By Don Rush

All members of the Oxford Village Council attended the Oct. 19 village meeting: Village President Kelsey Cooke, President Pro-tem, Allison Kemp and council members Maureen Helmuth, Ashley Ross and Lori Bourgeau. The following is a summary of the council’s action.

Rental Property Inspection

Councilmember Helmulth told council, “We were quite hasty” in regards to not pushing forward with village rental property inspections and urged council to bring the item back to the forefront. “I’m not saying a property has to be a taj mahal, but it needs to be safe, have a smoke detector and a fire exit.” After discussion, council agreed to have a workshop on rental property inspections sometime in the future.

Museum agreement

Council agreed to send a draft agreement between the village and the Northeast Oakland Historical Society over their use and responsibilities of 1 N. Washington Street – the Northeast Oakland Historical Museum.

DDA bylaws

Councilmember Ross told council the Oxford Village Downtown Development Authority had recently approved bylaw updates. Updates included extending DDA board terms from one to two years.

Capital Improvements

Village Manager Joe Madore reported to council about future improvements. He suggested the village should hold off on local street repairs for two years in order to build up funds. He also suggested the Village DPW next year work on replacing service water line leads. This year the DPW replaced 20 leads and he said next year the number replaced can be upped to 45 to 50. He reported the water tower is slated for maintenance in 2026 – cleaning the exterior and interior. Total cost $252,000. Madore also reported the village will apply for a grant from Oakland County Parks and Recreation for improvements to Scripter Park.

Resignation accepted

Council accepted the resignation of Kelly Arkles from the village planning commission and will start the search for her replacement.

Oxford Open Handed

Council approved entering a one year use agreement with Oxford Open Handed to use space in the old fire hall, behind village offices. Oxford Open Handed is a local charity which started in 2021 with a mission to assist children and their families who are going through hard financial times. The 501 (C)(3) organization provides clothing and athletic equipment to local children. The group currently operates out of a residential garage and has helped 120 families to date.

Closed session

At 8:51 council went into closed session to discuss pending litigation.