Royal Oak Mayor Touts Parks, Housing, New Staff and More in State of the City Address

Royal Oak Mayor Touts Parks, Housing, New Staff and More in State of the City Address

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct. 4, 2025)

Royal Oak, MI – What’s new in Royal Oak?  That’s the question that was answered on Sept 16 when Mayor Mike Fournier gave the annual State of the City Address inside Henry Ford, one of Downtown Royal Oak’s newest buildings.  The Mayor talked about many topics, including improvements to parks, how the city is addressing housing issues, welcoming new staff members and more.

Here’s a copy of the speech as prepared, as well as video from the event:

It is an honor and privilege to serve as your mayor and provide tonight’s state of the city address.  I am blessed to work with so many incredible people that keep our city thriving…

Henry Ford opened this wonderful facility in November 2021 and has seen nearly 700,000 patient visits.

They’ve boosted the community by providing over $500,000 in sponsorships to local organizations and events (Centennial Commons, Royal Oak in Bloom, Music in the Park, Rink at Royal Oak, Chamber of Commerce events, DDA).

Tonight we’re here to talk about our beloved City of Royal Oak. I’m closing in on 9 years as your mayor, and that gives me a unique perspective. It allows me to reflect on how the city was a decade ago, all that we’ve accomplished together since then, and what our tomorrow will look like a decade from now.

When I go about the process of assessing the state of our city for a talk like this, it’s natural to collect facts and stats. These are essential pieces of information, and we use them to measure our progress.

But what I want to emphasize, more than numbers and statistics, are the stories. For instance, I can tell you about the RENO residential fee-waiver program we’re launching, and how many dollars and cents it will save people trying to make critical home improvements, but what really strikes me is a 92 year old gentleman we spoke with, a Royal Oak resident for 60 years. He wants to age in place in his home with his wife, and needs a chair lift to do so. Thanks to our RENO, we’ll be able to offer the necessary inspections and permits free of charge, which will help him get the equipment he needs to thrive in his home safely.

You see, that’s the difference between transactional city services, and transformational services.

That’s a theme we’re going to explore tonight. Yes, I’m going to talk about the state of our city… I’ll give you the numbers and show you which boxes we’ve checked. But more important, I’m going to tell you the STORY of our city. Because Royal Oak is so much more than stats and program numbers. It’s people. It’s community.

 

HENRY FORD/COMMONS

Let’s start, aptly, with the space we’re in tonight: Henry Ford Medical Center.

When I began my term as mayor in 2016, this was nothing more than a parking lot, a few functionally obsolete buildings, and an idea. Now, we have modern family healthcare. Over 150,000 patients seen annually through the Medical Center; incredible growth in Cardiology, Orthopedics, and Neurology. The addition of new, highly specialized care in areas like pediatric gastroenterology, Allergy, Sleep Medicine, Urology, Women’s Health, and Pain medicine.

Outside of these doors, we have Centennial Commons: a vibrant community gathering space.

It bridges the civic campus with the Library, Farmers Market, Health Center, and our downtown. We imagined a community space, and now we have it: the Commons is filled on summer evenings, people playing cornhole, reading books, picnicking with their families. The area is transformed each winter, a place for thousands to ice skate and walk under the twinkle lights.

Transactional would have been simply maintaining these spaces as they were ten years ago. But we have a transformational team that looks at Royal Oak and sees not only what it is today, but also what it has the potential of becoming.

AFFORDABILITY /HOUSING

As fantastic as these spaces are, they would be worthless without a community to use them. A true community-oriented city is one that doesn’t just build a Commons and host concerts and ice skating—it welcomes a variety of different kinds of people to live, work, and use these spaces.  It takes all walks of life to make a city a community.

That’s why, if you’ve been following our Commission meetings, you’ve heard a lot recently about how we are tackling the housing crisis.

Too often, the conversation around affordable and attainable housing focuses on concepts rather than people. It boils down to whether we want a community that includes or excludes seniors on fixed incomes; our kids who work entry level jobs; and hard working people that we depend on everyday.  If any one of my three kids (or your kids) decides to be a police officer, letter carrier, or teacher, for that matter, and can’t find a place to live in the city they grew up in, then shame on all of us.

But let’s call it what it is: affordable housing is, simply, housing, and the people who live in affordable units are residents. And Royal Oak is a city that embraces all of our residents regardless of how much they make, what stage in life they are in, or what they do for a living. Full stop.

At a time when housing prices continue to rise, and nearly a third of all US households are considered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to be “cost burdened,” we have a duty and a responsibility to ensure that Royal Oak remains a city for a variety of ages, careers, and backgrounds.

I’m proud to say that the City is stepping up to this goal with the approval of two downtown developments: Lockwood and Lincoln Place, approved by the Commission this year and slated for construction in 2026. Between the two projects, the downtown will gain more than 200 residential units, with more than 110 of them being affordable or attainable-rate.

Both of these projects were supported by your City Commission, and by the 2050 Master Land Use Plan. In fact, despite the narratives we heard to the contrary, the Master Plan was developed in a way that protects residents and neighborhoods.

As older and more-industrial businesses age out, the MLUP helps us envision a future in which multi-unit housing may take their places at the ends of residential streets, adding people, fortifying neighborhoods, and creating walkability into and throughout the city.  The bottom line is we can address the housing crisis and protect our home values concurrently.

RENO

I’m excited to talk about the RENO program!

The affordable and attainable housing units I mentioned before have benefitted from the RENO program —the Residential Enhancement and Neighborhood Opportunity program. Launching next month, RENO is the City’s push to incentivize residential  improvements in our neighborhoods by waiving permit and inspection fees.   So,,,

• If you’re looking to make your house greener through energy-efficient changes…
• If you want to make modifications or repairs that make your home more friendly to older adults hoping to age in place…
• Or if you bring affordable or attainable housing units to our city…

Our Economic and Community Development staff will want to talk with you. Things are hard enough out there, and our team is here to help make life easier for you.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

We are all in this together, and therefore it takes each of us to keep Royal Oak vibrant and thriving.  Relationships matter and we have proven that working with our community partners, we can achieve so much more.  I want to call out some examples of partnerships:

Oakland County has been an outstanding partner over the years.  Our first significant collaboration led to bringing Normandy Oaks Park to Royal Oak.  We have worked hand in hand with the county to help fund attainable housing projects in Royal Oak.  Recently, we partnered with Oakland County Health Network to support social workers assisting our first responders.  Thank you County Executive Dave Coulter and County Chairman Dave Woodward for your friendship and partnership!

State Representative Natalie Price has accompanied me to neighborhood meetings and continues to push hard in Lansing to get legislation passed to help us better address Woodward noise issues.

Senators McMorrow and Chang, along with Rep. MacDonell, are always one call away and have helped push Royal Oak priorities and legislation through the Senate.  They always have an open door for those they serve and communities they represent.

At the federal level, Congresswoman Haley Stevens has fought to secure millions of dollars of funding for several critical projects our city is working on to keep us safe and healthy.

One of the longest and most enduring partnerships is with the City of Royal Oak and the 44^th District Court.  Judge Meinecke and Judge Kowalkowski and their team have been outstanding partners and run one of the most respected courts in Michigan.  Anyone who knows Judge Meinecke or Judge Kowalkowski instantly feels their genuine concern and empathy for others. True guardians of justice.

I remember Judge Meinecke telling me about the Road to Restoration work he was doing to help restore driver’s licenses and restore hope for so many people.  This April, Royal Oak’s 44th District Court partnered with the Michigan Department of State to host a driver’s license clinic at the Salter Center. It’s part of the State’s Road to Restoration Program, which provides free assistance to Michigan residents seeking to get their driving privileges restored.  This transformational program sets our court apart from so many other courts.

I wish I could talk about every single partner that’s been part of the success we all enjoy, but we will be here all night.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Transformation is coming to other areas of our fair city as well. I know, there have been a lot of opinions about 11 Mile Road, Main Street, Rochester Road, and other road improvements. If Royal Oak were a transactional city, we’d probably just patch over the rough areas and move on. But part of what makes us transformational is our forward-thinking approach to projects like these.

Through the leadership of our City Engineer Holly Donahue, we put together a comprehensive plan to get our roads fixed.

Thanks to this planning, and to you, the voters, for passing the Road Millage Renewal in 2023, I am happy to report that so far this year we have repaved 13.8 lane-miles of major roads and 1.2 lane-miles of local roads. That’s a total of 15 lane-miles on 13 Mile, North Main, Coolidge, Benjamin, and more.

We’ve also made it easy for people to see what repairs will be done and when those repairs will be completed.  Our team maintains an online map with the annual road repairs scoped out through the year 2034. You can see exactly when your street will be resurfaced and what the work will entail.

This kind of planning isn’t easy, but it saves us all money and resources by coordinating with other organizations – like DTE and Consumers — so digging and road disturbance work isn’t done twice.

Furthermore, the city has rolled out a sidewalk plan that eliminates individual property owners from paying for sidewalk repairs.  This is one less assessment homeowners will need to worry about.  We all use the sidewalks!!

By all measures, the changes made to Main street, Rochester Road, Lincoln, Fourth Street and others have been a resounding success!  This is what happens when you make decisions based on values, vision, evidence, and facts.

I know sometimes it’s hard to wrap our head around the idea that moving from four lanes to three lanes improves traffic flow.  It was hard for me too, but the evidence and science don’t lie.  Our three lane formats reduce traffic accidents—Rochester Road saw a 17% reduction. Our designs reduce the amount of storm water that is at risk of flooding our basements.

The pedestrian islands and crossings undoubtedly make road crossing infinitely safer.  (example kid carrying instrument MS).  Incorporating bioswales is not only smart, it dramatically improves the aesthetic of our streets and neighborhoods. And we did all this without compromising traffic times.

SEWER LINING PROGRAM

We see and experience our improved roads everyday, but there is a lot of work happening under our roads too!  Our engineering department oversees an annual program to replace older segments of sewer lines with cured-in-place pipe—extending the life of sewer mains by up to 50 years.

This process is 2-5 times less expensive than replacing the full sewer mains.

Last week, the Commission and I approved an investment for the coming year, which will see 31 sewer segments updated and save a ton of money and extend the life of our sewers!!

And let me give a shout out to our DPS team!  They are keeping our infrastructure intact, keeping our parks in shape, fixing water mains, doing emergency repairs, plowing our streets and so much more!  They are the unsung heroes of Royal oak and deserve a round of applause!!

PARKS & REC

When we talk about being transformational versus transactional, and bringing the magic, I also think immediately of Parks and Recreation. In fact, this department is a shining example of transformation.  In the past year we have seen transformations, additions, and refurbishments of parks and community spaces.

• Clawson Park: the Royal Oak Sandlot League was with us to help with the groundbreaking, and we hope they’ll be with us in early October to check out their new ballfield at the ribbon cutting.
• Lockman Park: Another grand opening planned for October—Lockman will feature updated play equipment, including a set of swings designed for children with disabilities. This was the direct result of an impassioned request from a local mom whose son has a rare condition that makes it impossible for him to use a regular swing set. The park will now have accessible bucket swings for children in need—a great example of community features designed by and for the community we serve.
• Red Run Park: Look for a grand opening celebration mid fall, where we’ll reveal an awesome new play structure and other improvements.

• Up next, Gunn Duer Park: Staff is working with the Parks & Rec Advisory Board to finalize improvements coming next spring, including a renovated ball diamond and a new playground.

We’ve also just completed a significant refurbishment of the Senior Center.

We’ve redone the restrooms, replaced ceilings, and added a welcoming new reception desk, among other things. It’s important that we serve our older adults to the best of our capabilities, and that we honor a building that has quite a legacy.

CLEAN, GREEN RIDES FOR SENIORS

As of this spring, our seniors are now served by the City’s first 100% electric vehicle: a Ford Transit electric van.

The Senior Center provides older adults and adults with permanent disabilities with transportation services to things like doctor appointments and the grocery store.

The electric vehicle was fully funded by the Department of Energy through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

This may seem like a small change, but it’s part of something much bigger. Every day, the Senior Transportation program covers 80 to 130 miles of travel to ensure our seniors receive the support they need. Now, we’re doing it with greater sustainability, efficiency, and care for our community.

SUSTAINABILITY

This spring, we were notified that the Lindell Ice Arena was the winner of the 2024 Michigan Battle of the Buildings “Biggest Loser” award from the Michigan Green Building Collaborative.

Staff at the Arena started working in late 2023 to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. And I’m pleased to announce that in 2024 they saw a 12.19% reduction in Building Energy Use Intensity.

This was done through pretty everyday efforts: making repairs to the water heating and boiler systems, turning off lights and electronic devices when not in use, and adjusting thermostat settings for better efficiency. It goes to show that it doesn’t always take extreme or wildly expensive efforts to make big changes—it just takes a solid plan, like the City’s S-CAP, and staff who are willing to go the extra mile.

• It has been big year for sustainability in Royal Oak.

• New Sustainability Manager, Devan Dodge-Frye began in July and comes to us from the State’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

• New talent allows us to focus on moving forward the goals of the City’s S-CAP, the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. So far that includes:
• Creation of a new Fleet & Equipment Policy that prioritizes zero- and low-emission vehicles and equipment at the City.
• The RFP for a new solar roof for the Library.
• July was the most successful month for the Farmers Market waste collection program to date, since the program launched in late 2023. Since its inception, 158,211 pounds of food waste have been collected and composted, which is about 49.74 metric tons of CO2e avoided—the equivalent of taking 12 cars off the road for a full year.
• Nine Royal Oak organizations took the “Better Building Challenge” and participated in the free energy audits provided by Michigan Green Business Council. The City will be providing supporting funding to help the audit recommendations come to fruition.

DOWNTOWN

Mark my words: 2025 will be the start of new faces, fresh energy, and bold new ideas in our downtown.

After a robust national search, I’m happy to report that yesterday we welcomed to the team our new Downtown Development Authority Director, Isaac Kremer. He comes to us from Princeton, New Jersey, where he served as the executive director of Experience Princeton. He’s a Main Street America Revitalization Professional with over 20 years of experience managing Main Streets and downtowns.

Soon, we’ll also have a new DDA Manager—we’re recruiting now, with hopes of bringing someone on board by November.

Downtown Royal Oak is, obviously, the best downtown in the region. We know it; you know it… now we’re ready for the rest of the world to know it. The new staffing brings a reinvigorated focus on providing the best small business experience possible—to those already here, those who will make downtown Royal Oak their home, and the guests and residents who eat, shop, sip, and get their services here.

One of the things I’m proudest of is our downtown’s history. This is a business community that has been growing for decades, with such an iconic mix of food, drink, retail, and services. Just a few weeks ago, Royal Oak Brewery celebrated 30 years in our city. And one of our downtown’s icons, the Farmers Market, is celebrating their centennial this year—100 years in Royal Oak. They’ll be holding a Centennial Celebration Harvest Festival on October 8, and everyone is invited.

The importance of a community jewel like the Farmers Market really can’t be understated.

It wasn’t long ago that some people were spreading misinformation about the Farmers Market closing (share story at work event).   Let me be clear:  The farmers market was never at risk of closing and under my watch will never be at risk!  We historically designated the market in order to protect it for generations to come.

Our downtown has also seen significant investment.  We can see the LEED standard mixed-use development at the corner of Main and Eleven mile is nearly full.

In fact, the largest real estate lease in Michigan during 2024 was Dassault consolidating its regional operations in that building.  A big win for Royal Oak – A big win for Dassault.

Baker College and Oakland Community College have made significant bets on Downtown Royal Oak too.  They have invested tens of millions to offer education options in Royal Oak.   We are eager to see the completion of OCC’s campus expansion on South Main Street.  OCC’s Royal Oak campus will be the epicenter of culinary education and so many other revered programs to help keep our economic future alive.

MASTER PLAN

This year we also completed the important task of completing our Master Land Use Plan.  It’s true that it’s required by law to update and do a master plan every so often, but let’s be frank – our previous master plan was old and out of date.  The previous master plan was done in an era before the proliferation of cell phones, online shopping, and the economic shifts we are seeing today.

While much of Royal Oak won’t see a lot of change, there are areas that will notice improvements.  The new plan puts focus on rethinking and attracting the types of developments we want along our commercial corridors.

We will see derelict properties turn into mixed use buildings that will serve all sorts of community needs. The plan takes great measures to protect the character of our neighborhoods.  Like the farmers market and war memorial, we see misinformation being spread about the master plan. Let me be clear – single family homes are not at risk; no one will build large out of place apartments in the middle of your single-family neighborhood.

With over 10,000 community input points, several open houses, charrettes, townhalls, and public meetings, we finally have a plan that will protect everything we love about Royal Oak and help us usher in a future everyone looks forward to.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Talked a lot tonight about the people, places, and investments that have transformed our city into the incredible community that it is. Now, let’s talk about what we do to keep Royal Oak one of the safest places to call home.

Police

Another safe and successful Arts Beats and Eats— 2025 was the fourteenth Arts Beats & Eats in Royal Oak, and the fourteenth year without major incident. That is not by chance.

The Police Department works with at least a dozen other agencies, including the Oakland County Sherriff’s Office, the Michigan State Police, Royal Oak Department of Public Service, and the Royal Oak Fire Department, planning months in advance to make sure that more than 300,000 visitors in our city are able to enjoy the festival safely.

An innovative partnership with Oakland County Health Network is allowing our Police Department to provide help to the community in a new way.

The Co-Response Community Outreach—or CoRe—program that launched last fall brought licensed clinicians into Royal Oak’s and three other cities’ police departments, calling on them to respond to people experiencing mental health or substance use crises. In a report that we heard last month, one of our OCHN clinicians announced that they’d received and responded to 511 mental health referrals in the 10 months since the program launched. Policing is evolving, and so is our approach.

Transformational teams are led by high-performing, talented leaders. I have to acknowledge Police Chief Mike Moore, who went back to school this year to study strategic management and leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Public Policy. He successfully completed the rigorous Senior Executives in State and Local Government Course—an incredible show of commitment to his professional growth and leadership of the Royal Oak Police team.

Fire

Our paramedics are held to rigorous standards to provide the highest quality of care. Each paramedic is required to complete 45 continuing education credits within a three-year period. In addition, they must be recertified every two years in Basic Life Support (CPR), Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Life Support Skills for Pediatrics. These requirements, combined with ongoing departmental training, ensure that our providers remain highly skilled and current in best practices.

Corewell Health has a Level 1 Trauma Center in our city, which means that our partnership with them is strong. Corewell offers quarterly training for all EMS providers in the area, and our instructors have been proud to assist with these courses on site. Corewell has also shown a consistent willingness to assist in continuing our educational goals and fostering new innovations in patient care. As part of this collaboration, Corewell sends newly hired nursing staff and first-year interns to ride with our Paramedic ambulance crews. This experience allows them to gain valuable insight into the challenges and realities faced in the community, strengthening the connection between prehospital and hospital-based care.

In addition to our partnership with Corewell, the Royal Oak Fire Department also works closely with Oakland Community College’s EMS program. We take students during their initial training and pair them with experienced paramedic mentors to complete their internships. This partnership provides aspiring paramedics with practical, hands-on experience while also reinforcing our department’s role in shaping the next generation of EMS providers.

Cost of public safety is also evolving. If we want to be the best, have transformational safety services, we need to invest accordingly by renewing the public safety millage next year.

BUDGET/FINANCE

There’s a lot going on in this world that we can’t control. At the top of that list right now is increased prices on just about everything, uncertainties about the housing market, and how AI and automation will impact our jobs going forward. We know that you, our residents, are feeling these pressures. We feel them at the city level as well.

We can’t control these unknowns, and sometimes we don’t have the answers. What we do have is a team focused on safeguarding our budget so that we have the financial tenacity to weather whatever storms are ahead.

• Royal Oak holds a strong AA credit rating, reaffirmed in 2024 by independent rating agencies. This strength is crucial as we prepare to issue bonds that will allow us to replace aging water mains in step with our 10-year road millage improvements—saving money, reducing disruption, and ensuring smarter investment in our infrastructure.

• The Commission is focused on supporting strong cash reserves, which ensures that we’re prepared in times of difficulty. Royal Oak’s fund balance is near 20%.

• Since 2023, Royal Oak has earned over $5 million in grant awards – spanning from park picnic tables to Arboretums. We don’t sit idle on grants, especially in support of our 51 parks. If there is funding to be had, our staff goes after it.  Thank you Jill Martin.

• Royal Oak’s combined millage rate is 17.1—less than the median rate of all communities in Oakland County.  We are serving up the best bang for your buck around!

Millages are for essential services; grants and partnerships are what allow us to be transformational.

We focused in detail on several major topics tonight.  But the transformational nature of Royal Oak is prevalent in everything we do.

• This year our Library saw increases in checkouts, visitors and program attendance.  That didn’t stop them from moving forward with a library vending machine located at Woodward Corners.  Thank you Sandy Irwin – our Library Director.

• Through the leadership of Melanie Halas, our city clerk, our Elections in Royal Oak are safer than ever.  They are always proactive and anticipate what voters need before they are asked.  They secure our elections through great processes and state of the art technology. Remember:  We have an election November 4^th – vote!
• We also have two newer boards that have made great strides organizing themselves from essentially an idea to making a difference in our city.  The Royal Oak Civic Foundation and Royal Oak Human Rights Commission are shifting into full gear!
• We have amazing staff.  It’s hard to keep a city running smoothly.  It’s hard to attract new talent after the departure of some really great people.  It’s rare that a government organization is honored as a Workplace of choice in Metro Detroit (Glassdoor).

• Since we are on the topic of people, It’s my pleasure to welcome some of the game changing leadership to our city :
• Joe Gacioch – our new city manager we poached from Ferndale.  Joe has hit the ground running and brough the type of leadership we need at this moment.
• Meg Trouba – Our new Economic Development Director joined us this month and brings a diverse background and positive energy to the role!
• Kara Sokol – Our new Director of Communications, is probably the best at what she does…..Who we also poached from Ferndale – perhaps I should disguise myself next time in lovely Ferndale.
• Kevin Yee  will be leading up DPS and brings years of experience that has already proved very valuable.

CLOSING

Transactional cities are mirrors: they see only what’s happening in the moment. Royal Oak is a window, like we see in the atrium around us: we’re in the moment, but we’re also looking out, looking forward.

This culture of transformation is a part of our DNA. It’s not what we do—it’s who we are.

So, if you want an easy state of our city, there it is. The boxes are being checked, the plans are in place and moving along, and I can tell you that the state of Royal Oak is strong and bright.

And the story of Royal Oak? It’s even brighter. And it’s just getting started.

Before I close, I want to read you with a touching excerpt of an email I received that puts everything we are doing in perspective.  I leave you with this…

In March of this year, I was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer at 38. Life has come to a screeching halt, including all work travel (which is usually about 50% of my year). The result has been a spring and summer of newfound time at home, and newfound appreciation of the beautiful place we live. My husband and I walk to town, through our beautiful neighborhoods, across the amazing Centennial Commons (my favorite), joined a pilates studio, visit the library, attended the Memorial Day parade, frequent the coffee shops, and are regulars at the Whittier Park Pickleball Courts. Royal Oak is so special, so well cared for, clean, safe, and friendly. What a privilege to call this place home!

Please know there are so many people here who recognize and appreciate the work of you and your team. Thanks for helping to make my time at home one of healing and peace.

Thank you for taking the time to hear about the state of our city. God bless the city of Royal Oak and may our future be as bright as the love we share for each other.