Livonia City Council Regular Meeting - January 26, 2026

The 2,033rd Regular Meeting of the Livonia City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on January 26, 2026, in the City Hall Auditorium. Roll call showed Councilmembers McCullough, McDonnell, Budzinski, Persiconi, Brockway, and Reid present; Councilmember Ptashnik was absent. The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.

City Attorney Update on LPD and Immigration Enforcement

• At the Council President's request, City Attorney Carter Fisher said the mayor's office had sent the Council a letter that afternoon. He said the administration and Livonia Police Department understood the gravity of community concerns, had been actively reviewing and amending policies related to ICE and immigration enforcement, had consulted outside sources for expertise, and asked for additional time to complete the policy review.

Minutes and Reports

• The minutes of the January 14, 2026 regular meeting were approved unanimously, 6-0, after corrections were noted (Resolution 39-26).
• The Department of Finance communication forwarding the Departmental Purchases Report for December 31, 2025 was received and placed on file.

Consent Calendar

• Items 1 through 3 were approved together by a 6-0 vote:
  • Renewal of the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement through MiDEAL contract pricing for three years, February 28, 2026 through February 27, 2029, at an annual cost not to exceed $96,237.04 (Resolution 40-26).
  • Award of the Shelden Park Improvements and Renovation Project to Keo and Associates, Inc., as general contractor, in an amount not to exceed $3,160,822.00 (Resolution 41-26).
  • Setting June 15, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. as the date for Council to consider placing special assessments on properties with unpaid charges from the 2025 Sidewalk Program, Contract 25-G (Resolution 42-26).

Public Comments and Testimony

• The majority of public comment concerned Livonia Police Department cooperation with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Residents including Mike Rudell, Betsy Calhoun, Mike Gladwick, Laurie Shook, Debbie Pinnell, Renay Weiss-Stansell, Deb Christiansen, Frances Janis, Lauren Dugas-Holler, Samantha Kliman, Peter Dale, Jordan Foster, and others opposed the cooperation. They said ICE was dangerous and unaccountable, cited recent fatal incidents involving ICE operations, asked for full transparency about when LPD calls federal immigration authorities, and urged the city to adopt policies barring or limiting cooperation. Ella Zangdal asked how many of the 14,000 citations issued during 2025 resulted in stops where someone lacked ID and how often CBP was called. Mike Martin said crime in Livonia fell 19% in the past year and argued ICE was not needed in the city.
• U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib said LPD has no legal obligation to contact immigration authorities when officers suspect someone is not lawfully present, warned that such contact encourages racial profiling, expressed frustration with the city's response, and announced that $850,000 for a Livonia bike/walk project had cleared the U.S. House and was pending in the Senate. State Representative Laurie Pohutsky said voluntary participation in immigration enforcement carries legal liabilities and urged the Council to act by ordinance rather than relying on administration policy.
• Residents supporting police cooperation with ICE included James Hooper, Jerry Karasinski, John Pastor, and Michele Mancini. They argued that the city should follow federal law, honor federal detainers, support the police department, and not forbid officers from cooperating with other agencies on warrants or deportation orders.
• Other commenters requested specific actions: Jim Biga asked that any gas station restriction also cover auto repair shops; Suzanne Fanning, a Plymouth resident running for Wayne County Probate Court, discussed mental health and probate court accessibility; William Hurley asked for a rescission vote on the recently approved car wash at the former Buca Di Beppo site and alleged Open Meetings Act violations; Matt Hanson criticized a councilmember's vote on the car wash and supported rescission; Laura Shoemaker detailed prior Sheetz site plan votes and said a formal complaint had been filed with the Michigan Attorney General; Greg Ralko asked the mayor to stop work at Eight Mile Road and Newburgh pending Circuit Court litigation and cited zoning ordinance violations; Denise Mika and Christopher Martin raised transparency and procurement concerns; Steve King recommended the city create a full-time grant writer and criticized furniture costs; Christopher Martin called for competitive towing after describing a $450 tow bill reduced to $145 after media involvement; Cindy Fleming asked for a review of emergency preparedness after delayed water safety information during a water main break; Erik Fitzpatrick requested revisions to the outdoor lighting policy; Chris Hench requested sign language interpreters at city meetings; and Betsy Calhoun suggested seeking a gold Michigan Green Communities certification and reusing the Sheldon Park pool building.

Discussion Items

• Item 4, Senior Wellness Center furniture: The Council waived formal bidding and approved the purchase from Interior Environments - Novi in an amount not to exceed $39,719.38. Councilmember McCullough said the amount reflected a reduction of close to $11,000. Passed 6-0 (Resolution 43-26).
• Item 5, 2026 Asphalt Road Program: The Council approved extending Nagle Paving Company's Contract 25-A unit prices for Contract 26-A in an amount not to exceed $3,806,939.15. The official minutes and roll call show the vote was 5-1, with Councilmember McDonnell as the sole no vote. The transcript also contains pre-vote remarks opposing the renewal that are attributed in the transcript to President Reed, but the roll call and official minutes record President Reid as voting aye; the context strongly indicates the no-vote rationale belonged to Councilmember McDonnell (Resolution 44-26).
• Item 6, 2025 Sidewalk Program final costs: The Council approved a final project cost of $1,102,784.95, including a 10% Engineering Division administrative fee, with $183,150.00 charged to single lot assessments and $919,634.95 charged to city funds. Passed 6-0 (Resolution 45-26).
• Item 7, 2026 Sidewalk Repair Program: The Council approved extending Joe Rotondo Construction Corp.'s Contract 25-G unit prices for Contract 26-G and 27-G, authorizing a 2026 program amount not to exceed $909,663.50, plus up to $30,000.00 to Precision Concrete Cutting, Inc. for saw-cutting. A substitute motion by Councilmember McDonnell, supported by Vice President Brockway, to limit the extension to one year failed on a 2-4 vote, with only McDonnell and Brockway voting yes. The original resolution then passed 4-2, with McDonnell and Brockway voting no (Resolution 46-26).
• Item 8, Virtual Council meetings: The Council voted 6-0 to refer to the Committee of the Whole the question of allowing Council meetings to be conducted in person with a virtual option. Vice President Brockway cited accessibility and a 2022 Michigan Attorney General opinion (Resolution 47-26).
• Item 9, Donations: The Council accepted $49,935.00 in cash and gifts from various donors for Parks and Recreation purposes as designated by donors. Passed 6-0 (Resolution 48-26).
• At the close of the meeting, Councilmember McDonnell moved to refer procurement practices for contracts above $30,000.00 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed 5-1, with Councilmember Persiconi voting no (Resolution 49-26).

Key Outcomes

• All consent calendar items approved 6-0.
• Furniture purchase approved 6-0.
• 2026 Asphalt Road Program approved 5-1.
• 2025 Sidewalk Program final costs approved 6-0.
• 2026 Sidewalk Repair Program approved 4-2; a one-year-only substitute motion failed 2-4.
• Zoom referral to Committee of the Whole approved 6-0.
• Donations accepted 6-0.
• Procurement practices referral to Committee of the Whole approved 5-1.
• The meeting transcript stated the next regular meeting is scheduled for February 9, 2026.