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Sterling Heights budget plan includes resurfacing 14 Mile, new fire staff

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7 months ago

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Sterling Heights budget plan includes resurfacing 14 Mile, new fire staff


The city of Sterling Heights is expected to approve a $252 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes upgrades to 14 Mile and 18 Mile roads, adding a risk-reduction officer in fire prevention, and increasing water and sewer rates by 5.9%.

The Sterling Heights City Council is scheduled to vote on the budget at its 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Under the proposed budget, Sterling Heights would add two employees in the fire prevention division of the Fire Department. One is a community risk-reduction officer, who will look at “new and improved ways to inspect buildings,” said City Manager Mark Vanderpool. The other position is a mobile integrated EMS health coordinator, who will help reduce the number of low acuity ambulance runs in the city.

The city is also planning over $22 million in road work in the upcoming fiscal year, including the $10 million revitalization of Clinton River Road. The city is planning to reconstruct the road between Hayes Road and Canal Road, close sidewalk gaps and add bike lanes or a non-motorized path. Jennifer Varney, the city’s chief financial officer, said the initial work on the project, like environmental studies, will occur in the next fiscal year, but construction might not start until summer 2025.

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The budget includes resurfacing 14 Mile from Van Dyke to Maple Lane, 18 Mile from Utica Road to the Plumbrook Drain and 17 Mile from Mound to Van Dyke.

Sterling Heights council members haven’t made any amendments during the budget process. Councilwoman Barbara Ziarko said the council can change the budget at any time during the fiscal year, though.

“This is just making sure that the majority of us approve of what’s there and we have a roadmap to where we’re going,” Ziarko said of the impending budget approval.

New employees for fire prevention

The budget includes hiring a community risk-reduction officer, who would develop new ideas for fire inspection processes. For example, the city’s Building Department conducted virtual inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, so something similar could be done for fire inspections, the city manager said.

“The risk reduction officer is gonna identify more of these types of ideas,” Vanderpool said, “so that we can be more productive in our fire inspections, be able to do more of them and continue to keep our community very safe.”

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A mobile integrated EMS health coordinator would also be added to the fire prevention division. Vanderpool said EMS personnel across the country are “overloaded” with a growing number of EMS runs. He said this is due in large part because people call 911 “for any ailment.”

“And the vast majority of those 911 calls are low-acuity calls,” Vanderpool said. “They don’t require a 911 EMS life-threatening response.”

Vanderpool said the mobile integrated EMS health coordinator would conduct outreach and work with “habitual callers.” The coordinator would educate these residents about alternatives to 911. The position also involves working with senior living facilities.

Ziarko said the city has residents who are “regulars” when it comes to 911 calls.

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“How do we help them cope with their needs?” she said, adding that the city could suggest to them how to make their home safer.

Water and sewer rate increase

The FY 2024-25 budget includes a proposed combined 5.9% hike to the water and sewer rates. Varney said the Great Lakes Water Authority, which supplies the city’s water, and Macomb County, which treats the city’s sewage, are increasing their rates.

She said Sterling Heights’ average water use has been decreasing, but the city still has to maintain the system and pay workers, so the city has to charge higher rates to ensure it has enough money coming in.

Ziarko said that when utility providers give the city a rate increase, the city has had a history of not passing it on to residents.

“In this case, it’s necessary in order to balance our budget,” she said.

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Other budget highlights

The city’s fund balance is “in a really good position,” said Varney, the city’s chief financial officer. The general fund balance will rise to about $38.4 million in fiscal year 2024-25, according to the city’s budget document.

“I think we’re well-positioned in case there’s any unexpected financial turmoil,” she said.

The city will have a millage rate of 16.5938 mills, a slight increase over the current rate of 16.3800 mills, due to an increase in the refuse collection millage rate. Last year, the City Council approved a new refuse collection contract, which went into effect last Wednesday, Varney said. The contract includes inflationary increases and additional services, including universal curbside recycling and automated cart collection, she said.

Varney said that under the old contract, residents had the option of paying $57 a year to the waste company for a curbside recycling subscription. Under the contract with the new company, recycling is universal. So the residents who were previously paying for a subscription will see a slight decrease in how much they’re paying for waste services.

“Obviously by … everyone having curbside recycling, we hope that recycling in the community increases exponentially,” she said.

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asnabes@detroitnews.com



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Detroit, MI

Financial Constraints Could Prevent Detroit Tigers From Landing Dream Player

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3 hours ago

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November 24, 2024

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Financial Constraints Could Prevent Detroit Tigers From Landing Dream Player


The Detroit Tigers are coming into the offseason looking to improve after a shockingly great 2024 campaign.

Nobody saw the Tigers coming in 2024, as they went on to have one of the best second halves of a season in a long time. They were able to ride that momentum right into the playoffs, and they defeated the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Round.

When looking at the Detroit roster, it was pretty clear that manager A.J. Hinch did a magnificent job finding ways to win games. While he had the luxury of Tarik Skubal pitching every five days, there wasn’t much else in the starting rotation after trading away Jack Flaherty.

This winter, the Tigers will have the opportunity to add to a young roster that achieved a lot in 2024.

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While they had a lot of success last year, there are some areas that the team can improve upon. One of which is at third base.

Hitting was an issue at times for Detroit in 2024, as they need to become more consistent if they want to take the next step forward in 2025.

Recently, Jason Beck of MLB.com spoke about Alex Bregman being a great fit for the Tigers. However, he highlighted that financial constraints could hold the franchise back from their dream target.

“While the on-field fit with Bregman is obvious, the financial fit is another matter. The Tigers have not been a team for bidding wars; even under the late owner Mike Ilitch, they were more active finding undervalued or overlooked free agents (Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, Kenny Rogers) than outbidding teams for highly-sought talent. There’s a ton of payroll space in Detroit, but the Tigers just got past one long-term deal that didn’t age well (Miguel Cabrera), and still have Javier Báez for three more years. President of baseball operations Scott Harris has been more attracted to shorter-term deals and long-term flexibility, both in Detroit and in his previous job as Giants general manager. He might have to weigh how much he wants to stretch a deal to get Bregman”

Adding the gold glove third baseman would be a really good move for the Tigers for multiple reasons. As a good hitter and fielder, Bregman was able to total an impressive WAR once again last year. With three straight seasons of a WAR over 4.0, the slugger is extremely consistent.

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In addition to what he can do on the field, Bregman has a ton of experience in the league and in the playoffs. This can only help a young Tigers team that entered uncharted waters last season.

While he certainly makes sense for Detroit, he is going to be one of the highest paid free agents this offseason wherever he goes. It is very possible that the financial side of things could be the reason why they don’t get their dream target.



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Detroit, MI

How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts – NFL: Week 12 | Channel, stream, preview

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12 hours ago

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November 24, 2024

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How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts – NFL: Week 12 | Channel, stream, preview


INDIANAPOLIS — The Detroit Lions will look to keep up their winning ways on Sunday as they face a hungry Indianapolis Colts team looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.

  • Watch the NFL on FuboTV (7-day free trial)

Detroit Lions (9-1) vs. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)

  • When: Sunday, November 24
  • Time: 1 p.m. ET
  • Where: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis. Ind.)
  • Channel: FOX­­
  • Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), DirecTV Stream, Sling

The Lions put together a historic effort last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In a 52-6 drubbing, Detroit recorded a franchise-record 645 yards of total offense and 38 first downs. Jared Goff had a much-needed bounce-back game, throwing four touchdowns, while David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs had standout performances on the ground. It marked the second time this year the team has hit the half-century mark in points, as they scored 52 against the Tennessee Titans last month.

The Lions continue to roll through the regular season, coming close to already securing a spot in the playoffs. They are currently first in the NFC North, one game up on the Minnesota Vikings.

While things have not been perfect in America’s Heartland, the Colts still have a shot at sneaking into a Wild Card spot. After a series of lackluster efforts during the team’s three-game losing streak, Indianapolis and quarterback Anthony Richardson stepped up last Sunday against the New York Jets. Timely stops on defense and a solid outing by their sophomore QB helped them outlast Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.

The Colts still have some work to do. Despite being second in the AFC South, Indy is two games back of the first-place Houston Texans and one back of the last Wild Card spot in the AFC.

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The Colts are 22-20-2 against the Lions, winning four of the last five meetings.

  • Watch the NFL on FuboTV (7-day free trial)

Check out the NFL schedule



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Detroit, MI

Lions News: How Detroit became contenders in just 3 years

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20 hours ago

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November 23, 2024

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Lions News: How Detroit became contenders in just 3 years


It hasn’t been an easy road for the Detroit Lions. At this point, everyone knows the history. For decades, the franchise felt as though they couldn’t get things right. Even when there were glimmers of hope from Hall of Famers like Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, they couldn’t get enough together to make things click.

Then, after an especially embarrassing performance on Thanksgiving back in 2020, Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp said enough was enough. She cleaned house before the end of that season and immediately began laying the groundwork of her plan to make this team a consistent winner—something the city and its fans can be proud of.

That plan led them to hire both coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes in 2021, and the two got to work. Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network joined “The Insiders” to discuss how the Lions have built a Super Bowl contender in Detroit, and how it wasn’t an immediate success by any means.

Wolfe dove into how Campbell leads the team, including some specific examples from left tackle Taylor Decker that really highlights just how good of a communicator Campbell is as a coach. You can listen to the full segment from Wolfe below.

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And now, onto the rest of today’s notes:

  • Lions defensive tackle DJ Reader handed out 250 Thanksgiving meals at Detroit Edison Public School Academy this Friday and ESPN’s Eric Woodyard was there to speak with Reader during the event.
  • Greg Cosell of “NFL Matchup” on ESPN breaks down the dagger concept and how Detroit’s offense executes it so well.
  • Best safety duo in the league and it’s really not much of a debate.
  • I hope Indianapolis is ready for a different shade of blue to take over their town for the weekend.





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