Want to receive updates like this straight to your inbox? Sign up for our City Council Updates mailing list by clicking here!

Recognizing Betty Smith

The meeting opened with a recognition of the volunteer contributions of Betty Smith, who has served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board since 1974. She has decided not to seek reappointment this year, but her over 50 years of service on the board, as well as her contributions to other community organizations, have been invaluable.  

Ask Berkley Presentation 

Communications Director Caitlin Flora gave a brief presentation on the “Ask Berkley” AI-powered search tool that will be added to the City’s website soon. This feature will allow those using the website to search for answers to any questions they may have. It will also help the Communications team gather anonymous data about what questions people need answers to. This information will allow for some answers to be made into videos by staff, helping us connect directly to the community while providing a human touch when answering complex or sensitive topics.

Recognition of Public Safety promotions and introductions of Recent DPS hires

The Public Safety Department recognized all staff who have been promoted or hired within the past two years. Congratulations to the following staff who have been recognized for their hard work and dedication to keeping Berkley safe.

Promotions:

• Corey Miller to Deputy Director
• Dan Schewe to Lieutenant
• Marc Robinson to Sergeant
• Justin Childrey to Sergeant
• Brian Smith to Sergeant

New Hires:

• PSO Paris Lining
• PSO Will Donnelly
• PSO Lawrence Luca
• PSO Logan Malvich & K9 Echo
• PSO Danny Smith, PSO Matt Peasley
• PSO Davis Fedeson
• PSO Parker Ladach
• Dispatcher Maureen Tighe

Director of Public Safety Matt Koehn gave a speech detailing how much dedication is required for these staff members to have gotten to where they are, and how proud he is of their commitment to Berkley and surrounding communities. The full recording is available on the City of Berkley YouTube Channel.

Berkley Days Fall Festival and Berkley Street Fest

The Berkley Days Fall Festival and Berkley Street Fest events were both approved. Berkley Days will be held on Saturday, September 12 at the Community Center from noon-4pm. This will be a free, family-friendly event including activities like inflatables, lawn games, a petting zoo, a foam party, and a rock wall. The Berkley robotics team and the Historical Museum are also planning on being present. Berkley Days updates are available on their Facebook Page.

Berkley Street Fest is this Saturday, July 25 from 11am-8pm. This year’s event hopes to provide more activities throughout the day to supplement the street art focus. The Berkley Theater will be showcasing live entertainment and the school system is bringing a robot garage and mini lego island for children to interact with. Event information is available on the Berkley Area Chamber Website.

First Reading of an Ordinance to amend Chapter 86 and Chapter 106 of the Berkley City Code of Ordinances to provide for the regulation of electric bicycles, electric skateboards/scooters, and bicycles

With a recent increase in e-bike, e-scooter, and e-skateboard usage in Berkley, City Manager Crystal VanVleck presented proposed ordinance amendments that would prohibit the operation of these vehicles on sidewalks throughout the City. The amendments also include restrictions to bicycle riding within the downtown district. This would prohibit e-bikes from riding on sidewalks anywhere within the City and prohibit all use of these e-transportation mediums in public parks. Once it goes into effect, following a second reading at a future Council meeting, this ordinance hopes to promote the safe coexistence of all users of the public right of way by directing them to appropriate travel areas as state law allows. 

First reading of an Ordinance to amend Section 14.04.B Payment-In-Lieu Fees of Chapter 138 Zoning of the City of Berkley Code of Ordinances to modify regulations for payment-in-lieu of required parking spaces

Community Development Director Kristen Kapelanski presented an amendment that would allow for businesses with space constraints to be able to pay the City instead of being forced to develop new parking spaces. This would provide a new option for eligible non-residential and mixed-use development projects to be able to reach their minimum parking requirements. This amendment is designed to support the adaptive reuse of existing buildings and walkable mixed-use development while discouraging overreliance in the instances of new construction. All payments made will be put into a dedicated parking fund for maintenance and expansion of public parking.

Oakland County Access to Transit Grant Resolution

The City is seeking potential extra funding from the Oakland County Transit Division’s Access to Transit Grant Resolution. This would help fund an already budgeted Coolidge Corridor Study. The study will help the City to research and create a conceptual design of a streetscape on Coolidge between 11 Mile and Webster with mobility and roadway improvements for safe access to public transportation.

There were also approvals to:

• Establish an agreement between the City of Berkley and the Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System (CLEMIS) - an entity that was formerly part of the Oakland County IT department but is now an independent vendor

• Amend an ordinance of Article IX, Engineering Design Standards of Chapter 26, Buildings and Building Regulations for a typographical correction

• Allow local business, Sugarcoated, a special land use PSU-01-26 for medical spa use at 3462 Greenfield Road in the Residential Corridor District

Want to Learn More?

• Watch the meeting recording

• Review the agenda and minutes

• Our next Council meeting will be Monday, August 17 at 7pm - we’d love to see you there!

Thanks for staying connected with your city! Your engagement helps make Berkley better for everyone.