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Council adopts annual county-road permits; union rep asks how residents can access contracting work
Summary
The Harper Woods City Council approved three annual performance-and-indemnification resolutions authorizing county-road work, restorative repairs and temporary lane closures; a union representative asked how residents can learn about local hiring opportunities tied to those contracts and staff said contractors handle hiring.
The Harper Woods City Council on Feb. 10 adopted three annual performance-and-indemnification resolutions that authorize the city to perform work on county roads and sidewalks, make restorative corrections after repairs, and temporarily close county roads for events. Acting City Manager Shemansky said the permits are required annually and recommended adoption.
"One is mostly for sewer and water main repairs on county roads and sidewalks," Shemansky said during the city-manager report, adding that the second permit covers restorative corrections and the third authorizes temporary road closures and placement of temporary banners in the county right-of-way. The council moved and supported the resolutions and the motion carried.
During public comment immediately after the item, Curtis Daniels, representing the Michigan Regional Council Carpenters and Millwrights, asked how contractors chosen to perform road or sidewalk work are told to hire city residents and how residents can learn about job opportunities. "If that is part of the contract, then the specs are bid accordingly," Shemansky replied, explaining that hiring practices depend on contract specifications and that the city itself does not perform contractor hiring. "You would have to apply with the company or contact the company. We don't do the hiring here," she said.
Other residents used the public-comment period to raise related concerns about long-term street conditions in Harper Woods and the need for funding for more durable repairs. One resident said sections of concrete streets need replacement rather than repeated asphalt patching, which she said does not hold up under freeze-thaw cycles.
Ending: The council approved the three annual county permits at the Feb. 10 meeting. Staff said contractors manage hiring and that residents seeking to work on projects should apply directly to contractors; councilmembers did not direct staff to add local-hiring requirements to the permits at this meeting.
