City Council Meeting - 2021-09-20

Detailed briefing

City Council Meeting — September 20, 2021 ATTENDEES: Roll call recorded John Cox, Nancy Rondell, John Leo, Al Daika and Matt Aguirre; the meeting had a quorum. • Council appointed four Harbor Springs High School juniors to one-year student positions: Max Bassett to the Planning Commission, Josie Baker to the Marina Park Committee, Savannah Mackey to the Tree Advisory Board, and Ella Roddy to the DDA. Staff reported 17 students applied for four positions. • The consent agenda passed after bills were removed because some bills were missing from the packet. The city said the full batch of bills would be approved at the next meeting. The approved consent items included minutes, a Salvation Army request and MBPA powers. • In the Spring Street right-of-way dispute, council voted to require Kathy Emmick to remove the front two arborvitae hedges. The remaining hedge line was allowed to stay under the adopted motion. Discussion covered neighbor Ashley O'Reilly's sightline concerns near the school, the city code restriction on hedges in the right-of-way, irregular property/right-of-way lines, and staff's statement that there was not a safety concern per se. • Residents asked the city to address the frequency, duration and volume of Holy Childhood of Jesus church bells and related music. Church representatives defended the bells as religious tradition and a call to worship. Staff said church bells are exempt from the city noise-code decibel limit, while music is subject to a decibel limit. Council did not change the ordinance; the city manager and police chief will seek a conversation with both sides about a possible compromise. • A Chamber of Commerce and Community Foundation work group presented its research on countywide public transit. Emmet County commissioners have asked their administrator to evaluate a transit authority and other options. Presenters said a future millage vote has no defined timeframe. No council decision on transit was made. • Parks staff announced a free Fall Festival at Marina Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 2. A skate park fundraising event is planned for 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 10, with council support for exploring a food truck at the event. Fundraisers said the skate park is not yet funded and needs substantial support. Worth watching: • Whether talks between church representatives and bell-noise complainants produce changes before council considers ordinance action. • Follow-through on removal of the two front Spring Street hedges. • Emmet County's next steps on transit structure, financing and public input. Upcoming: Fall brush and leaf pickup begins October 4; the city said the Bull Moose Well water-main project was expected to finish after testing if work stayed on schedule. Why it matters: The meeting paired neighborhood quality-of-life disputes with decisions affecting public space, future transportation access and city services.

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