Dave's Council Newsletter, April 2024
February 20 Meeting
The first key item on this agenda was the approval of collective bargaining agreements with the City Office Staff Association and Supervisor’s Association.
We also approved a contract with the OHM (who provides engineering services to the City) to create a design and bid package for $3,600,000 in improvements to the City’s wastewater treatment plant. This contract was for $474,000.
We also approved the purchase of two pumps to replace failing pumps in our wastewater system.
March 5 Meeting
There were no Matters for Action at this meeting. There was a lengthy discussion of potential recycle programs offered/to be offered by the City. There was no conclusion reached, but there was agreement to discuss further as we finalized our budget and approved a new contract with a waste hauler (the current contract with Stevens expires this year).
We also recognized the promotion of Jeremy Nieman to Deputy Police Chief. Congratulations to him on his new responsibilities!
March 18 Budget Workshop and March 19 City Council Meeting
On Monday, March 18, the City Administrator and City Treasurer led the City Council through a workshop on the City budget for the year starting July 1, 2024. We discussed the committed expenses for the City as well as the priorities that the members of the City Council wanted to see addressed as part of the upcoming year’s budget. Though there are other priorities that we would like to address, the most critical will be improvements to the city’s infrastructure—roads, water lines, waste water treatment, etc. We are grateful for state and federal grants/funds that will help improve our wastewater treatment plant, Wilson Park, sidewalks and crosswalks, the senior center, and roads (mostly during 2025).
At the March 19 meeting we heard a presentation from Sgt. Dave Archer of the Milan Police Department on Autism Awareness month. He is recognized as one of the state’s foremost experts on police interactions with autistic residents. He also heads a non-profit organization that provides hundreds of iPads to children with autism.
The City Council also approved the Transportation Asset Management Plan for the City. This plan includes a report on the condition of every block of the 27 miles of roads within the city. Every block is rated on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 9 (very good). Roads are divided into “major” roads (supported some by state funding) and “local” roads (not generally supported by state funding). Our major roads are in better condition than our local roads. Neither major or local roads are in as good of condition as they were ten years ago. The conclusion is that we need to spend more on rebuilding our roads. We also need to focus efforts on maintaining roads that are in good condition to keep them that way. (You can find the full report on pages 23-85 of the City Council Agenda for March 19.)
The City Council also approved Design Standards for the City and approved up to $35,000 for a new water line to the NW quadrant of downtown to be installed prior to the construction of Tolan Square.
April 2 City Council Meeting
The meeting started with recognition for four-time state women’s wrestling champion Angelina Pena. She is enrolled in Harvard University next fall. Congratulations to an outstanding Milan HS student!
The Milan Area Fire Department recognized approximately 20 students, teachers, school staff, first responders, and hospital staff who each played a role in saving the life of a 12-year old Milan Middle School student who experienced cardiac arrest in gym class on February 9. Their quick response saved the student’s life, and he was present to thank all those involved.
We also approved contracts related to water testing, wastewater treatment, and youth league baseball.
April 16 City Council Work Session and City Council Meeting
The City Council held a work session on the Water/Sewer Fund and its role in the budget process. City Treasurer Sarah Finch presented a rate study prepared by Plante Moran. Final decisions will be made with the approval of water rates for the coming year at the May 21 meeting.
City Council approved an application for waiver of underfunded status for our city employee pension program (a program for already retired employees). Based on a grant from the state, this should be the last year we need to file this waiver.
We also approved the Milan Area Fire Department budget for the coming year. This budget provides on-call or on-duty volunteers for nearly every hour of the week. This should continue to improve response times for emergency calls.
The contract for body cams was approved for the next five-year period. There was also a discussion of the “parklets” in downtown near the Owl and Peppers. They were approved for the coming year.