Livonia City Council Regular Meeting – November 17, 2025

The Livonia City Council held its 2,029th Regular Meeting on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall Auditorium, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan. All seven councilmembers—Lynda Scheel, Scott Morgan, Laura Toy, Rob Donovic, Martha Ptashnik, Carrie Budzinski, and Brandon McCullough—were present. Also present were City Attorney Carter Fisher, City Clerk Lori L. Miller, Planning and Economic Development Director Mark Taormina, Council Office Program Supervisor Sara Kasprowicz, and Assistant City Engineer Dave Lear. The council approved corrected minutes, unanimously passed an 18-item consent agenda and all new business items, authorized a closed litigation session, gave first reading to a retirement-system ordinance amendment, and adjourned at 8:29 p.m.

Minutes Approval

• Council approved the November 5, 2025 regular meeting minutes as corrected by a 7-0 vote (Resolution #352-25). Corrections addressed motion attribution and gavel timing.
• Public commenters Ralph McNabb, Nick Lomako, and Greg Ralko asked council not to approve the minutes, alleging that the previous meeting’s Sheetz site-plan motion was cryptic, that conditions were added after the vote, and that the rescission vote did not comply with Robert’s Rules. Council proceeded with approval.

Consent Calendar

The council unanimously approved the 18-item consent agenda (7-0), including:

• Waiving the sidewalk requirement at 18723 Laurel Drive, while reserving the right to require sidewalks later if the area changes.
• Reappointing Melissa Karolak and Nicholas Lomako to the Livonia Brownfield Redevelopment Authority for three-year terms expiring November 24, 2028.
• Purchasing 180 Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 licenses from Dell for up to $60,359.20 to replace end-of-life Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 licenses.
• Approving a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement for Villa St. Clare, an affordable senior housing development at 36800 Schoolcraft Road, with an annual service charge equal to 3% of Annual Shelter Rents and tax-exempt status lasting no more than 40 years.
• Approving an increase to 200 vacation hours per year for listed overtime-exempt classifications, effective January 1, 2026.
• Purchasing replacement furniture for the Jack E. Kirksey Recreation Center from Interior Environments – Novi for up to $99,000.
• Authorizing emergency replacement of fire alarm speaker/strobes at the Kirksey Recreation Center for up to $48,713, funded by $61,000 in generator sale proceeds.
• Purchasing 12 pairs of soccer goal nets from Anthem Sports for up to $43,020.06, including a 17% 'team' discount.
• Purchasing two Toro Field Pro 6040 baseball diamond groomers from Spartan Distributors for up to $76,761.78.
• Purchasing five Kohler Lazer S-Series 749 mowers from Weingartz for up to $65,915.
• Awarding the 2026 Parks Tree & Stump Removal bid to Ashton Contracting, not to exceed $37,250, with up to $65,000 budgeted for emergency removals.
• Awarding the 2026 Right-of-Way Tree & Stump Removal bid to Wonsey Tree Service for up to $228,484, with a possible one-year 2027 extension up to $229,634.
• Approving the 2026 Road Repair Program as the fourth year of the ten-year paving millage, as reviewed by the Citizens Road Advisory Committee.
• Amending engineering contracts for the 2026 Asphalt Road Program with OHM Advisors ($184,900), the 2026 Concrete Road Program with AEW ($193,500), and the 2026 Concrete Road Maintenance/Selective Slab Program with AEW ($84,500).
• Amending Council Resolution 017-24 to designate Director of Finance Benjamin Grier, J.D., CPA as the city’s Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority representative, with Laura M. Toy as alternate.
• During public comment, Steve King questioned whether item 9 was actually soccer goal nets versus soccer goals and questioned the cost; the consent agenda nonetheless passed 7-0.

Reports from the Mayor and Other City Officials

• The council received and placed on file 2025 Tax Rate Request communications from the City of Livonia, Wayne County Zoological Authority, Charter County of Wayne, Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority, Wayne County Art Institute Authority, and Livonia Public Schools.
• Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan reported on the new Livonia Senior Wellness Center, a $29 million project with over $20 million raised from federal, state, county, and ARPA sources. She said Livonia has the largest senior population of any city in Wayne County, that more than 1,000 seniors attended the open house, and that the center offers free services to seniors. She also thanked staff and councilmembers for their work and said the administration was already starting work on the requested demolition report for the old senior center and old courthouse.
• Doug Moore responded to leaf pickup questions, explaining that the schedule is planned months in advance, that this year’s leaves held on late, and that leaf hauling costs about $600,000 annually before equipment and labor. He also noted the brown bag leaf program continues until the second week of December.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ralph McNabb (Fairway Dr.): Opposed minutes approval; said the Sheetz motion was cryptic, that minutes contained conditions never presented, and later said residents must follow zoning while businesses get their way by threatening lawsuits.
• Nick Lomako (Edgewood): Asserted that the November 5 rescission of the Sheetz denial lacked adequate notice under Robert’s Rules, making the site plan approval invalid; asked council to postpone minutes and address the procedural violation.
• Greg Ralko (Golfridge Villa): Questioned the rush to finalize the Sheetz site plan; asked that no permits or demolition occur before Wayne County Circuit Court rules on the resident lawsuit, and argued that fear of a Sheetz lawsuit was unfounded.
• Katherine Rippe (retiree, St. Andrews Dr.): Requested an electronic funds transfer option for retiree healthcare premium payments, saying mail-in checks can be lost.
• Steve King (Coventry Gardens): Asked council to reopen the common area at Silver Village, revisit the Silver Sneakers Medicare benefit at the Rec Center, and pass the amended block party ordinance.
• Denny Baronson (Wayne Rd., representing Deer Creek, Golfridge, and Willow Woods): Requested a halt to permits and preliminary construction at the southeast corner of 8 Mile and Newburgh until the Wayne County court rules, saying a delay would protect both residents and developers.
• Patty Riggio (resident): Called the Sheetz reversal a breach of trust, said residents feared falling home values, said she had 400 names in opposition, and argued that Sheetz-related lawsuit fears were unfounded because related suits were dropped or not filed by Sheetz.
• Ron Riggio (Willow Woods): Said the Sheetz site plan approval was wrong, that council should listen to residents, and raised concerns about flooding and potential spills reaching Bell Creek.
• Trevor Wilson (Hillcrest): Requested more randomization in leaf pickup scheduling because leaves were still falling when his zone's pickup had already occurred.
• Jim Biga (resident): Cited Robert’s Rules and said the Sheetz rescission was handled improperly and should be readdressed.
• Mason Masigian (resident): Asked council to consider lowering daily and annual pass costs at the Livonia Recreation Center.
• Danielle Cato (Protective Parents Michigan): Called for family court reform and child-safety prioritization, citing that one in three Michigan families is impacted by domestic violence, that abusive parents seek sole custody and are successful 70% of the time, and that 39 Michigan children have been murdered during divorce or custody battles since 2008. She asked the city to consider proclaiming November as Family Court Awareness Month and discussed Rowan’s Act and Cadence Law.

Committee of the Whole – Unfinished Business

• Item 19a: The council discharged the Committee of the Whole from further consideration of the investigation into city departments and their procedures as related to the City’s Charter and took no further action (Resolution #374-25), 7-0.
• Item 19b: Council office staffing and salaries remained in committee. Councilmembers praised Council Office Program Manager Sara Kasprowicz and said work would continue with the Human Resources Director; no final action was taken.

Closed Session and Demolition Referral

• The council voted 7-0 to authorize a closed Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss litigation and attorney-client privileged communications in Belmond Properties, LLC v City of Livonia, USDC Case No. 2:25-cv-11720, under Section 7(1) of the Open Meetings Act (Resolution #354-25).
• The council voted 7-0 to refer the demolition of the old senior center and old courthouse to the Administration for a report and recommendation (Resolution #355-25).

New Business

• Item 20: Approved an additional expenditure of $9,235 to OHM Advisors for right-of-way easement work for the Newburgh Road Reconstruction Project from Ann Arbor Trail to Plymouth Road, 7-0.
• Item 21: Approved the intergovernmental agreement with MDOT (Contract 25-5520) for the same Newburgh Road project, with estimated city participation of $871,018, including invoicing provisions for Wayne County DPS participation and traffic signal modernization reimbursement, 7-0.
• Item 22: Accepted the Storm Water Facilities Maintenance Agreement from Livonia Storage, LLC for 11801 Sears Drive, allowing the city to maintain the storm drain system, 7-0.
• Item 23: Amended Council Resolution 119-25 to correct the account number for payments to Joe Rotondo Construction Corp. for the Newburgh Road Sidewalk Extension Project; the contract amount remains not to exceed $145,814.40, plus $13,550 for survey/as-built engineering services, 7-0.
• Item 24: Accepted a water main easement from Livonia Storage, LLC without monetary consideration, approximately 0.311 acres (13,544 sq ft) in Section 26, and directed the City Clerk to record it, 7-0.
• Item 25: Vice President Ptashnik gave first reading to an ordinance amending Section 160 of Title 2, Chapter 96 of the Livonia Code of Ordinances, regarding qualifications for membership in the employees retirement system. President McCullough, Councilmember Morgan, and Councilmember Toy recused themselves during this item. No final vote was taken; the ordinance will return for further reading.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes approved 7-0 as corrected (Resolution #352-25).
• Council voted 7-0 to grant Greg Ralko one additional minute of public comment (Resolution #353-25).
• Consent agenda approved 7-0 (Resolutions #356-373).
• Closed litigation session authorized 7-0 (Resolution #354-25).
• Demolition report referral approved 7-0 (Resolution #355-25).
• Committee of the Whole investigation item discharged 7-0 (Resolution #374-25).
• New business items 20-24 approved 7-0 (Resolutions #375-379).
• No motion was made to rescind the Sheetz site plan; council took no action on that matter during this meeting.
• There was no audience communication at the end of the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m.