Livonia City Council Regular Meeting - July 13, 2026

The Livonia City Council held its 2,044th Regular Meeting on July 13, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Auditorium, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan. All seven councilmembers were present: Brandon McCullough, Eileen McDonnell, Carrie Budzinski, Robin Persiconi, Martha Ptashnik, Patrick Brockway, and Kayleigh Reid. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a life-and-legacy tribute to Kate Cheshoffsky, a Livonia resident, mother, nurse, lawyer, and president of the Livonia Democratic Club, followed by a moment of silence. The Council unanimously approved the June 15, 2026 meeting minutes, passed the consent agenda 7-0, heard public comment, received the annual audit report, and acted on resolutions before adjourning at 8:30 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• June 15, 2026 Regular Meeting minutes approved 7-0 (Resolution 244-26).
• Departmental Purchases Report for the month ending May 31, 2026, received and filed.
• Block party approvals, subject to Police Department approval:
  • Alex Quint: Fairfield Street between 9912 and 10000, August 15, 2026, 3:00-10:00 p.m.; rain date August 22, 2026.
  • Erin King: Hampshire Road between 33204 Hampshire Road and 16126 Woodring Court, August 22, 2026, 3:00-10:00 p.m.
  • Jasmine Wieczorek: Rayburn Street between Williams Street and Levan Road, August 22, 2026, 12:00-10:00 p.m.; rain date September 5, 2026.
• Awarded Fire Department uniform supply bid to Allie Bros. Uniforms, Inc., not to exceed $163,517.06, for three years from July 14, 2026 through July 13, 2029, with a potential two-year extension.
• Awarded Rotary Park outdoor fitness area bid to Snider Recreation for $150,000, covering a 3,300-square-foot area with 14 units serving up to 38 people, funded through a Wayne County Park Grant.
• Authorized purchase of two 2027 Freightliner dump trucks and upfitting through the Rochester Hills Cooperative Award Agreement, total not to exceed $617,158.72, including an 8% contingency.
• Authorized purchase of one 2027 Freightliner tandem-axle dump truck and upfitting through the Rochester Hills Cooperative Award Agreement, total not to exceed $326,787.52, including an 8% contingency.
• Awarded Idyl Wyld Golf Course mini-split AC replacement to Guardian Environmental Services for $23,220.
• Appointed Michael A. Testa to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The agenda described the appointment as filling an unexpired term ending July 12, 2028; the minutes state a three-year term expiring July 12, 2029.
• The entire consent agenda passed 7-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

During the first audience period, residents and stakeholders raised the following:

• Kim Snyder described difficulty using current transit to attend the meeting, noting the last ride left at 6:00 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. meeting, and called for expanded transportation options.
• Harmony Lloyd, Deputy General Manager and COO of SMART, said she was not there to tell anyone how to vote on the August 4 millage. She said passage would expand fixed-route bus service along Seven Mile, Plymouth, Haggerty, and Middlebelt; add SMART Connector curb-to-curb service for seniors and people with disabilities; and increase support for Livonia's Live & Go service. She noted SMART currently provides eight buses costing about $1.5 million and said new scheduling software could save the city about $100,000 per year. She warned that if the SMART millage fails, SMART would no longer operate transit service in Wayne County, ending Live & Go support.
• Joe Gilligan, a Livonia Arts Commissioner, paid tribute to Kate Cheshoffsky and promoted an upcoming Music for the Heart series at a Livonia veterans park.
• Bob Hauser, a Wild Ones representative, gave an update on native-plant activities, including an August 16 yard tour and sustainability programs being presented to the Greenleaf Commission.
• Samantha Lewis described a negative experience filing a sexual harassment police report at her business, saying she faced skepticism and discouragement and that the department does not treat everyone who seeks help equally.
• Alyssa raised concerns about the Fire and Police millage and Flock license-plate reader cameras, citing ACLU statistics that less than 1 percent of scanned cars are connected to crime and that 1 in 10 license plates are misread. She asked the city to release the contract and said she opposes what she called the surveillance state. President Reid responded that the Flock camera contract was in the September 26, 2025 study-session packet and was voted on October 6, 2025.
• Frank McDermott criticized the lifetime ban of Steve King from the Senior Wellness and Recreation Center, saying the breaking-and-entering charge was dismissed, King pleaded no contest to trespassing and received a $50 fine, and no violence, threats, or property damage occurred. He said King had helped defeat a $145 million bond proposal that 67 percent of voters rejected.
• Robert Hencsh asked how the city would inform the public about election monitors, election recourse, and jurisdiction if monitors were sent to polling places.
• Denise Mika asked for clearer ordinance wording before approvals, better online access to housing commission information, and a fee for non-resident senior center users.
• Laura Jannika requested a Zoom component for the upcoming Committee of the Whole meeting and urged council members to research how other cities handle remote participation.
• Lynn Mills raised tree-removal and grubbing issues at the Newburgh Road site planned for future affordable senior housing.

During the second audience period:

• Debbie McDermott questioned the hold on the permanent concrete ramp, stating that $20,000 had been spent on a temporary ramp, the permanent ramp was estimated at $6,000-$8,000, and it was previously expected to be completed before the August 2026 voting.
• Jerry Karasinski asked to comment on the Finance and Budget Committee's annual audit report.
• Jim Biga said the city paid $50,000 for stump removal at the Newburgh/Plymouth site but the work was not completed, calling it malfeasance. He said he opposed the bus millage because he doubted the proposed routes would meet Livonia's needs, objected to taxpayer-funded transit authority advertising, and argued that Live & Go should operate during all city operating hours and should not be run by the housing commission.

Discussion Items

• Annual Audit Report: Councilmember Ptashnik, chair of the Finance and Budget Committee, reported on the June 8, 2026 committee meeting covering the annual audit for the period December 1, 2024 through November 30, 2025, presented by Plante & Moran. The audit received an unmodified, or clean, opinion. There were no significant misstatements and no internal-control findings. The general fund added $2.1 million to its fund balance, ending at $20.2 million, equal to 28 percent of current-year expenditures, or about 3.3 months of expenses. Total general fund revenue was $75 million, up 5 percent, with property taxes accounting for 56 percent of revenue and increasing 6 percent. Expenditures were up about $2 million, or about 2 percent. The general fund finished $3.2 million better than the amended budget, largely because police department vacancies left budgeted positions unfilled. The cable television fund balance had declined from more than $860,000 to $70,000, and the adjudicated forfeiture fund held about $3.2 million. A federal cash-management policy was missing during the audit period but has since been drafted. Auditors also recommended continued focus on cybersecurity and monitoring state road funding changes. The audit reports were received and placed on file.
• Transfer of massage establishment waiver (Item 12): Haiyan Pi, owner of Ocean Wellness & Massage, requested transfer of the existing waiver use approval to Xing Yu Chen for 16345 Middlebelt. Councilmember Persiconi initially moved to approve, but after questioning, Chen confirmed a Washington State Department of Health sanction and 24-month probation in July 2022 related to a massage business. Persiconi withdrew her motion, and the Council voted 7-0 to deny the transfer.
• Senior Citizens Housing Tax Exemption ordinance: Councilmember Budzinski gave a first reading to a proposed amendment to Chapter 3.12 of the Livonia Code of Ordinances. No adoption vote was taken.
• Vacation ordinance (Petition 2026-03-03-01): The Council took from the table and gave second reading and adoption to an ordinance vacating portions of street, alley, and public ground requested by Seven Mile/Farmington Venture LP for 33500 Seven Mile Road. It passed 7-0.
• Removed item: Agenda item 14, the request to waive bidding and award the boiler system replacement at the Robert and Janet Bennett Civic Center Library, was removed from the agenda.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent agenda (items 1-9) 7-0, including block parties, bid awards, cooperative purchases, and the ZBA appointment.
• Adopted Resolution 245-26 referring the operation of the City Council Office and the production of agenda items to the Law and Education Committee. The transcript roll call shows a 5-2 vote: Ayes McCullough, McDonnell, Budzinski, Ptashnik, Brockway; Nays Persiconi and Reid.
• Adopted Resolution 246-26 directing the administration to provide a report on all city facility rental fees waived, reduced, or forgiven during the past two years. Passed 7-0.
• Adopted Resolution 247-26 directing the Law Department to provide a status update on all outstanding resolutions and when they will be addressed. Passed 7-0.
• Approved Allison Adams' Flamingo Boulevard block party (Item 11) 7-0.
• Denied the massage establishment waiver transfer (Item 12) 7-0.
• Adopted the Seven Mile/Farmington vacation ordinance 7-0.
• Accepted three storm sewer easements without monetary consideration, each 7-0: two from A&R Packing Co., Inc., and one from TechnoSports, LLC, all in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 28.
• Approved 7-0 a closed Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss pending litigation and attorney-client privileged communications in Shaun Day v City of Livonia, Wayne County Circuit Court Case No. 25-010729-NI, by the required two-thirds roll call vote under the Open Meetings Act.
• The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m., with a study session scheduled to follow at 8:45 p.m.

Discrepancy Notes

• For Resolution 245-26, the minutes list Councilmember Persiconi in both the Ayes and Nays columns; the transcript shows Persiconi and Reid voting no, making the vote 5-2.
• The agenda described Michael A. Testa's Zoning Board of Appeals appointment as filling an unexpired term ending July 12, 2028, while the minutes state the appointment is for a three-year term expiring July 12, 2029.