Romulus council approves licenses, appointments, contract awards and voting schedule; introduces emergency ramp repair amendment

At its Sept. 22 meeting the Romulus City Council took a series of administrative and fiscal votes, approving reappointments to a local board, a license for youth sports, a supplier contract for water system parts, and a resolution setting a seven-day early-voting period for the Nov. 4, 2025 city general election. Council also introduced a budget amendment to fund an emergency repair at the east ramp of City Hall and postponed one alley-vacation item for further study.

Historical Commission: The council voted to reappoint Terrell Byrd, Sheldon Chandler, William Crane, Mark Lukowitz, Lucinda Roden and Virgil Varner to the Historical Commission through Dec. 29, 2029. The council also appointed Hannah Barnard to fill a vacant term on that commission with the same expiration date. The mayor’s remarks and staff records indicated those nominations were routine reappointments and a replacement for a vacancy.

Romulus Athletic Club (Romulus Flyers): Council authorized the mayor and clerk to execute a license/attachment agreement allowing the Romulus Athletic Club to use Elmer Johnson Park for football practice, games and end-of-season cleanup from Oct. 7 through Nov. 8, 2025 (Tuesdays–Fridays, 4:00–8:30 p.m.). The motion recorded Mr. Jones as mover and Ms. Abdo as seconder; the council approved the license consistent with staff conditions.

Contract award — water hydrant and gate valves: The council awarded ITB B25-2605 (listed in the meeting as ITB 25-26) to Ferguson Enterprise Supply (and identified a second supplier as part of the bid listing) for two-year contract pricing on large water hydrant valves and gate valves used by the Department of Public Works. Finance staff confirmed funds are available. The award was made to the lowest responsive bidders as recommended by staff.

Budget amendment — City Hall east-ramp emergency repair: Council introduced Budget Amendment 25/26-5 to cover costs associated with an emergency repair at the City Hall east ramp; the council record states the ramp has deteriorated and presented a life-safety concern. The motion to introduce the amendment was approved; staff will return with details and required allocations as part of the budget process.

Early voting for Nov. 4 election: Acting under MCL 168.720e, the council adopted a resolution setting seven days of local early voting for the Nov. 4, 2025 city general election. Early voting will run Monday, Oct. 27 through Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Early Voting Site, 11131 Wayne Road, Romulus. Hours are Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. The clerk’s office advised that absentee ballots will be mailed beginning Sept. 25 and urged voters to allow three business days for delivery.

Alley-vacation item postponed: After public comment and staff input the council voted to postpone consideration of an alley-vacation request and asked staff (public services) to provide a further report before the matter returns to council.

Warrant approval: The council approved warrant number 2518, paying bills across multiple funds with a total of $2,924,629.66, including a $1.817 million water and sewer disbursement and a $183,081.88 technology-services entry. The motion to pay the warrant was approved in roll-call votes.

Procedure and next steps: Several approvals were routine administrative actions; staff were directed to complete implementation steps such as confirming permit clearance plans for events, returning with detailed cost and funding information for the introduced ramp-repair amendment, and preparing the alley-vacation supplemental report. The clerk’s office provided election-administration reminders for absentee-ballot issuance and early-voting hours.