Livonia council approves corrected minutes despite residents—laims of procedural errors in Sheetz site-plan vote
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Summary
Residents urged the Livonia City Council not to approve minutes from Nov. 5 that they say misstate a vote tied to a contested Sheetz site plan; council approved the corrected minutes 7-0 after debate about notice requirements under Robert's Rules and pending litigation.
Livonia City Council voted 7-0 on Nov. 19 to approve corrected minutes from its Nov. 5 meeting after residents urged the council to postpone approval while concerns about procedure and a pending lawsuit remain unresolved. Residents repeatedly told the council that the minutes do not reflect the motion and conditions that were actually on the floor when the council rescinded an earlier denial and subsequently approved a Sheetz site plan.
Ralph McNabb, who gave his address as Fairway Drive, asked the council "Please consider not approving these minutes" and said a review of videotape shows the minutes are "significantly flawed" and do not represent the motion Council member Scheele presented. He complained that the minutes substitute a "pickup window" or other language not spoken during the meeting and urged the council to compare video and minutes before approving them.
Nick Lamaco, who said he provided a written letter to council on Nov. 13, argued the Nov. 5 rescinding motion lacked the public notice required by Robert's Rules of Order and therefore the later approval of the site plan could be invalid. "Absent these two options, a two-thirds vote was required," Lamaco said, asking the council to publicly acknowledge any oversight and to refrain from approving minutes until those issues are resolved.
Council members and the city attorney discussed whether written notice had been given; the city attorney noted Council member Shield sent written notice to colleagues prior to the motion, a step he said likely met Robert's Rules standards but that interpretations can vary. Several council members said the question of whether to delay action while court proceedings are pending is case-dependent.
After the exchange, Council approved the minutes with the corrections proposed earlier by a council member, with the clerk recording a unanimous roll-call vote.
The council did not reverse any prior action on the site plan at this meeting. Multiple residents asked the council to refrain from issuing permits or allowing site work to proceed until Wayne County Circuit Court rules on appeals tied to the development.
