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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2007.01.23 - 36148 The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Douglas at 9:35 a.m. in Committee Room A, Auditorium Wing, County Service Center, Pontiac, Michigan. PLANNING AND BUILDING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Sue Ann Douglas, David Potts, Jim Nash, Bradford Jacobsen, Michael Gingell, Robert Gosselin, Marcia Gershenson, Dave Woodward, Tim Burns PLANNING AND BUILDING COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT WITH NOTICE: None OTHERS PRESENT: DRAIN COMMISSIONER Joe Colaianne, Insurance Administrator Phil Sanzica, Chief Engineer ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & COMMUN. AFFAIRS Doug Smith, Director Maureen Krause, Deputy Director Lola Aré, Business Consultant EXECUTIVE OFFICE Robert Daddow, Deputy County Executive Dennis Toffolo, Deputy County Executive FACILITIES MANAGEMENT David Ross, Director Mike Hughson, Property Mgmnt. Specialist Paul Hunter, Director, Facilities Engineering PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION Dan Stencil, Executive Officer Jon Noyes, Landscape Designer THE DETROIT FREE PRESS Kathy Gray, Reporter BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Larry Doyle, Administrative Director Sheryl Mitchell, BOC Senior Analyst Harvey Wedell, BOC Senior Analyst Pamela Worthington, Committee Coordinator APPROVAL OF THE PREVIOUS MINUTES Woodward moved approval of the minutes of January 9, 2007, as printed. Supported by Potts. Motion carried on a voice vote. PUBLIC COMMENT Doug Smith introduced Ms. Lola Aré, who has been recently hired as a Business Consultant in OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 1200 NORTH TELEGRAPH ROAD, PONTIAC, MICHIGAN 48341-0470 Telephone: (248) 858-0100 FAX: (248) 858-1572 PLANNING AND BUILDING COMMITTEE Bradford Jacobsen Michael Gingell Robert Gosselin Marcia Gershenson Dave Woodward Tim Burns SUE ANN DOUGLAS Chairperson DAVID POTTS Vice Chairperson JIM NASH Minority Vice Chairperson Planning & Building Committee Page 2 January 23, 2007 the Economic Development & Community Affairs Department. AGENDA ITEMS 1. DRAIN COMMISSIONER – RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE EVERGREEN FARMINGTON SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEM BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP FOOTING DRAIN/HOUSELEAD REHABILITATION PROJECT The Charter Township of Bloomfield has expressed an urgent need for sewage disposal facilities constituting a part of the Evergreen and Farmington Sewage Disposal Systems . This is a project that is designed to eliminate storm water into the sanitary sewer system . This project is in the Farmington and Bloomfield Township area, near Wattles and Adams Road. The area is comprised of older homes that were built before the Sixties. It is a high ground water area, and the implementation of this project would help to eliminate infiltration and inflow . The resolution approves the proposed contract between the County, by and through the County Drain Commissioner, and the Charter Township of Bloomfield for the establishment of the Project as part of the System, which shall consist of the acquisition and construction of the Evergreen Farmington Sewage Disposal System Bloomfield Township Footing Drain/Houselead Rehabilitation Project, as specified and located as in Exhibit A to the Contract. The Project, as part of the System, would serve the Township, and the Oakland County Drain Commissioner would be designated and appointed as the County Agency for the Project. All obligations incurred by the County Agency for the project would be payable solely from funds derived from the Township. Exhibit B shows an estimate of the cost to be $880,000. Woodward moved approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by Gershenson. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. 2. DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS – REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF CONTRACT WITH JNC CONSULTING, LLC Jean Chamberlain has been a County employee for 12 years as the representative for Oakland County with relevant local groups in southern Oakland County. About two years ago she became a part-time employee. She is now starting her own contracting firm and would like to move from a part-time employee relationship with the County to a contracting relationship with the County. The resolution approves the professional services contract between the County and JNC Consulting, LLC to continue full communication and representation in southern Oakland County with the 8 Mile Boulevard Association, the Woodward Avenue Action Association, including Woodward Heritage Route and the Woodward Dream Cruise Committees, local business and education allian ces and Chambers of Commerce and other local community leadership groups. The contract period is from November 1, 2006 , through December 31, 2009. The contract is not to exceed $60,000.00. Jacobsen moved approval of the attached suggested resolutio n. Supported by Gingell. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. 3. DEPARTMENT OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT – APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE OF LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE ROAD COMMISSION FOR OAKLAND COUNTY – Planning & Building Committee Page 3 January 23, 2007 TRAFFIC INFORMATION CENTER LOCATED IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BUILDING In 1995, the Board of Commissioners had approved a lease for the Road Commission of Oakland County to use the space in the basement of the Information Technology building. The lease expired on July 31, 2006. The Road Commission has asked for an extension of this lease for five years. The resolution authorizes and approves the attached lease agreement between the County of Oakland and the Road Commission for Oakland County. Jacobsen moved approval of the attached suggested re solution. Supported by Gershenson. Gershenson moved to amend the resolution by adding a BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED paragraph, as follows: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the term of the Lease shall be for five (5) years and shall commence on the 1st day of August, 2006, and end on the 31 st day of July 2011. Tenant will make plans to vacate the premises on or before the 31 st day of July 2011. There will be no extension of this lease. Supported by Potts. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Main motion, as amended, carried unanimously on a roll call vote. 4. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION – APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST FUND LAND ACQUISITION GRANT PROJECT AGREEMENT NO. TF05-032 HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP PROPERTY The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has awarded the County of Oakland $1,440,000 in grant funds to provide partial funding for the acquisition of approximately 260 acres of land in Highland Township. There is a required County match of $2,160,0 00, which is available in the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Land Acquisition Fund. The resolution authorizes the acceptance of the grant and directs the Chairperson of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners to execute the attached Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund Land Acquisition Project Agreement. Jacobsen moved to report to the full Board with the recommendation that the resolution be adopted. Supported by Gingell. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. 5. UPDATE ON NEW COBO PROPOSAL AND USE OF DSWD SEWER AND WATER FUNDS FOR DETROIT FIRE AND POLICE RADIO SYSTEM Chairperson Douglas had asked Bob Daddow to give an update on the new Cobo Hall proposal and to give some history of what had transpired between Oakland County and the City of Detroit regarding this issue, for the benefit of the new members of this committee . He was also asked to give them information on the allocation of the water funds for the Detroit Fire and Police Radio System. Mr. Daddow handed out a document entitled, “Outline – Wayne County Power Planning & Building Committee Page 4 January 23, 2007 Point Presentation Involving Cobo Hall and Radio Communications Lawsuit with Detroit. He indicated that L. Brooks Patterson will have a report drafted and issued at the State of the County Address to put together his issues with regards to the economic plan. It will be a PowerPoint presentation, and he will also have recommendations of how to fund Cobo Hall. Mr. Daddow indicated that in the Summer of 2002, the City of Detroit launched an internal study involving the expansion of Cobo Hall. That project took about a year. In August of 2003, a report was issued to Detroit on Cobo Hall. In September of 2003, Mayor Kilpatrick announced the need to build a new facility at a cost of $1.3 billion, which would be funded from sales/use taxes on food and beverages in the region. Oakland County was not involved in this decision. Mr. Patterson responded in the Fall of 2003 with the “Patterson Manifesto”, which indicated conditions that were precedent to the County’s involvement in any regional discussions. On February 4th, 2004, the first meeting took place between Oakland County representatives in the Tourism Action Group (TAG) and the City of Detroit. A listing of data needs was supplied to the TAG chairperson (Detroit economic development director). There were numerous meetings held throughout the Spring of 2004 with little or no progress. In March of 2004, Bob Daddow had reviewed the 2003 Detroit Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and discovered that the City of Detroit had issued $39 million in debt to cover various projects like Hart Plaza, art, heliport, etc. that resulted in the unilateral extension of the hotel/liquor taxes from 2011 to 2015. The debt was issued in the fall of 2003, without notice to the region. On June 1, 2004, Oakland County had issued the first of two reports, which presented Oakland County’s concerns and alternative proposals that would be fair to Oakland County taxpayers and effectively support improvements in the region’s tourism and convention economy. Over the next three TAG meetings, the chairman had refused to discuss this report. After the third meeting the chairman agreed to meet on the report, but he had asked that the City of Detroit and the Counties of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb put together written objections/business issues to the Cobo Hall expansion. Only Oakland County complied with this request. The TAG administrator prepared and issued a 170 -page report in response to the issues raised by Oakland County at 5:00 p.m., the Friday before the 8:30 a.m. Monday meeting. Oakland County boycotted the Monday meeting because of the lack of time allowed to review this 170 - page report. More meetings were scheduled with little results throughout the fall. On December 7, 2004, more issues were raised and no effort was made to address any of the outst anding issues in the June 2004 report or the Manifesto. Oakland County thereafter stopped going to the meetings, and the TAG died. In April 2005, Oakland County wrote a second report summarizing the business issues, requests that remained outstanding (all of which currently have not been honored) and indicated that if a written plan for expanding Cobo Hall could be developed, Oakland County would evaluate it. On October 30, 2006, a meeting was called by Wayne County, which covered a PowerPoint presentation of Wayne County’s proposal to be funded largely by the extension of the hotel taxes paid in the tri-county area from now until 2037 and liquor taxes collected starting in 2008 by all 83 counties in Michigan until 2037. Wayne County’s proposal totals $968 million. Information was requested before the next scheduled meeting. On December 18, 2006 , another meeting took place. No agreement was reached at this meeting, but there were some strong objections made by Macomb County. An agreement was reached that the four entities (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Counties and the City of Detroit) would each prepare a report stating their Planning & Building Committee Page 5 January 23, 2007 business issues with the Wayne County proposal, and they would meet again to discuss them. Oakland County’s objections are outlined in the second Cobo Hall report and will be further discussed in the Patterson report covering Oakland County’s pl an, which will be released at the State of the County address on February 7, 2007. Commissioner Burns asked Bob Daddow if he could have a copy of the second Cobo Hall report that will be discussed at Mr. Patterson’s State of the County address on February 7, 2007. Mr. Daddow indicated that he would take that request back to Mr. Patterson. Commissioner Gosselin requested to see a breakdown estimate of the building cost. Oakland County, along with the Oakland County Drain Commissioner, is involved in a rather serious discussion for the cost allocation of the City of Detroit Radio System. The City of Detroit constructed a $131 million radio system and a communication center for the purpose of dealing with public safety. The City of Detroit did not have $!31 million available, and they essential ly, through the designation of the Mayor of Detroit as the special administrator for the Detroit Water and Sewer Department (DWSD), signed an agreement to purchase the radio communication system for $131 million. The allocation was to be $43 million to th e DWSD, which Oakland County objected to. The allocation was based on 25 towers that would have to be constructed (15 in the suburbs and 10 in the City). In the spring of 2004, the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan entered into an agreement that allows the City of Detroit to use the State towers for free, but the cost of the allocation has not changed. The State of Michigan has never billed for those towers because it’s being paid for out of general operating taxpayer money. On January 4, 2007, Oakland County submitted its brief, along with Wayne and Macomb Counties and the City of Detroit) to the Judge. The three counties are in agreement that the amount that should be allocated for the Radio Communications System is about $11 million. The City of Detroit is seeking $38 million in cost recovery. The Cobo Hall report will include reference to these issues in the report to be released on February 7, 2007. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS None. OTHER BUSINESS/ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Committee the meeting adjourned at 11:17 a.m. __________________________________ __________________________________ Pamela L. Worthington Lawrence M. Doyle Committee Coordinator Administrative Director NOTE: The foregoing minutes are subject to Committee approval.