[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-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",[32,74],{"_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":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6482048,"mediaKeyId","5532462-2fab5be1013b592941a374fbe19586aa","parentId",5532462,"title","Hamtramck council approves NEZ expansion, launches e-filing option and awards landscaping contract","audioSeconds",659,"startMs",3793000,"endMs",4452000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5532462-2fab5be1013b592941a374fbe19586aa&start=3793&end=4452","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5532462-2fab5be1013b592941a374fbe19586aa/thumbnail_3793000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6482048/Hamtramck/Wayne-County/Michigan/Hamtramck-council-approves-NEZ-expansion-launches-e-filing-option-and-awards-landscaping-contract","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482048-b644a70a19957fb20ee3d04de94e84ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145700&Signature=WOSrEQSvcfoknynHefTcORhRmh18XixS8ieADnpMyzolfOVfLYp8m8a6R2Q-4X-rvvI0Fm5E34iaouQG7QhOJg-jORZPuGFPzaeBxoKmzsjEXjjkLRaR~qki0hJ3TKY0fy~~UzcQ47AbyT6xGwu95Yo2uw9xQ~p9KPtQ2p7eWe32228PvP69rg3tv7SvezGYsbKPc~5C5jI~0Pd4Z9RGkAurGQyVrAqwY1nCInt3J-Lru3uxPPtOGR0jsgtUqAAo6h4mgXmB9dzwyrRWdHnuQjVA9Ea7utDrIGptsx2G3iAqaGgGLRQegZspPDtCb-Ebai2hp6tPKJskSUcPAPt42A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-08-05T17:08:46.643Z","article","Hamtramck City Council on April 22 approved a series of routine and policy items, including a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone (NEZ) expansion, a new electronic filing option for city income tax returns and a three-year grounds and lot maintenance contract.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 2025-46, establishing Neighborhood Enterprise Zone site 2: Approved. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Councilman Hassan, Councilman Osmari, Councilman Ford, Councilman Salman, Councilman Musa and Councilman Rai; the presiding officer declared the resolution approved.

- Resolution 2025-47, authorizing the city to offer electronic filing for city income tax through Innovative Software Services, Inc.: Approved; vote tally not specified in the transcript. Staff said the purchase and first-year costs for Hamtramck were \"about $25,000\" and Highland Park's portion was roughly $12,007.50 under a shared-services arrangement.

- Resolution 2025-49, awarding the city parks/lot cleanup and maintenance contract to Teddy's Lawn and Landscape: Approved; vote tally not specified in the transcript. Staff described the recommended contractor as a long-established firm with substantial manpower and equipment and said the three-year price totals discussed in the meeting were about $126,000.

- Consent agenda items (minutes, invoices, two road closures): Approved by voice vote/no objection. The consent agenda included Resolution 2025-45 (road closure for St. Florian Parish Strawberry Festival) and Resolution 2025-50 (Auckland International Academy Field Day) among other routine approvals.

What council heard

Neighborhood Enterprise Zone: City staff outlined that approval would establish the remaining NEZ parcels the city has been preparing over the past year and would allow applications to be submitted to the state tax commission for property tax abatement. Staff also said maps and true cash values prepared by the assessor are posted with the agenda and that informational sessions were scheduled at Cafe 19 23 on April 30 at noon and May 8 at 5 p.m.

E-filing for income tax: City staff said the vendor Innovative has deployed similar systems in other municipalities and that an online filing option should reduce in-person line volume at the city's income tax office. The staff estimate referenced in the meeting was about $25,000 for Hamtramck and about $12,007.50 attributable to Highland Park under the agreement discussed.

Landscaping contract: The city's procurement staff reported that Teddy's Lawn and Landscape submitted a responsive bid and that the vendor's equipment list and workforce were factors in the recommendation. Staff also said the city is studying whether to perform some services in-house over time and that contracts include standard termination clauses allowing the city to end the contract if performance is unsatisfactory.

Process and oversight

Council members asked staff for continued monitoring of contractors and noted that the city retains the ability to terminate contracts that do not meet standards. For the NEZ item, staff emphasized that the council action only establishes the zone; property owners must apply for abatement and the state tax commission must approve any tax abatement.

Next steps

Staff will post NEZ maps and accept applications when the application window opens, schedule follow-up outreach sessions, implement the e-filing platform with the vendor and begin work under the new landscaping contract per the terms in the accepted bid.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular City Council Meeting, April 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council approved a neighborhood enterprise zone expansion, authorized electronic filing for city income tax, and accepted a three-year grounds-maintenance bid; several road-closure resolutions were approved on the consent agenda.","taxTitle","Hamtramck, Wayne County, Michigan","taxId",70265,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6482052,"Hamtramck council hears request to add Bosnian ballots; clerk warns of cost and technical burden",751,215000,966000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5532462-2fab5be1013b592941a374fbe19586aa&start=215&end=966","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5532462-2fab5be1013b592941a374fbe19586aa/thumbnail_215000.jpg","/articles/6482052/Hamtramck/Wayne-County/Michigan/Hamtramck-council-hears-request-to-add-Bosnian-ballots-clerk-warns-of-cost-and-technical-burden","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482052-c4ef17e91915222cfed4d237e777f51b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145700&Signature=YrmOygW60RB3qC6IBSzEse1y1WO~UuW5g~nojA16tho~OnZ-6lU88jBZIrhbzO7ucmWVtLplaHzkWusEguLxjIcYBBQoc7Af44Ncvu-Da5IplwKqgobJMhaKpHvw6GvrBfAhSDLSq5XHKcbiAje-enngEH4SVU55loddArSsbcolZjxKBNHl3AJ1VeaJT6~~852QW1qlXQsGxz7PyXt8I9mRM926FcWJB7eoRIzHkmJRLpKWt8H9XG3STNP3SoqnrOQ~Dz3sJBYUPywI-Cpm1PXHzB-sczzfJb14uBUsOekKOtks3L2xO-egllCgIC5koLWYDIwOBseb0Q25C0Ua1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Hamtramck city officials and residents discussed whether the city should add Bosnian-language ballots for upcoming elections, with the city clerk saying state rules and the city's census numbers determine which languages the city must provide and flagging significant costs and administrative work.

City Clerk Miss Clark told the City Council that the Michigan Voting Rights Act requires the city to provide ballots in Bangla because census figures show Bangla speakers make up about 26 percent of Hamtramck's population, but Arabic is not a separately reported category in the census and therefore does not trigger automatic coverage. Clark said Bosnian speakers make up about 7 percent of the city's population\u0000roughly 1,800 people\u0000and that the group is not automatically covered under the state threshold for required translated ballots.

\"We are required by the Michigan Voting Rights Act to do Bangla,\" Miss Clark said. \"So with Hamtramck, our population is 27,000. Bangla is 26% of that. So we understand why we have to do the ballots for Bangla ... Now with Bosnian, it's only 7% of the city. That's not registered voters, that's just as a whole population. As a whole, there's about 1,800 Bosnians.\"

Why it matters

The issue matters to residents who say language access affects whether people can understand what they are voting on and who they are voting for. Residents who addressed the council said Bosnian-language materials would help older residents and others with limited English proficiency participate.

\"The Bosnian people can see clearly what they're voting for and who they are here,\" said Arwa Mayor, a community member who spoke during public comment.

Costs and logistics

Clark told the council that adding a ballot language is more than printing a translated sheet. She described translation and testing work that must be completed for each additional language, including machine testing, translation of voting-system interfaces, ADA audio translations and translated signage and forms. \"We spend a total, total of $25,000 on it each election, just to test our ballots,\" she said, adding that the cost breaks down to about $7,000 per ballot style for testing when multiple styles exist. Clark later estimated that the first year to fully introduce an additional language could cost as much as $100,000 because of startup work and recurring updates for changing systems.

Council and community response

Council members asked whether grants or other outside funding could cover the cost; Clark said she had not found grant programs that cover the expense and that Wayne County depends on Hamtramck to complete translations and proofs because the county waits for the city's supplemental-language ballots before finalizing materials. Clark also said the clerk's office already must provide Bangla- and Arabic-language services at precincts by law and staffing, and she has Bosnian-speaking workers available at some precincts.

Councilmembers and staff recommended further research and outreach. The mayor suggested the council continue investigating options and hear more from the Bosnian community before making a decision.

What the council directed

Council did not vote to add Bosnian ballots at the meeting. Instead, councilmembers asked staff to research options, report back on funding possibilities and solicit public input from the Bosnian community before taking formal action.

Community context

Several Bosnian residents and community representatives addressed the council in favor of the addition, saying it would be a recognition of Bosnian voters and help older residents who came to Hamtramck after wartime displacement. Clark said anecdotal precinct experience suggested relatively few Bosnian voters use a Bosnian ballot now, and that one long-serving Bosnian precinct supervisor told her he had helped just one Bosnian voter in four years, but speakers said even helping one voter is significant.

For now, the clerk and council plan further outreach and research; any formal rollout would require additional staff work, vendor testing, and, likely, appropriations.","City clerk told the council that adding a Bosnian-language ballot would trigger substantial translation, testing and equipment work; Bosnian residents urged the council to pursue the change as recognition of their community.","actionData","errors"]

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Hamtramck council approves NEZ expansion, launches e-filing option and awards landscaping contract

Hamtramck council hears request to add Bosnian ballots; clerk warns of cost and technical burden