Rochester Hills council approves contracts, green-lights new DPS deputy role; youth council presents biannual report

Rochester Hills — The City Council on [this meeting date] approved a series of contracts and personnel changes and heard two civic presentations, including a biannual report from the Rochester Hills Government Youth Council.

Mister Wright of the Midwest Strategy Group gave a Lansing update that opened the meeting’s substantive discussion. "Fiscal year 26... revenue overall will decline, about $780,000,000," he said, and he forecast a roughly $1.1 billion decline for the next fiscal year. Wright told council the state road funding package will offset some local impacts and that Rochester Hills is expected to receive "an additional almost $3,000,000 a year" in road funding. He also summarized pending proposals on property tax reform, senior tax credits and possible local-preemption bills.

The youth council’s biannual presentation, delivered by Isabella Blakely and Sasha Joshi, combined a staged performance with program highlights. The students recapped outreach such as a Super Bowl canned-food drive that collected 246 pounds for Neighborhood House, volunteer work at community events, poll-worker service, and plans for a cultural fair on April 18 at the Rochester Christian Alumni Center. Mayor Barnett praised the council, saying the city is "so blessed to have" the youth program and…