Council adopts dozens of items; votes include lot sales, CDBG reprogramming, budget changes and planning appointment

Pontiac City Council on April 15 adopted a broad set of routine and substantive measures, including the consent agenda and a series of separate resolutions covering city lot sales, reprogramming of Community Development Block Grant funds, a budget amendment and a conditional rezoning extension for Lighthouse Campus.

The council approved the consent agenda (items AthroughO) on a recorded vote of 6yays, 1nay. The consent package included minutes, contract approvals, a $500,000 opioid-related contract for Rx Kids, and resolutions about cemetery access, park namings and MDOT contract scheduling for illuminated street names along the I-75 business loop.

Votes at a glance (select items) - Approval of consent agenda (items AO): adopted, 6yays, 1nay. - Sale of a previously paid but unrecorded Elm Street lot (to an individual who paid in 2016): adopted, 6yays, 1nay. The council formalized the long-unrecorded transaction so the buyer—an record the deed. - Sale of two Orchard Lake/Harris parcels to Walnut Creek Properties for infill housing: adopted, 6yays, 0nays. - Sale of a Seward Street side lot to an adjoining homeowner: adopted, 6yays, 0nays. - Sale of a narrow Auburn Road strip to an adjacent property owner (Regina Campbell): adopted, 7yays, 0nays. - Postponement of sale(s) of two Jesse Street parcels pending clarification: motion to postpone adopted, 7yays, 0nays. - Reprogram CDBG funds (program years 2019 and 2023) to demolition (amendment adopted on the floor): adopted as amended, 6yays, 0nays. The council amended the resolution on the floor to specify the intent: reallocate the remaining HUD CDBG program-year funds to demolition to spend the older program-year dollars more quickly. - Omnibus budget amendment for FY24'4'5 (multiple funds; net positive change in the general fund and adjustments to ARPA and grant funds): adopted, 6yays, 0nays. The administration said the amendment reduces the overall budgeted expenditures as actuals and carryovers are reconciled. - Lighthouse Campus conditional rezoning extension and authorization for the mayor to sign the extension agreement: both resolutions adopted, council vote 7yays, 0nays. The extension preserves the conditional zoning while project permits and financing are finalized. - Noise ordinance amendment (Non-Vehicular Noise) read for first reading: council acknowledged the first reading, 7yays, 0nays. The amendment clarifies enforcement paths and measurement standards for recurring non-vehicular noise complaints. - MDOT temporary lease / Woodward Loop item: council voted to postpone action to the April 29 meeting so the required public hearing can be held; postponement adopted, 7yays, 0nays. - Appointment to the Pontiac Planning Commission: Chris Jackson was appointed to a three-year term by roll call, 6yays, 1nay.

Notes on process and action types - Several sales were regularized to clean up historic county recording or to assemble lots suitable for infill housing. In at least one case the buyer had paid the city years earlier but the deed was not recorded; the council moved to formalize that sale. - The CDBG reprogramming was framed by staff as a compliance and timeliness decision: older program-year dollars (2019) risk recapture if left unspent, so the council redirected the remaining amounts to demolition projects while preserving home‑repair and down‑payment assistance work to other, more current program years. - The Lighthouse Campus items extend a previously approved conditional rezoning while project-specific approvals and financing are finalized.

What the votes do not do - Several presentations and briefings during the meeting (for example, the code enforcement seasonal briefing and the MLK Boulevard bridge design update) were informational; they did not require a council vote.

Actions (structured) - motion: "Approve agenda as amended (reorder special presentations)"; mover: Pro Tem Carrington; second: Councilman James; vote: 6 yes, 0 no (amendment carried earlier in meeting). - motion: "Adopt consent agenda A–O"; mover: Councilman Parker; second: Councilwoman Jones; vote: 6 yes, 1 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Approve sale of Elm Street lot (clean up earlier 2016 payment)"; mover: Councilwoman Jones; second: Pro Tem Carrington; vote: 6 yes, 1 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Approve sale of Orchard Lake/Harris parcels to Walnut Creek Properties"; mover: Councilwoman James; second: Councilman Parker; vote: 6 yes, 0 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Approve sale of Seward Street side lot to adjoining owner"; mover: Councilwoman Jones; second: Councilwoman James; vote: 6 yes, 0 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Approve sale of Auburn Road strip to Regina Campbell"; mover: Councilwoman Jones; second: Pro Tem Carrington; vote: 7 yes, 0 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Postpone resolution on two Jesse Street lots to April 29"; mover: Pro Tem Carrington; second: Councilwoman Jones; vote: 7 yes, 0 no; outcome: postponed. - motion: "Reprogram CDBG 2019 ($392,781.37) and CDBG 2023 ($237,475) funds to demolition (as amended on floor)"; mover: Councilman Jones; second: Councilman Parker; vote: 6 yes, 0 no; outcome: adopted (amendment to specify demolition carried 6yeas). - motion: "Adopt omnibus budget amendment for FY24'4'5"; mover: Pro Tem Carrington; second: Councilman Parker; vote: 6 yes, 0 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Extend Lighthouse Campus conditional rezoning (one-year extension)"; mover: Councilwoman Rutherford; second: Councilwoman Jones; vote: 7 yes, 0 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Authorize mayor to execute extension/agreement for Lighthouse Campus"; mover: (same sponsors); vote: 7 yes, 0 no; outcome: adopted. - motion: "Noise ordinance (Non‑Vehicular Noise) adopted for first reading"; mover: Councilman Jones; second: Councilman Goodman; roll call to acknowledge first reading: 7 yes, 0 no. - motion: "Postpone MDOT temporary lease resolution to April 29 (to allow required public hearing)"; mover: Councilwoman Rutherford; second: Councilman Jones; vote: 7 yes, 0 no; outcome: postponed. - motion: "Appoint Chris Jackson to Pontiac Planning Commission (3-year term expiring April 15, 2028)"; mover: Pro Tem Carrington; second: Councilman Goodman; vote: 6 yes, 1 no; outcome: adopted.

Reporting note: the clerk read votes and roll-call tallies during the meeting; the items above reflect recorded roll calls or the spoken tallies in the council minutes.

Ending: Several routine public-hearing items and neighborhood cleanup announcements also appeared on the agenda; multiple community cleanups and free landfill days were announced for April and May.