Two stalled development deadlines head to Committee of the Whole as council clears a 12-item study agenda in 32 minutes
LIVONIA — 9/4/2026
Livonia City Council · Study Meeting Report
Two stalled development deadlines head to Committee of the Whole as council clears a 12-item study agenda in 32 minutes
Every item on the Aug. 31 study agenda was forwarded to the Sept. 14 consent agenda. Two of them — a Wonderland Flats consent judgment extension and a one-year extension for the Seven Mile and Farmington residential project — will get a full committee briefing first at Councilmember Martha Ptashnik’s request.
At a glance
- Present: Council President Kayleigh Reid, Vice President Patrick Brockway, and Councilmembers Carrie Budzinski, Brandon McCullough, Robin Persiconi and Martha Ptashnik. Absent: Councilmember Eileen McDonnell.
- Items on the agenda: 12, all listed under New Business.
- Votes taken: None. Study meetings set the agenda for the following regular meeting — in this case the 2,048th, on Sept. 14. No roll call was called; the president noted six members present.
- Items denied: None.
- Disposition: All 12 items placed on the Sept. 14 consent agenda. Items 5 and 6 go there with a direction to send them to the Committee of the Whole.
- Public speakers: Three, all in the first audience communication period. No one spoke in the second.
- Length: About 32 minutes.
The Livonia City Council spent 32 minutes on Aug. 31 setting the agenda for its Sept. 14 regular meeting, forwarding all 12 items to the consent agenda without a single objection.
Two of those items are headed for extra scrutiny. Councilmember Martha Ptashnik asked that both a request to amend a federal consent judgment governing the Wonderland Flats apartment project and a one-year extension request for the residential piece of the Seven Mile and Farmington development be sent to the Committee of the Whole before the council acts.
“I really think we have a need to have a full conversation and a full briefing on this issue,” Ptashnik said of the Wonderland Flats request, noting that Councilmember Brandon McCullough is the only sitting member who was on the council when the matter first came forward.
Middlebelt Plymouth Venture, represented by Melissa Wojnar-Raycraft of The Mike Cox Law Firm, is asking for two additional years to apply for permits under a consent judgment entered in federal court in December 2023. The current deadline is Dec. 20, 2026; the amendment would push it to Dec. 20, 2028.
McCullough used his time to ask a single question: whether the car wash tied to the same settlement had already been built. Wojnar-Raycraft confirmed it has. Johnny’s Express Car Wash at 30207 Plymouth Road opened last year. The apartment project it was packaged with has not broken ground.
The second item drew a similar reaction. Schostak Brothers & Company, on behalf of Seven Mile/Farmington Venture, wants the building permit deadline for the residential portion of its development moved to Aug. 1, 2027 and the construction start date to Dec. 31, 2027, citing rents and financing costs that make current plans economically infeasible.
Ptashnik praised the Meijer store that opened next door, then said the state of the adjacent parcel is a problem. “That black fencing and everything next to it is a little bit of an eyesore. So I would like to see this moving along,” she said, before asking that this item also go to committee.
The remaining ten items moved without controversy: three block parties, the Clarenceville High School homecoming parade, a self-storage site plan, 19 police laptops, an employee assistance contract, a life insurance renewal that saves the city $36,673 a year, a SCADA engineering amendment, and a Wayne County agreement to help fund a new sidewalk on Wayne Road.
Every item on the agenda
Study meetings do not take votes. The council’s action at a study meeting is to decide where an item lands on the next regular agenda. All 12 items below were placed on the Sept. 14, 2026 consent agenda. Nothing was denied, and there was no unfinished business.
| Item | Category | Description | Department / presenter | Amount | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New businessExternal request | Block party — Sherwood Street, Fairway Farms SubdivisionRequested by Sam Plymale and Jake Vargo for Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, noon to 8 p.m., on Sherwood Street between Woodside and Westbrook streets, with a rain date of Sunday, Oct. 4. The application anticipates about 100 people. Plymale told the council the party will feature food, a crock pot cook-off, Dan the Kona Man, a DJ and neighbors. | City Clerk — Lori Miller | — | |
| 2 | New businessExternal request | Block party — Edgewood StreetRequested by Fatima Ismail and Ellen De La Fuente for Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., on Edgewood Street off Ellen Drive. The packet describes it as a fall festival. De La Fuente told the council to expect a bounce house, food, a possible food truck, music and fire pits. | City Clerk — Lori Miller | — | |
| 3 | New businessExternal request | Block party — Pollyanna DriveRequested by Vanessa Mink for Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, noon to 5 p.m., on Pollyanna Drive from Pollyanna Court to Carl Drive. This is the 14th annual Windridge Village Halloween event, with a children’s parade, pizza and games, and about 150 expected attendees. | City Clerk — Lori Miller | — | |
| 4 | New businessExternal request | Clarenceville High School homecoming paradeApproval and recognition of the parade and route, closure of certain city streets, and designation of Senior Police Officer Michael Arakelian to sign the Wayne County Road Commission permit on the city’s behalf to close a portion of Middlebelt Road, with the city assuming liability for any resulting damage claims. Requested by Athletic Director Kevin Murphy for Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, beginning at 6 p.m. The packet notes the parade has run annually for 30 years. Megan Fitzgerald of Clarenceville High School, which sits at 20155 Middlebelt Road, appeared and told the council she is the one who organizes and runs the event. | City Clerk — Lori Miller | — | |
| 5 | New businessExternal request | Amendment to consent judgment — Wonderland FlatsMiddlebelt Plymouth Venture, the developer, asks the city to agree to amend paragraph 1.6 of a consent judgment entered Dec. 20, 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Case No. 2:22-cv-12734. The judgment resolved a 2022 zoning dispute over a planned residential development at 29707 and 30273 Plymouth Road, on the south side of Plymouth between Middlebelt Road and Milburn Avenue, and a car wash at 30207 Plymouth Road that opened last year as Johnny’s Express Car Wash. The amendment would extend the permit application window from three years to five, moving the deadline from Dec. 20, 2026 to Dec. 20, 2028. City Attorney Eric Goldstein has signed off on the form of the amendment. Attorney Melissa Wojnar-Raycraft appeared with Jeff Schostak and Steve Duczynski. | Law — Eric Goldstein, City Attorney; Mark Taormina, Planning and Economic Development Director | — | To consent, Sept. 14 — refer to Committee of the Whole |
| 6 | New businessPlanning Commission | One-year extension — Seven Mile/Farmington Venture development agreementStephen E. Duczynski of Schostak Brothers & Company, on behalf of Seven Mile/Farmington Venture L.P., submitted a July 25, 2026 letter requesting a one-year extension under the Planned General Development Agreement dated July 30, 2025, relating to petition 2023-06-02-07 approved by the council Aug. 26, 2024 under CR 284-24. The developer asks that the building permit deadline for the residential development move to Aug. 1, 2027 and that the Dec. 31, 2026 construction commencement date in Section 1.8 move to Dec. 31, 2027, citing current market conditions, rents and financing costs. | Planning — Mark Taormina | — | To consent, Sept. 14 — refer to Committee of the Whole |
| 7 | New businessPlanning Commission | Site plan — Clover Self Storage, 28900 Schoolcraft RoadPetition 2026-06-08-03 by Contineo Group to add two self-storage buildings at the existing facility on the north side of Schoolcraft between Cardwell Avenue and Middlebelt Road, and to amend the Conditional Rezoning Statement of Conditions granted May 16, 2016. The site is the former Clover Lanes bowling alley, open from 1962 to 2015 and converted to storage in 2016–17. The new buildings total about 17,100 square feet — roughly 8,100 on the west and 9,000 on the east — adding 72 units and displacing 28 outdoor RV spaces. The Planning Commission recommended approval Aug. 11 under Resolution #08-52-2026, subject to 15 conditions including additional full-size deciduous trees along Schoolcraft, a corrected lighting plan, no overnight occupancy, camera security and key code access, and hours limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. New data received Aug. 27 asks the council to widen site access hours to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week while leaving office hours inside the approved window. | Planning — Mark Taormina; Jake Michael, Contineo Group | — | |
| 8 | New businessDivision of Police | Waiver of formal bidding — 19 rugged police laptopsAuthorization to waive the competitive bid process under Livonia Code of Ordinances Section 3.04.140(E)(4) and purchase 19 Dell Pro Rugged 14 RB14250 laptops from Dell Inc. using State of Michigan MiDEALS contract pricing, contract code C000000009850, customer agreement #071B6600111. The units replace five-year-old machines that are out of warranty or end of life, with replacement parts limited or unavailable. Chief Thomas Goralski told the council this is a periodic refresh of part of the fleet, not the whole fleet. | Police — Thomas Goralski, Police Chief | $60,800 | |
| 9 | New businessCivil Service | Employee Assistance Program — UllianceQuotation for the city’s EAP from Ulliance for Dec. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2029. The city has offered the benefit since 1984. Marsh McLennan Agency issued an RFQ; Ulliance was not the lowest quote but is recommended for a resolution-based model with no session cap, a 24-hour line with interpretation in more than 200 languages, and a three-year rate hold at $2.40 per employee per month. The city’s year-to-date utilization is 14.9%, about five points above average, and the department estimates $225,323 in net behavioral healthcare savings from 2023 through June 2026. Put before the Civil Service Commission on Aug. 19, 2026, with Chairperson Paul Bernier and Commissioners Charlotte Mahoney and Rebecca Drzewicki present; the packet records the request to the Commission but not its vote. | Civil Service — Jeannine Laible, Human Resources Director | $17,568per year | |
| 10 | New businessFinance | Life and AD&D insurance — Sun Life renewalQuotation from Sun Life for life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage for active employees and designated retirees, March 1, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2028. The benefits are required under collective bargaining agreements and have been extended to non-represented employees. Sun Life has carried the coverage since January 2023 at a combined $0.340 per $1,000 of payroll per month, or $183,363 a year. Marsh McLennan Agency solicited bids from 12 insurers; seven responded — Hartford, MetLife, Mutual of Omaha, New York Life, Prudential, Standard and Sun Life — with quotes from $146,690 to $210,555. Marsh negotiated Sun Life down to match the low quote, a combined $0.272 per $1,000 of payroll per month. | Finance — Benjamin N. Grier, Finance Director | $146,690per year; saves $36,673 | |
| 11 | New businessPublic Works | Amendment to QBS engineering contract — OHM Advisors, SCADA upgradesDesign and bidding preparation for the second phase of the city’s SCADA system, installed in 2024 to provide remote monitoring and alarms at Great Lakes Water Authority supply sites, pressure-reducing valves and the Wayne Sanitary Pump Station. The work covers new SCADA and instrumentation at two GLWA supply sites, LV-12 and LV-16 (also known as PRV-04 and PRV-05); installation of a new pressure-reducing valve, PRV-13, in an existing check valve vault on the north side of Schoolcraft just west of Stark Road and LV-14; and connection of the existing DPW generator to the system. OHM will also prepare plans and specifications so the city can bid the construction. Not to exceed $58,000 from account 592-559-158-000. | Public Works — Zach Haapala, Assistant Director | $58,000 | |
| 12 | New businessEngineering | Intergovernmental agreement — new sidewalk on Wayne RoadAgreement with Wayne County, received by email July 31, 2026, for the design, installation, construction and maintenance of a new sidewalk on the east side of Wayne Road from Joy Road to Ann Arbor Trail. The Wayne County Commission approved a contribution not to exceed $15,000. The sidewalk runs approximately 900 feet and must be 6 feet wide. Engineering would design it in house and submit to the county for permitting; construction is anticipated in 2027. The agreement takes effect on county commission approval and runs two years. | Engineering — Todd Zilincik, City Engineer; presented by David Lear, Assistant City Engineer | $15,000county share |
Note on Item 11: from the podium the department described the pressure-reducing valve location as Schoolcraft and Farmington. The written proposal in the packet places it on the north side of Schoolcraft just west of Stark Road. The packet description is used above.
Votes
No roll call votes were taken. A study meeting is a working session that determines what appears on the next voting agenda and in what form; the record of the night is which member offered each item to consent and whether any member asked for different handling.
| Item | Offered by | Form of the offer | Objections |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persiconi | Approving, to consent | None |
| 2 | Not identified in the recording | Approving, to consent | None |
| 3 | Not identified in the recording | Approving, to consent | None |
| 4 | Not identified in the recording | Approving, to consent | None |
| 5 | Ptashnik | To consent, with referral to Committee of the Whole | None |
| 6 | Ptashnik | To consent, with referral to Committee of the Whole | None |
| 7 | McCullough | Approving, to consent, expressly subject to no objection from colleagues | None |
| 8 | Not identified in the recording | Approving, to consent | None |
| 9 | Persiconi | Approving, to consent | None |
| 10 | Persiconi | Approving, to consent | None |
| 11 | McCullough | Approving, to consent | None |
| 12 | Ptashnik | Approving, to consent | None |
Where a member is listed as not identified, the automated transcript rendered the president’s recognition of that member unintelligibly and the speaker could not be confirmed against the packet or the roll.
Public comment, in order
Three residents spoke, all during the first audience communication period. No one came forward during the second. Clock times are approximate, calculated from a start of about 8:25 p.m., the time Council President Kayleigh Reid gave when the regular meeting adjourned earlier that evening.
| Time | Speaker | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 1:07~8:26 p.m. | Jerry KarasinskiBainbridge Avenue | Offered a general observation rather than a comment on any item. He said expediency has been outweighing other values in city business lately, that the city looks for the quickest way to move an item off the list and then questions people who ask for a higher standard of accountability, and that he finds it disheartening. He asked the council, the mayor and city staff to weigh what the right thing to do on each item is and what precedent it sets going forward. |
| 2:12~8:27 p.m. | Greg RalkoGolf Ridge Villas | Continued the argument he made at the regular meeting an hour earlier. He asked the council to send the Law Department a formal written request to withdraw the city’s defense of the residents’ appeal of the Zoning Board of Appeals decision on the Eight Mile and Newburgh gas station. He argued the petitioner would not be harmed because it could file a fresh use variance application, while residents have already had to pay an attorney to sue their own city. He cited Inspection Director Jerome Hanna’s statement two weeks earlier that the ordinance measures from the property line, said the corner is in violation of both that ordinance and a provision restricting drive-through restaurants in C-1 districts, and named individual members he believes have already gone on record against rezoning the corner. |
| 5:21~8:30 p.m. | Frank McDermottRayburn Street | Said he expected the council to be dealing with a new police building now that the millage has passed, and posed a list of questions he wants answered: why a glass building rather than brick, which he understands to be cheaper; why two stories rather than one; why a parking structure rather than a surface lot, particularly at the Farmington and Five Mile site, which he said already has a large lot needing only resurfacing; and how many gyms the new building would contain. He noted every city employee has a paid Recreation Center membership and asked whether officers could use the gyms there instead. |
Council announcements and updates
| Time | Member | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 7:05~8:32 p.m. | President Kayleigh Reid | Announced new data had been received for Item 7, the Clover Self Storage site plan. Responding directly to Frank McDermott, she said the contracts for the previous police station plans have all been severed and that, as far as she knows, the council is not meeting about a new police station. |
| 11:42~8:37 p.m. | Councilmember Martha Ptashnik | Asked that the Wonderland Flats consent judgment amendment go to the Committee of the Whole so the petitioner can present and the council can be briefed, noting only McCullough was seated when the matter first came up, and signaling that the following agenda item is related. |
| 13:40~8:39 p.m. | Councilmember Robin Persiconi | Asked the Wonderland Flats petitioner to come to the committee meeting prepared to explain where the project stands in the permit process, whether any permits have been applied for, and the reasons for the delay. Wojnar-Raycraft invited members to email questions in advance; Reid said the committee meeting would be scheduled quickly. |
| 15:23~8:40 p.m. | Councilmember Martha Ptashnik | Complimented the new Meijer at Seven Mile and Farmington, said she is disappointed the adjacent residential project is seeking another year, and called the black construction fencing next to the store an eyesore. Asked that the extension request also go to the Committee of the Whole for a discussion of where the council wants to head. |
| 19:30~8:45 p.m. | Councilmember Brandon McCullough | On the Clover Self Storage plan, said he reviewed the plans and believes enclosed buildings improve on the current outdoor storage. Asked Planning Director Mark Taormina whether neighbors had raised concerns; Taormina said he was not aware of any during the review. McCullough said the requested 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. access hours are typical for storage facilities. |
| 21:03~8:46 p.m. | Councilmember Brandon McCullough | Following the police laptop item, explained for viewers that MiDEALS is a cooperative purchasing agreement that leverages state contract pricing rather than a waiver of competition for its own sake. |
| 23:56~8:49 p.m. | Councilmember Robin Persiconi | Called employee assistance programs a remarkable asset and said she was surprised by how reasonable the price is. Encouraged any city employee watching to use the program. |
| 27:17~8:52 p.m. | Councilmember Robin Persiconi | On the Sun Life renewal, credited Marsh McLennan for negotiating the incumbent down to the lowest quote and said an outside advisor is close to essential when comparing a dozen insurance policies for equivalence. |
| 28:57~8:54 p.m. | Councilmember Brandon McCullough | Praised the SCADA expansion as preventive rather than reactive work — an alert in the middle of the night instead of a discovery in the morning — and noted this is phase two of the system installed in 2024. |
| 30:20~8:55 p.m. | Councilmember Martha Ptashnik | Noted the contrast with recent agendas: “We’re actually not going to waive a sidewalk. We’re going to install one.” Said the Wayne Road corridor needs it, and that from her work at Churchill she knows many students walk that stretch to school. |
| 31:03~8:56 p.m. | Councilmember Brandon McCullough | Closing comments, offered as context on two items the council had discussed at the regular meeting earlier that evening. On sidewalk waivers: he said he previously worked for the Engineering Department and inspected sidewalks that led nowhere, that waiving in the short term makes sense to avoid isolated segments, but that the city should develop a non-motorized plan to install sidewalks where they are missing as a long-term strategy. On the golf course roofs: he said the enterprise account funds the work, that the courses operate profitably, and that the spending is preventive maintenance — while adding that the council should make sure the scope is right and the prices fair. |
Other notable moments
Two extension requests, one developer connection
Ptashnik flagged the link between Items 5 and 6 herself before the council reached the second one. Wojnar-Raycraft then drew the legal distinction for the record: Item 5 is a consent judgment, a court order the council is already obligated to work within and which can only be amended by agreement of the parties, while Item 6 is a contractual development agreement between the city and the developer. Jeff Schostak and Steve Duczynski, both of Schostak Brothers & Company, appear in both matters — copied on the Wonderland Flats correspondence and, in Duczynski’s case, as the signer of the Seven Mile and Farmington extension request.
A procedural correction on how to send an item to committee
When Ptashnik moved to send the Wonderland Flats item to the Committee of the Whole, Reid initially asked whether it needed to go on the regular agenda first. The council settled it in a few seconds: the referral itself can ride on the consent agenda. Reid restated the disposition twice to be certain the record was clear.
New data on the storage hours
The Planning Commission’s Aug. 11 resolution caps hours at 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for both the outdoor yard and the indoor climate-controlled facility. Contineo Group’s Aug. 27 letter asks the council to allow tenant access from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Jake Michael, the firm’s senior engineer, told the council office hours would stay inside the approved window and the office would remain closed Sundays. Taormina noted that any approval of the site plan or the hours would also have to be reflected in a modified conditional agreement with the petitioner.
A light moment
Discussing the Clarenceville parade, members recalled riding in the back of a school board pickup truck at a past homecoming and joked about a former colleague, Jim Jolly, who they said fell out of it. Fitzgerald invited the council to send more members this year; a member replied that they would be there.
A numbering slip
Reid introduced the Clarenceville parade as Item 5 before correctly placing it on consent as Item 4, then moved on to the actual Item 5. She also described the full slate as going “12 through 12” on the consent agenda, meaning Items 1 through 12.
Adjournment
With no second audience communication and no further business, the meeting closed at approximately 8:57 p.m. after McCullough’s closing remarks.
About this report
This account is based on the meeting recording transcript and the revised agenda packet for the Study Meeting of the Livonia City Council, dated Aug. 31, 2026, including department transmittal letters, the July 28, 2026 letter from The Mike Cox Law Firm, the Aug. 27, 2026 Contineo Group letter, and the minutes of the 1,248th Planning Commission meeting of Aug. 11, 2026. Dollar figures, addresses, account numbers, case numbers, petition numbers and vendor names are taken from the packet rather than from the recording.
The automated transcript renders many proper names phonetically. Names of council members, city officials, petitioners, residents, streets, schools and organizations have been checked against the agenda packet, the city’s published staff directory and the Clarenceville School District directory, and corrected accordingly. The attorney’s surname is spelled Worjnar-Raycraft on the printed agenda and Wojnar-Raycraft in her own signature and email address; the signature spelling is used here. Where a speaker could not be identified from the recording, that is noted rather than guessed. Quotations are drawn from the recording and lightly cleaned of verbal filler; where transcription was uncertain, the substance is paraphrased instead of quoted.
Timestamps in the first column of each timeline are elapsed time in the meeting recording. Clock times are approximate, calculated from the roughly 8:25 p.m. start announced at the adjournment of the regular meeting that preceded it.