City of Lapeer - City Commission Meeting 6/16/25

The City Commission meeting, presided over by the Mayor, opened with the approval of the agenda and minutes from the June 2, 2025, meeting 8:59, 9:21. The session included various public comments, ranging from reports on county-level grants presented by Lapeer County Commissioner Brad Hagadone 10:05 to resident concerns regarding noise levels during "Bike Night" 13:19. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to honoring Deputy Fire Chief Roland Best for his 28 years of service to the city 16:31.

A major agenda item involved a public hearing for the renewal of the DDA 10-year development and TIF plan. DDA Executive Director Jeff Al presented the plan, noting that downtown vacancy rates have dropped from 46% to 9% since 2017 23:55. The Commission ultimately approved the renewal with an amendment to remove language regarding a defunct brownfield site at the former White Junior High 32:49.

The meeting concluded with the approval of numerous municipal expenditures. These included MDOT contracts for Pine Street reconstruction 34:19, engineering services for community center boiler replacements 38:02, and several vehicle purchases for the police and wastewater departments 44:06, 48:16, 50:31. The City Manager also provided updates on board appointments and legal inquiries regarding CDBG grants 54:05.

• DDA Plan Renewal: Approval of the 10-year development and TIF plan, including removal of defunct brownfield references 21:04.
• Infrastructure & Construction: MDOT Pine Street reconstruction contract 34:19 and M24 tunnel/pedestrian connection project 40:32.
• Public Safety & Equipment: Purchase of Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicles 44:06 and wastewater utility vehicles 50:31.
• Personnel Honors: Retirement proclamation for Deputy Fire Chief Roland Best 16:31.
• Public Safety Concerns: Noise complaints from "Bike Night" 13:19 and safety/surveillance suggestions for the M24 tunnel 58:22.

• The Mayor: Presided over the meeting and presented the retirement proclamation 16:31.
• Mike Womack (City Manager): Provided the City Manager's report and updates on appointments 54:05.
• Brad Hagadone (Lapeer County Commissioner): Provided updates on county grants and community news 9:45.   * Jeff Al (DDA Executive Director): Presented the DDA 10-year development plan renewal 21:26.
• Roland Best (Deputy Fire Chief): Honored for 28 years of service in a retirement proclamation 16:31.
• Commissioners:
  • Commissioner Atwood
  • Commissioner Brady
  • Commissioner Glisman
  • Commissioner Petrie
  • Commissioner Swindell

• Proclamation: Formally recognized Roland Best's career spanning roles from firefighter to Deputy Fire Chief 16:31.
• DDA Renewal: Approved the 10-year development plan, specifically amending it to remove the Brownfield designation for the White Junior High property 32:49.
• Contract 25-5284: Adopted a resolution for the Pine Street Reconstruction via the MDOT Transportation Economic Development Fund 34:19.
• Equipment Purchases:
  • Two 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicles at $53,664 each 44:06.
  • A Ford F-150 pickup for the wastewater plant at $46,522 48:16.
  • A Kubota RTV utility vehicle at $22,992 50:31.
• Board Appointments: Reappointed members to the Lapeer Housing Commission and Pure Neighborhoods, Inc., and accepted the resignation of Ken Parker from the Local Officers Compensation Commission 55:29, 56:33, 57:16.

• June 2, 2025: Date of the previous regular meeting approved during this session 9:21.
• June 16, 2025: Date of the current meeting 17:57.
• Next Year: Scheduled timeframe for the Pine Street reconstruction project 35:15.
• August 8, 2025: End date for the Friday Night Bike event 11:17.
• August 20, 2025: End date for the DDA Summer Concert series 11:37.

• DDA Plan Amendment: The removal of the brownfield language was proposed to prevent potential legal or transactional confusion for future property buyers 28:33.
• Vehicle Transition (Police): The shift from Ford Explorers to Chevrolet Tahoes was motivated by officer safety, better availability, and reliability issues with previous models 46:12.
• Wastewater Truck Choice: Selecting a half-ton F-150 instead of a 3/4-ton version was done to save approximately $10,000 49:25.
• M24 Tunnel Safety: A resident suggested installing cameras in the new tunnel to mitigate potential criminal activity or liability 58:22.

• The Mayor: Conducted the meeting, managed motions, and presented the proclamation for Roland Best 8:29.
• Brad Hagadone (County Commissioner): Informed the commission of recent county legislative wins, including new grants for community corrections and emergency readiness 10:05.
• Jeff Al (DDA Executive Director): Detailed the successes of the DDA, highlighting the significant reduction in downtown vacancy rates 21:26.
• Commissioner Petri: Actively participated in motions, particularly regarding the removal of brownfield language from the DDA plan 26:05 and requesting better advertising for board openings 1:07:19.
• Commissioner Brady: Raised several inquiries regarding vehicle specifications, project timelines, and safety concerns for the M24 tunnel 35:00, 44:48, 59:46.

• Approval of Agenda: Motion by Glisman, supported by Petrie. Carried 8:59.
• Approval of June 2nd Minutes: Motion by Brady, supported by Petrie. Carried 9:21.
• June 16th Bill Listing ($423,387.58): Motion by Brady, supported by Glisman. Carried (Vote: Atwood-Yes, Brady-Yes, Glisman-Yes, Petrie-Yes, Swindell-Yes) 16:10.
• DDA 10-Year Plan Renewal (with Brownfield amendment): Motion by Petrie, supported by Swindell. Carried 32:49.
• 25-26 Building Department Fee Schedule: Motion by Petrie, supported by Swindell. Carried (Vote: Brady-Yes, Glisman-Yes, Petrie-Yes, Swindell-Yes, Atwood-Yes) 33:32.
• MDOT Pine Street Reconstruction Contract: Motion by Glisman, supported by Brady. Carried (Vote: Glisman-Yes, Petri-Yes, Swindell-Yes, Atwood-Yes, Brady-Yes) 36:04.
• Community Center Boiler Engineering/Bid Assistance: Motion by Swindell, supported by Glisman. Carried (Vote: Petri-Yes, Swindell-Yes, Atwood-Yes, Brady-Yes, Glisman-Yes) 40:09.
• M24 Tunnel Connection Grant: Motion by Swindell, supported by Glisman. Carried (Vote: Swendell-Yes, Atwood-Yes, Brady-Yes, Glisman-Yes, Petri-Yes) 43:24.
• Police Vehicle Pre-order (Two Chevy Tahoes): Motion by Brady, supported by Glisman. Carried (Vote: Atwood-Yes, Brady-Y, Glisman-Yes, Petrie-Yes, Swindell-Yes) 47:55.
• Wastewater F-150 Purchase: Motion by Swindell, supported by Brady. Carried (Vote: Brady-Yes, Glisman-Yes, Petri-Yes, Swindell-Yes, Atwood-Yes) 50:09.
• Wastewater UTV Purchase: Motion by Swendell, supported by Glisman. Carried (Vote: Glisman-Yes, Petri-Yes, Swindell-Yes, Atwood-Yes, Brady-Yes) 51:35.
• Wastewater Entrance Gate Purchase: Motion by Swendell, supported by Glisman. Carried (Vote: Petri-Yes, Swindell-Yes, Atwood-Yes, Brady-Yes, Glisman-Yes) 53:43.

• DDA Brownfield Status: A debate occurred between Commissioners regarding whether to keep the historical record of the White Junior High as a brownfield or remove it to prevent confusion for future property developers 27:11, 28:33.
• Police Vehicle Procurement: Discussion regarding the transition from Ford to Chevrolet, focusing on officer safety, vehicle availability, and the use of the "My Deals" program 46:12, 45:50.
• M24 Tunnel Safety and Liability: A discussion on the implications of the new pedestrian tunnel, specifically whether the project could become a liability without surveillance/cameras 59:46.

• Board Advertising: The Commission requested that upcoming board vacancies be advertised on both the city website and Facebook 1:07:19.
• Lilac Project: The Mayor expressed interest in moving forward with "greening" the city through the Lilac Project 1:00:53.

• Regarding DDA Plan: "How long have you been the executive director for the TDA?" 23:34 and "What was the vacancy rate when you started?" 23:55.
• Regarding Pine Street: "Is this the money that we were hoping to get for to start Pine Street?" 35:00 and "Are we doing [it] next year?" 35:15.
• Regarding Police Vehicles: "Why are we switching from Ford to Chevy?" 46:12 and "Do we have to get three bids?" 45:50.
• Regarding the M24 Tunnel: "Would we issue cameras in that tunnel... for safety?" 58:22.

Overall Sentiment

The chat engagement was extremely minimal, consisting of only a single observational comment early in the stream.

Chat Timeline

[0:00 – 0:44] The stream begins with no chat activity.

[0:44 – 1:12:26] Following a single comment regarding an attendee's identity, the chat remained inactive for the remainder of the meeting.

Notable Messages

"The son of Eric Schmitt is here!" — @RebzzyGamingYT