This year’s Chelsea City Council annual visioning session touched on a number of topics that ranged from council board appointments to the feasibility of selling the city’s Department of Public Works facility and property.
But it was a discussion of the City Council’s expected conduct during meetings that kicked off the more than 2-hour meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Mayor Jason Lindauer reminded the City Council that there were rules of expected conduct for public meetings and sometimes their behavior deviated from the “higher standards.” Included in the packet was a copy of the council rules that spell out adherence to “the high levels of professionalism and ethical standards, both individually ans as a council.”
While discussing meeting conduct, several council members requested that elected officials edit the amount of information that they offer during the council reports portion at the end of the meeting. It was suggested that reports be limited to information from standing committees and boards that have a direct link to the operations of the city or future operations of the city.
Council Member Frank Hammer said he’d like to see these verbal council reports be “a little less verbose.”
Council members typically report on meetings they have attended and sometimes they remind residents about upcoming events or the successes of events that have taken place since the last meeting.
Council Member Jane Pacheco said she’d like to see a link to the minutes of board and committee meetings included in the City Council’s packet as well as staff reports from the Planning Commission and the ZBA, for example.
Council Member Cheri Albertson suggested emailing community accomplishments to the mayor, adding, “I think it’s important to highlight the achievements of the community.”
The City Council also discussed the different boards and committees to which they were assigned, and it was during this portion of the meeting that two council members said they don’t plan to run for reelection in November.
“I think 23 years is enough,” Hammer, the ranking member of the council, said. However, if the City Council so desired, he could be appointed to the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority board even if he was not an elected member of the City Council.
“There is a high probability that I won’t run,” Council Member Rod Anderson said during a discussion of a succession of Chelsea Area Fire Authority representatives.
He reminded the council that Council Member Jim Myles was the alternate for the CAFA board. And although Myles said he could occasionally attend the 9 a.m. CAFA board meetings, “Rod and I have been talking about this … and the amount of time and effort is immeasurable. Most meetings are in the morning and in my business that time is important.”
Myles did, however, ask to be considered for the Chelsea Historic Commission as he said he would like to be part of “the resurrection” of this board. Recently, the Chelsea Area Historical Society purchased a home that will act as its permanent home and is expected to include a professional quality museum for its artifacts.
Pacheco told the elected officials that she’d like to be more involved in regional issues and act as the city’s “roving township liaison,” by attending township meetings and reporting back to the City Council about what issues are taking place in the neighboring communities.
Following a lengthy discussion that included questions about “what the structure of this position might be and what its responsibilities would include,” Pacheco was asked to put together a proposal with “an anticipated objective” and submit it to the City Council for further discussion.
In addition, City Council was reminded that there is a lawsuit between Sylvan Township and the city that is under appeal and legal counsel had advised the city not to enter into any discussions with township officials that might have an effect on the outcome of this lawsuit.
Several Council Members said that they attended some township meetings on their own and Council Member Melissa Johnson said at the height of the gravel pit issue, she (and Pacheco) were attending both the Lyndon Township board and Planning Commission meetings.
“I do think there’s value in going to township board meetings … I think Council Member Pacheco is seeking to expand her role,” she said.
Anderson said in the past, he had sometimes attended the Sylvan Township Board meetings but he found himself being “called out” and asked by board members for opinions on issues.
There was also concern about how “the townships (of Lima, Lyndon and Sylvan) would receive a continued presence at their board meetings of a City Council member.”
Also suggested was the possibility of having a City Council member go to township board meetings, perhaps on a quarterly basis, to report on what’s happening in the city.
Also among the discussion topics:
- Revisiting the way the city markets itself through the city’s website and the ChelseaMich website
- Providing the City Council with ratings for all the streets in the city to determine future road construction projects. Congdon Street and a portion of Dexter-Chelsea Road received funding for repair work.
- Further discussions on economic development and the implementation of a comprehensive economic development plan.
- Looking into other sources of renewal energy, including a group of people in the city who are working on solar-based energy options.
- Determining the feasibility of selling the DPW property and relocating operations.
- Painting the city’s water tower both inside and outside.
- Finishing the Master plan update.
- Submitting a parks and recreation Master Plan to the Department of Natural Resources.
- Developing a regional partnership for a non-motorized path.
- Fostering a relationship with the Community Wellness Coalition as a potential funding source for enhancement projects in the city.
- Implementing a succession plan for city departments based on expected retirements. The city is expecting three of 19 employees to retire in the next 6 months or so.
