager’s evaluation.
So, here are some of the items expected to be discussed:
- Second reading — a proposed zoning ordinance that would create an M-52 corridor overlay district for the city, which includes specific provisions for a detailed review process for any operation that plans to extract “natural resources” on land outside the city limits. This review process would be for those companies that plan to use M-52 through the city as a haul route more than 12 multiple times a day for “oversized-load vehicles in a manner that may not be in the public interest.”
In part, the purpose of the proposed overlay district is to “require careful scrutiny” of these extraction operation …”to assure the needed protection of people, places and resources,” according to the “Intent, Purpose and Application” of the proposed amended zoning ordinance. (If approved, it shall be effective in 20 days following publication. I plan to take a detailed look at this proposed zoning ordinance in upcoming weeks.
Among the other items up for discussion will be:
- A request for a parcel split for 105 and 105 1/2 West Middle Street — the building in which Bumble’s Dry Goods and Jack’s Barber Shop is located. (One building was sold and needs a separate Tax ID number.)
- A request to have tax liens placed on two properties for “noxious weeds and grasses ordinance violations,” which are more than 6 months delinquent. One property owner owes $218.85; the other $227.85. (The city has tried to collect on these accounts for more than 6 months without success.)
- A request for a budget transfer of $245,000 from various city accounts to the city’s retirement fund to pay for post-retirement health insurance costs for eligible city employees and retirees. (This is in addition to the city’s regular payments.)
- A long list of 2013-14 year end budget amendments. (According to the agenda item: “Most of the amendments requested are simply due to monies not used or shifting of monies between line items to more accurately reflect actual monies spent.”)
- Council is also expected to discuss and vote on an addendum to the city assessor’s contract, which would extend the total number of hours the assessor works in the city per week. (If approved, the assessor would be paid to work in the city a total of 12 hours per week and it will cost the city an additional $10,000 per year.)
- Contract approval votes of $45,000 for Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE) for local transportation services to Chelsea residents; $15,000 for Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) for bus service between Chelsea and Ann Arbor; $10,000 for contract services with Chelsea School District Community Education for services, and $25,000 for services provided by the Chelsea Senior Center.
The City Council meets at 7 p.m. in the new police building and the full agenda and packet materials can be found here.
