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candgnews.com JULY 9, 2025 Vol. 18, No. 14
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WA L L E D L A K E | S O U T H F I E L D | B E R K L E Y | H O L LY
Farmington officials finalize new budget BY GENA JOHNSON gjohnson@candgnews.com
See BUDGET on page 10A
Photos by Liz Carnegie
LEFT: From left, Vanessa Hersey-Tartt, Fana Rombou and Amy Gunn-Gill are honored with the American Red Cross Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders at The Hawk June 26. RIGHT: Janet Dabish, a city of Farmington Hills employee, said she died and was brought back to life by “three angels” — Rombou, Gunn-Gill and Hersey-Tartt.
Lifeguards hailed as heroes after reviving dispatcher BY GENA JOHNSON gjohnson@candgnews.com
FARMINGTON HILLS — Three Farmington Hills employees were recently honored for their heroic deeds saving a life. Fana Rombou, Amy Gunn-Gill and Vanessa HerseyTartt each received the American Red Cross Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders during a presentation June 26 at The Hawk, the city’s community center. The award includes a framed citation and a lapel pin.
The original incident occurred Sept. 3, 2024. Janet Dabish went to work as a senior dispatcher for the city of Farmington Hills’ senior transportation division at the Costick Center, where she arranges door-to-door pickup and return for seniors without transportation. It started as any other day on the job. During a quiet moment, a colleague thought Dabish was laughing, but when he looked up, he saw her slumped in her chair. The man shouted to others in the office to call 911 since Dabish was not breathing. He then went into the hallway to find help. See LIFEGUARDS on page 12A
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FARMINGTON — At the Farmington City Council meeting June 16, the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26 was unanimously approved. “I just want to thank the council for your support to change the allocation and maximize our allocation of the capital improvement millage fund,” said Farmington Mayor Joe LaRussa during the meeting. “I think that’s the right direction for the city, and it is maximizing our progress on capital improvement in which the voters voted.” With the new budget, residents should expect their property tax bills to go up roughly 3%. This is reflective of the inflation rate, said David Murphy, city manager of Farmington. This year, all funds — including the general fund, road fund, and water and sewer fund — total about $33 million, which is nearly $4 million dollars more than last year’s total of $29 million. In addition, more than $10 million was allocated to capital improvements.