Adult Piano Class
candgnews.com JANUARY 8, 2025 Vol. 22, No. 1
For active retirees who have always wanted to play the piano! 8 WEEK BEGINNER CLASS
$99
Includes a free loaner instrument! A $300 value for all new students!
Holiday lights winners shine in Ferndale/7A
MUSIC
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Ferndale hopes to put Headlee millage proposal on May ballot BY MIKE KOURY
See MILLAGE on page 4A
ENROLL TODAY! Class size is limited
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2/23/22 2:26 PM
LEFT: All Michigan cities are required to replace lead lines as part of the state’s Lead and Copper Rule. ABOVE: Ferndale is mandated to replace 100 lead service lines annually, though the city expects that number to increase to anywhere between 375 to 450 in the coming years.
mkoury@candgnews.com
FERNDALE — With Ferndale’s Headlee override operating millage set to expire at the end of the year, the city is looking to present residents with a proposal for a new millage. Ferndale’s effort last November to get a Headlee operating millage restoration proposal passed, with a vote to reset the millage back to 20 mills with a 4.28-mills increase, failed with residents. Over the past couple of months, the city has held town hall meetings with residents to get their feedback on what they want in a millage proposal. The operating millage for 2025 will be 11.4144 mills. The addition of the 2015 10-year Headlee override millage of 4.2808 mills brings the 2025 combined general operating millage to 15.6952 mills. Several options have been presented as ideas during these meetings, according to interim City Manager James Krizan. One idea was to renew the millage at what was adopted in 2015, the last time the Headlee override was passed. That mill-
BLOOMFIELD 248.334.0566 SHELBY 586.726.6570
Photos provided by the city of Ferndale
Ferndale approves lead service replacement, water main improvements in 2025 BY MIKE KOURY mkoury@candgnews.com
FERNDALE — The Ferndale City Council last month gave its approval to lead service line replacements and water main improvement projects. At its Dec. 16 meeting, the council approved a contract extension with Gustafson HDD for $920,000 to conduct lead service line replacement work this year. “HDD” stands for “horizontal directional drilling.”
According to city documents, Ferndale is mandated to replace 100 lead service lines annually by the state’s Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Department. That number is expected to increase an additional 5% to account for the replacement timeline changing from 2041 to 2037 due to Environmental Protection Agency rule changes. Ferndale estimates the number of lines replaced each year to be between 375 to 450. The state adopted its Lead and Copper Rule in See REPLACEMENT on page 4A
0322-2502