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Mayor Pro Tem Laura Fournier, who led the meeting in Mayor Laura Kropp’s absence, speaks during the May 19 Mount Clemens City Commission meeting.
Photo by Dean Vaglia
MOUNT CLEMENS — As the Memorial Day weekend approached, the Mount Clemens City Commission held a light and fast meeting on the evening of May 19.
Finishing up with sunlight still shining into the halls of One Crocker Boulevard, City Commissioner and Mayor Pro-Tempore Laura Fournier led a quorum of commissioners through a meeting that was about 25 minutes long. City Commissioners Barb Dempsey, Spencer Calhoun and Mayor Laura Kropp were all absent.
The highlight of the agenda was a public hearing for the city’s fiscal year 2025-2026 budget, which received no opinions from the sparse crowd in attendance. The recommended budget predicts an increase in the general fund balance of about $518,000, beginning the fiscal year at $11.6 million and ending around $12.2 million after about $15.4 million in expected revenues meets $14.8 million in expected expenditures. A transfer of about $722,000 from the major streets fund to local streets fund points to respective losses and surplus in the funds.
More information about the budget can be found in the meeting’s agenda packet under the “Government” tab at mountclemens.gov.
City manager’s responses
On May 19, City Manager Gregg Shipman responded to questions asked by public commenters at the prior meeting.
On the matter of sidewalk repairs, Shipman said all property owners were responsible for paying for repairs to hazardous and damaged sidewalks adjacent to their property.
“In terms of payment for sidewalks, the Mount Clemens Foundation — which is not affiliated with the city of Mount Clemens — paid for some of the residents’ sidewalk repairs in the past,” Shipman said. “I’m not sure what the criteria was to be chosen for that program or if that program is still in place today.”
Questions about dogs in the city were brought up by residents. Shipman said that residents are allowed to have up to four dogs. Dogs are not permitted to run loose. Landlords are not responsible for a tenant’s dogs, and residents should — among other things — call Mount Clemens Animal Control at (586) 469-6800 ext. 514 or 515 if a dog bites someone.
Regarding the Clinton River and trees along it, Mount Clemens is not responsible for managing the waterway and, because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not deemed the section of the river in the city as a “navigable waterway,” the responsibility falls to Macomb County Public Works.
Memorial Day comments
As the meeting reached its end, Fournier and City Commissioner Erik Rick shared details about then-upcoming Memorial Day events in the area.
Clinton Grove Cemetery hosted its annual ceremony on Sunday, May 25 at 11 a.m., while a ceremony outside of the Mount Clemens Fire Department was planned to occur immediately after the Clinton Grove ceremony. AMVETS Post 29 organized the Fire Department ceremony this year.
“I wish everyone a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as we kick off the summer season; a little chilly, but we are kicking it off nonetheless,” Fournier said. “But we all do need to remember the reason for the long weekend.”
