Livonia City Council used its Dec. 3 voting meeting to clear a package of routine and policy items, voting unanimously on several measures and rejecting a pay recommendation for elected officials.

Key results

- Downtown district boundary amendment (Item 11): The council approved a second reading to amend downtown Plymouth Road Development Authority district boundaries under Act 57 (Public Acts of Michigan, 2018). Vote: 7–0.

- Tax-increment finance (TIF) plan amendment (Item 12): Council adopted a development-plan amendment and new TIF plan pursuant to Act 57 on second reading. Vote: 7–0.

- Local Officers Compensation Commission recommendation (Item 13): Council adopted a denying resolution on the commission’s recommendation (which had proposed a roughly 3–4% increase). Council members said the city faces budget pressures and voted to deny the raise; the denying resolution was recorded as adopted unanimously.

- Emergency and routine public-works appropriations (Items 14–15): Council authorized additional expenditure for the 2025 concrete road program and approved a budget amendment to pay for emergency concrete repairs on Newberg Road. Both measures passed 7–0.

- Settlement (Item 16): Council approved a settlement in Belmont Properties LLC v. City of Livonia (federal case citation provided in the record); vote 7–0.

- Rotary Park pavilion and restrooms (Item 17): Council approved a not-to-exceed contract of $568,245 for construction of a pavilion and restrooms. Funding breakdown provided on the record: $300,000 state appropriation, $275,000 from fund balance, and an expected insurance reimbursement ($260,828.60) from the MMRMA claim. Council praised Parks & Recreation staff and community fundraising partners for bringing the project to a lower, final budget.

Council discussion and context

Council members, including Rob Donovic and others, framed several approvals as routine or the culmination of prior study sessions. On the pavilion, Council member Budzinski specifically acknowledged that the project will be paid in part by an insurance settlement and local rotary fundraising and thanked state representatives who secured additional funds.

On the compensation item, several council members said they did not feel the timing was appropriate to authorize wage increases for elected officials while the city faces other fiscal pressures. One council member cautioned that denying a recommendation now could mean a larger request in two years.

What’s next

Approved amendments will proceed to implementation and necessary administrative steps; the pavilion contractor and Parks staff will move into permitting and construction phases as permitted by winter conditions and permitting timelines. The denial of the compensation commission’s recommendation will be revisited by that commission in two years per the established process.