Clawson council approves budget amendments, zoning incentives and infrastructure contracts

Clawson — The Clawson City Council on Feb. 17 approved a set of fiscal and infrastructure actions aimed at routine operations and capital maintenance.

Budget amendments: Finance Director Mark Pollock presented amendments effective Jan. 31, 2026. The general fund net impact moves the amended budget deficit from $1,147,855 to $1,294,505. Pollock told the council Clawson still has healthy fund balances and a general-fund reserve of about $4.3 million; projected year-end general-fund balance after amendments is a little over $3 million if revenues and expenditures meet expectations. Council approved the amendments by roll call.

P25 radio agreement: Council authorized an interlocal agreement with Oakland County to maintain access to the countywide P25 public-safety radio system. Staff said the agreement updates records of authorized users, governance, and security practices and replaces an earlier agreement requested by the county.

Zoning ordinance adoption: The council adopted Ordinance 797 on its second reading to provide development incentives for projects that allocate at least 50% of ground-floor area to parking. The ordinance permits one additional floor within district height limits when the ground-floor parking option is used, reduces minimum ground-floor height to 9 feet for finished ceiling, requires shared open space equal to 5% of gross lot area, and reduces required parking for three-bedroom units from three spaces to two. Planning staff said nothing changed since the first reading.

Capital project award: The council awarded the West Maple Road water-main replacement and 2026 sidewalk gap program to the lowest qualified bidder, Deponio Contracting LLC, with a base bid of $1,494,009.41 and a recommended 10% construction contingency (roughly $149,494) for unforeseen conditions. DPW staff explained that contingency work requires signed change orders and council oversight when work falls outside the contract scope.

Other items: Council appointed Nick Forsy to the Downtown Development Authority (term to 10/31/2029) and declined to approve use of council training funds for the Main Street Now conference, leaving that travel to individual or DDA sponsorship. Council also approved the 2026 class C on-premise liquor license renewals subject to ongoing payment of any delinquent taxes or water bills.

Next steps: Staff will proceed with contracting and scheduling for the awarded public-works project, execute the P25 interlocal agreement, and implement approved budget amendments.

(Reporting note: figures, roll-call votes, and direct quotes are taken from the council meeting transcript.)