May 3, 2021 FridayMusings is your source for what we love about Livonia
Mayor Brosnan says VOTE YES
Support Innovation and Excellence in Livonia Public Schools
Bill Joyner says VOTE YES
For those unable to attend on Thursday and may have missed out on the video presentation FridayMusings is happy to share “The State of Our City’s Future is Ours to Shape”. Livonia Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan Delivered the 2021 State of the City Address. Follow the link directly below this article.

On April 29 at Burton Manor, Livonia Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan delivered the 2021 State of the City address at a socially distanced event hosted by the Livonia Chamber of Commerce. The speech was her first State of the City address as Mayor and the first delivered by a female mayor in the City’s 70-year history.

The Pledge of Allegiance and invocation were performed virtually by students from Rosedale Elementary and St. Michael Catholic School, respectively.
Introduced by Livonia City Councilmember Laura Toy, Mayor Brosnan asked members of the audience to join her in “measuring our success in spite of the pandemic,” saying that she “doesn’t wish for our city’s success to be graded on a curve because of COVID-19, instead our first year and a half stands on its own as a record of accomplishment and progress for our community.”

Mayor Brosnan highlighted the City’s progress on Livonia Vision 21, the community-inspired, resident-driven master plan adopted by the Livonia City Council, noting “this plan is now our mission.”

The Mayor discussed a new zoning ordinance currently in development that Livonia Vision 21 identifies as a key priority for moving the master plan forward.

The Mayor celebrated new contracts with the City’s public safety unions, which are already showing results in adding new police officers and firefighters to Livonia’s Police and Fire Departments. She focused on the City’s commitment to diversity, equity and
inclusion while spotlighting the new Crisis Support Team, which adds social workers to the Police Department to better address the community’s mental health needs.

Regarding the City’s response to COVID-19, the Mayor noted the “all-hands-on-deck” approach taken by the City in delivering for residents, including at the City’s vaccination clinic that has administered more than 14,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to residents.

She concluded her speech by previewing the year ahead, which will include the completion of a new master plan for Greenmead, the opening of a new Department of Public Works building, and the City’s advocacy to secure funding to advance Livonia Vision 21.
The full video of the event is available online and was streamed by Livonia Television on the City’s social media channels.
Chamber of Commerce Says VOTE YES LPS bond proposal

Plan’s tech, CTE enhancements good for the community, employers
 
Business and community leaders that govern the Livonia Chamber of Commerce endorse the Livonia Public Schools bond proposal designed to enhance educational technology, facilities, and programming.

LPS voters will decide the fate of the $186 million bond proposal in an election set for May 4. The debt would be repaid by extending the term for the current 4.1 mill tax rate district property owners pay for improvements to school facilities and infrastructure.

“Livonia has been a home buying hotbed for five years and this proposal would help maintain that momentum by upgrading our schools,” said Chamber President Dan West. “This proposal helps LPS proactively maintain an education system that benefits students, families, homeowners, and business owners without any increase to the current tax rate.”

The proposal would fund new furniture, building and technology enhancements, renovations to athletic facilities, and other infrastructure upgrades. Also, the district is looking to expand capabilities for the district’s robotics program, career technology education (CTE), and science technology engineering and mathematics programming (STEM) – all of which are skills that are critically important to local employers.

The Livonia Chamber of Commerce has been actively involved with educators, business leaders, and policymakers about workforce development for years. Industry leaders are working with school district officials on how to best deploy the funds to better prepare young talent for skilled and technical trades and health careers, which are among the most in-demand jobs in Michigan.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to support the measure on Feb. 26.

“Our Board felt this proposal accomplishes many good things for our community and deserves Chamber support,” West added.

With about 14,000 students, LPS is the state’s ninth-largest school district. LPS recently completed a $195 million program to enhance buildings and upgrade security at all district buildings in a bond proposal approved by voters in 2013. School officials said the 2013 projects made a big difference but they did not meet all infrastructure and technology needs for LPS buildings, most of which were built in the 1960s or earlier.