A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
December 24, 2015
W
AYNE
- W
ESTLAND
Raises recommended for
Westland elected officials
Court receives high marks
Arena upgrades to begin
Elected officials in Westland will have
a few extra reasons to smile in the New
Year.
The Westland Local Officers
Compensation Commission recommend-
ed increases to the salaries of the mayor,
members of the city council and the city
clerk during theirNov. 13meeting.
Diane Fritz, a former Westland City
Clerk, was recently named as chairman of
the compensation commission, which by
statute is required to meet every odd
numbered year to review the salaries of
elected officials and make a recommen-
dation regarding any changes.
“The commission reviewed compara-
ble salaries in other cities and noted that
Westland elected officials’ pay scales have
remained unchanged since 2008,” Fritz
said. “Through the committee's discussion
on the matter, they determined that, at
present, the salaries of the city clerk and
the mayor are lower than several of the
city's department heads, which are cov-
ered under a separate pay plan,” she
added.
Commission members unanimously
voted to set the city clerk's salary at the
maximum salary of pay grade one of the
plan that is applied to the top department
heads. The commissioners were also
unanimous in their decision to increase
the salary of the mayor to 5 percent more
than that paid to top department heads.
City council members will now be paid 15
percent of the top department head's
salary in the city.
Commissioners also set the salary for
the council president pro tem at 2.5 per-
cent more than the other council mem-
bers while the council president's salary
will be 2.5 percent higher than the council
president pro tem.
The new pay rates were established at:
$15,471 for city council members; $15,858
for the council president pro tem and
$16,254 for the council president.
Newly-elected City Clerk Richard
LeBlanc will now be paid $103,140 annu-
ally and Mayor William Wild will be paid
$108,297.
The salary determinations by the com-
missionwill be effective for 2015 and 2016.
Members of city council had until Dec. 17
to reject the Commission recommenda-
tion.
Renovations at the Mike Modano Ice
Arena in Westland will be completed by
EnvisionBuilders, Inc.
The contract for the $843,000 job was
awarded toEnvisionDec. 7 during the reg-
ular meeting of the Westland City Council.
Envision was the lowest bid among 12
receivedby the city for thework.
The expansion and renovation of por-
tions of the ice arena will include: a four
locker room addition with separate show-
ers and bathrooms, something currently
shared; an activity room for community
gatherings; the re-purposing of the exist-
ing locker rooms into female locker
rooms; a referee locker room and a stor-
age roomfor a secondZamboni
Construction is expected to be under
way during the next 4-6 months, officials
said, but will not disrupt activities within
the arena. Funding for this project will
come from the city capital improvement
fund along with money raised during sev-
eral years of community fundraising
efforts, and a notable donation from The
Mike Modano Foundation. The Mike
Modano Ice Arena is located at 6210
Wildwood.
The 29th District Court in Wayne has
made what can be a stressful experience
far more understandable and comfort-
able for thosewho visit the facility.
For the third consecutive year, court
users said they were satisfied with their
experiences in the Wayne court. Using a
survey that was administered statewide,
users were asked questions about their
level of satisfaction with court services.
Across the board, court users said that
the 29th District Court was accessible,
timely, fair, and that they were treated
with courtesy and respect.
“The public's input and perception of
the court is vitally important because it
helps us improve the efficiency of our
court operations,” said Chief Judge
Laura Mack. “Getting high marks for
three years in a row shows how hard our
staff is working at the 29th District
Court.”
Survey results included a 94 percent
result from users saying they were treat-
ed with courtesy and respect by court
staff; 82 percent said theway the judge or
magistrate handled their case was fair
and 91 percent said they understood
what happened in their case before leav-
ing the court.
The survey was developed with input
from judges and court administrators
statewide and tabulated by the State
Court Administrative Office. The survey
enables courts to identify strengths, pro-
vide positive feedback to employees, and
target areas for improvement, according
to a prepared statement from the court.
The survey was completed by a range of
court users, including parties to cases,
attorneys, jurors, and others.
The public satisfaction survey is part
of a statewide initiative of the Michigan
Supreme Court and the State Court
Administrative Office to measure and
report on court performance. In 2013 and
2014, a total of nearly 50,000 surveys were
completed in courts throughout
Michigan. More information is available
at
.
Students at Hoover Elementary
School in Wayne welcomed some very
special visitors recently who brought
along some earlyChristmas gifts.
Representatives from Books For
Benefits, a student-led University of
Michigan organization, made their very
first official trip to Hoover, bringing
along two books for each student.
The goal of the Books For Benefits
group is to promote literacy for at-risk
students. The visit to Hoover was the
first Literacy Day effort of the group.
Members of the Books for Benefits
group read a poem to the students and
then performed a skit from the Dr.
Seuss classic, TheCat in theHat.
In addition to two books, each stu-
dent was also presented with a bag, a
bookmark, a pad of paper and an eras-
er. Books for Benefits has also partici-
pated in reading and tutoring in the
Metro Detroit area, and sets up events
to promote literacy. The group volun-
teers also work with pen palls, book
clubs and book drives, a spokesperson
said.
For more information about Books
for Benefits, email, nkjawad@
umich.edu.
Books for Benefits ‘delivers’
Thing One and Thing Two, otherwise known as members of the Books for
Benefits student literacy group from the University of Michigan, act out a skit from
The Cat in the Hat for students at Hoover Elementary School.
