Dearborn Heights council rescinds amended cap, awards commercial appraisal contract to Judean Associates

The Dearborn Heights City Council voted Wednesday to rescind an earlier motion and award the contract for commercial appraisal services to Judean Associates.

Councilwoman Nancy Bridal moved to rescind council motion 25‑380 and to award the appraisal services contract to Judean Associates; Councilman Robert Constant seconded. After extended discussion about whether the council could impose a dollar cap that was not in the original bid documents, the council approved the award 5–2.

The debate focused on procurement process and whether the council could alter terms after bids were submitted. Kimberly Comer, director of assessment, told council members the only issue was that a $10,000 cap that had been placed in the earlier motion did not appear in the original bid documents and therefore could not be added now without re‑opening the competition. “If we would like to continue,” Comer said, “we just need a motion that doesn’t include the verbiage of that $10,000 cap.”

Joanna Judy, who addressed the council about her firm’s experience in municipal appraisal work, said her cases typically settle and involve limited trial preparation: “It’s my experience that these cases settle out of court. If there’s any trial prep, it’s usually five to 10 hours.” Judy also listed past municipal matters her firm has handled, including cases involving Target, Macy’s and J.C. Penney.

Council members pressed across several points: some argued for selecting the low bidder as submitted, others said the council should not appear to negotiate terms after bids closed. Councilman Hassan Saab urged caution about adding terms to awarded bids and noted the council needed to follow procurement rules exactly.

After the rescind-and-award motion passed, the clerk recorded the roll-call votes: yes — Hassan Ahmad, Robert Constant, Nancy Bridal, Hassan Saab, and Moby June; no — Tom Wenzel and Denise Malinowski Maxwell. Council members said the successful bidder would submit a contract document to the city for review and the council would consider that contract at a subsequent meeting.

Why it matters: The city must have qualified commercial appraisals to support tax and property decisions; the procurement dispute highlights tension between seeking cost limits and following the strict terms of advertised bids. The council asked that any contract come back for formal review before signatures.

What’s next: The city clerk said bid bonds for unsuccessful bidders would be returned and that the awarded firm would provide a formal contract for council review at the next meeting.