City Of Sterling Heights Retirement System

The regular meeting included the approval of the agenda. Key actions taken by the Commission involved the approval of the Firefighter ALS Eligibility List and the Firefighter BLS Eligibility List. Furthermore, the Commission reviewed and approved the Police Lieutenant eligibility requirements. Human Resources provided a reminder regarding the next scheduled Commission meeting in May 2026 and noted that Police Officer recruitment would be launching.

The City Council meeting included the approval of the agenda, moving an item to a later section. Key discussions involved updates and details on the upcoming Sterling Heights 2026 College Internship Program, which has already received 110 applications. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the presentation and discussion of the new Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program, detailing its capabilities for public safety across Police, Fire, and Public Works departments, while addressing privacy safeguards, data retention, and operational procedures. The council also held a presentation for the 2025 Employee and Department/Office Awards, recognizing numerous individuals and the Community Relations Department as the department of the year. During citizen communications, concerns were raised regarding the public health impacts, accessibility, and marketing of Kratom, as well as concerns about cryptocurrency volatility. Finally, the Mayor introduced a discussion point regarding developing policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities based on a recent traffic stop incident.

The council meeting commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation. Key agenda items involved managing the agenda sequence, including moving a consent item to a main consideration item. The city manager's report featured two special presentations. The first highlighted the launch of the Sterling Heights Public Library's new mobile library service, which utilizes a converted John Deere tractor to promote literacy and library outreach at a lower cost than a traditional bookmobile. The second presentation celebrated the local startup NTL Industries, owned by Greg and Shelley MacArthur, for winning the national Small Business Person of the Year award after successful collaboration with the Velocity business accelerator and the Small Business Administration. Council members extended congratulations to the owners regarding their journey from a two-car garage operation to national recognition, and discussed the criteria for the award.

This session was a budget workshop, the second hearing for the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which totals $318 million, including $56 million related to voter-approved millage. Key discussions involved presentations and budget overviews for several departments: Parks and Recreation, Fire, Community Relations, Public Works (including the refuge/recycling fund), and Water and Sewer. The Parks and Recreation budget review detailed personnel costs, debt service, and capital projects like ADA compliant bleachers and shade structures. The Fire Department budget review highlighted an $8.1% increase due to contractual wages and new positions, and included a $9 million phased renovation plan for Fire Station Number Five to improve health, safety, and efficiency, addressing issues like cancer reduction efforts, decontamination procedures, and replacing aging facilities to meet current NFPA standards. Community Relations changes reflected minor overall increases offset by reduced campaign costs. The Water and Sewer budget, largely controlled by external authorities, proposed a 7.3% rate increase to cover rising costs associated with GLWA and sewage disposal. Finally, two budget amendments were presented for consideration: one increasing the major road fund for median landscaping and lighting on Metro Parkway (requiring a General Fund adjustment for electricity costs), and another to increase the General Fund budget to fund a stormwater utility feasibility study.

The key discussion topics for the meeting included updates on the Sustainability Plan, review of the SCOAR Top 15 Action Items from the 2021 Sustainability Plan, and discussion of subcommittee reports from Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Electrification/Efficiency/Weatherization, Stormwater & Wetlands, Biodiversity Conservation, and Trees Committees. New business involved discussion of subcommittee mission statements and the 2025 Annual Report. The agenda also noted the upcoming review of minutes from the December 17, 2025 meeting.