Boiler Bid Sticker Shock, Adult Foster Care Home and New Culver's Headline Livonia Council Study Session

LIVONIA — 8/1/2026

Study Session

Council sends most of a 13-item agenda to the Aug. 17 regular meeting, splitting several contested items — including a $152,596 library boiler replacement, a proposed 12-resident adult foster care home, and a new Culver's/retail development on Seven Mile Road — onto the regular agenda for further scrutiny, while residents renew pointed questions about a banned park visitor and who ordered the city's legal defense of a contested gas-station rezoning.

5 of 13 items → consent 8 items → regular agenda, Aug. 17

Study Session of the Livonia City Council · Monday, July 27, 2026 · City Hall, 7:17 p.m.

About this meeting: A Livonia City Council study session does not include formal roll-call votes. Its purpose is to review each agenda item and decide whether it is ready to be placed on the consent agenda (routine, voted as a single block with no discussion) or the regular agenda (voted individually, typically because it drew questions, concerns, or unresolved issues) for the next voting meeting — in this case, the regular meeting scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. Items can also be referred to a council committee for further review. No item is finally "approved" or "denied" at a study session; this article reflects where each item was routed for the Aug. 17 vote.

The Livonia City Council convened its regular study session Monday evening, working through thirteen agenda items destined for the council's Aug. 17, 2026 voting meeting. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council member Carrie Budzinski, and Council member McCullough was excused from the meeting. Roughly the first 20 minutes were devoted to public comment, much of it a continuation of disputes raised at the prior week's regular meeting — including renewed calls to lift a lifetime ban imposed on resident Steve King from two city recreation facilities, and repeated questions about who authorized the city's legal defense of a contested gas station rezoning near Eight Mile and Newburgh roads. City Attorney representative Mr. Goldstein directly addressed the latter question this week, telling council the law department defends the city automatically whenever any of its boards or decisions are challenged in court, without being individually "directed" to do so by any official.

Of the night's substantive business items, five were routed to the consent agenda without objection, while five were sent to the regular agenda after council members or residents raised unresolved questions — including a bid-bond paperwork defect on the library boiler project, incomplete site plans for a large adult foster care facility, and a request for clarification on baby-changing-table provisions in a library restroom renovation. One personnel item (a new Capital Planning and Budget Manager classification) drew the sharpest public pushback of the night and was also sent to the regular agenda pending administration follow-up.

RoutingAgenda Item Summary — Routing for the Aug. 17, 2026 Vote

Below is a detailed breakdown of every numbered agenda item discussed, including which items were sent to the consent agenda (routine, block vote), which were sent to the regular agenda (individual vote, following further discussion), and which were referred elsewhere.

Item	Department / Type	Description	Motion / Support	Routed To
1	External Request	Block party request from Karen Worden for Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, 3–10 p.m., on Flamingo Boulevard between St. Martins and Bretton streets (rain date Aug. 30). Worden described it as the neighborhood's 20th annual gathering, featuring a barbecue, live music, karaoke and games. A late date correction was processed quickly by the City Clerk's office, which Worden publicly thanked.	Motion: Persiconi	Consent Agenda
2	External Request	Block party request from Karen Schrader for Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, noon–10 p.m., on Sussex Street between Sherwood and Fitzgerald streets (rain date Sept. 13). The petitioner was not present. Consistent with council's standard practice, the item was routed to the regular agenda rather than consent; McDonnell asked staff to contact the petitioner to ensure attendance at the Aug. 17 meeting.	Council consensus	Regular Agenda
3	Planning — Sidewalk Waiver	Request to waive the sidewalk requirement submitted by Gaspare Campo of TKM Development LLC for 37633 Stone Court. City engineering staff (Mr. Zielinski) recommended approval, noting no other homes on that side of the street have sidewalks.	Motion: Ptashnik	Consent Agenda
4	Planning — Sidewalk Waiver	Request to waive the sidewalk requirement for the property at 27416 Sunnydale. Staff recommended approval; no sidewalks exist in the surrounding area.	Motion: Ptashnik (same rationale as Item 3)	Consent Agenda
5	Planning — Sidewalk Waiver	Request to waive the sidewalk requirement submitted by Joe Iida of American Building Co. for 18252 Lathers. Staff recommended approval on the same basis as Items 3 and 4.	Motion: McDonnell	Consent Agenda
6	Civil Service — Personnel	Request to establish a new classification of Capital Planning and Budget Manager, consolidating the existing Budget and Fiscal Services Manager role with capital-planning duties. Finance Director Benjamin Greer and Civil Service's Jeanine LaBelle said the change would consolidate two positions rather than create a new one, generating efficiencies. Council members questioned how the role would relate to the city's existing Facilities Maintenance Manager and to a newly disclosed mayoral-office asset management/capital improvement committee that, per a letter received Friday, does not include the facilities manager. Multiple public commenters, including a speaker who tied the request to prior positions (a grant writer and a government affairs office) that they said produced no measurable results, urged the council to demand accountability from existing staff rather than create new administrative layers; another resident asked that the item be tabled or referred to committee of the whole pending more information.	Council directed staff to bring back further detail on the committee	Regular Agenda
7	Planning — Waiver Petition "(202) 606-0216"	Waiver-use petition submitted by J.B. Donaldson Company to operate a licensed adult foster care facility (adult medium group home, capacity 7–12) at 38525 Eight Mile Road — the historic Joshua Simmons House. Planning Director Mark Taormina explained the property has been non-residential for roughly 35 years and would be the city's first licensed medium group home among 43 existing adult foster care homes in Livonia. Petitioner representatives Joe Hammond (representing the property owner, Braswell Holdings) and Simona Sergio (proposed operator, a nurse practitioner) answered extensive council questions on caregiver staffing and training, trash service, medication storage, ADA access, exterior lighting, and required fire sprinklers. Planning Commission recommended approval July 14, but updated floor plans submitted that afternoon had not yet reached the full council. Residents Jim Biga and Denise Micah raised concerns about room sizing for 12 residents, lack of a public restroom near the dining area, medication lock-up, and inadequate notice to nearby residents.	Council consensus (revised plans pending)	Regular Agenda
8	Planning — Waiver Petition "(202) 606-0217"	Waiver-use petition submitted by PA Group to construct a drive-thru Culver's restaurant and a 4,675-square-foot multi-tenant retail building at 29155 Seven Mile Road, on the site of the long-vacant former Livonia VFW Post 3941. The roughly 4,400-square-foot Culver's would include 86 interior and 16 patio seats and a double drive-thru lane; the retail building's architecture has not yet been designed and would require separate future review. Planning Commission recommended approval with conditions, including added sidewalks and land-banking roughly half the front parking for future landscaping. Developer representatives (Culver's franchisee Brennan Bridgewater and PA Group's Leslie) presented an updated site plan adding ADA pedestrian access and confirmed a bike rack, in response to council requests. Council asked about the future of an underused rear parking lot (Parcel 3), originally built in the early 1990s for VFW overflow parking, and about landscaping along the residential property line; staff proposed working with the petitioner on a landscaping plan for that parcel.	Council consensus (updated plans pending full review)	Regular Agenda
9	DPW — Bid Award	Award of bid for replacement of the boiler system at the Robert and Janet Bennett Civic Center Library, from budgeted funds. DPW's Doug Moore reported the project was re-bid at council's request after a June 13 meeting; the new low bid from Guardian Environmental came in at $152,596 — $37,929 higher than the $114,667 extension price the same vendor had quoted in connection with the earlier Sandburg Library boiler bid. McDonnell flagged that Guardian's bid bond was not properly signed or witnessed, potentially invalidating the bid under law; City Attorney Goldstein said he would need to research the issue. Council members expressed frustration that re-bidding the project appeared to have cost the city nearly $38,000, while acknowledging the next-lowest bids (roughly $199,941 and higher) were substantially more expensive. Resident Steve King criticized the price and urged the city to consider alternative technologies (heat pumps, DTE and IRS incentive programs) instead of a like-for-like boiler swap; resident Barbara Glover urged approval, citing the library's need for reliable heat.	Council consensus (bid-bond issue to be resolved)	Regular Agenda
10	Engineering	Request to accept a Stormwater Facilities Maintenance Agreement from Emerson Oaks Livonia LLC in connection with a storm drain system serving the Emerson Oaks Condominiums. Described as a routine housekeeping item closing out a project after prior sewer-cleaning issues were resolved.	Motion: Persiconi	Consent Agenda
11	Engineering	Request to accept a Stormwater Facilities Maintenance Agreement from UAG Realty LLC in connection with a storm drain system serving the Bill Brown Ford / Penske Automotive Group site at 32400 Plymouth Road.	Council consensus, described as standard business	Consent Agenda
12	Engineering	Request to accept a Stormwater Facilities Maintenance Agreement from the Cornelia Group LLC in connection with a storm drain system serving the Penske Automotive Group site at 27777 Schoolcraft Road.	Motion: Brockway	Consent Agenda
13	DPW / Library — Contract Award	Award of contract for ADA restroom renovations at the Robert and Janet Bennett Civic Center Library. Because bids for a required family-style ADA restroom came in under budget, staff proposed using CDBG housing funds to also fully renovate the women's restroom to ADA compliance (the men's restroom is not feasible under this budget due to unexcavated space beneath it). Staff recommended a $304,123 construction contract with CNS Construction Management (the low bidder over Decimus LLC's $337,000+ bid) plus $29,500 for architect DLS Incorporated's construction management services, totaling $333,623. Council asked whether the new family-style restroom's adult changing table could be supplemented with an infant changing table, and whether one could also be added to the women's restroom; staff agreed to check with the architect. Construction is targeted for completion before Thanksgiving with minimal disruption to library operations.	Council consensus (changing-table detail requested)	Regular Agenda

AnalysisSignificant Discussion Items

Steve King park ban resurfaces, this time with a formal request for a council vote

Resident Frank McDermott renewed his objection to a lifetime ban imposed on resident Steve King from the Livonia Senior Wellness Center and Recreation Department following a trespassing charge that the 16th District Court resolved with only a $50 fine. This week, McDermott went further, formally asking the council to place the matter on a future agenda and vote either to rescind the ban or send it back to the Recreation Commission that imposed it. Resident Barbara Glover separately questioned the fairness of barring a taxpayer from facilities he continues to help fund through his taxes. Not all speakers agreed: resident John Pastor argued King "knew exactly what he was doing," questioned King's professional credentials, and suggested King's opposition to a nearby gas-station development was linked to industry funding. King used his own turn at the podium to deliver an extended argument that modern fire departments respond overwhelmingly to medical calls rather than fires, and urged council to scrutinize public safety spending on those grounds rather than being characterized as "anti-firefighter."

Who authorized the Sheetz rezoning legal defense? City Attorney answers.

For the second consecutive meeting, residents Greg Rocco and Laura Shoemaker pressed the council to identify who directed the city's law department to defend two Wayne County Circuit Court appeals filed after council voted 5-2 to deny rezoning for a Sheetz gas station and convenience store at Eight Mile and Newburgh roads (a related site plan was separately approved 4-3). Rocco used part of his time to dispute characterizations from a prior meeting, saying council members Budzinski and Rob Donovic — a former council member whose term ended before the current council took office in January 2026 — had described voting for the site plan under fear of a lawsuit, in reference to a vote cast by the previous council; Rocco argued this undercuts the purpose of a council vote at all. Vice President Brockway put the underlying question directly to City Attorney representative Mr. Goldstein this week. Goldstein responded that when any city board or council decision is challenged in court, the law department defends it automatically — no official directs the department to defend, and none directs it not to.

"We defend the city when it's sued. Period."City Attorney representative Mr. Goldstein, responding to Vice President Brockway's question about who authorizes the city's legal defense in court challenges

Boiler re-bid costs the city an extra $37,929 — and exposes a paperwork defect

DPW's Doug Moore told council that re-bidding the Bennett Library boiler replacement — done at council's own request after a prior meeting — resulted in a new low bid from Guardian Environmental of $152,596, nearly $38,000 above the $114,667 price the same contractor had earlier quoted in connection with a comparable bid at Sandburg Library. Council member McDonnell additionally discovered that Guardian's bid bond had not been properly signed or witnessed, a defect she said would ordinarily invalidate a bid under law; City Attorney Goldstein said he was unprepared to answer and would need to research the city's options. Council member Persiconi suggested the episode was a lesson for future contract renewals, arguing the council should be more willing to accept favorable extension pricing from proven vendors rather than automatically re-bidding. Council member Budzinski and resident Barbara Glover both urged moving forward given the urgency of reliable library heating, while resident Steve King argued the city should explore heat-pump and utility/federal incentive alternatives rather than a direct boiler-for-boiler replacement, and questioned the absence of Council Member Brandon McCullough — excused from that night's meeting — whom King suggested had previously pulled the boiler item off an earlier agenda.

New adult foster care home would be Livonia's first "medium" group home

Planning Director Mark Taormina walked council through a waiver-use request to convert the historic Joshua Simmons House at 38525 Eight Mile Road — most recently a medical office — into a licensed adult foster care facility for 7 to 12 residents. Michigan law requires municipalities to treat state-licensed homes of six or fewer residents as an outright permitted single-family use; Livonia currently has 43 such licensed homes, only one of which currently exceeds six residents (a large group home on Linden). This petition, brought by an operator who also runs a smaller six-bed home and a 20-bed facility in Plymouth, would be the city's first licensed "medium" group home. Planning Commission recommended approval July 14, but revised floor plans addressing room-dimension corrections and shower locations were submitted to city staff the same afternoon and had not yet reached the full council, prompting the item's placement on the regular agenda rather than consent.

Culver's coming to former VFW site on Seven Mile Road

PA Group's proposal to redevelop the long-vacant former Livonia VFW Post 3941 property at 29155 Seven Mile Road with a Culver's restaurant and a separate multi-tenant retail building drew a largely favorable council response, with members requesting — and receiving confirmation of — added pedestrian access and a bike rack. Council members also raised the appearance of an underused rear parking lot dating to a 1990s VFW overflow-parking approval, and asked the developer to work with staff on a landscaping plan for that parcel.

Federal grant "red flag" clarified as a paperwork gap, not a compliance failure

Responding to a resident's concern raised at the close of the prior regular meeting about an audit finding on federal cash management, a council member (Persiconi) clarified that the city had in fact followed all federal spending guidelines; the audit finding was that the city lacked a required written policy during the audit period, which the finance director has since corrected. She said the matter was formally noted as resolved through a corrective action plan.

TimelinePublic Comment Timeline

Public comment for non-agenda items ran from the meeting's opening (approximately 7:17 p.m.) through roughly the 19-minute mark; additional comment on specific agenda items occurred throughout the meeting as each item was discussed.

~1:14 — Steve King (Coventry Gardens): Argued modern fire departments respond mostly to medical calls rather than structure fires, and urged council to scrutinize public safety budgeting and staffing models on that basis, framing the critique as "pro taxpayer," not anti-firefighter.

~3:51 — Christopher Martin: Noted cable television is not regulated by the FCC for content; renewed a request that council research existing sidewalk-riding restrictions as they consider new e-bike/scooter rules, describing a startling encounter with a fast-moving cyclist on the Rotary Park bike path.

~6:53 — Frank McDermott (Rayburn St.): Formally asked council to place a vote on the agenda to either rescind or send back to the Recreation Commission the lifetime ban imposed on Steve King.

~8:36 — Greg Rocco (Golf Ridge Villa): Disputed characterizations of the Sheetz site-plan vote as having been cast "under duress"; renewed his request to know who directed the city's legal defense of the rezoning appeals.

~11:43 — John Pastor: Urged support for the police/fire millage and opposition to a SMART regional transit millage; criticized Steve King's credibility and motives regarding the Sheetz matter.

~14:25 — Laura Shoemaker: Defended residents' right to ask pointed questions of council without being personally attacked by other speakers; renewed the request for an answer on who authorized the city's legal defense in the Sheetz appeals.

~17:16 — Barbara Glover: Questioned the fairness of Steve King's lifetime ban given his continued tax obligations; separately noted City Hall's council chambers building still lacks an ADA-compliant restroom, more than three decades after the ADA's passage.

~36:42 (Item 6 discussion) — Steve King: Briefly commented on the proposed Capital Planning and Budget Manager position.

~36:59 (Item 6 discussion) — Unnamed resident: Argued the city has repeatedly created new administrative positions (citing a prior grant writer and government affairs office) without measurable results, and called for accountability from existing management rather than a new title.

~39:26 (Item 6 discussion) — Sydney St. Michael: Asked that the new position request be tabled or referred to committee of the whole pending clarification of a newly disclosed mayoral capital-planning committee.

~55:19 (Item 7 discussion) — Unnamed resident: Asked whether council had visited the adult foster care operator's existing facilities, citing personal familiarity with group-home staffing standards.

~56:06 (Item 7 discussion) — Jim Biga, Livonia: Raised concerns that room dimensions in the submitted plans appeared too small to accommodate 12 residents alongside required shower facilities and medication storage, and asked about overnight staffing; recommended placing the item on the regular agenda for further study.

~58:06 (Item 7 discussion) — Denise Micah, Livonia: Said nearby residents were unaware the item was on tonight's agenda and had not received adequate notice; raised concerns about small bedroom sizes, lack of a public restroom near the dining area, and medication lock-up; asked that neighbors be notified before the item returns.

~1:26:08 (Item 9 discussion) — Steve King: Criticized the boiler bid's cost and process, including the unsigned bid bond, and urged the city to evaluate heat-pump and utility/federal incentive alternatives instead of a direct replacement. King also asked pointedly about "Brandon" — almost certainly Council Member Brandon McCullough, who this meeting's opening announced was excused — suggesting McCullough had previously intervened to pull the boiler item off an earlier agenda and questioning his absence from that night's discussion.

~1:27:40 (Item 9 discussion) — Barbara Glover: Urged council to approve the boiler replacement despite the added cost, citing the library's need for reliable heating and the city's track record of deferred building maintenance.

TimelineCouncil Member & Staff Update Timeline

~19:38 — Council member Persiconi: Relayed a message from resident Kim Snyder (who had to leave early), thanking the city for a new temporary accessibility ramp she said is far easier to use than the prior one, based on her years volunteering as an election worker in the building.

~20:56 — Council member Persiconi: Clarified that a "red flag" federal cash management audit finding raised at the close of the prior meeting reflected only a missing written policy, not an actual compliance failure; said the finance director has since adopted the required written policy as a corrective action.

~21:45 — Council member Persiconi: Responding to a resident's fire-department comments, noted that Livonia's most recent LFD contract requires all firefighters to be, or be actively training toward becoming, paramedics — a standard she said is not universal among neighboring communities.

~22:26 — Vice President Brockway: Asked City Attorney representative Mr. Goldstein, on the record, who authorizes the city's legal department to defend the city in court. Goldstein answered that the law department defends the city automatically whenever a decision is challenged, without being individually directed to do so.

Throughout Item 6 — Council members Budzinski, Persiconi, McDonnell: Questioned Civil Service and Finance staff on how a newly proposed Capital Planning and Budget Manager role would interact with the city's existing Facilities Maintenance Manager position and a newly disclosed mayoral-office asset management committee; requested administration follow-up on the committee's composition, timeline and reporting plans.

Throughout Item 7 — Council members Persiconi, Ptashnik, Budzinski: Questioned the adult foster care petitioners in detail on caregiver staffing/training, fencing, trash service, front-porch safety, exterior lighting, and fire sprinkler requirements before routing the item to the regular agenda pending updated plans.

Throughout Item 8 — Council members Ptashnik, Budzinski, Persiconi: Requested and received confirmation of added pedestrian access and a bike rack for the proposed Culver's/retail development; raised questions about the future appearance of an underused rear parking lot.

Throughout Item 9 — Council members McDonnell, Ptashnik, Budzinski, Persiconi: Debated the boiler re-bid's added cost and the bid-bond defect; McDonnell requested a cost update on the related, previously approved Sandburg Library boiler project.

Throughout Item 13 — Council member Budzinski, joined by Ptashnik: Requested staff explore adding an infant changing table alongside the adult changing table planned for the library's new family-style restroom, and asked whether one could also be added to the newly renovated women's restroom.

~1:37:42 — Council President Reid: Closed the meeting with a direct appeal to the public, describing the council role as more than the part-time position it is officially classified as, and asking residents to stop personal attacks and yelling during public comment.

Disposition LedgerComplete Item Disposition Record

Item	Matter	Motion By	Disposition
1	Karen Worden block party, Aug. 29	Persiconi	Consent Agenda
2	Karen Schrader block party, Sept. 12	Council consensus	Regular Agenda
3	Sidewalk waiver, 37633 Stone Ct.	Ptashnik	Consent Agenda
4	Sidewalk waiver, 27416 Sunnydale	Ptashnik	Consent Agenda
5	Sidewalk waiver, 18252 Lathers	McDonnell	Consent Agenda
6	New Capital Planning & Budget Manager classification	Council consensus (info requested)	Regular Agenda
7	Adult foster care waiver, 38525 Eight Mile Rd.	Council consensus (plans pending)	Regular Agenda
8	Culver's/retail waiver, 29155 Seven Mile Rd.	Council consensus (plans pending)	Regular Agenda
9	Bennett Library boiler bid award	Council consensus (bid-bond issue)	Regular Agenda
10	Stormwater agreement, Emerson Oaks	Persiconi	Consent Agenda
11	Stormwater agreement, Bill Brown Ford/Penske	Council consensus	Consent Agenda
12	Stormwater agreement, Cornelia Group/Penske	Brockway	Consent Agenda
13	Bennett Library ADA restroom renovation contract	Council consensus (changing-table detail requested)	Regular Agenda

As a study session, this meeting held no formal roll-call votes. The "motion by" entries above reflect which council member offered to place each item on the consent agenda, where applicable; regular-agenda items were routed there by council consensus following discussion, without a formal motion to approve or deny. Final roll-call votes on all thirteen items will occur at the Aug. 17, 2026 regular meeting.

AheadLooking Ahead

All thirteen items discussed Monday — five on the consent agenda and eight on the regular agenda — are scheduled for a formal council vote at the next regular meeting, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. Outstanding items to be resolved before that vote include: updated floor plans for the proposed adult foster care home on Eight Mile Road; a finalized landscaping and pedestrian-access plan for the proposed Culver's development on Seven Mile Road; resolution of the improperly executed bid bond on the library boiler contract; further administration detail on the mayoral capital-planning committee referenced in connection with the new Capital Planning and Budget Manager position; and confirmation on whether infant changing tables can be added to the library's restroom renovation project.

This article was compiled from an automated transcript and the revised meeting packet of the Livonia City Council's July 27, 2026 study session, with council member and staff names cross-checked against the city's official website (livonia.gov). Timestamps are approximate and drawn from the meeting recording.