Local business owner urges friendlier city branding; resident calls for city income tax

At the Mount Clemens City Commission’s public participation period, local business owner Anna Cubic (speaker 9) urged officials to adopt a clearly stated set of expectations for incoming businesses and event organizers, saying the city should be more welcoming and provide simple materials to set expectations.

Cubic said Mount Clemens is a small city and recommended that staff produce a one- or two-sheet outlining expectations for businesses and events so prospective organizers know what they will receive and what is required.

Gloria Haller (speaker 10) used her public comment time to press the commission to consider a city income tax as an alternative revenue source to property millage. “An income tax takes it easier on the lower income people,” Haller said, asserting that millage increases have been used repeatedly and questioning the city’s credibility on tax rollbacks. She also criticized a recent fire department contract provision she described as a one-time $800 payment per current union employee and expressed concern about pay (referred to in the transcript as “showtime”) and false-alarm incentives.

The commission did not take immediate action on tax policy during the meeting; no staff fiscal analysis or formal referral was recorded in the transcript. Haller cited county payroll as a potential revenue source but did not provide supporting documentation in the meeting record.