Wyoming council approves package of resolutions on manager pay, utility names, safety grant and water projects

The Wyoming City Council on Feb. 3 approved a package of resolutions that established a city manager incentive and employment agreement, renamed city utility facilities, amended a street-lighting contract, accepted a $150,000 traffic safety grant, and approved a series of water-system projects and equipment purchases.

Council approved the measures by roll-call vote after brief staff presentations and limited discussion. The package included a new city manager incentive bonus and performance-review policy and a related employment agreement; renaming of the drinking water and wastewater plants; a contract amendment with Consumers Energy to remove one street light; acceptance of grant funding from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning; contracts to upfit three police vehicles; engineering studies and a township agreement for a new water main; procurement of turbidity probes for the wastewater plant; an annual underwater intake inspection; and a small change order to a water-plant valve project.

The city manager item was presented to council as a single resolution with three parts: a newly created incentive and performance-review policy, criteria for a 2024–25 incentive bonus and an employment agreement for the city manager. “The resolution that we're gonna vote on tonight has 3 parts,” the Mayor said, noting staff spent substantial time preparing the materials and that members had been sent the documents in advance.

Council also moved to rename the city’s water treatment facilities to reduce confusion: the drinking water plant will become the Donald K. Schein Drinking Water Plant and the clean-water facility will be called the City of Wyoming Wastewater Treatment Plant. A separate resolution authorized the mayor and city clerk to execute an amendment to the street-lighting contract with Consumers Energy Company to remove one street light on 30th Street near the driveway for Corwell Health and the Marketplace; staff said the existing light would conflict with a new traffic signal in that location.

On public safety funding, council accepted a $150,000 grant from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. Staff said Wyoming is the host community and the funds will be distributed among Wyoming, Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Walker and the county sheriff’s office for stepped-up enforcement of impaired driving, seat-belt use and speeding. City staff estimated the grant would fund roughly 400 hours of additional overtime traffic enforcement for Wyoming.

The council approved contract awards and budget amendments tied to the grant and to vehicle upfitting. Library lighting work received a low bid of $31,175 from Bizon Electric Company to replace 12 in-ground luminaires and the flagpole light at the Wyoming Public Library, staff said. The council authorized a contract with Arrowhead Upfitters Inc. to upfit three newly received patrol vehicles at about $14,000 per vehicle (approximately $44,000 total), according to staff remarks.

Several water-system items were approved together. Council accepted a proposal for hydraulic-modeling engineering services (roughly $15,000) to evaluate operations while the Hook Avenue water tower is taken out of service for painting this spring. Council concurred with an agreement to participate with Georgetown Township on construction of a new water main on Kennewa Avenue; staff described the project as an approximately $945,000 job with the city’s share about $376,000 because the street is a border road and serves some city residents. The council also approved replacement of four aging turbidity probes at the wastewater treatment plant (just over $20,000), authorized the annual underwater intake inspection of the raw-water intake that extends into Lake Michigan, and concurred with change order No. 2 for the drinking water plant valve upgrade project (about $12,500) to address corrosion discovered on riser pipes.

Council completed final reading of Ordinance 4-5, an amendment to chapter 70 of the city code adding an article to regulate public multiuse trails, bicycle lanes and sidewalks and repealing article 4 of chapter 78 (Bicycles). The ordinance had been discussed at prior meetings and was placed on final reading.

Ending: Council approved all items by roll call with unanimous affirmative responses. After the votes the meeting moved to an acknowledgement-of-visitors period and then a motion to convene a closed session for negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement was approved by roll call.