Charter Amendment Petition FAQs
Why a charter amendment?
Michigan State Law, specifically the Home Rule City Act, grants citizens in the City of Dexter the right to petition that a charter amendment be submitted to the voters for their approval.
The petition reads:
We, the undersigned qualified and registered electors, residents in the City of Dexter in the County of Washtenaw, State of Michigan, respectively petition for a charter amendment that would modify Article 1 to add a new section designating that the City-owned public land bounded by Alpine Street, Main Street, Mill Creek, and the railroad be retained in public ownership, in perpetuity, and be set aside for and devoted to active recreation, passive recreation, or both.
Mill Creek Park and its connections to the regional trail system have become a destination, attracting local and regional visitors. The trail at Mill Creek Park North was even featured on the cover of the Michigan Trails Magazine (2022). The expansion of this park and further investment in its features will continue to draw visitors to our downtown adding to the vitality of the city.
Won’t improvements to Mill Creek Park just cost residents more money?
The City’s current Capital Improvements Plan already anticipates spending $490,000 to improve Mill Creek Park, projects that have been planned for since 2001 and 2016. Relocating the fire station ensures that these and any future dollars can be spent to truly make this park shine.
(source: https://files.dextermi.gov/Boards_Commissions/Parks_and_Recreation/2023/Packets/2023-02-21-P-PR.pdf)
What will happen to the fire station?
The proposed charter amendment’s passage would expand the existing park, thus requiring the relocation of the City of Dexter Fire Station. In 2019, the City purchased property bounded by Meadow View Drive and Dexter-Ann Arbor Road with the intention of moving the fire station there. In fact, this site has been the location of a sign designating that site as the “Proposed Future Home of the Dexter Fire Station” since 2020. This greenfield site is more centrally located to the City of Dexter and meets the needs of a new fire station. With the November 2022 passage of the public safety facilities millage and City Council’s recent authorization to issue bonds to enact that millage, we propose that the City of Dexter City Council build a new fire station at Meadow View Drive and Dexter-Ann Arbor Road as has been advertised; however, this charter amendment, if passed, does not dictate the future location of the fire station.
Why is moving the fire station a good idea?
Opportunity to improve Mill Creek Park and preserve greenspace. In February 2023, Council received a site aerial of 8140 Main Street with the placement of the proposed fire station renovation. As the illustration reveals, even as the City's parks and recreation commission is considering ways to enhance the gem of a park that is Mill Creek Park North (immediately adjacent to the current fire station), renovating and expanding the existing fire station further mucks up the current limitations of that site: poor pedestrian access from Alpine Street down to the park, congested intersections and dangerous pedestrian crossings, and limited parking for park users. Removing the fire station from that site frees the City up to properly remedy those issues in a way that enhances the existing park. Furthermore, as surrounding sites get redeveloped, we have an opportunity to preserve valuable greenspace. One potential vision includes permanent public restrooms, a year-round farmer’s market, and a trailhead for the Border to Border Trail.
(source: https://files.dextermi.gov/Boards_Commissions/Parks_and_Recreation/2022/Packets/2022-11-15-PR-P.pdf)
Environmental concerns. First, as illustrated below, the current site (8140 Main St.) is located in a floodplain (dark blue line = 100-yr floodplain; teal line = 500-yr flood plain). Whereas Federal funding would be available for construction of a new facility at Dexter-Ann Arbor and Meadow View, such funds are not available for critical infrastructure located in a floodplain (i.e., the current site). Second, continuing to store, clean, and maintain fire safety equipment near the creek poses environmental risks (e.g., PFAS). Building new on the City-owned greenfield site at Dexter Ann Arbor and Meadow View will allow us to mitigate any past damage and prevent any future damage to Mill Creek.
(source: [topography] https://gisappsecure.ewashtenaw.org/mapwashtenaw/; [flood elevations] https://gisappsecure.ewashtenaw.org/mapwashtenaw/)
Cost. In July 2022, Council received updated cost estimates of proposals to renovate or replace the existing fire station at 8140 Main Street. Notably, building new at Main Street was the most expensive option. Furthermore, renovating or building new at 8140 Main Street requires relocating fire services outside of the City during the construction/renovation period--that's money spent that buys us nothing and, worse yet, increases response times into the City for the duration of the renovation/construction. Furthermore, certain necessary costs like adding an elevator and increasing the height of the apparatus bays were not included in the original estimate.
(source: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2022/Packets/2022-07-11-CC-P-WS.pdf)
Functionality. In the same packet referenced above, the City’s consultant shared a table illustrating the programmatic/functional advantages and disadvantages of the current site vs. building new at Dexter Ann Arbor and Meadow View. Building at the new site offers clear advantages on aspects like apparatus maneuvering, complying with best practices, and properly spacing the planned apparatus. Per that table, the only disadvantage of the new site is that it is not "downtown;" however, building a new station in a location that is more central to the City of Dexter benefits City of Dexter residents.
(source: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2022/Packets/2022-07-11-CC-P-WS.pdf)
Although Chief Armstrong has noted that fire fighters are resilient and can and will continue to serve from anywhere, former Chief Smith was adamant that the current site was inadequate for the needs of a modern fire station. Further, as far back as 2016, a Facility Committee consisting of then-Council Members Paul Cousins, Jim Smith, and Julie Knight, then-DDA representative Fred Schmid, and then-Village President (and since City Mayor) Shawn Keough, voted to recommend to the then-City Council that 8140 Main Street should no longer be considered as a site for a future fire station.
Doesn’t the fire station need to be closer to the entire DAFD service area (including Dexter and Webster Townships)?
As Chief Armstrong has indicated, future DAFD staffing plans project having two full-time firefighters at each of the three stations, decreasing the number of calls that will leave the City of Dexter station to travel to our partnering communities of Dexter and Webster Township by at least 30% (anticipated by end of 2023). Just as Dexter and Webster Townships selected the location for their substations that best served their community, so, too, do we need to select a location that best serves City of Dexter residents.
Per the map below, in 2018 (the most recent date for which such a map is available), there were 299 calls to which DAFD responded within the City of Dexter. The current fire station location is denoted with a circle and the proposed new location is denoted with a star. The map clearly illustrates that the new location is more central to the City of Dexter.
(source: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2023/Packets/2023-02-13-CC-P.pdf)
Doesn’t moving the station mean that more fire trucks will be traveling through downtown Dexter?
Per the “Runs by Keyword” table above, in 2022, vehicles from the City of Dexter fire station responded to 739 calls (both within and outside of the City of Dexter) the majority (64%) of which were runs involving EMS. In the future, such calls will be primarily responded to by a rescue vehicle (i.e., an ambulance). Therefore, only a minority of calls leaving the City of Dexter fire station will involve a fire engine. Furthermore, EMS calls to the townships will not involve any vehicles from the City of Dexter fire station.
(source: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2023/Packets/2023-02-13-CC-P.pdf)
What happens next?
Once signatures from 5% of the registered voters in the City of Dexter have been obtained, the petitions will be turned into the city clerk who has 45 days to certify the petition. Immediately after City Council adopts a resolution to submit the amendment to a vote of the people, the charter amendment will be submitted to the Governor for approval. The amendment shall be submitted to the electors at the next regular city election or general state election to be held not earlier than 90 days after submission of the initiatory petition to the city clerk.
Who do I contact if I have questions or if I would like to sign the petition?
Please email friendsofmillcreekpark@gmail.com with any questions you might have.