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Residents press Mount Clemens commission on library ADA access, sewage odors and a personnel allegation
Summary
During public comment, a resident said the Mount Clemens Public Library failed to provide requested ADA accommodations and a second resident described persistent sewer odors near Shadyside Park; a third speaker accused the city of covering up tire dumping and said he holds four days of video evidence.
Three residents used public comment at the Mount Clemens City Commission meeting to raise distinct concerns that city staff and commissioners said they would follow up on.
Angela Cope of Roseville told the commission she has filed a written complaint seeking ADA accommodations at the Mount Clemens Public Library and said she has not heard back from Library Director Kathy or a librarian named Christie. "I gave everybody a copy of my complaint, a detailed narrative of how I feel like I've been just treated poorly by the library staff," Cope said, adding that she feels she has been "not being treated equally and fairly as a disabled African American female at the Mount Clemens Public Library." The chair explained that staff will receive the comment and offered to take contact information for follow-up.
Connie Stevens of 110 Michigan Street described recurring foul odors she traced to the water-treatment plant near Shadyside Park, saying the smell sometimes permeated her clothing and that efforts to reach an on-call county contact have been inconsistent. Stevens said she calls weekly and that past weekends she used a county on-call system; she urged the city to respond and was told staff would take her contact details and follow up.
At the second public-comment period, Deshaun O'Neil of 825 Clint River Drive addressed commissioners with an allegation about a former city employee’s termination and alleged improper activity on city property. O'Neil said he possesses "four days of video" he believes shows tires being dumped and that a named employee, Kevin Donaldson, appears in the footage. He asserted the city "lied" about having investigated the matter and expressed frustration with the city's handling of his complaints. The chair reminded him to avoid vulgar language during comments.
City Manager Shipman had earlier told the commission that, regarding allegations raised at a prior meeting, "those allegations were investigated and no wrongdoing was found," and that the city attorney advised personnel matters are not appropriate for public forum. The transcript records that staff will follow up on current complaints and that residents were invited to provide contact information so staff can respond after the meeting.
What happens next: Staff indicated they will follow up with complainants off the public record and will forward appropriate matters to the city attorney or relevant departments; the transcript shows offers to collect contact information and to discuss remediation steps with the library, public works, and county partners.
