Mayor Landry called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.

ROLL CALL: Mayor Landry, Mayor Pro Tem Capello Council Members, Gatt, Margolis, Mutch and Nagy and Member Paul.

Council met to discuss the emerging priorities through this visioning session. A question was posed to City Council as to where they would like to see Novi grow to be in the next 5 years. A survey will be sent to 1200 residents to evaluate their city life, data will be obtained and synthesized and leaders will convene after receiving feedback from the survey. An analysis will be done of the strengths and weaknesses of the city to find the gaps of where we want the city to be in the next five years. Through each phase, there will be continuous feedback. A final recommendation will be given to Council to be discussed at a final retreat to identify the ultimate goals and beginning strategies for the City. Proposed implementation plan was discussed as presented by the City Manager’s office. City Manager Pearson began by highlighting the following:

1. High quality education with 4 premier public school systems and 2 private college prep schools.

2. Sound infrastructure - 3 express-ways, completed 2000 road bond, Single Point Urban Interchanges at Beck Road and soon to being construction at Wixom Road.

3. Excellent public safety – can’t take that for granted. Quality neighborhoods, decrease in crime.

4. Powerful retail magnet, more than 3.5 million sq. ft. of commercial, 12 Oaks, Fountain Walk, town Center, etc.

5. High tech and office opportunities 60% of the OST planned land is available. More than $200 million investment in Providence Hospital.

6. Top ten "boomer" cities in Michigan. Diverse and also 18% will be seniors by 2030.

7. Green Community parkland, trails, greenways, woodland and wetland, city wide water course sedimentation study.

8. Sound financial base, 6^th lowest millage rate, SEV of $6.8 billion. Headless has reduced several operating millages and will reduce the general fund millage rate in the near future as early as 2008.

Questions posed to Council included "what do people want in life in Novi, pretend it’s 2016, what will have occurred, what will life look like or what do you want it to be."

Some ideas were

1. low taxes

2. sound infrastructure for safe road travel

3. safe community

4. police and fire service must be the best

5. strong base tax

The Council reviewed 78 ideas they submitted to see which the major themes are for the future.

Strong Public safety focus

a. Police, Fire

b. Safe community – low crime rate

Sound Financial Structure

a. fiscally responsible government

b. low taxes

c. decrease legacy costs

d. strong non-residential tax base to pay for city amenities to increase the quality of life of residents.

Top Quality basic public services

a. water and sewer system – highly maintained

Strong healthy business community

a. Strong business attraction

Roads

a. Roads that keep pace

Parks & Recreation

Green Community

a. Sustainable energy

b. Green buildings/solar energy

c. Woodlands/wetlands

Quality of Life

a. Parks & Recreation – facilities and/or programs

b. Library

c. Senior Citizen activities

d. Senior Citizen housing

e. Pedestrian friendly bike paths, sidewalks – regional connectivity

Strong Neighborhoods – strong association with their neighborhoods

a. Investment in older communities

Partnership with community-library, schools, sharing of services with surrounding communities

Strong customer service orientation by city government

a. city use of technology to deliver services

Strong school systems

Emerging Priorities – where do these strategic priorities need to be to play out the strategic vision over the next 3-5 years. What will it take to make these things happen.

Maximize tax base

Invest annually in public safety, roads, water and sewer

Work cooperatively with regional service providers

Continue to recruit and attract, train and retain top quality city employees

Maximizing the current resources

a. cross sharing of inter-departmental resources

b. reduce operational costs

Continue creative approach with Parks & Recreation programs

Listen to the community, their needs and desires

Provide continuing education to city staff

Provide services based on changing demographics

Become a magnet for health care

Become a magnet for high technology businesses

Top five

1. maximize the tax base

2. invest in public safety

3. work cooperatively with regional providers

4. listen to the community needs

5. provide services based on changing demographics

Rob Giacopetti, Budget Analyst, explained a sample survey had been distributed to City Council including a draft of the three custom questions the city could submit on the questionnaire. It was important to incorporate the feedback from Council into the 3 questions for the survey. Member Nagy wondered if 1200 residents were enough of a sampling for our population of 50,000. She also mentioned including the idea of whether the residents would support a tax increase. There will be a library proposal, a possible school tax increase, another road bond issue, and forfeiture funds coming in and she felt there was a need to know what residents want Council to do. Mr. Pearson explained they could design a question specifically for a possible tax increase but we’ve not implied there would be an increase as the City doesn’t have a good enough idea yet of what that would be. Member Margolis was concerned about adding a question like that because people will wonder what Council was testing the waters for. Member Gatt concurs as he thinks it would change the way residents would answer the questions. Mayor Landry also agreed. Member Gatt noted there was a question on the survey already that addressed if residents felt they were getting value for their tax dollars.

There being no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

________________________________ _______________________________

David Landry, Mayor Maryanne Cornelius, City Clerk

Date approved: October 9, 2006