City Council Meeting - 2022-04-18

Detailed briefing

City Council Meeting — April 18, 2022 • Council approved the consent agenda and adopted the updated city master plan. Staff said the Planning Commission spent about two years on the update amid COVID-related public-input challenges and turnover on the commission. The revised document puts goals and objectives at the front, gives more emphasis to housing, energy and infrastructure, and moves background analysis to the end. Staff said future zoning-code work should align with the plan. • Council approved replacement of the City Hall chiller/air-conditioning equipment. Mark and Sons received the contract at $38,458, with an additional $1,000 approved for a five-year warranty. Staff said the existing chiller is as old as the building, has broken down before, and the selected bid was the lowest one that covered both required portions of the system. • Parks staff reported renovated restrooms at Ford Park and the beach, completed pickleball-court work, and a range of events that will continue, including Fall Fest, Skatepark Halloween, Kiwanis sledding events and the Easter egg hunt. The Parks and Recreation Board’s main current task is a five-year parks plan, targeted for completion this summer and submission to Council and the DNR in the fall. • The Ted Swarthout Skatepark project has more than $203,000 identified. Staff said it could be built for $350,000, but a total closer to or above $400,000 would provide more confidence amid fluctuating material costs. Two grant applications totaling $40,000 were moving through review, with decisions expected within about a month. Boardwalk funding also remains a priority; an EDA grant application has no award timetable yet. • A council member asked the city to take action to stop additional short-term rentals, saying pressure and community concern are increasing. Staff said Planning Commission has the issue on its agenda and will work toward an actionable proposal, likely with public input. • Council appointed Rachel Morford to the Downtown Development Authority and appointed Kathy Masho and Sue Stewart as Zoning Board of Appeals alternates. Worth watching: • Whether the city receives pending skatepark and boardwalk grant funding. • Planning Commission’s development of a short-term-rental proposal and public-input process. • Council’s upcoming choices on electrical-substation location and financing. Upcoming: Headlee override informational meetings are scheduled at City Hall at 6 p.m. on May 4 and May 18; MDOT will hold a public informational meeting April 27 regarding a proposed M-119 culvert project affecting city-owned property. Why it matters: The meeting advanced major planning, infrastructure and recreation work while setting up future decisions on housing-related regulation, utility investment and grant-funded projects.

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