Here's a link to tonight's agenda. It looks like there will be a closed session under item VI - Legal. "Closed session to discuss Union Contract strategy and negotiations of collective bargaining, and pending litigation." highlandparkmi.gov/getattachment/…

Tonight's meeting has virtual and in person options for attending. For more information on joining the meeting, head to this page: highlandparkmi.gov/Government/Cit…

To catch up on what happened at the last meeting, check out @amysenese's twitter thread from 3/18/24 https://x.com/amysenese/status/1769841571157967244?s=20

For all past coverage of Highland Park's City Council, go to the #Detdocumenters website: documenters.org/reporting/?age…

🚨If you find anything inaccurate in my tweets, please email documenters@outliermedia.org with the subject “Correction Request.”

The two major takeaways from Highland Park's recent meetings are the historic water deal that passed with GLWA (Great Lakes Water Authority) and seeking to elect a new city treasurer. It doesn't look like either are on the agenda tonight, but may get brought up in public comment.

Here's an overview of what went down with the water deal about a month ago: detroitnews.com/story/news/loc…

And an @media_outlier piece about how residents can expect to see increases in their water bills until June due to a new servicing fee. outliermedia.org/highland-park-…

@media_outlier Catch up on the situation with the recently ousted Treasurer, who did not pay back the city the $90k she took out on a housing loan. fox2detroit.com/news/treasurer…

@media_outlier From the notes on the past meeting, I'm expecting a more civil meeting than normal, but some bickering would not be surprising.

@media_outlier 7:00 meeting is called to order and all council members except for Manica are present.

@media_outlier Waiting around in silence for support on approving the agenda. Agenda approved.

@media_outlier Approval of the meeting minutes from last meeting, 3/18/24. Someone has an amendment - re: the treasurer special election, new person would be certified after November election. Lisa Stolarski would be appointed in the interim. metrotimes.com/news/highland-…

So sorry Penny, you gotta move, need to have a third screen for my setup!

Now there is discussion with Mr. Clark about the details about the interim treasurer. He is saying it may take a little longer than usual to get the Board of Canvassers to certify the election because there is a presidential election this year.

Ash-Shaafi motion to approve the minutes from 3/18/24. Approved.

➡️Normally this is when the Mayor has an opportunity to address the council, but she isn't present tonight. ➡️Moving to Citizen's participation as it relates to agenda items only. No comments tonight.

➡️ Moving to Item V. Bid Opening

This is a process of hearing bids for the aforementioned city services. A. Mowing Services -Option 1, $140/hour (Ash-Shafii comments, "Outrageous") -Option 2, (this is taking a while because the clerk has to read through a lengthy document to find the quote), $79/hour

Bid Opening, Mowing Services cont. -Option 3, $65/hour -Option 4, $55/hour -Option 5, $190/hour Ash-Shafii originally made a motion to approve with discussion, but he rescinds this now, because they are just opening the bids and reading them.

Item V. Bid Opening B. On-Call Electrical Services -Option 1, Years 1-3, $77, $80, $82 per hour -Option 2, Years 1-3, respectively $85, $86, $87 per hour

Item V. Bid Opening C. On-Call Plumbing Services -Option 1, Years 1-3, respectively: $90, $90, $95 per hour -Option 2, Years 1-3: $89, $90, $91 per hour -Option 3, Years 1-3: $160.50, $217.50, $227.50 per hour -Option 4, Years 1-3: $90, $94, $99 per hour

Item V. Bid Opening D. Sinkhole/Catch Basin Repairs -Option 1, three pages of pricing. Small, medium, and large sink holes have different prices. Clerk and Thomas are deciding how much they actually need to read. Prices range .60-$4000 depending on the services.

D. Sinkhole/Catch Basin Repairs cont -Option 2, small, medium, and large sinkhole repair price range: $2-$7000 -Option 3, small, medium, and large sinkhole repair price range: $.01-$3000

V. Bid Opening E. Street sweeping - no bids received. Next, these files will be sent to staff to look over in more depth. This item has been brought to a close.

➡️VI. Legal Motion to enter a closed session. Approved. 7:41 closed session begins. I'll be here when they come back 👍

Council is filing back in now.

8:23 PM, motion to reconvene session - approved.

➡️VII Administration Motion to approve item VII - Support with questions from Ash-Shafii, wants to know who will be using this money, what is the money for. - For a new roof and to build a jail in that building.

VII cont. Someone provides clarification that they are looking for permission from council to seek grants to do this construction. The deadlines are fast approaching. A city owned building, with a grant it takes the burden off the citizens. Jail would be 5-6 cells.

Jail would be safer, current jail doesn't have a bathroom in cell, so prisoners need to be transported in and out of cells to use bathroom. The mayor is now on the phone to answer any questions. Motion to approve, motion carries (Robinson votes no).

➡️VIII Engineer Motion to approve with questions, Ash-Shafii.

Ash-Shafii is questioning someone from the city engineering department - the proposed streets are part of the water main repairs, these two streets were picked over similar streets in disrepair because of the underground water connections.

Item VIII Vote - motion carries (unanimous).

➡️IX. Police This is what they were discussing in the closed session.

Motion to approve item IX, approved (Robinson votes no).

🚨Citizens' Participation (Public Comment) 1. Is confused by the bid opening process, wants to know exactly what the difference in service is and how it relates to the price difference. Cheaper isn't necessarily better. All of them need to be investigated.

1. cont - contradictory information about the road construction on Oakland Ave - last meeting they voted it would be fixed next year, and this meeting they said won't be fixed for two years.

2. Wants clarity on mowing bids - are you still accepting bids? Knows of 2 businesses in Highland Park that could do it. What how do we get more applicants into the room?

3. Don't pick a bid because it's cheap, think about gas prices going up.

4. Addressing Robinson, Why did you vote no on the police contract? - Needed more information.

5. Police putting tow-tags on cars in the alley - has never seen this before. Police are coming on private property telling us to move. Ash-Shafii and a city employee are responding, the alley belongs to the city. They have recovered stolen vehicles recently because of this.

5. cont - the commenter is upset, accusing them of tagging his vehicle on private property. Police, they are tagging abandoned vehicles throughout the city, can talk to this specific resident about his situation after the meeting. "If we're in the wrong, we'll fix it."

Even registered vehicles need to be moved - causes issues for street sweeping etc.

6. Severe damage was done to his property following a request for DPW to remove illegal dumping. A large hole, enough for a large human to walk through, was created in his property. Has filed a formal report. Wants to know the next steps for it to be fixed.

6. cont - 288 Moss St. large hole made in his home by machinery by DPW. Concerned by the lack of transparency.

7. Can we block an alley? Thomas is now sharing his screen -it sounds like they have been through the question before. Ash-Shafii is raising his voice - there is some rehashing of a past argument. Cathy Square is saying we can look up who owns the alley.

8. Former police officer - open the door and talk to the people, they don't want to talk to a machine, they want to talk to a person.

9. Asked about Hamilton Corridor - hasn't heard anything about his property.

10. Highland Park is disposing of yard waste illegally, putting it in with the rest of the garbage. Cathy Square - this is true only during the winter, 35 week season where it is disposed separately. Highland Park doesn't have recycling - ran out of time in his comment.

Thomas comments that maybe they should increase the public comment time beyond 2 minutes. He says most of the time he lets people go to 3 minutes and sometimes doesn't let anyone hear the buzzer....

➡️Council affairs Ash-Shafii - a year and 3 months of 'pure hell' - has been harassed, intimidated. It just makes him more enraged. Is angry about how the treasurer has been treated. He proposes a motion that the city needs to pay the cost for Stolarski's bond. Vote: 2/2

Ash-Shafii cont. - a lot of funny business going on with the city's finances. Raises another motion, to request from the state to have a full financial audit of the city's finances (applause). Vote: 3/4 - motion carries

Ash-Shafii cont. - rescinds vote of yes for the Police Department.

Correction - they need to vote on his ability to rescind the vote ? Police officer addresses the audience - says that they crunched the numbers to provide better staffing. Detroit, etc are paying about $20k more to officers. Officers will leave, need to contract out the work.

Officer says crime has been reduced by 40% in recent years. He is speaking about all of the value to owning your own police department and how it helps the community.

Vote on reconsider Ash-Shafii's vote - 2/2, tied. His original vote stands.

➡️Martin's remarks. Clarification on bid priorities and process. Thanks everyone for showing up and being here so late.

➡️Robinson's remarks. Asking questions to the city attorney - is he representing the union or employees? He answers no.

➡️Thomas' remarks. Addressing the question about this alley. Encourages them to look at the website regrid.com

Sharing screen of Manica's recorded remarks but the video sound is echoing everywhere, stopped trying to share it. Thomas asks for an investigation into the City Council. He believes the election was tampered with. Accuses them of tampering with election affidavits.

9:29 meeting adjourned (no vote) after that mic drop.

Meeting adjourned at 9:29 PM. This concludes the Highland Park City Council. The next meeting is scheduled for 4/15/24. For more meeting coverage, check out . documenters.org