Midland City Council to consider Downtown special assessment | #citycouncil

Midland City Council will have a Hearing of Necessity for a proposed special assessment district in Downtown Midland during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday in City Hall. 

The public hearing will be held to determine the necessity for the “2024 Downtown Economic Revitalization Public Improvement Special Assessment District” as provided by the Shopping Area Redevelopment Act (SARA).

The 2024 SARA special assessment would garner $45,000 each year for two years for a total of $90,000. Similar to the program that took place in 2022, the assessment would be spread across the district and billed to property owners on July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025. 

The special assessment is used to finance, coordinate and market activities and events used to promote economic development in the district.

The SARA assessment was established in 1994 and is assessed for renewal every two years. From 1994 through 2013, the assessment produced $35,000 annually. Starting in 2014, the assessment increased to $45,000.

City Council will also be asked to consider a budget amendment that would increase expenditures by $200,000 for pool gutter replacement at Plymouth Pool. 

In a letter addressed to City Manager Brad Kaye and dated April 3, 2024, Director of Public Services Karen Murphy explained the difficulties that City staff had in the bidding process for the gutter replacement project. 

After going out to bid in November 2023 and receiving no responses, staff got permission to negotiate directly with certain contractors in the pool industry. They reached out to two qualified pool contractors who had expressed interest at the original pre-bid meeting, and both contractors prepared proposals.

Baruzzini Contracting LLC of Brighton proposed $2,525,438 and Midwest Pools of Grand Blanc proposed around $2.48 million.

After reviewing the proposals, staff has recommended Baruzzini Contracting LLC with a negotiated proposal cost of $2.44 million, which does not include any additional funds for contingency work. With $2.32 million in the current construction budget, staff requests a $200,000 budget amendment to provide adequate funds to secure the contract and a small contingency.

If the amendment is approved, and if Council approves Baruzzini as the contractor, Baruzzini would begin work this fall.

An item on the consent agenda would approve revisions to Council’s Code of Conduct, as has been discussed at previous meetings including a special meeting on April 1. 

One revision would require Council members to “be respectful to all who present and/or appear” before them. 

Another revision states that Council members can attend the meetings for the various boards and commissions “with prior notice to the city manager.” The revision also states that “in no event” should a Council member attend a meeting if it is about a subject for which they have a “personal, pecuniary interest in the outcome.” Council members “must not inject bias into, or encourage boards and commissions to serve an interest other than that which they were bound to serve.”

• Council will have its first public hearing on the 2024-25 city-wide budget.

• Council will consider acceptance of a $13,500 grant from The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation to the Midland Fire Department to provide firefighters with cancer screenings.

• Council will consider continuing the City of Midland/Midland Business Alliance (Advisory Committee on Infrastructure) partnership for the Analysis of Flood Reduction and Protection Measures.

• Council will proclaim April 28 as Workers Memorial Day.

• Council will proclaim May 12 as The Breaking Bread Village Day.

Isabelle Pasciolla is a city reporter at the Midland Daily News. Email her at Isabelle.Pasciolla@hearst.com.