Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Awards topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mount Clemens honors two longtime volunteers; residents press city on taxes and services
Summary
The commission presented Local Treasure Awards to John Klein and John Emerson. During public comment, John Haley urged relief from repeated property-tax increases and sought clarity on a closed school's ownership; residents also praised the fire-department response and described local nonprofit outreach.
The Mount Clemens City Commission presented Local Treasure Awards on March 16 to two long-serving residents whose volunteer work has touched youth programs, parades and local history projects.
Moderator (speaker 1) read nomination letters recognizing John Klein for more than 25 years operating JC Landscaping, volunteering with the Mount Clemens Foundation, conducting safety checks at the Optimist Soapbox Derby, serving as a hall monitor and chaperone for local schools, and supporting Oats, a nonprofit horse farm. The commission declared Klein the Local Treasure for his ‘‘exemplary, positive contributions to the city of Mount Clemens.'"
The commission also presented a Local Treasure Award to John Emerson for his work establishing the Loretta Jean Emerson Scholarship, presenting at the Mount Clemens Library on Black history and genealogy, serving on the River Acres Community Group and continuing community engagement after retirement.
Residents used the meeting's public-comment period to raise concerns and offer local initiatives. John Haley, who identified himself and gave a residential address, told the commission he has been seeing roughly a 5% annual increase in property taxes since 2022 and expressed frustration about living in what he described as a school zone where the local school is not open. City staff corrected the record on ownership: the school is owned by the school district, not the city, and staff asked Mr. Haley for contact information so they could follow up.
"My point to you is that if that school is not going to be operating, why are we still getting a 5% increase tax each year to help the school pay the utilities?" the resident said during public comment.
Other public comments included Terry Booker, who described founding MIPS (Motivational Inspirational People), a local nonprofit that helps people dealing with addiction, incarceration and family violence, and asked how the city could support the group's outreach. John Scott thanked the fire department for a professional response to a gas leak at his building and offered to meet with public-safety staff about improving access to units for emergency responders.
Commissioners used their remarks to congratulate the award recipients, report on recent attendance at the Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference, and highlight community resources: an upcoming brownfield public hearing (April 6), the start of the compost program (week of April 6), and available water-bill assistance through Macomb Community Action (maximum $3,000). Several commissioners also urged continued outreach and education to help residents understand property assessments and taxes.
The commission adjourned after completing the evening's agenda. Staff said they would follow up with public commenters about the tax and school-ownership questions and with local vendors about procurement and contract details.
