OPC seeks to add parking

Nine years after the Rochester Older Persons Commission moved from an old school on Woodward to a bigger new home on Letica, parking is a problem. Enough so that the governing board is looking into how much it would cost to build a parking garage. “It’s unbelievable that we need it when you look at the parking we had at the old building,” said board Chairman John Dalton. “We need it desperately bad.” Parking was one of the top priorities identified in a strategic plan completed in 2008. … [Read more...]

Is OPC compromise in view?

There may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. When the Rochester Older Persons Commission’s governing board meets Thursday, it appears the members are ready to take another look at one controversial item in the proposed 2012 budget, which has yet to be formally adopted. After two years in which OPC employees received no increases in compensation, last year the board approved an increase in the payment in lieu of health insurance for full-time employees. The payment was increased from … [Read more...]

Readers want to know: Q & A on the OPC

In an attempt to answer readers’ questions about the current OPC budget dispute, we consulted the Interlocal Agreement that governs the OPC, budget documents, meeting minutes, the most recent audit and relevant officials. WHO RUNS THE OPC? The OPC was created as a separate public corporation in 1983. The municipalities of Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township jointly fund it and share authority under the terms of the Interlocal Agreement (ILA). The OPC does not have taxing … [Read more...]

Rochester offers compromise on disputed OPC budget

Rochester City Council is offering a compromise aimed at ending the standoff over the Rochester Older Persons Commission’s 2012 budget. Council voted 5-0 Monday in support of a budget that would give OPC employees a 1-percent bonus and continue the current pension plan. But the offer eliminates step increases in 2012 and reduces the budget’s payment to employees in lieu of health insurance. The OPC operates under an interlocal agreement between Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland … [Read more...]

Still no deal on Rochester OPC budget

As the clock ticks down toward Dec. 31, neither side has yet blinked in the standoff over the Rochester Older Persons Commission budget. Rochester City Council met Monday and scheduled a special meeting for Dec. 29 in the hopes that a compromise will be offered that will keep the OPC operational after Jan. 1. The city’s attorney has said he doesn’t believe the OPC can legally spend money in the new fiscal year without an approved budget. The OPC Governing Board, Rochester Hills City … [Read more...]