WARREN CITY COUNCIL

Mayor Jim Fouts shared his vision for Warren at his annual State of the City address.

A judge issued a ruling on Thursday in favor of the Warren City Council and against mayor Jim Fouts.

City council said Warren Mayor Jim Fouts has been spending money without their approval and a judge has told him to stop.

The ongoing duel between Warren Mayor Jim Fouts and city council continues with another lawsuit.

A Warren city councilman refused to observe Detroit’s rules when it comes to COVID safety and police were not having it.

The Warren City Council plans to call on state officials to investigate and consider disciplinary actions against Councilman Eddie Kabacinski after he was arrested for...

An elected official is on the wrong side of the law once again.

Creating a downtown for the city of Warren has been discussed for years, but now there are actual renderings.

Council president, secretary allege man called them shortly after a virtual meeting last month

Keith Olson has been charged with threatening two members of the Warren City Council and their families.

City leaders are voicing concern about crime at an apartment complex in Warren.

WARREN, Mich. – The Warren City Council is investigating the appointment of an employee by Mayor Jim Fouts. Audio from a Warren City Council meeting last fall shows a man who said his name is William Benson join public comment. Warren City Council said he was not a concerned citizen. A shadow employee at City Hall,” Warren City Council Member Pat Green said. The Warren City Council continues targeted attacks on city employees with another press release against former Warren employee Jamie Roe.

WARREN, Mich. – The Warren City Council has opened an investigation into the appointment of an employee by Mayor Jim Fouts. The council met Tuesday for a special meeting to discuss Fouts’ appointee Jamie Roe, who was hired as a clerical technician last March. “It just comes across as corruption in city hall. It scares the heck out of me of what we don’t know yet,” said Council President Pat Green“We became aware of a political consultant on city payroll -- getting benefits, 401K -- was also running campaigns during city hours,” Green later added. “My work with city hall has been no secret,” he said.

WARREN, Mich. – The Warren City Council is refusing to pay nearly $5 million in city bills because the administration won’t pay for legal services that Mayor Jim Fouts says the council sought “illegally” earlier this year. The council voted on Dec. 8 not to pay city bills until the city paid a legal firm that was hired by the council in May. Warren City Attorney Ethan Vinson argues that the city council “exceeded the scope” of its authority when securing an attorney from Plunkett Cooney on May 12. The City Council is litigating the tax rates, city budget issues, and other matters in this lawsuit. The city council is committed to paying all city vendors and contractors as this is our legal obligation.

WARREN, Mich. – Days after the Warren City Council voted 5-2 to reject a marijuana settlement proposal, Mayor Jim Fouts has vetoed that vote. The proposal would have granted 28 licenses for medical marijuana provisional centers in Warren. Previous coverage:“Several members of the previous city council were fed by greed and corruption and charted a course behind closed doors at the direction of the mayor and the legal advice of city attorney Vinson.” Councilman Jonathan Lafferty said during Tuesday’s meeting. The city found itself in legal trouble after a Macomb County judge ruled that its marijuana licensing process under the former city council was done in secret and violated the Open Meetings Act. The current city council was presented with the settlement earlier this month to grant 28 new licenses in lieu of the original 15 licenses.

WARREN, Mich. – The Warren City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday rejecting a proposed settlement that would grant 28 licenses for medical marijuana provisional centers. Lafferty did not hold back on why he wanted to council to vote down a settlement of the lawsuit. Today the Detroit City Council voted to unanimously approve an adult-use recreational marijuana ordinance also known as Chapter 20 of the 2019 Detroit City Code, which allows adult-use marijuana licensing in Detroit. Passage of this ordinance by the full body of the Detroit City Council allows licensing for the following state approved categories: adult-use retailer establishment, grower, processor, safety compliance facility, temporary marihuana event, microbusiness, designated consumption lounge and secure transporter. The ordinance allows current medical marijuana licensees an opportunity at obtaining adult use licenses but works steadfastly to create an avenue of participation for residents of the city where this new industry will be located.

WARREN, Mich. – A proposed settlement agreement is being voted on Tuesday by the Warren city council that would grant 28 licenses for marijuana provisioning centers. UPDATE: Marijuana settlement proposal rejected by Warren City CouncilAdditionally, the proposed settlement would dismiss a lawsuit filed by 31 applicants over the original selection process, which a judge said violated the Open Meetings Act. READ: Controversy continues over medical marijuana dispensaries licensing process in WarrenIf the proposal passes, Oz Cannabis would have the go-ahead with its massive project, which has revitalized a building that has sat vacant for nearly a decade. Back in 2019, the city of Warren decided to award 10 licenses for provisional marijuana centers. The Detroit City Council voted to unanimously approve an adult-use recreational marijuana ordinance also known as Chapter 20 of the 2019 Detroit City Code, which allows adult-use marijuana licensing in Detroit.

WARREN, Mich – The city of Warren finds itself in legal trouble after a Macomb County judge ruled that its marijuana licensing process under the former city council was done in secret and violated the Open Meetings Act. Warren is currently being sued by 31 marijuana business owners over that process. Wednesday night, the current Warren City Council was presented with a settlement which includes 28 new licenses instead of the original 15. READ: Controversy continues over medical marijuana dispensaries licensing process in WarrenA map of the proposed settlement shows businesses clustered along Dequindre Road and Groesbeck Highway. Residents can email the city council at Citycouncil@cityofwarren.org to express their thoughts and opinions on the settlement.

WARREN, Mich. Warren Mayor Jim Fouts and Warren City Council came to an agreement regarding the library tax rate for the fiscal year 2020/20201. They agreed the rate will be .6014. Their agreement has cleared the way for the summer tax bills to be issued. Below is the statement from the mayors office:In the best interests of Warren residents and in a spirit of cooperation, the Mayor and City Council avoided court action and agreed that the library tax rate for fiscal year 2020/2021 will be .6014. Their work has cleared the way for the issuance of the summer tax bills and generating the revenues necessary to operate.

click to enlarge Shutterstock.comThe past Warren City Council thought it had pulled a fast one on taxpayers, but the new council had other ideas.Just two months before the council members were term-limited out of office in November, they quickly and quietly approved a measure to give themselves and family members lifetime health insurance and dental insurance.On Tuesday, the new city council voted unanimously to rescind the lifetime benefits.New council president Patrick Green said the vote was important to restore residents faith in elected leaders. "It was very important for me and everyone up there, and the residents, that we make sure we're spending their tax dollars in the most prudent way possible," Green told The Detroit News after the meeting.Mayor Jim Fouts, who said he didnt know about the previous councils vote until weeks later, had pledged that he would not honor the lifetime benefits, which would have set the stage for a potential legal battle. Fouts called the previous councils actions unconscionable beyond my wildest imaginations.The previous council members who voted for lifetime benefits were Robert Boccomino, Kelly Colegio, Cecil St. Pierre, Keith Sadowski, Scott Stevens, Steven Warner, and Ronald Papandrea. The only returning council member is Papandrea, who voted Tuesday to rescind the benefits.

The Local 4 Defenders are exposing the child porn case, which took place in Shaftsburg, just outside of Lansing. Neighbors in the area were adamant when they told the Defenders they dont want to talk about what happened. Guests with tickets to the canceled performance can exchange tickets in person at the Fisher Theatre box office for comparable seats to another performance. Its the ever controversial time of the year to debate if stores should open on Thanksgiving evening for early holiday shopping! This new push comes after failed bids in 2016 and 2018, with the opposition led by the late L. Brooks Patterson.

click to enlarge City of WarrenWarren Mayor Jim Fouts. Just two months before Warren City Council members were to be term-limited out of office, they quickly and quietly treated themselves to a golden parachute at taxpayers expense.The council voted unanimously on Sept. 10 to give themselves and their eligible dependents free lifetime health insurance and dental coverage. This was purposely not communicated with my administration and myself personally until after the 72-hour period for the Mayors veto.Fouts said he was even unaware of the vote until recently. We did not create this mess, but we will absolutely see it resolved.Council members who voted for the measure were Robert Boccomino, Kelly Colegio, Cecil St. Pierre, Keith Sadowski, Scott Stevens, Steven Warner, and Ronald Papandrea. The only returning council member is Papandrea, who couldn't be reached for comment.

WARREN, Mich. The Warren City Council passed a resolution that gives members lifetime health care benefits. Six of the seven council members will not return next term, including four term-limited members. He also said he thinks council members should have a chance at lifetime health care benefits. City Council members are term-limited so they could never work 25 years in their positions. The city said the City Council never got an analysis to determine how much money such a resolution would cost.

WARREN, Mich. - A long legal battle in Warren over medical marijuana appears to be over after a judge awarded 15 dispensaries licenses to operate in the city. There was a lot of controversy surrounding how those 15 dispensaries were chosen. Three of seven Warren City Council members were on a committee that reviewed and ranked applicants, that all took place behind closed doors. The process was so contentious a Macomb County judge had to place a temporary injunction. "We knew it would be a competitive merit-based process, what we didn't know was the process wouldn't be fair.

WARREN, Mich. - A candidate running for the Warren City Council is accused of lying about his address. Council candidate Jerry Bell alleges that Kabacinski doesn't live there. Local 4 obtained a water usage report that showed Kabacinski used no water at the residence between April and July. He said it's because he got a letter saying that said he may have had lead in his service lines, so he was using bottled water. "So I have been using big bottled water from Aldi and bottled water for drinking," he said.