Mount Clemens commission approves public participation plan after resident questions focus-group makeup and cost

The Mount Clemens City Commission voted to approve the City of Mount Clemens public participation plan, a document staff said is required by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Redevelopment Ready Communities program and outlines the city’s processes for public involvement in planning and development decisions. A motion to approve the plan was moved and seconded and passed by roll call.

The plan’s approval followed a public comment in which Gloria Heller, who identified herself and gave a residential address, said the plan’s stated focus group of 15 people included no residents and called the $50,000 price tag “redundant.” “I want to know who the 15 people are that were spoken to. I want to know who the members of the focus group were because I’ve already spoken with two people that were in the 15, and they tell me there was no residents,” Heller said. She also said she is organizing petition efforts to reduce the millage from 20 to 15 and to pursue a city income tax by ballot initiative.

City staff explained that approval of a public participation plan is a requirement of the MEDC Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) program, that the plan lays out policies and procedures for outreach and public involvement in planning and development review, and that the planning commission had endorsed the plan at its March 2016 meeting. Staff noted the plan includes action items for tracking and reporting public participation and said staff would review headings and labeling to ensure sections are clear.

A commissioner who spoke in favor called the document “pretty comprehensive,” highlighted action items such as sign‑in sheets and a recommended city social media policy, and urged the city to adopt these practices to improve outreach. Commissioners exchanged clarifying questions about where specific methods for community involvement appear in the plan and staff said they would confirm labeling and placement of those items.

The motion to approve the plan was moved by a commissioner and seconded by another commissioner; a roll call vote recorded affirmative votes from members listed in the minutes and the motion carried. The plan’s approval was recorded as fulfilling the MEDC RRC requirement and the document was accepted with the expectation staff will implement the listed action items and refine presentation and tracking elements.

The public participation plan approval was the primary policy action at the meeting; no additional conditions or amendments were recorded at the time of the vote.