Livonia Council Sets Oct. 12 Agenda: Police Cars, $170K City Hall Doors, Park Mowing Contract and an Election Grant
LIVONIA — 10/1/2026
Eight items advance from the Sept. 28 study session; a repeat sidewalk-waiver fight on Fairlane, a Livonia-vs.-low-bidder mowing debate and a fresh round of Flock camera criticism highlight a 47-minute meeting.
The Livonia City Council moved all eight items on its Sept. 28 study meeting agenda forward to the 2,050th Regular Meeting on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, where they will receive formal votes. Study meetings in Livonia do not take binding votes; instead, the council gives each item a "direction" by consensus, placing it either on the Consent agenda (approved in a single motion without discussion) or the Regular agenda (debated and voted individually).
Council President Kayleigh Reid called the meeting to order at 8:10 p.m. Present were Vice President Patrick Brockway and Councilmembers Brandon McCullough, Carrie Budzinski, Robin Persiconi and Martha Ptashnik. Councilmember Eileen McDonnell was absent; Reid told the audience McDonnell was home recovering from back surgery and wished her a speedy recovery. City Attorney Eric Goldstein, Planning and Economic Development Director Mark Taormina and City Engineer Todd Zilincik also attended. The meeting adjourned at 8:57 p.m.
Three items — the Fairlane sidewalk waiver, the police vehicle purchase and the park mowing contract — were sent to the Regular agenda for further debate. The other five head to Consent. No items were denied.
At a Glance: Agenda Item Outcomes
| # | Category | Item / Department | Details | Dollar Amount | Moved By | Direction for Oct. 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Business – External Request | Sidewalk waiver request – Angelo Mauti, new homes at 15235, 15251, 15273 and 15287 Fairlane Ave. (N.W. ¼ of Section 21) | Second waiver request for the same four lots. Council denied the previous owner's request (Chuck McHenry, 4 Clover Realty LLC) on April 1, 2024 (CR 125-24). Engineering again recommends denial, citing existing sidewalk on the west side of Fairlane north from Lyndon Ave. and on Five Mile Road. Mauti says the 2024 denial letter went to the prior owner's Brighton address and he never received it. McCullough offered an approving resolution; Ptashnik asked for Regular placement, and council asked engineering for an updated aerial photo. | N/A | McCullough (approving) | Regular (approving resolution offered; updated aerial requested) – see note below |
| 2 | New Business – Division of Police | Waive sealed bids; buy three unmarked police vehicles via State of Michigan MiDEAL cooperative pricing | Two scheduled replacements plus one vehicle totaled and sold as salvage by insurer MMRMA. Vehicles: 2027 Dodge Durango GT Hemi AWD ($49,836) and 2027 Dodge Durango GT AWD ($39,911) from LaFontaine CDJR–Lansing; 2027 Chevrolet Traverse AWD LT ($42,971) from Todd Wenzel Chevrolet, Hudsonville. Also requires a one-sided budget amendment appropriating $45,870 in insurance proceeds (net budget impact zero). Because two separate motions are needed, the item must go on Regular. | $132,718 purchase; $45,870 appropriation | McCullough | Regular (approving) |
| 3 | New Business – City Clerk | Accept 2026 U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence grant on behalf of the Election Commission | Nonpartisan, first-come/first-served grant learned of through the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks. Livonia applied Sept. 15 and was conditionally awarded the full amount for its size on Sept. 17. Funds must go toward five Standards of Excellence: poll worker training, voter communication, community relationships, voter registration rolls, and funding and budgets. | $15,000 (revenue) | Ptashnik | Consent (approving) |
| 4 | New Business – Civil Service | Authorize expenditure to Empco (Troy) for promotional testing, FY 2026–27 | Sole-source testing for Police Lieutenant (full assessment center: panel interview, role-play, in-basket), Police Sergeant (written test and in-basket) and Senior Fire Captain (written test), plus additional testing. Same not-to-exceed amount as FY 2025–26 (CR 345-25, approved 6–1 with McCullough dissenting). | Not to exceed $35,000 | Ptashnik | Consent (approving) |
| 5 | New Business – Civil Service | Extend Reserve/National Guard duty benefit to all regular employees (Civil Service Rule 25.9) | Michigan's Military Leave for First Responders Act (Public Act 58 of 2026) requires 26 days of paid military leave a year for first responders; the city rule currently provides only up to two weeks of supplemental pay. The Civil Service Commission (Sept. 16) recommends extending the benefit to all regular employees, retroactive to July 23, 2026. | Not stated | Budzinski | Consent (approving) |
| 6 | New Business – Public Works | Award 2027–2028 Municipal Park Mowing Program with one-year extension option | Recommended award to Livonia-based Teddy's Lawn & Landscape (Levan Road). Russell Landscaping (St. Clair Shores) was lowest at $84,518 but bid 2027 only; DPW proposes it as backup. Covers 32 parks, three fire stations and two cemeteries (125 acres per DPW at the meeting; packet says about 136). Ptashnik questioned the roughly $11,700 first-year premium and asked for Regular. | $96,180 (2027) + $92,050 (2028) = $188,230 | Persiconi | Regular (approving) |
| 7 | New Business – Public Works | Award bid for two sets of interior and exterior ADA doors at Livonia City Hall | Main-entrance vestibule doors; crash bars protrude too far for wheelchairs and closers shut too fast. DPW recommends second-lowest bidder Dynamic Glazing Systems (Detroit) over low bidder Keystone Strategic Partners (Grand Blanc, $160,884.28) because Keystone would use a subcontractor and skipped the pre-bid meeting. Third bidder: IBN Hardware Sales (Livonia, $182,928). | $170,332 | Ptashnik | Consent (approving) |
| 8 | New Business – Engineering | Intergovernmental agreement with Wayne County – Inkster Road, West Chicago to Schoolcraft (Work Order 47238) | 1.38 miles of milling, resurfacing, concrete repair, curb ramps and markings already under way; completion expected mid-to-late October. Total cost $2,682,375: 81.85% federal, 13.61% Wayne County, 4.54% Livonia (Inkster borders Redford Township). City budgeted $175,000. | Livonia share $137,601; $68,800 working-capital advance | Budzinski | Consent (approving) |
| — | Denied | No items were denied. Study meetings do not take binding votes. | ||||
| — | Unfinished Business | None on the agenda. Pending follow-up: City Engineer Zilincik to provide an updated aerial of Fairlane Ave. before Oct. 12 (Item 1). | ||||
Consent Agenda for Oct. 12 (as directed)
Items 3 (election grant), 4 (Empco testing), 5 (military leave), 7 (City Hall doors) and 8 (Inkster Road IGA).
Regular Agenda for Oct. 12 (as directed)
Items 1 (Fairlane sidewalk waiver), 2 (police vehicles and appropriation) and 6 (park mowing).
Records discrepancy: The official draft minutes list Item 1 with an approving direction on the Consent agenda. The meeting video shows Councilmember Ptashnik asked that it go to the Regular agenda and President Reid announced, "Item number one will be on the regular agenda on October 12th." Residents should check the posted Oct. 12 agenda.
Votes
No roll-call votes were taken. Under Livonia procedure, each item received a consensus direction on a motion from a single councilmember, with no recorded objection. Formal roll-call votes will occur Oct. 12.
| Item | Motion | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – Fairlane sidewalk waiver | McCullough | Approving – Regular | Moved to Regular at Ptashnik's request |
| 2 – Unmarked police vehicles | McCullough | Approving – Regular | Two motions required (purchase + appropriation), City Attorney Goldstein confirmed |
| 3 – Election grant | Ptashnik | Approving – Consent | — |
| 4 – Empco testing | Ptashnik | Approving – Consent | McCullough voted no on last year's version |
| 5 – Military leave benefit | Budzinski | Approving – Consent | — |
| 6 – Park mowing | Persiconi | Approving – Regular | Moved to Regular at Ptashnik's request |
| 7 – City Hall ADA doors | Ptashnik | Approving – Consent | Resident Laura Janikka asked that it not go on Consent |
| 8 – Inkster Road IGA | Budzinski | Approving – Consent | — |
Significant Events and Discussion
Fairlane sidewalk dispute returns
The four-home development at the southwest edge of Five Mile Road and Fairlane Avenue, across from a church, came back to council two and a half years after a prior council denied the same request. City Engineer Todd Zilincik told council the developer had poured a driveway approach the previous Wednesday at the corner house without accounting for a sidewalk, and that the approved plot plan shows one. "It's up to him to figure out where the sidewalk goes," Zilincik said, adding the builder may have to redo the approach depending on Oct. 12's outcome.
Developer Angelo Mauti said the city mailed the 2024 denial to the previous owner's Brighton address, that he learned of it only through an evening voicemail from engineering after an inspector had approved the pour that morning, and that the city has had no trouble sending property tax bills to his own address. He noted his sidewalk "would lead into a tree" and that the street has drainage ditches.
Councilmember McCullough backed the waiver as common sense, recalling sidewalks "to nowhere" from his time working in engineering, but called for a broader citywide conversation about sidewalk connectivity. Councilmembers Persiconi and Ptashnik said the engineering letter's description of existing sidewalk was confusing, and the chair noted the packet aerial was cut off before Lyndon Avenue; staff confirmed about 11 existing homes between the end of the Lyndon sidewalk and the new lots would still lack sidewalk even if the waiver were denied.
Mowing contract: local company vs. lowest price
DPW's Doug Moore said Teddy's Lawn & Landscape's bid was complete and priced both contract years, that bidders were told at the pre-bid meeting it was a two-year contract, and that Teddy's is Livonia-based. Ptashnik asked whether the city would be better off taking Russell Landscaping's lower 2027-only price and rebidding for 2028. "I don't know how I'm feeling about this one," she said before requesting Regular placement. Bid summary figures (parks plus cemeteries, 2027): Paradise Garden Landscaping (Warren) $92,841.00 (no bid bond); Russell Landscaping $84,518.00; Teddy's $96,180.00.
City Hall doors draw security questions
Three residents questioned the $170,332 door project. In response to a resident's concern that the work could be tied to surveillance, Vice President Brockway asked Moore to confirm it is "a door" with no added security layers; Moore said yes. McCullough asked whether the issue was fire code rather than ADA; Moore explained that the crash bars protrude too far for wheelchairs and the closers shut too quickly. A council member also responded that the employee entrance cited by a resident does not solve the main entrance's ADA problems. Ptashnik said she was glad all four door sets would be done at once and confirmed Dynamic Glazing will not use subcontractors.
Clerk: 27,000 absentee ballots in the mail
City Clerk Lori Miller reported that, with help from DPW and police, her office delivered more than 27,000 absentee ballots to the Merriman Road post office the previous Wednesday and that completed ballots are already returning. She also said the state will reimburse Livonia $11,160 in August early-voting wages once the finance director signs off. Budzinski praised Miller's persistence in finding grants given the city's budget situation.
Inkster Road payment figure inconsistency
The engineering memo and Wayne County cover letter request a $68,800 working-capital advance (50% of Livonia's $137,601 share), but Article 7.1 of the attached IGA text specifies $121,713. Zilincik's presentation also described the limits as Joy Road to Schoolcraft, while the agreement covers West Chicago to Schoolcraft. Council may want the figure clarified before execution.
Public Comment Timeline
Timestamps are from the meeting video. Comments reflect the speakers' views and claims, which Livonia Thrive has not independently verified.
| Time | Speaker | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:16 | Steve King (former council candidate) | Opening audience communication – treatment by city | Described being confronted by an employee while attending, as an invited guest, a resident's birthday party in the common room at Silver Village during his campaign; objected to police presence at Housing Commission meetings and officers coming to his door; said a lifetime ban stemming from walking through the unsecured recreation center construction site is part of a "false narrative" to keep him out of council meetings. |
| 4:14 | Christopher Martin | Opening audience communication – elected officials' pay | Urged residents to watch for "receive and file" when the Compensation Commission's raise recommendations come before council, saying the procedure lets raises take effect without a council vote. Criticized council members for lacking experience before running. |
| 7:13 | Elijah (Livonia resident) | Opening audience communication – Flock cameras | Said McCullough, Brockway and McDonnell attended a Livonia Democratic Club presentation on Flock systems; argued the national data-sharing network exposes residents to misuse by outside agencies, citing Ferndale FOIA data he said showed most access requests to that city's system came from Houston and Dallas police and Taylor's 287(g) agreement with immigration authorities; urged council to reject Flock and suggested GPS trackers for car theft. Thanked Brockway for a recent fundraiser. |
| 19:15 | Steve King | Item 1 – Sidewalk waiver | Opposed the waiver: new homes should have sidewalks connecting to Five Mile; said he has seen 30 to 40 waiver requests since he began attending and asked whether Livonia is truly walkable. |
| 21:58 | Steve King | Item 2 – Police vehicles | Suggested electric vehicles, citing Ann Arbor's fleet, lower fuel costs, no idling and silent operation for stealth work. |
| 22:45 | Jerry Karasinski | Item 2 – Police vehicles | Chrysler retiree; supported the gasoline vehicles as easiest to maintain and urged approval as submitted. |
| 30:58 | Steve King | Item 4 – Empco | Said testing is not legally required and claimed last year's amount was $30,000 (the packet shows FY 2025–26 was also $35,000). Asked council to obtain five-year spending, candidates tested, cost per candidate and the written-vs.-assessment split, and said the work could be bid. |
| 31:50 | Elijah | Item 4 – Empco | Asked what Empco's service involves and how it relates to internal department promotion decisions. |
| 36:46 | Steve King | Item 6 – Park mowing | Proposed robotic mowers, citing Manhattan, Kansas savings of about $35,000 a year. President Reid quipped that the robot mower at Whispering Willows Golf Course "does not leave" its small area. |
| 40:08 | Denise Mika | Item 7 – City Hall doors | Questioned passing over the low bidder for using subcontractors, noting many firms rely on subs; asked to see the bid specifications on MITN and said the analysis provided only charts. |
| 41:38 | Steve King | Item 7 – City Hall doors | Argued the ADA-compliant employee entrance and ramp already work and should be opened to the public; criticized City Hall's full-time police presence and clerk's-office plexiglass compared with Farmington, Northville and Novi. |
| 43:23 | Laura Janikka | Item 7 – City Hall doors | Worried the project could add surveillance; asked that it not go on Consent and be discussed at a Thursday committee meeting she attributed to "Councilman Barkley" (likely Vice President Brockway, who chairs Public Safety and Health). |
| 46:35 | — | Closing audience communication | No speakers. |
Council Member and Official Comments Timeline
| Time | Speaker | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 0:37 | President Kayleigh Reid | Opened the session; noted Councilmember McDonnell's absence while recovering from back surgery and wished her well. |
| 10:15 | President Reid | Announced new data on Item 3; wished City Attorney Eric Goldstein a happy birthday. |
| 14:46 | Councilmember Brandon McCullough | Offered an approving resolution on the Fairlane waiver; called for a longer citywide discussion on sidewalk connectivity. |
| 16:16 | Councilmember Robin Persiconi | Asked for clarification on the engineering letter's description of existing sidewalk north from Lyndon Ave. The chair responded that the packet aerial was cut off and that she had driven the street herself. |
| 16:51 | Councilmember Martha Ptashnik | Confirmed there would be a sidewalk gap of about 11 lots between Lyndon and the new homes. |
| 18:05 | Ptashnik | Asked that the item go on the Regular agenda so she could give it more thought. |
| 18:15–20:05 | Council / President Reid | Requested an updated aerial photo; Reid asked City Engineer Zilincik to provide it before Oct. 12. |
| 18:22 | McCullough | Asked whether the development continues the neighborhood's roadside ditches for stormwater; the petitioner said yes. |
| 21:14 | McCullough | Praised Police Chief Thomas Goralski for using state cooperative pricing. |
| 21:36 | Council / City Attorney Goldstein | Goldstein confirmed the vehicle item needs two motions, sending it to Regular. |
| 26:14 | Ptashnik | Called it "an anomaly" to be asked to accept money rather than spend it. |
| 26:28 | Budzinski | Commended Clerk Lori Miller for proactively pursuing grants. |
| 30:25 | Ptashnik | Noted promotional testing is standard and Empco is a sole-source provider. |
| 33:28 | Budzinski | Supported the military leave expansion, citing her father's service in the Reserve. |
| 35:24 | Ptashnik | Questioned paying Teddy's premium over Russell's one-year bid. |
| 39:34 | Ptashnik | Applauded doing all four door sets at once; confirmed no subcontractors. |
| 44:01 | Vice President Patrick Brockway | Confirmed the door project adds no security features. |
| 44:19 | McCullough | Asked whether the doors are deficient under fire code; Moore cited crash bars that protrude too far for wheelchairs and closers that shut too fast. |
| 46:20 | Budzinski | Said it is "always good when Wayne County pays for most of our road repairs." |
What's Next
- Monday, Oct. 12, 2026: Regular Meeting at City Hall, where all eight items receive formal votes.
- Updated Fairlane Ave. aerial expected from the Engineering Division before that meeting.
- Inkster Road resurfacing between West Chicago and Schoolcraft expected to reopen mid-to-late October, weather permitting.
Names and spellings were verified against the official agenda packet, draft minutes and the City of Livonia council roster. Corrections to the auto-generated transcript include: Councilmember Eileen McDonnell (not "McDonald"), Angelo Mauti (not "Mori/Modi"), City Engineer Todd Zilincik (not "Zielinski/Zelinsky"), Police Chief Thomas Goralski, HR Director Jeannine Laible (not "Lebel/Seibel"), Empco (not "MPO/Imco"), Lyndon Avenue (not "Linden"), 4 Clover Realty, Teddy's Lawn & Landscape on Levan Road, Dynamic Glazing Systems, Keystone Strategic Partners, IBN Hardware Sales, Whispering Willows, Councilmembers Persiconi, Ptashnik and Budzinski, and residents Jerry Karasinski and Laura Janikka.