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City approves $42,000 maintenance services agreement with CEO after staff outline transitional work‑crew pilot
Summary
City staff and the Center for Employment Opportunities described a seasonal transitional work‑crew model for reentry workforce development and recommended a 26‑week three‑day/week crew at an estimated $42,000 season cost; the maintenance services agreement for $42,000 was included on and approved in the consent agenda.
City staff, the Downtown Development Authority and representatives from the nonprofit Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) presented a partnership to provide transitional work crews that pair immediate paid work with workforce training and wraparound supports for people returning from incarceration.
Connor Lawrence, a senior associate with CEO, described the program model: a paid orientation and job‑readiness training, transitional work crews that provide daily pay and daily coaching, and ongoing case management and retention support to help participants secure full‑time placements. Gifty Umo, senior programs manager for CEO Michigan, gave local examples of participants gaining promotions and full‑time work with employer partners.
Operational details presented by city staff called for a seasonal maintenance crew consisting of three workers and one supervisor, operating three days per week for 26 weeks (May–October). Staff estimated a day rate of roughly $537.22 per crew (including supervisor, vehicles and equipment) and an approximate seasonal cost of $42,000; the DDA recommended a one‑third fund split across downtown, parks/facilities and sanitation for the pilot period.
City staff emphasized community benefits such as cost effectiveness compared with contractors, added maintenance capacity in peak season, and workforce development and fair‑chance hiring opportunities for regional employers. Council members asked about wages and take‑home pay; CEO said participants on the crews are typically paid minimum wage for the crew work and that longer‑term placements have averaged higher pay (speaker cited an average placement wage of about $17.86 in other placements). The presentation acknowledged that longer placements often depend on external grant funding.
The proposal appeared on the meeting’s consent agenda as “approval of the maintenance services agreement with the Center for Employment Opportunities in the amount of $42,000,” and the consent agenda was approved by roll call, thereby authorizing the agreement.
Why it matters: the program links municipal maintenance needs with a reentry workforce model and uses public funds alongside DDA resources to test a seasonal employment and training pipeline. The council’s consent approval authorizes the pilot agreement but does not yet convert the pilot into a permanent program.
