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Residents press council on Festival of the Hills music and OPC membership rules during public comment
Summary
At public comment residents urged the city to choose more family‑friendly music at Festival of the Hills and asked the council to prioritize Rochester Hills taxpayers for enrollment and classes at the OPC senior center, citing long waitlists and rapid nonresident growth.
During public comment speakers raised two separate community concerns.
Festival of the Hills music: Sean and Savannah Sutti, who attended the festival with their family, told council they heard music at the event they considered not family‑friendly and suggested the city revisit DJ and song selection to better fit a community festival setting. Savannah Sutti named specific songs played and said that even when profanity is censored, themes of violence, drug use and explicit content can make the event feel less welcoming for children.
OPC membership and program access: Multiple speakers—including Sheila Cook, Jennifer Sikora, Denise D’Shane Zuk and Edith Graczyk—addressed what they described as long‑standing problems with the Older Persons’ Commission (OPC). They said the OPC expanded membership eligibility (lowering age thresholds) and allowed nonresidents to enroll and register at the same time as taxpayers, leaving Rochester Hills residents unable to register for classes that fill within minutes. Speakers asked the council and the OPC board to provide priority registration for Rochester Hills taxpayers, change registration windows, or otherwise protect resident access. One speaker compared Bloomfield Township’s practice of permitting residents to register earlier and charging nonresidents higher per‑class fees as a policy alternative.
Vice President Mangioli and other council members acknowledged resident frustration, said they had requested quarterly data from the OPC board (first quarterly report expected in September), and said council must weigh the budgetary impact of removing nonresident memberships because some nonresidents volunteer and contribute revenue that supports programming. Mangioli invited residents to the August budget workshop where the OPC budget will be presented.
Council did not take formal action during the meeting but directed staff and board members to provide requested data and consider resident priorities as part of the upcoming budget review.
