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Monroe City manager reviews year of progress on council goals and objectives
Summary
City Manager Dave Robinson presented a year-end update to Monroe City Council detailing department accomplishments across economic development, infrastructure, housing, public safety and community engagement, and asked council to prioritize remaining efforts at a February follow-up.
City Manager Dave Robinson told Monroe City Council on Dec. 2 that city departments made measurable progress in 2024 toward the goals and objectives the council established earlier in the year.
Robinson presented highlights from an 8‑ to 9‑page summary produced with input from department directors and said the document — which will be posted publicly after final edits — shows work across economic development, infrastructure, housing and community engagement.
The update recapped work tied to the council's economic development goal, including assistance to private developers on the former St. Mary's Academy site and help securing professional services grants from the Michigan Municipal League and the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation. Robinson said staff supported reactivation of 212 East Front Street for a College of Beauty and aided developers pursuing projects at the La-Z-Boy and Mason Run sites.
On infrastructure, Robinson described completion of capital projects approved through the city's capital improvement process, including the Martin Luther King Jr. pedestrian bridge, multiple parking and sidewalk improvements, and ongoing water and wastewater system projects. He said the city submitted a clean water state revolving fund application that ranked third in the state and is expected to be bid in spring 2025.
Robinson gave figures staff supplied: the water department added 65 new water services in 2024 and replaced almost 1,900 water meters as part of a meter conversion program; the footing drain disconnection program has received 231 applications; and approximately 11 miles of water main are scheduled for replacement under a system loan shared with Monroe Charter Township and Raisinville Township. He also said wastewater accepted a $3,000,000 grant to remove Dam No. 4 and reroute a sanitary sewer and that the city applied for a $5,000,000 grant for related habitat work; the city also accepted up to $750,000 in ARPA funding from Monroe County for inflow and infiltration work in Frenchtown Township.
Robinson highlighted public safety and community programming: police and fire outreach at more than 40 events, more than 200 citizen CPR/AED trainings, nearly 200 fire-inspection contacts and the publication of the department's first annual report in decades. He also described communications and engagement gains, including nearly 7,900 newsletter subscriptions and more than 26,000 followers across the city's top three Facebook pages.
On workforce and organizational capacity, Robinson described recruitment and retention steps such as tuition reimbursement, expanded voluntary benefits, and leadership and professional development opportunities across departments. He said HR has worked with departments to prepare employees for higher roles and that 10 employees obtained required or higher certifications in the past year.
Robinson said the administration will ask council to meet in February for a focused discussion to prioritize which objectives should get the most attention in the coming year. He asked council members to forward items they want included in advance so staff can prepare.
