Resident raises towing-procurement concerns and council discusses vacancy, streetlighting and community events

A member of the public used the open-comment period at the March 4 Taylor City Council meeting to urge a review of recent towing procurement and to request a third-party procurement expert; council members discussed a vacant council seat and a neighborhood’s question about private streetlights.

Resident Martin Julliard addressed the council during open comment and disputed a prior on-record statement made at a Dec. 3 meeting. Julliard said he had provided a news article and Freedom of Information Act records to council members and asserted that “based on my most recent FOIA request, it appears that the mayor was not CJIS compliant until January thirtieth of 2025.” He also asked the city to “hire a third party procurement expert to ensure fair and transparent processes for all city procurement.”

Mayor Gibbs responded on the record about CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) training, saying he began the training and that the system shows completion dates rather than start dates. “I started that training,” the mayor said, and added that, in his account, “I didn't see anything that I shouldn't have seen at that point.” The mayor noted that an officer had briefed council on what he could legally discuss at a prior meeting and said the officer’s statements were lawful.

Why it matters: the public comment raised specific allegations about access to law-enforcement information (CJIS compliance) and about procurement processes for towing, matters that relate to transparency and contracting practices. Councilmembers did not vote on procurement policy changes during the meeting.

Council vacancy: council members discussed an agenda item to nominate and appoint a replacement to fill a vacant council seat under City Charter section 4.5. Several members said as a courtesy they prefer to conduct an appointment when the full council is present. One councilmember said the council has traditionally held to that practice “but there’s no hard and fast rule.” The transcript shows no completed appointment during the meeting.

Streetlights and resident requests: staff and the mayor described a resident request about private streetlights in a subdivision (intersection of Harold and Walnut/Superior was referenced). A staff speaker explained that some homes have privately installed DTE poles and that those homeowners have paid DTE directly for decades; the resident said the private poles cost much more now than in the 1980s. Staff said they would forward constituent emails and check with DTE about options such as a streetlight assessment to convert privately billed lights to a public assessment if feasible.

Community announcements: a council member read event notices for the Taylor VFW Post 4422, including a “Soups and Salutes” fundraiser on Saturday, March 8 (2 p.m.–8 p.m.; $12 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under) and a special program for children with special needs on March 22 (noon–3 p.m.). A council member noted that the VFW renovations included renovated handicap-accessible bathrooms and thanked community volunteers and organizers. Council members encouraged residents to check the Taylor VFW Facebook page for RSVPs and details.

What the meeting record shows: the public comment included specific FOIA-based assertions about CJIS compliance and procurement transparency; the mayor responded that he had begun CJIS training and denied viewing restricted records. The council discussed process preferences for appointments and asked staff to check with DTE on the streetlight petition options; no binding council action on procurement policy, appointments or streetlights was recorded during the meeting.