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Record of Proceedings

Roseville City Council Regular Meeting - November 11, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, November 11, 2025
BodyRoseville, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, November 11, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

2:38

Present.

Speaker 2

2:39

Mayor Pro Tem Ha?

2:40

Here.

2:41

Mayor Taylor.

Speaker 1

2:42

Here.

Unassigned speaker

2:44

Do

Speaker 2

2:44

we need a motion to excuse Councilwoman McCarthy?

Speaker 3

2:50

Yep,

Speaker 2

2:50

six.

Speaker 3

2:51

I'll need a motion to excuse Councilwoman McCartney.

Speaker 1

2:53

So move.

2:54

Support.

Unassigned speaker

2:55

I

Speaker 3

2:55

have a motion by Councilman Witese supported by Councilman Knox.

2:59

Excuse Councilwoman McCartney.

3:01

All in favor?

3:03

Anyone against?

3:04

Councilwoman McCartney has been excused.

3:10

Are there any items on the consent agenda that council wishes to have removed for discussion?

Unassigned speaker

3:19

If

Speaker 3

3:19

not, I'll need a motion to approve the consent agenda.

Unassigned speaker

3:22

So

Speaker 3

3:24

my mayor pro tem Hawaii supported by Councilman Watisha to approve the consent agenda.

3:29

All in favor?

3:30

Aye.

3:30

Anyone against?

3:32

Consent agenda has been approved.

Speaker 4

3:39

We have none tonight, sir.

Speaker 3

3:41

Okay, then we're going to move into presentations.

Speaker 4

3:49

He's our lobbyist.

3:50

He's here to give a quick update from Lancing for

Unassigned speaker

3:52

you.

Speaker 3

3:53

Okay.

3:55

Welcome.

Unassigned speaker

3:57

Good

Speaker 5

3:58

evening, Mr.

3:58

Mayor and Council members.

3:59

Adam right with the Midwest Strategy Group.

4:01

Good to see you all.

4:03

Um wanted to come and give an update.

4:05

As uh as we've seen, there's been a lot of turbulence in Lansing.

4:09

There's been more in Washington, but Lancing has been able to handle it a little bit better.

4:14

The biggest thing I wanted to talk to you about today is the budget.

4:18

And that the budget was approved.

4:21

Uh in the over 20 years that I've worked in Lance and I've never seen us do a continuation budget, but that happened this year.

4:28

So they had done a week-long continuation budget so that there wasn't a state government shutdown.

4:34

Um then on October third at about four AM, because I know because that's about when I went to sleep.

5:01

They're just basically unfilled positions within departments.

5:05

And so some people think it's good to get those off the manning table so they can't be filled and money can't be spent, and other people want to make sure that um the departments have the flexibility to to fill positions if if needed.

5:16

So that was one of the things they talked about.

5:18

Another thing is earmark transparency is in the past, a lot of times if you got a special earmark in the budget, you was uh put in the budget at the very last minute.

5:28

There was not a whole lot of public opportunity for the public to view it and comment on it, and so they had this uh new system where there was a website set up, um, they were all on there, and if you wanted to get a special project in the budget, you had to come and testify in public for it.

5:44

So that was a good thing that that happened out of the um the budget.

5:49

But the biggest thing is I'm sure you're all aware is uh the budget included new money for road funding and uh some additional taxes to help fund that.

5:58

The first thing that they did is they removed the sales tax off of gasoline and increase the gas tax uh to about the same amount so that all the money will go to the roads.

6:11

As we know, sales tax goes to school districts as well as the roads as well as to local governments, and so removing that sales tax and just having the gas tax go up, make sure all those dollars will go to roads and they can flow for various projects.

6:27

They also increased uh marijuana tax.

6:30

Um they say it will raise about 420 million.

6:33

We chuckled about that.

6:34

We thought that was a funny number to raise the marijuana tax.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development████████████████████████24%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Community Engagement█████████████13%
Pending Litigation███████████11%
Cannabis Regulation█████████9%
Budget Equity Analysis████████8%
Public Engagement█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Roseville City Council Regular Meeting - November 11, 2025

The City Council of Roseville, Michigan, met on November 11, 2025, at 6:30 PM. Key actions included approving a brownfield redevelopment plan for a mixed-use project on Gratiot, denying a FOIA appeal by the police chief, and accepting a supplemental hearing officer’s report on a marijuana license appeal. The meeting also featured updates from the city’s lobbyist and recreation director.

Consent Calendar

  • All consent agenda items were approved unanimously via motion by Councilman Witese and Councilman Knox.

Presentations

  • Lobbyist Update (Adam Right, Midwest Strategy Group): Right reported on the state budget, which passed as a continuation budget after a one-week shutdown. Key items included:
    • Removal of sales tax on gasoline, replaced by an increased gas tax to ensure all road funds go to infrastructure.
    • Increased marijuana tax (estimated $420 million).
    • Public safety revenue sharing: $50 million ongoing and $20 million one-time, with restrictions (no tanks or chemical weapons). For Roseville, constitutional revenue sharing decreases by ~$100,000, statutory revenue sharing is flat, and public safety revenue sharing adds ~$230,000, which can be used to supplant existing police funding.
    • Additional transportation funding: $2 million in the current fiscal year, rising to $3.1 million next year.
    • Upcoming housing legislation may include local preemption; Right said they will push back on that.
    • An expected supplemental budget to fix issues from the main budget.
    • Economic development legislation may shift from upfront incentives to post-creation rewards.
    • A ballot initiative called “Axe My Tax” to eliminate property taxes appears to have fizzled; Right noted the leader is running for governor and has 400,000 “names,” not signatures.
  • Recreation Authority Update (Tony Lapinski, Director): Lapinski reported on recent and upcoming programs:
    • 47th annual Big Bird Run completed on November 9 (first snowy day) with good pre-registration but lower turnout due to weather; proceeds benefit community service organizations.
    • Upcoming: Puzzle Tournament (Nov 22, free), VIP Dinner Dance (Dec 5, for kids with an important adult), winter youth basketball, volleyball, and sideline cheer (registration deadline Dec 28).
    • A new park development project (north of the Recreation Authority Center) funded by a grant will include walking path, picnic pavilion, playground, pickleball courts, cornhole, community gardens, and tree plantings; grand opening planned for spring.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • First Hearing of the Public (agenda items only): No one from the public spoke.
  • Second Hearing of the Public (any city business): No one from the public spoke.

Unfinished Business

  • Brownfield Redevelopment Plan for 31327 Gratiot: The council considered a resolution of support for a brownfield plan to redevelop a former hotel site (3.47 acres) into three parcels: Portillo's, Raising Cane's, and an L Car Wash. The site is functionally obsolete and has minor groundwater contamination. Eligible activities total ~$613,000 (likely increasing by $200,000 due to higher demolition bids), with a 6-year reimbursement period.
    • Amanda Minato (Macomb County Brownfield Authority) explained the process: the county BRA acts as the redevelopment authority. The plan is shorter than the 17-year average and below the $3.8 million average total.
    • Luke Bonner (developer) presented the project, noting the site plan had been approved by the Planning Commission. Developer Gabe Shuckman added that the car wash will employ 12-14 people, pay hourly staff over $20/hour, and recycle 90% of water. Neighbors’ concerns (wall height, noise, construction) were addressed by raising the wall from 6 to 7 feet, planting arborvitae, and developing a construction plan for adjacent residents.
    • Councilman Knox questioned profitability of car washes; Shuckman cited community focus and investment over $10 million. The car wash drove the development, bringing in the restaurants.
    • Vote: Motion to approve the resolution of support carried unanimously (6 ayes).

Key Outcomes

  • FOIA Appeal (Chief Mitchell Berlin): Chief Berlin appealed denial of a FOIA request for a report he said was compiled with malicious intent and contains “terrible legal advice.” The City Manager had denied the request citing HIPAA and Open Meetings Act exemptions. Chief Berlin noted the report had already been released outside the organization. The council went into closed session (MCL 15.268(1)(h)) to discuss attorney-client privilege and pending litigation. After returning, the council voted 6-0 to deny the appeal (motion by Councilman Shoemaker, supported by Councilman Knox).
  • Supplemental Report on Marijuana License Appeal (MPM-R XV1P, LLC vs. City): City Attorney Thomason explained this is the remaining appeal from the initial round of marijuana licensing. A hearing officer issued a supplemental report after the circuit court remanded for additional detail. The officer recommended an adjusted score of 60.7 points (up from 59.2), but this still fails to meet the threshold for a license. The council voted unanimously to accept the supplemental recommendation (motion by Councilman Tisha, supported by Councilman Knox).

Reports & Announcements

  • City Clerk: Announced canvass completed; thanked residents for re-electing her.
  • City Attorney (Thomason): Updated on two lawsuits involving Sacred Heart: (1) Strauss case – appeal to Court of Appeals denied; application for leave to appeal to Supreme Court filed, city filed for expedited review; (2) Harvest Time Church case – city dismissed from that suit after plaintiff voluntarily dismissed.
  • City Manager (Monroe): Thanked clerk for election; called for volunteers on boards (Planning, Parks & Rec, Beautification).

Items for Discussion by City Council

  • Council members thanked veterans (Veterans Day), congratulated re-elected members and new Councilman Hoover, and praised the Recreation Authority and Big Bird Run volunteers. Mayor Taylor noted a car accident involving two police officers; both are expected back soon and the injured party is recovering.

Adjournment

  • The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:48 PM after a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Hawks.

Meeting Transcript

Present. Mayor Pro Tem Ha? Here. Mayor Taylor. Here. Do we need a motion to excuse Councilwoman McCarthy? Yep, six. I'll need a motion to excuse Councilwoman McCartney. So move. Support. I have a motion by Councilman Witese supported by Councilman Knox. Excuse Councilwoman McCartney. All in favor? Anyone against? Councilwoman McCartney has been excused. Are there any items on the consent agenda that council wishes to have removed for discussion? If not, I'll need a motion to approve the consent agenda. So my mayor pro tem Hawaii supported by Councilman Watisha to approve the consent agenda. All in favor? Aye. Anyone against? Consent agenda has been approved. We have none tonight, sir. Okay, then we're going to move into presentations. He's our lobbyist. He's here to give a quick update from Lancing for you. Okay. Welcome. Good evening, Mr. Mayor and Council members. Adam right with the Midwest Strategy Group. Good to see you all. Um wanted to come and give an update. As uh as we've seen, there's been a lot of turbulence in Lansing. There's been more in Washington, but Lancing has been able to handle it a little bit better. The biggest thing I wanted to talk to you about today is the budget. And that the budget was approved. Uh in the over 20 years that I've worked in Lance and I've never seen us do a continuation budget, but that happened this year. So they had done a week-long continuation budget so that there wasn't a state government shutdown. Um then on October third at about four AM, because I know because that's about when I went to sleep. They're just basically unfilled positions within departments. And so some people think it's good to get those off the manning table so they can't be filled and money can't be spent, and other people want to make sure that um the departments have the flexibility to to fill positions if if needed. So that was one of the things they talked about.

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