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December 18, 2014
CITY OF ROMULUS
ORDINANCE NO. 2014-009
ORDINANCE AMENDING PART II CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE V DIVISION 3, ACQUI-
SITION AND DISPOSITION OF CITY-OWNED PROPERTY, SECTIONS 2-325, 2-326,
and 2-327, 2-330, and 2-331 of the CODE OF ORDINANCES FOR THE CITY OF
ROMULUS.
THE CITY OF ROMULUS ORDAINS:
Part II Chapter 2 Article V Division 3 Sections 2-325, 2-326, 2-327, 2-330, and 2-331 are
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 2-325. Purchase of properties in foreclosure.
The property disposition committee shall meet and recommend to council the purchase of any
property located in the city that has been foreclosed for failure to pay property taxes that is
available for purchase by the city under MCL 211.78m(1)&(2) by the payment of the minimum
bid, which represents all unpaid tax, interest, and penalties, where the committee determines
there is a public interest to be served in such purchase.
The property disposition committee shall also meet and review the list of properties located in
the city that have not sold in previous foreclosure sales that pursuant to MCL 211.78m(6) shall
be transferred to the city unless it files objections thereto, and recommend to the council a list
of parcels that should be rejected.
Sec. 2-326. Property not redeemed.
This section shall be deleted in its entirety.
Sec. 2-327. Requirements for the sale of property.
All property owned by the city that is determined to be sold, except property (1) that is part of
open space, common areas, or used for retention or detention in a subdivision or condominium
which shall be sold at the City’s costs as set forth in Section 2-330 to the respective homeown-
ers association or (2) sold in compliance with MCL 117.4k, which are not required to comply
with the requirements set forth below, shall be sold under one of the methods described below:
Section 117.4.
(a) Any property that the committee designates for sale may be listed for a period of six months,
with a broker doing business in the area, which listing agreement shall provide that the sale is
subject to council approval.
(b) Any property that the committee designates for sale shall be posted with a for sale sign and
shall be advertised for sale for at least two consecutive weeks in such sources of advertising that
the clerk shall deem advisable, requiring sealed bids to be submitted to the clerk. This process
shall be repeated every year for property designated to be sold to the public.
The remainder of Section 2-327 shall remain unchanged.
Sec. 2-330. Offers to purchase or bids.
(5) Property that is sold by the city shall be sold at a price that shall include at least the city’s
cost of purchase, all improvements thereto, and all administrative costs, and may include a deed
restriction that limits the future use of the property to uses identified in the deed or it shall revert
back to the city.
(6) Property that is sold or given by the city for civic, artistic or cultural activities in compli-
ance with MCL 117.4k, the city is required to recover its costs of purchase of improvements or
administrative costs.
Sec. 2-331. Environmental review.
This section shall be deleted in its entirety.
ADOPTED, APPROVED AND PASSED by the City Council of the City of Romulus this
_1 st day of December, 2014.
LEROY BURCROFF, Mayor
ELLEN L. CRAIG- BRAGG, CMC, City Clerk
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the Ordinance as passed by the City
Council of the City of Romulus at a regular Council Meeting held in the City Council Room
in said City on the 1st day of December, 2014.
ELLEN L. CRAIG-BRAGG, CMC, City Clerk
I further certify that the foregoing was published in Romulus Roman, a newspaper of general
circulation in the City of Romulus, on the 18th day of December, 2014.
ELLEN L. CRAIG-BRAGG, CMC, City Clerk
Within forty-five (45) days after publication of any ordinance duly passed by the Council, a
petition may be presented to the Council protesting against such ordinance continuing in effect.
Said petition shall contain the text of such ordinance and shall be signed by not less than six
percent (6%) of the registered electors registered at the last preceding election at which a Mayor
of the City was elected. Said ordinance shall thereupon and thereby be suspended from opera-
tion and the Council shall immediately reconsider such ordinance.
Introduced:
11-24-2014
Second Reading:
12-01-2014
Published:
12-18-2014
B
ELLEVILLE
- P
LYMOUTH
Results of federal investigation still unknown
Fire displaces residents at Water’s Edge complex
United Way seeks help
Tension is apparently building
as questions remain unanswered
while the Department of Justice
continues a forensic audit and
investigation in the Plymouth
TownshipPoliceDepartment.
Officials in Washington last
week again refused to confirm or
deny the criminal nature of the
ongoing investigation.
John Lavinski, spokesperson
from the DOJ Office of the
Inspector General, said the
department investigators were
attempting to provide a formal
response as to “What's right and
what's wrong and how they (the
township) was going to correct
it.”
The ongoing audit of the drug
forfeiture funds of the Plymouth
Township Police Department
required township officials to
provide specific and detailed
information regarding use of the
$1.6million revenue listed on the
2012 annual township report.
Three auditors from the
Chicago office of the Drug
Enforcement Division of the
Department of Justice arrived at
the Plymouth Township Police
Department last August to audit
the accounting records regarding
the drug forfeiture funds.
To date, Department of Justice
agents have spend countless
hours, 12 days and three visits to
the township offices and police
department. After the first visit
last August, three auditors
returned for four days and later
two more auditors returned for
four days.
Lavinski said he'd prefer to
call it (the investigation) “a factu-
al accuracy review” and said he
could not provide a timetable as
to when the federal investigation
might be complete. He said the
12 days was not unusual in the
case of PlymouthTownship.
A recent similar investigation
in New York City lasted only one
week, Lavinski said.
“Audits take a long time,
monthandmonths.”
At the last regular board of
trustees meeting, Township
Clerk Nancy Conzelman
acknowledged the federal agents
were still thereworking.
The cause of a fire at the
Water's Edge Apartments in
Belleville last week remains
under investigation by the Van
Buren Township Public Safety
Department.
Rescue workers were called
to the apartment complex at
about 5:18 p.m. Dec. 10 in
response to a reported fire at
the structure. Van Buren
Township Police officers were
first on the scene and discov-
ered the south side of the build-
ing in flames. Officers immedi-
ately began evacuating resi-
dents, according to police
reports of the incident. Fire
fighters arrived and assumed
the evacuation efforts and initi-
ated fire suppression proce-
dures, according to reports and
requested assistance through
mutual aid from the City of
Belleville, Romulus and both
Ypsilanti and Sumpter town-
ships.
Reports indicated that the
Van Buren Township Animal
Control officer was called to the
scene to assist with the safe
removal and temporary lodging
of several pets that had to be
evacuated fromthe building.
Residents were temporarily
sheltered at Van Buren
Township Hall and the
American Red Cross was on site
to assist the displaced residents,
police said.
Anyone with information
about the fire is asked to call Lt.
Kenneth Floro at the Van Buren
Township Police Department,
(734) 699-8915.
In recent weeks, four homeless indi-
viduals have walked into the Plymouth
Community United Way office in search
of help.
As the holidays approach many peo-
ples' thoughts turn to shopping for holiday
gifts while others wonder where they will
find shelter.
As the year draws to a close, the
Plymouth Community United Way staff is
asking the community to give, volunteer
and care. Help is only available when
individuals, church groups, service clubs
and businesses contribute, noted Linda
Ann Chomin, community relations and
campaign associate with the United Way
inPlymouth.
Chomin said that United Way counts
on donations from the community to pro-
vide human services in Plymouth, Canton
and Western Wayne County. For the last
several years, the local United Way has
been busy providing emergency food, rent
andutility assistance due to the recession,
she said.
"In addition to basic needs, this year's
contributions help pursue theUnitedWay
Community Impact Initiative," she said.
In an effort to address issues and cre-
ate lasting change, grants were awarded
to organizations attempting to create
change. These included Plymouth Canton
Community Schools (Bridge program to
prepare 9th grade students for success in
high school and an after school pilot pro-
gram to tutor elementary students) and
Southeast Michigan Stand Down to assist
homeless veterans. Funding also went to
food pantries, bus transportation for sen-
iors, housing for adults with developmen-
tal disabilities, shelter for domestic vio-
lence victims and their children, hospice,
and substance abuse assessment and
treatment for youth, and many more pro-
grams, Chomin said.
She added that much-needed dona-
tions can be made online at www.ply-
mouthunitedway.org or mailed to
Plymouth Community United Way, 960 W.
Ann Arbor Trail, Suite 2, Plymouth, MI
48170.
For information, call (734) 453-6879.
Don Howard
Staff Writer
Parade winners are named
The Parade Marshal's Trophy in the
annual Belleville Area Chamber of
Commerce Christmas Parade this year
went to Belleville High School
Productions.
The honor was presented by Bea
and Darryl Raymond, who were the
honoredmarshals this year.
The City of Belleville was chosen as
the Best Municipal Float while the Best
Organization Float trophy went to
Lincoln United Methodist Church and
the Best Business Float award went to
CRGElectric.
BYC was chosen as the Best Non-
Profit Float in the parade.
Twisted Rooster, the Business of the
Year chosen by the chamber, was
among those honored in the parade
along with Ted Kuckleman Award win-
ner Keith Johnson and Craig Atchinson,
who was the Leona Van Buehler Award
winner this year.
Chosen as the top prize winner in
the Christmas decorating contest for
businesses were Belleville Bariatrics
which won a $100 prize while Barber
Bob and the Lunch Box each won $50
for their holiday decorations in the city.
The surprise winner of the evening
was Maureen Birch of Dexter whose
name Santa chose at random from all
the entries hoping to win a two-year
lease on a newcar of $5,000 cash.
Belleville Mayor Kerreen Conley
expressed her shock and surprise at the
winner's name: Birch is the mayor's
mother.