Council has hired Nate Geinzer as the interim city manager, hired GovHR to help with the search for a new manager, and made modifications to public safety union contracts, among other matters. Also, construction updates and the city's proposed budget have been released.
Meeting Update
We increased the pay for our public safety officers. Berkley's compensation was no longer competitive with our peers, making retention and attraction of talent difficult.
Several DPW contracts were approved for infrastructure repair, maintenance, and equipment. This is a change in our approach to several routine tasks that will result in cost savings and increased staff efficiency.
We approved our annual contract with SMART to provide transportation services for seniors and the disabled.
We also approved road closures for several DDA events this year.
The meeting packet.
City Manager Search
Nate Geinzer was selected to serve the role of interim City Manager. He was successful in his past leadership roles at Farmington Hills, Brighton, and Traverse City and came highly recommended.
Council entered into a contract with GovHR to help with the search and hiring of a permanent City Manager.
One of the keys to this process will be community engagement. This means both frequent status updates as well as opportunities for the community to provide their input about the candidates. I also hope that we can provide an opportunity for people to meet and talk with the candidates in person.
The process is expected to take about four to five months. However, I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to find the right person to fill the role, and not just try to fill the position as soon as possible.
GovHR's proposed timeline is below. You can read their full proposal to the city in the meeting packet.
Construction Updates
The community center roof replacement project begins this week. It is funded through a state grant.
A project to reconfigure the offices in City Hall runs from April 8 through the 12th. The changes will allow the clerk's office to accommodate on-site early voting and provides security enhancements for employees.
2024/25 Proposed Budget
The city administration's proposed budget is now available on the city website.
This year our new finance director streamlined the process and got the budget out several weeks earlier than in years past.
This allows us to hold our budget work sessions earlier, giving us more time to make any adjustments before final adoption in May.
Work sessions this year are in the Public Safety second-floor conference room starting at 6pm on the following days:
- Tuesday, April 16
- Wednesday, April 17
- Thursday, April 18 (if needed)
Talk with Dennis
My next Talk with Dennis Office Hours will be Saturday, April 13 from noon to 2pm at the library. If you have any questions or concerns, or even just want to say hi, stop by anytime.
