City of Rogers City Council Proceedings

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ROGERS CITY CITY COUNCIL

HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS ON JULY 21, 2015

Mayor Sobeck presided and called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

PRESENT – Adair, Bielas, McLennan, Nowak, and Sobeck.

APPROVAL OF  MINUTES

McLennan/Nowak, that the minutes of the Workshop and Regular Council Meeting of July 7, 2015 be approved as written.

ROLL CALL: Ayes – All, the motion carried.

CITY CLERK’S REPORT:

CHECK AND INVOICE APPROVAL:

Member Bielas/Adair, that the following total fund expenditures be recognized as payments made and payments to be made, in the amount of $78,786.63 and the Mayor is authorized to sign the check register.

ROLL CALL: Ayes – All, the motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS:  FIREWORKS

RESOLUTION NO. 2015-80

Bielas/Nowak,

WHEREAS, the State of Michigan adopted into law Public Act 256 of 2011, the “Michigan Fireworks safety Act”; and

WHEREAS, PA 256 allows those without any training or experience to set off consumer fireworks the day before, the day of, and the day after national holidays, and store them year round in residential neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, PA 256 allows those in densely populated areas to set off such fireworks well into the nighttime hours in close proximity to their neighbor’s homes; without any restrictions related to the distance between the shells and people, buildings, or roads; and

WHEREAS, it makes no sense to allow those with absolutely no pyrotechnic training or experience to shoot off consumer fireworks at locations that those with pyrotechnic experience would never consider due to safety concerns; and

WHEREAS, PA 256 eliminates a local government’s ability to prohibit fireworks within their boundaries even if nearly 100 percent of that local government’s population asked it to do so for noise and/or safety reasons; and

WHEREAS, the time to act is before someone is killed by a neighbor’s fireworks, not after a tragedy has occurred that could have easily been prevented;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Rogers City Council urges the Michigan Legislature to repeal PA 256 and allow local units of government to once again restrict or prohibit the use of consumer fireworks within their boundaries to preserve the safety and quality of life of its citizenry; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Rogers City Council directs the Rogers City Clerk to forward this resolution to the Governor of the State of Michigan, and its State Senator and Representative.

ROLL CALL:  Ayes – All, the motion carried.

MDHHS CLOSURE

RESOLUTION NO. 2015-81   

Nowak/Bielas,

WHEREAS, the State of Michigan plans to close the Presque Isle County office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) effective October 1, 2015; and

WHEREAS, this office provides many crucial services to the neediest residents of Presque Isle County, handling hundreds of cases each year; and

WHEREAS, the closure of the office could force the clients of MDHHS to travel more than 40 miles to receive the services they desperately need; and

WHEREAS, many of those clients are extremely low income, elderly, or mentally ill, and have limited or no access to public transportation in such a rural county; and

WHEREAS, closure of the office would jeopardize the health, safety, and quality of life of the community’s most vulnerable citizens – its destitute elderly, neglected and abused children, and families living below the poverty line; and

WHEREAS, the State has a multi-billion dollar budget, but would create these hardships for Presque Isle County residents to save less than $70,000;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Roger

s City Council asks that the State reconsider the closure of the Presque Isle County office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Rogers City Clerk is instructed to send a copy of this resolution to the Governor of the State of Michigan as well as its State senator and representative.

ROLL CALL:  Ayes – All, the motion carried.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mayor Sobeck declared the meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.

TERRI L. KOSS, CITY CLERK/TREASURER

Condensed version.  Complete minutes are available at City Hall.