Taylor City Council Meeting - July 15, 2025
Taylor City Council Regular Meeting – July 15, 2025
The Taylor City Council met on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Taylor Municipal Building. The meeting lasted approximately two hours and four minutes, concluding at 8:34 PM. Key actions included the approval of a rezoning, a $350,000 payment for emergency repairs at the Sportsplex, the issuance of amusement device permits, and a vote to receive and file a Board of Ethics resolution admonishing former Councilman Herman Ramik. A council vacancy remained unfilled after two nominations failed to secure a majority. The meeting also featured extensive discussion on the city's towing contract and public comments.
Consent Calendar
- Motion to approve the agenda with an amendment adding item 8.9 (Petting Farm purchase agreements) – passed unanimously.
- Motion to approve the minutes of July 1, 2025 – passed unanimously.
- Consent agenda items (7.1–7.4) were approved in one motion: receiving and filing the Animal Shelter "Paws in the Park 5K" profit/loss report (netting $15,000), the June 2025 Budget Performance Report (General Fund revenue $51.6M vs. budget $59.1M, expenditures $49.5M vs. budget $57.8M), the June 2025 Paid Invoice Report ($5.2M in invoices), and amending a cleaning contract for the Police Department.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Herman Ramik (former councilman): Addressed the ethics resolution, stating he acted to protect the city and assisted the FBI. He claimed his computer was hacked and that his actions were justified.
- Eric Hall (complainant): Defended the ethics process, stating that Ramik sent confidential emails to a private citizen and that the Board of Ethics acted properly.
- Harvey Combs (resident): Complained about a neighbor selling used cars from his property, requesting police enforcement.
- Mary Stallions (resident): Criticized the council for not resolving the towing issue, citing numerous complaints against the current vendor, Area Towing, and urging action.
- Kathy Carroll (resident): Submitted a formal complaint alleging Mayor Woolley violated the City Charter by unilaterally signing a towing contract with J&T Crova without council approval. The mayor acknowledged he would do it again.
- Timothy Kinky (resident): Expressed concerns about executive overreach regarding police chief appointments and urged the council to vote on the towing contract.
- Kevin Decker (resident): Promoted the upcoming "Run in Honor" 5K at Heritage Park on July 26, benefiting veterans' services.
- Alumni Association representative: Announced the Taylor Conservatory music in the park event on July 23.
Discussion Items
- 8.1 Rezoning (23225 Eureka Road): Approved motion to rezone parcel from O-1 (Office) to B-2 (Regional Business) to allow a wider range of commercial uses. The Planning Commission had recommended approval. Unanimous vote.
- 8.2 Pavement crack filling contract: Approved amendment to CCR#5.209-25 for Carr's Outdoor Services, not to exceed $151,495, funded through TBA Capital Outlay. Unanimous.
- 8.3 Architectural bollards: Approved low bid from Reliance Foundry for 14 bollards at $14,247. Unanimous.
- 8.4 Belfor Property Restoration payment: Approved $350,000 for emergency repairs at the Sportsplex after a glycol pump malfunction on June 10. The incident caused significant damage; insurance is expected to cover most costs. Discussion included the deductible ($50,000) and the need to prepare for upcoming events (inline skating, elections, hockey). Unanimous.
- 8.5 Amusement device permits: Approved for Main Event Entertainment (address corrected to 15101 Seaway Drive). The permit fee is $100 per machine, estimated $11,000 annually. The facility is expected to open around August 10. Unanimous.
- 8.6 Bureau of Elections fall conference: Approved attendance for two Clerk's Office employees, not to exceed $450 plus expenses. Unanimous.
- 8.7 Council appointment: Two nominations were made to fill the vacant council seat. First, Glenn Bondy (retired police chief) was nominated by Councilman Geiss. After discussion, the vote was 3-3 (Johnson, Winton, Geiss in favor; Daniels, Rose, Brandana opposed). Second, Amy Atwood (the next-highest vote-getter in the last election) was nominated by Councilwoman Brandana. The vote was also 3-3 (Daniels, Rose, Brandana in favor; Winton, Johnson, Geiss opposed). Both nominations failed. Council members expressed differing views on the appointment process, with some favoring the "next in line" from the election and others wanting a candidate aligned with their policy positions.
- 8.8 Board of Ethics resolution: Received and filed the resolution admonishing former Councilman Herman Ramik for violating state law and city ethics ordinances by divulging confidential information (907 pages of documents, including attorney-client privileged and personally identifiable information) to an unauthorized person. The Board of Ethics found violations of MCL 15.342 and City Ordinance Sections 2(a) and 3(f). The resolution includes forwarding the report to the Michigan Attorney General, State Board of Ethics, and local prosecutors. Councilwoman Brandana opposed, arguing the timing (election season) and process were problematic. The vote was 5-1 (Brandana dissenting).
- 8.9 Petting Farm purchase agreements: Added to the agenda and approved for FY2025-2026, not to exceed $170,000. Unanimous.
Key Outcomes
- Rezoning approved: Parcel 23225 Eureka rezoned from O-1 to B-2 (unanimous).
- Sportsplex emergency repair funded: $350,000 approved for Belfor Property Restoration (unanimous).
- Amusement device permits issued: Main Event Entertainment permitted (unanimous).
- Council vacancy remains: Two nominations (Glenn Bondy and Amy Atwood) each failed on 3-3 votes. The seat remains unfilled.
- Ethics resolution received and filed: The Board of Ethics' admonition of Herman Ramik was formally accepted (5-1). The report will be sent to state authorities.
- Towing contract controversy: Public comments and council discussion highlighted ongoing disagreements over the towing contract. Mayor Woolley stated he signed a contract with J&T Crova without council approval, asserting it was necessary for public safety. A resident filed a formal complaint. The council did not take action on the towing issue at this meeting.
- Next regular council meeting: Scheduled for Wednesday, August 6, 2025 (due to the August 5 election).
Meeting Transcript
The meeting to order at 6 30 p.m. Uh first item is the invocation and we have uh Reverend Jeff R Jeff Drutchus here and uh take a moment uh and to congratulate him on uh being recognized for all that he does uh within this community and throughout Southeast Michigan for those that aren't aware. Maybe you can I believe it was the is the top ten for the Detroit News. Uh it was the Michiganians for 2025 in a group of ten. Uh but you know uh uh it's all teamwork, right? Everything good that happens is a result of people working together. So and blessed congratulations, well well earned uh recognition. Uh we know you here in the community, and uh we thank you for everything that you and your family and those that you work with have done. So with that, turn it over for the invocation. All right. Let's bow our heads in a moment of prayer. Then gracious Lord, we come to you tonight. We ask your blessing upon this gathering and all of its deliberations. We ask you to bless each of the council members and also our mayor and all those who serve the city. But we ask also, God, your blessing upon our entire community that it might be faithful to you in the way that it looks ahead to the future with courage, with hope, with compassion. Uh grant to this council tonight the insight they need to make the decisions that are going to help this city move forward and prosper in a wonderful way. All this we ask in your name. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Thank you, sir. That brings us to the pledge of allegiance and like to ask uh councilwoman uh Witten to lead us in the pledge. One nation under God, an individual with liberty and justice for our all. All right, that brings us to roll call. Roll call, please. Miss Daniels here, Miss Rose? Here, Mr. Johnson? Here, Mrs. Brandana? Here, Miss Winton? Here, Mr. Geis? Here, Mayor Woolley? Here, Mrs. Bauer? Here, Mrs. Toko. All right, and uh for those that aren't uh familiar, uh the gentleman sitting to my left will be filling in for Mr. Plato, if you'd like to just quickly introduce yourself. Good evening. I'm Randall Pentuck, and it's my pleasure to be here. Thank you. Even lawyers take vacation, so hopefully Ed's having a good time. But he uh picked a much shorter agenda uh to to not be here. So uh hopefully that's in your benefit, Mr. Pentiak. Um all right, that brings us to the agenda uh 5.1 motion to approve the agenda. Chairman Councilwoman. I make a motion to approve the agenda, adding um a motion eight point nine uh to approve the purchase agreements for the petting farms 2025-2026 fiscal year in an amount not to exceed 170,000.
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