The Chelsea City Council met in person in the Council Chambers for the first time in more than a year on July 6 for a meeting that lasted more than two hours with a standing room only crowd.
Public comment lasted more than an hour as residents expressed their opinions about an amendment to the city manager’s contract and two complaints filed against council members.
If you would like to listen to the public comments, go to the city’s website and on the top right side go to meeting videos.
With Council Member Jane Pacheco absent, the council negotiated the contract during the meeting and unanimously approved several amendments to City Manager John Hanifan’s contract, which include a contract extension through June 30, 2025.
Hanifan has been the city’s manager for 14 years and received positive reviews from City Council members during that time. With a looming council election where four member’s seats are up for grabs, the current City Council expressed its desire to provide stability for the city today and into the future.
In addition, the new contract includes a month severance pay for each year worked for termination or severance without cause.
There was no support by City Council members to set an informal hearing to discuss two complaints – one brought against Pacheco and one brought against Tony Iannelli – by a local business owner Michelle Balaka.
By a 5-0 vote, the City Council approved an application for a $490,000 brownfield grant to assist with remediation efforts for the Rockwell Building with the condition that the city has a signed development agreement.
The City Council appointed Hanifan as the city’s delegate to the Michigan Employees’ Retirement System (MERS) annual meeting in Grand Rapids with Charles Stevens as the alternate should Hanifan not be able to attend the conference.
