The Mount Clemens City Commission met on April 20 to discuss the Administrative Hearings Bureau, parking fees, carnival licenses and more.
By: Dean Vaglia | Mount Clemens-Clinton-Harrison Journal | Published April 28, 2026
MOUNT CLEMENS — Despite being down a few members, the Mount Clemens City Commission’s April 20 meeting saw the body tackle a number of items.
Running without commissioners Jill Yore and Theresa McGarity, the rest of the commission handled items ranging from carnival permits to parking fees to code enforcement changes.
On the code enforcement front, commissioners approved changes to the fees and fines issued by the Administrative Hearings Bureau. The new system establishes minimum fines for first, second and subsequent hearings on a variety of matters under the bureau’s purview, including ordinance violations for rental properties, recreational vehicles, zoning and blight as well as property maintenance code violations. The default fee was also increased from $50 to $150. The maximum fine allowed under state law is $10,000. Fines are issued subject to the attorney presiding over any given session of the bureau.
The overhaul of the Administrative Hearings Bureau’s fine structure is meant to standardize the bureau’s operations.
“The state law still gives the hearing officer the ability to waive fines, but what we’re really trying to establish is having this baseline fine so that the property owners understand the severity of it,” said Brian Tingley, Mount Clemens community development director. “What was happening without having this baseline is the hearing officers were differing in their approach. They were often not doing fines until the third, fourth, fifth hearings, so we’re really trying to establish that baseline that they start from.”
Commissioner Roxanne Brown brought up concerns about how the bureau’s fines could affect home-owning residents cited for code violations, particularly those with disabilities that make cutting grass and other forms of maintenance difficult. Brown asked what resources could be made available to these residents in order to avoid running afoul of ordinances and racking up fines, leading to a lengthy discussion about how the city could get resources for those residents. Along with Macomb County’s governmental resources, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers was mentioned as a possibility of getting local churches involved.
“One idea that we did attempt — but I would like to see if the commission could be influential in it — is we did at one point send a letter to every church, because it was brought to our attention that churches often ask how they can be stewards of the community,” said Mayor Laura Kropp. “We said that when we have cases like this where we know (of people who) maybe don’t have family and don’t have the means (to take care of their property) if we could go to churches and say, ‘Do you have volunteers?’ or, ‘Do you have the means to help us get resources to this person?’ … We put that out years ago and we did not have one church respond.”
The campaign for sending letters to churches asking about available assistance for community members happened about six years ago, according to Kropp. Brown and other commissioners were interested in engaging churches again, this time reaching out in-person and inviting them to a work session to discuss the possibility of supporting residents.
Parking fee updates
Commissioners also approved new parking rates for city lots and streets.
Under the new metered rates, the Roskopp North and Market Street lots are 50 cents per hour with a daily maximum of $3. The Union Street and Towne Square lots are 50 cents per hour. The Roskopp South lot is 75 cents per hour. The New Street lot is $1 per hour. Main Street parking is $1.50 per hour, and all other on-street parking is $1.25 per hour.
Under the new stickered parking rates, the New Street lot is $150 per quarter. The Roskopp South lot is $120 per quarter. The Roskopp North lot is $100 per quarter. The Union Street lot is $100 per quarter. The Town Square lot is $100 per quarter. The Market Street lot is $60 per quarter.
Under the new expired meter rates, an expired meter citation is $20. An expired meter citation late fee is $20. A no parking anytime citation is $35. An over posted time limit citation is $35/ A blocking the crosswalk citation is $35.
Carnival
Commissioners also approved a carnival permit for W. G. Wade Shows, Inc., to hold a carnival at 237 N. River Road from Thursday, June 4 to Sunday, June 14.
Call Staff Writer Dean Vaglia at (586) 498-1043.