Residents press Mount Clemens commission on sidewalks, DDA sign cost and HR concerns

Multiple residents used the public comment period at the Mount Clemens City Commission meeting to urge action on sidewalks and neighborhood safety and to raise concerns about city hiring and downtown spending.

Ruth Stephenson thanked volunteers who helped cut back branches and assisted with clean-up work, and she acknowledged local donors and volunteers who provided food and labor for the effort. Gloria Haller told the commission the DDA’s new digital sign is costly to operate (she cited an annual $94 electricity figure) and criticized current hiring practices, suggesting the city should favor contractors over new hires to control legacy costs; she also asserted that the HR director, whom she identified as "Miss Price," was not qualified for the job.

Rick Block questioned budget estimates tied to agenda item 9e and highlighted ice-arena financials, saying the arena operator contributed $125,000 for improvements while rent income declined and asking how those numbers were accounted for in revenue projections. Laura Fortnier described an incident in which a senior tripped on a damaged South Wilson sidewalk, urged the commission to use the current $50,000 sidewalk allocation proactively and asked what would be done to address widespread neighborhood sidewalk deterioration.

City staff later reported cost-recovery on recent sidewalk activity at about 86–87% and presented illustrative replacement cost estimates if different percentages of sidewalk squares required replacement (20% = $2.2 million, 30% = $3.4 million, 40% = $4.5 million, 50% = $5.6 million). Commissioners said they would pursue tax liens where property owners failed to pay assessments and scheduled further work-session discussion on sidewalk options.