The Adrian Board of Aldermen meeting was jam packed with plenty of to-do's which included some good news: the '23-'24 audit report came back "clean" with a notation that the city is "doing well." The city's debt to equity ratio is very good with cash and investments in the 6 million dollar range; with that, the auditor had only minor suggestions to help keep Adrian on track in the future.With insurance rates going up across the board, it was time for the city to revisit premiums which left them facing a 16% increase with current provider MOPERM, a jump from $93,752 to a proposed $108,73. Making the switch to a new carrier comes with a caveat- if the city leaves MOPERM, policy states that they will have to wait 3 years before they can rejoin MOPERM however, the decision was made to go with a different carrier, Star, with a premium of $98,584. Following a lengthy discussion it was found the differences in coverage compared to MOPERM were negligible leading the aldermen to switch to Star despite MOPERM's 3 year rule.
During the October meeting, the aldermen were approached by Adrian school Superintendent Don Lile and a representative of the engineering firm in charge of the new school gymnasium project with a request for some financial help as an apparent mistake was made during the engineering/planning stages.
The crux of the problem centers around the need to relocate a sewer main, which according to a bid received will cost $47,264.00 that will have to be added to the project. To compound matters, overall estimated costs of the gym have spiked over the last year leading the school to eliminate parts of the project including locker rooms and other indemnities; at this point, it will be a gym only but large enough to host district play.
Some backstory, the city originally planned spend about $22,000 to re-line the existing sewer main that runs through the school property sometime in the next few years and last month it was floated out that possibly that money could be given to the school toward the $47,000 problem.
While discussion was tabled in October, it was reopened Monday night during which Alderman Bridges stated that he was not in favor of giving money directly to the school. "I'm not sure we (the city) need to be burdened with someone else's mistake. Let's look at this from a business perspective. If this was anyone else (a business), it would be a non factor. We wouldn't even be having this discussion."
It was made clear by all present that the city supports the school 100% however, the consensus is that while the city collects tax for its needs, as does the school, each are responsible for their own financial decisions overall.
Administrator Ryan Wescote weighed in, saying that he has talked to other city administrators who agree that such arrangements would be off the table. He went on to say that Adrian already helps the school with many things such as not charging the school for use of the ball fields for example, and will continue to do similar things as a contribution.
As ideas were tossed around, one suggestion was that the money could come from the Community Betterment fund, which is about $10,000. At this point, Mayor Cunningham suggested that maybe a town hall meeting should be held to let citizens voice their opinion about how they would like the city to proceed.
As the discussion wound down, Alderman Bridges voiced "This just doesn't sit right with me. We have to make this as a business decision, not based on emotions."
The discussion was tabled until the December 8 meeting.
Results from the park survey were good, according to feedback received as there was a total of 268 responses with many suggestions. Pickle ball courts and walking trails ranked high on the list; the city will now use that information for future planning.
City investments are doing well, the approximate $4.2 million is drawing around 14k a month which goes a long way toward offsetting every growing expenses.
At this juncture, further discussion about selling the water and wastewater facilities to a private firm is off the table as valuations for each were extremely low. "It wasn't even close" noted Mayor Cunningham and Admin Wescote added that there are plenty of other avenues. The original idea of selling was based primarily on saving money in the end but for now, Adrian will remain in control of the entities.
Fire Chief Gary Dizney reported that a few new members have been added to the fire department roster bringing the total to 32. He noted that may sound like a lot but being a volunteer service not everyone can always respond, and the goal is always having enough to respond. At this point, the staff includes 1 EMT, 2 nurses and 7 paramedics.
Adrian police responded to 212 police calls last month that included 10 citations written and two arrests. A new city police officer will begin work in January.
Remember, the Adrian Board of Aldermen meet on the second Monday of each month, 7 pm, at city hall. The public is highly encouraged to attend.
