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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Burton City Council Regular Meeting – November 5, 2026

City Council — Thursday, November 5, 2026
BodyBurton, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, November 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:12

So when you get that thing off your arm, we are going to do with his bond.

0:16

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

0:16

So we're going to be able to do that.

Speaker 1

0:16

And the documentary.

0:17

And it goes back on the tax rule.

0:19

Is it still

Speaker 2

0:20

in a

Speaker 1

0:20

lot

Speaker 2

0:20

of pain?

Speaker 1

0:21

I see that.

0:22

I've seen no activity.

0:25

Your granddaughter did.

0:25

She had herself.

0:28

I can tell you that.

0:28

That's all right.

Unassigned speaker

0:29

And just cut them out.

Speaker 3

0:33

Oh, the uh the old pawn shop next to the barbershop.

0:42

All the windows got busted out of that.

0:43

I don't know if you know that.

0:44

No.

0:50

We'll put them on notice that they got

Speaker 4

0:52

a secure.

0:52

Yeah, okay.

0:53

Orphine can eat there.

Speaker 5

1:01

It's kind of like

Unassigned speaker

1:03

not doing

Speaker 6

1:05

election times over.

Speaker 5

1:09

Yeah, I just came from a class.

1:12

Like a drug test and overdose and stuff.

Speaker 3

1:18

That is you can look all that up right on your computer here.

Speaker 5

1:24

Not this thing.

Speaker 3

1:25

Yeah, I mean, what what page you trying to see?

Speaker 5

1:28

I mean, it's all about let me tell you.

1:32

I got an electric trimmer.

1:34

Oh, and

Speaker 7

1:34

I try to trim.

1:35

He slipped.

1:36

Got it.

1:36

I went bing bing, and I blasted it.

1:39

And I was like, I was either a little mustache, which is not socially acceptable.

Unassigned speaker

1:44

So I was like, you know, I did this, and I was like, you know what?

Speaker 7

1:46

I went to the

Speaker 1

1:47

back, you know, cleaned up.

1:48

Gene.

1:49

And then you don't want to wait o'clock chair

Speaker 6

1:51

by the end

Speaker 1

1:51

of the day.

1:56

Oh,

Speaker 5

2:01

yeah.

2:01

I have a cousin that she

Speaker 4

2:03

got into some face drugs.

2:04

Came home.

Unassigned speaker

2:05

She looked here, you know, and then we're going to go to the house.

Speaker 4

2:06

Oh, really?

Speaker 5

2:08

Well, we'd look at it.

2:11

I don't need it.

2:13

I just told you.

2:15

She was a beautiful girl, super smart.

2:21

She had to learn to talk.

Speaker 3

2:23

Madam Clerk, uh, Madam Clerk

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Public Engagement██████████████16%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████10%
Affordable Housing████████9%
Economic Development████5%
Parks and Recreation████5%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Burton City Council Regular Meeting – November 5, 2026

The Burton City Council held its regular meeting on November 5, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included an administrative report on city projects, public comments on trails, veterans' issues, and property rehabilitation, and unanimous approval of most action items. A travel policy for council members was tabled after debate over mayoral approval requirements.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Patrick Dargel (6119 Hugh Street) discussed the Kelly Lake trail, snow removal, sidewalk blockages, and parking concerns.
  • Mona Ballage (2288 S. Term Street) spoke about adding names to the Veterans Memorial and raised a complaint regarding a porta-potty placed in front of Starlite Restaurant by construction crews.
  • Doug Sepanick (6271 Meadow Wood Lane) stated he purchased two houses at 1409 and 1415 Allen Street and requested their removal from the city's demolition list so he can rehabilitate them.

Discussion Items

  • Administrative Report: DPW Director Charles Abbey updated that the Veterans Day Ceremony will be held November 11 at 11:00 AM. He reported that most projects are wrapping up for the season, with Davison Road from Genesee to Belsay nearly complete and improvements on Sitka Street finished. Coordination with the County Drain Commission resolved a storm drain issue.
  • Allen Street Homes: Councilman Heffner asked about the two homes on Allen Street. Mr. Abbey explained the previous owner had a buyer who pulled building permits, and recommended removing the homes from the demolition list to allow rehabilitation. The council agreed to add a new agenda item.
  • Travel Policy: Councilman Heffner objected to section 6.1 of the proposed City Council Travel Policy, which stated reimbursement required approval from the Mayor's Office. He argued the council is a separate branch of government. A motion to table the policy passed 4-3 (Miller, Heffner, Conley, Wright in favor; Fenner, Ellenburg, Johns against). City Attorney Odette clarified the intent was administrative, but the motion carried. Councilwoman Ellenburg noted an upcoming conference and expressed disappointment the policy was not adopted.
  • Fee Schedule: Councilman Heffner commented that some fees were still low. Mr. Abbey acknowledged they are below county counterparts but said they now cover service costs, and the schedule will be reviewed every two years.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the agenda and minutes of October 19, 2026 (7-0).
  • Approved payment of Attorney Odette invoice #1141 and 1142 for $2,518.00 (7-0).
  • Approved the mayor's reappointment of Thomas Gorang to the Planning Commission (term to November 2029) (7-0).
  • Approved the mayor's appointment of Jean Johnson to the Planning Commission (term to November 2029) (7-0).
  • Approved the 2026 City of Burton Fee Schedule as recommended by the Finance Committee (7-0).
  • Tabled the City Council Travel Policy (4-3) and sent it back to the Legislative Committee.
  • Approved the sale of seven city-owned parcels to Premier Properties Holdings: 1332 Martha Ave. ($21,750), 1373 Webber Ave. ($11,251), 2230 E. Judd Rd. ($7,201), 3334 E. Atherton Rd. ($10,001), 4150 Lapeer Rd. ($15,501), 5382 Sitka St. ($7,501), and 1429 Allen St. to Lawrence Green ($4,500) — all 7-0.
  • Authorized the City Clerk to set a public hearing for November 16, 2026, at 6:30 PM for the 2028-2030 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds (7-0).
  • Approved the removal of 1409 and 1415 Allen Street from the city's demolition list (7-0).

Additional Announcements

  • Councilman Heffner thanked the Clerk and election workers for a smooth election day.
  • Council President Fenner reminded of the blood drive at the Fire Department on Black Friday.
  • Heffner announced the Veterans Honor Run on November 14 at 11:00 AM at Blessed Sacrament Church; registration available at burtonraceseries.com.
  • Councilman Johns reported Beautify Burton received a grant for a community garden at Our Risen Lord Lutheran Church.
  • Councilwoman Conley noted positive feedback on new sidewalks and the Police and Fire Memorial.
  • Discussion occurred on T-Mobile and AT&T fiber optic work and the need for an ordinance on road standards for utility cuts.

Meeting Transcript

So when you get that thing off your arm, we are going to do with his bond. Okay. So we're going to be able to do that. And the documentary. And it goes back on the tax rule. Is it still in a lot of pain? I see that. I've seen no activity. Your granddaughter did. She had herself. I can tell you that. That's all right. And just cut them out. Oh, the uh the old pawn shop next to the barbershop. All the windows got busted out of that. I don't know if you know that. No. We'll put them on notice that they got a secure. Yeah, okay. Orphine can eat there. It's kind of like not doing election times over. Yeah, I just came from a class. Like a drug test and overdose and stuff. That is you can look all that up right on your computer here. Not this thing. Yeah, I mean, what what page you trying to see? I mean, it's all about let me tell you. I got an electric trimmer. Oh, and I try to trim. He slipped. Got it. I went bing bing, and I blasted it. And I was like, I was either a little mustache, which is not socially acceptable. So I was like, you know, I did this, and I was like, you know what? I went to the back, you know, cleaned up. Gene. And then you don't want to wait o'clock chair by the end of the day. Oh, yeah. I have a cousin that she

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