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Taylor City Council approves rezoning, several contracts and directs charter ballot language
Summary
At its April 21 meeting the Taylor City Council approved multiple routine contracts and administrative changes, adopted a rezoning ordinance on second reading by a 6–1 vote and directed counsel to draft a charter amendment ballot proposal in a 5–2 vote.
Taylor City Council Chairman Charley Johnson called the April 21, 2026 meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. at the Taylor Municipal Building. The council approved a slate of routine contracts, permits and administrative changes and took two votes that drew opposition: a rezoning ordinance and a directive to draft charter amendment language for the ballot.
The most consequential votes were on land use and on whether to ask voters to amend the city charter. The council adopted on second reading Case #26-03, a zoning ordinance to rezone parcel #60-027-99-0004-004 (8715 Telegraph, roughly 2.25 acres) from B-3 (General Business) to I‑1 (Light Industrial). The measure passed on roll call, 6–1; Councilmember Gerald Thomas was the lone dissenting vote.
In a separate roll-call action, the council directed Corporation Counsel to draft a ballot proposal to amend the City of Taylor Charter (Chapter 15, Sections 15.2, 15.3 and 15.4(a)). That motion, made by Councilmember Chris Clark and supported by Gerald Thomas, passed 5–2; Councilmembers Christian Armstrong and Ron Thiede voted no.
Beyond those contested items, the council approved a number of administrative and procurement measures. Among them: merging the Customer Assistance Center with the Building Department effective July 1, 2026; increasing the Apollo Fire blanket purchase order authority by $20,000 (funded from the general fund, fire repair and maintenance account); approving DTA Leatherworks as a sole‑source supplier for custom leather suspenders for fire department uniforms (not to exceed $6,000); and renewing the Police One Academy Training and Grant Module through Lexipol LLC for up to $7,610, funded through general fund police contractual services.
The council also awarded a contract to Pentiuk, Couvreur & Kobiljak, P.C. for community development legal services at a rate not to exceed $185 per hour (funded through the Community Development Block Grant account), and set two public hearings for CDBG funding: May 5 and June 16, 2026. Other approvals included: a monument sign contract for the Animal Shelter (MI Custom Signs, up to $46,548, Act 179 Capital Outlay); mailing and printing contracts for early voting notifications (Kent Communications, up to $3,780; U.S. Postal Service, up to $12,000); and solicitor permits for Renewal by Andersen and Home Genius Exteriors through April 21, 2027.
Council members received and filed the March 2026 Budget Performance Report and the March 2026 Paid Invoice Report. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn at 7:24 p.m.
The meeting record lists Mayor Timothy Woolley, Clerk Cynthia A. Bower, Treasurer Nicone Dragone Sr., Corporation Counsel Ed Plato and Council Secretary Tiarra Swain as present. Interested parties were noted for specific items (for example, N. Dmitruchina was listed in connection with the charter-drafting motion). No public testimony or extended debate is recorded in the meeting minutes provided.
