TECUMSEH — The Tecumseh City Council entered into a one-year land rental agreement on Monday with Pixley Farms with the option to renew for subsequent one-year terms to generate income on undeveloped city-owned property.

The approximately 75 acres of city-owned property is in the Tecumseh Business and Technology Campus. The city has leased the property for farming for several years.

The high bid, which was preferred in this case, was from Pixley Farms in the amount of $185 per acre. The proposed agreement has provisions for cancellation in the event the city sells the property or enters into a development agreement.

This agreement provides rental income on the undeveloped portion of the property to offset the city's costs for holding and maintaining the property.

The city council approved the purchase of a new Pierce Ascendant 107-foot pumper-ladder truck from Halt Fire Inc. of Wixom Monday.

The fire department solicited bids from two other vendors that produce similar types of vehicles. In addition, the offer to bid was advertised in the local paper.

The cost of the truck from Halt Fire Inc. will be $1,002,466. The city also added $10,000 as a contingency should it encounter issues during the build process. That brought the total to $1,012,466.

The fire department has also solicited a trade-in value for the existing ladder truck from Halt. Based on the response to this request, the city can decide whether to trade in or sell the current truck itself. The estimated value of the current truck is $60,000 to $80,000.

The council approved the move with very little discussion.

The city council picked County National Bank as its banking institution on Monday.

The city received proposals from County National Bank, Old National Bank and Premier Bank.

While all three Institutions met the minimum requirements in the request for proposal, County National Bank was determined to have a slightly superior proposal in the following areas:

The city council adopted the parks and recreation department’s five-year plan Monday. The plan is necessary for the city to receive funding through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The main focus of the plan is John W. Smith Park where the AJ Smith Recreation Center is located, according to parks and recreation director Sarah Gilmore. All the work on the plan was done in house.

The parks and recreation department conducted a survey with hard copies and a digital version, hosted park forums, and conducted focus groups over a 10-month timeframe to gather information and public feedback for this plan. The draft plan was available for further public comment and review for 49 days, which exceeds the required 30-day comment period.

The city council reappointed Michele Garner to the election commission for a one-year term expiring Dec. 31, 2022, at its Monday meeting.