City Council Meeting - 2020-11-16

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs City Council Meeting — November 16, 2020 ATTENDEES: A quorum was reported. Nancy Rondell and Al Daika were sworn in as council members. - Council approved the revised minutes from its November 2 meeting. It also formally recognized a tree donation of more than $15,000 for West Main Street plantings, which staff said were expected the following week. The police department recognized a delivery worker whose 911 call helped police recover a stolen vehicle, and retiring administrative assistant Yvonne Ashove for 28 years of service. - Council selected WatchGuard for the police department’s digital video recording system. Chief Knight said the quoted cost was reduced from $101,728 to $57,974.48 and recommended WatchGuard over other reviewed options. He cited continuous recording and the system’s ability to review video after an incident or complaint. - The November 28 Christmas tree lighting will proceed in a modified format. The tree is to be lit at 6 p.m.; residents will be strongly discouraged from gathering and encouraged to watch virtually. Main Street is to be closed between State and Traverse streets. The Chamber and city staff planned to coordinate messaging. Participants noted that masks were required for gatherings under the state order discussed at the meeting. - Council adopted revised Downtown Development Authority bylaws. Staff said the updates clarify operations and bring the bylaws into line with state law, including council approval of a DDA-selected director. Council also approved a MERS employee pension contribution rate of 11.5%. - The short-term-rental license fee was raised from $100 to $250. Staff said the increase is intended to help cover a monitoring service and administrative costs. Council discussed possible future ordinance standards on safety, garbage, parking, renter notices, occupancy, events, and insurance, but took no ordinance action. - Council appointed Al Daika as its Planning Commission representative, Nancy Rondell as its Tree Advisory Board representative, and Bill Mulder and Emily Dubay to the Planning Commission. The city reported a positive COVID-19 case among City Hall employees, staff testing, reduced on-site operations, and remote work. Leaf pickup was extended through Friday. Worth watching: - City and Chamber messaging and street-control plans for the modified November 28 tree lighting. - A future draft ordinance on short-term-rental compliance standards. - City Hall COVID-19 testing results and the duration of reduced public operations. Upcoming: The proposed 2021 budget and capital-improvements plan are to be distributed December 7; a public hearing is scheduled for December 14, with budget approval planned for December 21. Why it matters: Council paired routine governance actions with COVID-era service adjustments, public-event limits, and new tools for police recording and short-term-rental compliance.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.