[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6126601,"mediaKeyId","2667426-cd67d8c56e2d1da9d3f5851eee564d4e","parentId",2667426,"title","Livonia council study session: consent approvals and council referrals on March 10, 2025","audioSeconds",3212,"startMs",338000,"endMs",3550000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2667426-cd67d8c56e2d1da9d3f5851eee564d4e&start=338&end=3550","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2667426-cd67d8c56e2d1da9d3f5851eee564d4e/thumbnail_338000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6126601/Livonia/Wayne-County/Michigan/Livonia-council-study-session-consent-approvals-and-council-referrals-on-March-10-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6126601-7ecad1fd01a216be9bed575efe619d23/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149850&Signature=MatOYK1eXdpGZERo1QkSMVdt4f-FzocR0L1YtoSUeY-fIbhzLoasXWaYlN0yvnRLxetOCaeUtl79f5NaNOq6l9L5-S7nlDu5JWzwkOWHY4wC~yu8BraBjKUjSNOKAIt0z17xXyPU2ZcqfvbjR~o8SXkvb3JTalzUSYX7PUJsAzqcDsuiKDPAY0YPq1mdcuRhd5moCvDJNTkK1dPlMDmerK7XGl0u9hBnKpT16tkdOXCaio0cIGOzMUMc1~fTmXwgmZLy3tS-FvSFT-YFeBVa-nt6dbVVAEB5~9l3seRjjGqvJW-s96pKe~r4XeIhmfl9x4B3QQDkqszp35rPgw1HEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","LivoniaTV","date","2025-03-10T00:00:00Z","article","The Livonia City Council study session on March 10, 2025, covered a range of routine and project items the council agreed to place on the city’s upcoming regular meeting agenda. Most items were advanced on consent or otherwise referred for final action.

Votes at a glance

- Noise-ordinance waiver (item 1): Council granted approval on consent to waive the city noise ordinance for an album-release event at 34286 Trillium Court scheduled for May 24, 2025, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Applicant Jake Turland said the show, called the Noise Complaint, will be held in a garage and that he had canvassed neighbors. \"My band, we wanted to do something that we haven't really seen anybody else do,\" Turland told council. Outcome: approved on consent (final vote scheduled on regular meeting agenda).

- Reappointment to Board of Ethics (item 2): The council advanced the reappointment of James McCann to the Livonia Board of Ethics for a three-year term expiring March 1, 2028. Several council members offered supportive remarks about McCann's long service. Outcome: approved on consent.

- Lot-split and lot-width waiver, Shadyside properties (item 3): The council approved on consent a request to waive the 70-foot lot-width requirement for three proposed parcels on Shadyside (addresses: 19303, 19307, 19311, 19315, 19319 Shadyside listed) to allow construction of three single-family homes. Petitioner Mark Rotundo of Shadyside Development LLC said the project will remove a condemned house and collapsed garage and build three new homes intended to attract young families. Rotundo said the deficiency is \"1 foot\" on the lot width. Outcome: approved on consent.

- Livonia Firefighters Union tentative agreement (item 4): The council discussed a tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement (Dec. 1, 2024–Nov. 30, 2027) that the union ratified by roughly 80% on Feb. 6. City staff and councilmembers asked questions about wage timing, MERP mechanics and recruitment provisions and voted to place the contract on the regular meeting agenda for final action. See separate article for full coverage. Outcome: referred to regular meeting for final vote.

- Salary and fringe benefit adjustments for fire chief and deputy chief (item 5): Civil Service recommended extending the bargaining-unit benefits to the fire chief and deputy chief for the same contract period; council approved placement on the regular meeting agenda. Outcome: referred to regular meeting for final vote.

- Bicentennial Park irrigation replacement (item 6): The council approved on consent awarding the irrigation system replacement for diamonds 1–3 and Soccer Field 8 to Stafford Irrigation at $65,480 with a $10,000 contingency; staff reported the city budgeted $210,000 for the overall project. Outcome: approved on consent.

- Police department HVAC chiller installation (item 7): Council approved on consent waiving formal bidding to extend an existing contractor (Engineering/Comfort Systems) for an installation estimated at $156,243.50 and to waive building-inspection fees for the contractor; staff said the contractor is performing similar work at the library and can meet the schedule. Outcome: approved on consent.

- Sidewalk repair program extension (item 8): Council approved on consent extending unit prices with Joe Rotundo Construction Corp. for the 02/2025 sidewalk repair program and authorized an appropriation to Precision Concrete Cutting Inc. Staff reported the contract extension amount as $1,189,782.25. Outcome: approved on consent.

- DPW security camera phase 4 (item 9): Council approved on consent a contract extension with Advanced Security (ASC) for $28,944.53 to install five additional cameras and wiring upgrades in the DPW yard to address theft and vandalism. Outcome: approved on consent.

- Amendment to code, title 5 chapter 3 (item 10): The law department proposed clarifying amendments to sections 007 and 010 of Livonia Code Title 5, Chapter 3 to close a prosecutorial gap identified during enforcement. Council approved placement on consent for the code amendment. Outcome: approved on consent.

What happens next: The items listed for consent will appear on the council's regular meeting agenda for final votes; the firefighters' tentative contract and the chief/deputy chief adjustments were specifically set for separate consideration at the regular meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Livonia City Council Study Meeting - March 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its March 10 study session the Livonia City Council agreed to place several items on the upcoming regular agenda (consent approvals and referrals) including a noise-ordinance waiver for an album release party, a lot-split waiver for three new homes, multiple contracts and reappointments.","taxTitle","Livonia, Wayne County, Michigan","taxId",4046,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6126606,"Livonia study session moves firefighters’ tentative contract to regular agenda after council discussion on wages, benefits and MERP",1107,1187000,2294000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2667426-cd67d8c56e2d1da9d3f5851eee564d4e&start=1187&end=2294","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2667426-cd67d8c56e2d1da9d3f5851eee564d4e/thumbnail_1187000.jpg","/articles/6126606/Livonia/Wayne-County/Michigan/Livonia-study-session-moves-firefighters-tentative-contract-to-regular-agenda-after-council-discussion-on-wages-benefits-and-MERP","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6126606-4d670d8c4ebea5058db0ae1de9172da0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149850&Signature=aW0rT77pgQM8-ZGr0Wbip3XXt2yPEwD5zC93pfwrNL1c3qk8GxO5Ye34hbDC94YIPKNb6~mlh5j6-55awBrMGnRl6rcovbvY-A9aYG4-CMAlvEbyabxqBYn6ogxKf57RcqDejAk~vGfX8ysfxAoQm1UaGTvGRBCl-PfG1c6EZ5Vuszk8fxhI5kv3byTtAX4C4K893KQWLpyevWayKV3i6-i076HxMhUBPXhaGCjz0Y~0L~QYD0QzKoytsYTiI~WOhgi6tjTnPkYwGbMj8ebXmvM-~jczu5wd2PLJbci405HwtTSC18552oJ7jbrvsXb5aLh69x5ynzGrHJOpDu0TAQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor (name not specified) and city staff presented a tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Livonia Firefighters Union that the union ratified by about 80% on Feb. 6 and which council members agreed to put on the regular meeting agenda for final consideration.

The agreement covers the period Dec. 1, 2024, through Nov. 30, 2027, and includes pay increases, benefit changes and administrative updates. Mayor (name not specified) said, \"This contract will allow us to bring exceptional health care benefits to our employees at affordable prices by no longer tying us to Blue Cross Blue Shield as our sole provider.\" He told the council the package is intended to help Livonia retain and recruit firefighters after staffing shortfalls earlier in the decade.

Janine Libel, representing the civil service department, outlined pay and administrative changes in the proposal. \"In the first year they'll have, excuse me, this year they'll have a 3.5 increase and next year it'll be a 4.5 increase,\" she said, and added the contract also eliminates wage tiers and folds the uniform cleaning allowance into base pay. Libel said those changes will raise posted starting rates and improve final-average compensation for pension calculations.

Libel described recruiting-related provisions included in the agreement: allowing the department to hire EMTs and train them toward paramedic certification, adding a promotion bonus tied to a new assessment process (replacing a purely seniority-based system) and adding Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday consistent with other bargaining units. She also explained the MERP option, describing it as a national program that allows participating municipalities to hold employees' retirement-health-related funds until vesting and then make payments into the MERP: \"The folks at Merp ... said, nope. You can hold on to those funds. You can accrue them on your, you know, on your own books. And then when they would become vested, then the city makes ... a payment to the MERP in that full amount.\"

Council members praised the negotiators and the union. Councilman Morgan said he supported placing the item on the regular meeting agenda so the contract would not be buried on consent: \"I would like to be on its own agenda item if that's okay with my colleagues.\" Councilman Donovic thanked the administration and union leadership and said the changes would help address staffing and training needs. Several other council members—Councilman Toye, Councilman Scheel and Councilwoman Ozinski—expressed support and asked clarifying questions about MERP and implementation.

No formal final adoption occurred at the study session. Council members voted to place the tentative agreement and related pay adjustments for department leadership on the regular meeting agenda for final action at the upcoming voting meeting.

The contract as presented would: increase wages with phased raises and an initial adjustment to align with police department changes; remove wage tiers so similarly performing employees have comparable pay; include the uniform maintenance allowance in base wage; add recruitment and promotion incentives; permit the MERP option in lieu of direct deposits to the city retirement-health savings plan; and adjust certain administrative dates and the workers-compensation supplement to mirror other bargaining units.

The council asked staff to be prepared at the regular meeting to finalize the contract and accompanying salary and fringe benefit adjustments for the fire chief and deputy chief if council proceeds to a final vote.

What happens next: The tentative agreement and the chief/deputy chief compensation changes will appear as regular agenda items at the council's next voting meeting for a final vote.","City officials reviewed a tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Livonia Firefighters Union that would raise wages about 20% over three years, add pay-structure changes and offer a MERP option; council members asked clarifying questions and voted to place the contract on the regular meeting agenda.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Livonia council study session: consent approvals and council referrals on March 10, 2025

Livonia study session moves firefighters’ tentative contract to regular agenda after council discussion on wages, benefits and MERP