Livonia City Council Study Meeting – January 14, 2026

The Livonia City Council held a study session on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, to prepare the agenda for the January 26, 2026 regular voting meeting. The agenda listed an 8:00 p.m. start, but the minutes record the meeting was called to order at 9:22 p.m. and adjourned at 10:21 p.m. All council members were present. Staff presented seven new business items; council directed each item to either the consent or regular agenda. No final votes were taken at the study meeting.

Consent Calendar

Items placed on the consent agenda for January 26, 2026:

• Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (Item 1): Three-year renewal at $96,237 per year through MIDEAL contract pricing, presented by Information Systems Director Casey O'Neil. Covers core services expiring February 2026. Directed to consent by Councilmember McCullough.
• Shelden Park general contractor (Item 2): Award to KEO and Associates as low bidder at $3,160,822 for the $5 million bonded renovation project. Bids came in below the $3.6–$3.8 million estimate. Directed to consent by Councilmember Budzinski.
• Special assessment date (Item 6): Set a date to adopt a resolution placing special assessments on unpaid 2025 sidewalk charges. Directed to consent by Councilmember Ptashnik. Note: agenda cites CR 95-25; minutes cite CR 74-24.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Steve King (Coventry Gardens) criticized Mitten/MITN (Michigan Intergovernmental Trade Network) as an administrative convenience rather than a proven cost-saving tool and urged council to re-examine routine spending. He later opposed the Shelden Park splash pad, advocated for a pool, and called for more citizen input on the park and senior-center furniture purchases.
• Jim Biga (resident) argued the 30-minute public comment period violates the Michigan Open Meetings Act and raised ADA concerns, asking for a published procedure for remote/virtual participation accommodations.
• Neil Moroski (15971 Penn Drive) criticized Councilmember Ptashnik's car-wash comments and vote, saying residents do not want a car wash at the Buca di Beppo site and that the council should address oversaturation.
• Jerry Karaszynski (19488 Bainbridge) asked council to address deer overpopulation regionally, review golf course fertilizer and herbicide use for environmentally friendly alternatives, and later supported the senior-center furniture purchase because savings could be redirected to Hillcrest Park playground equipment. He also suggested coordinating Microsoft license renewals across city departments.
• Matt Hansen (Quakertown) urged rescission of the December 17 Buca site car-wash approval so the current council could reconsider it; he said the approval contradicted Councilmember Ptashnik's stated policy on car-wash clustering.
• Nas Simpson (18957 Aspen Drive) suggested using organic fertilizers and pesticides/herbicides at Livonia golf courses that are not damaging to human health.
• Greg Ralko (Golf Villa) criticized the Buca car-wash approval, said council should have asked the developer for a traffic contingency, and urged rescission.
• Cindy Fleming (Lavonia) asked how the 2026 sidewalk repair item needed to be amended to include the 2027 year; Zilincik clarified he would return in 2027 with the contract amount for council approval.
• Denise Mica (resident) asked whether future bid packages could include competitive options for the following year instead of price extensions; she also questioned whether removing trash/recycling items from the furniture proposal would reduce assembly/labor costs.
• Council responses: Councilmember McCullough said Mitten is a procurement website, not a cooperative purchasing agreement, while MIDEAL is a State of Michigan cooperative purchasing contract that can offer good pricing; he cautioned that some cooperative agreements are money grabs. Councilmember Ptashnik said a rescission can be moved by any councilmember and noted the council receives many calls, emails, and voicemails beyond those attending; her car-wash concern was tied to traffic from the Whole Foods-area development. Councilmember Brockway said he would take up the ADA/Zoom request through a Committee of the Whole review.

Discussion Items

• Senior Wellness Center furniture (Item 3): Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ted Davis requested waiver of formal bidding and $51,894.87 in furniture purchases through cooperative pricing based on user preferences, including chairs without wheels, smaller card tables, second-level seating, and benches. Councilmember McCullough proposed removing trash receptacles and recycling centers from the scope, saving about $11,000; Davis agreed to obtain a revised proposal. Denise Mica noted assembly fees might also drop and raised concerns about chair heights. Directed to the regular agenda.
• 2026 Asphalt Road Program (Item 4): City Engineer Todd Zilincik requested approval of Contract 26-A with Nagle Paving at $3,806,939.15 by extending Contract 25-A unit prices. The program covers 22 segments in the fourth year of the 2022 road millage, with a $10.2 million total budget; work includes the Harrison Street corridor and Myrna Road. Nagle is a Livonia business with bidder preference. Directed to the regular agenda.
• 2025 Sidewalk Program final costs (Item 5): Request to approve final costs and additional appropriations for Contract 25-G, closing out 2025 work so the Treasurer's Office can send single-lot assessments. Final contract amount was $1,102,784.95 with a 10% administrative fee; about 182 assessments at roughly $1,000 each (about $250 per flag). The project came in about $100,000 under budget. Directed to the regular agenda.
• 2026 Sidewalk Repair Program (Item 7): Request to extend Contract 25-G unit prices with Joe Rotondo Construction Corp. for Contract 26-G and to authorize an appropriation for Precision Concrete Cutting, Inc. Zilincik said the request included extending unit prices into 2027, but he would return in 2027 for council approval of the contract amount. Councilmember McDonnell said she preferred a one-year contract and preserving the option to bid in 2027; council discussion clarified the January 26 action would cover 2026 only. Directed to the regular agenda.
• ADA/Zoom referral: Councilmember Brockway said he would work with legal, the clerk, and communications on adding Zoom/remote participation to meetings. Councilmember Ptashnik noted prior difficulties syncing Zoom with the television broadcast and said closed captioning had been added. Councilmember Budzinski noted that all public meetings and committee meetings would need to be Zoom-compatible, with budget implications. The matter was directed to the regular agenda as a Committee of the Whole report/recommendation.
• Other council discussion: Councilmember McDonnell acknowledged a resident email about possible bocce ball court improvements; no action was taken.

Key Outcomes

• Because this was a study meeting, no ordinance or contract was formally adopted. Council directed agenda placement for the January 26, 2026 regular meeting: consent = Items 1, 2, and 6; regular = Items 3, 4, 5, and 7; plus the ADA/Zoom referral.
• For Item 3, council directed staff to remove trash receptacles and recycling centers and return with a revised not-to-exceed amount.
• For Item 7, council discussion indicated approval would be for 2026 only, with Zilincik returning in 2027 for the second-year renewal amount.
• Meeting adjourned at 10:21 p.m.