City Council Meeting - 2022-06-20

Detailed briefing

City Council Meeting — June 20, 2022 • Council supported a student-led spillway mural project intended to add public art and discourage graffiti. Middle- and high-school art students developed preliminary concepts centered on local nature, water and Harbor Springs features. The group discussed creating one cohesive mural in phases, potentially beginning background work by the end of summer and starting panels in fall. The Historical Society offered graphic-design and local-history assistance, while organizers invited other mentors with storytelling or graphic-design skills. • Council adopted written rules of order for its meetings. Staff described the document as a formalization of existing practices drawn from the city charter, the Open Meetings Act and Robert’s Rules of Order. The action was presented as meeting a Redevelopment Ready Communities best-practice requirement; future councils can review the rules after elections. • Council approved proceeding through the end of 2022 with the Historical Society’s proposal for the Andrew J. Blackburn Museum. The proposal was described as approximately $34,000, including $12,000 for staffing, with remaining costs for planning, materials and production. The plan includes keeping the museum open Friday and Saturday, developing a storyboard and assessing the building. Discussion identified a hoped-for reimagined museum and possible spring 2024 opening, but future work remains dependent on funding and later review. • Council authorized professional review of an alternative Harbor Master Building design. The concept would convert existing north-side public restrooms into laundry facilities and add public bathrooms facing the park, improving pedestrian access by reducing trips through the parking lot. The immediate approval was for professional design and feasibility work focused on the bathroom/laundry change, not a broader parking-lot project. • Following a Truth in Taxation public hearing, council adopted a 2022 operating millage rate of 5.6995. Staff said this preserves the city’s maximum allowable rate after the required hearing. Estimated millage revenue is about $1.74 million, but staff said the budget still has a stated $95,000 shortfall without the historical-fund transfer. • Staff reported that the 3rd Street water and sewer project was essentially complete. The city is seeking bids for boardwalk viewing-platform reconstruction and has raised $50,000 from a donor for boardwalk fundraising. City Hall will be closed July 4 and July 5. Staff also announced the retirements/departures of Steve Timmons and electric apprentice Donnie Schlappi, leaving two openings. Worth watching: • Museum work will be revisited at year-end, including whether funding and momentum support continued work toward the stated 2024 goal. • Professional review will determine the feasibility and likely cost of the Harbor Master bathroom/laundry concept. • Council identified an ongoing budget shortfall despite the adopted millage rate. Upcoming: The next council meeting is July 18; a Harbor Plan survey is available through the city website, with another Harbor Commission public-input session anticipated in August. Why it matters: The meeting advanced practical city operations while leaving major museum, waterfront and budget decisions tied to future funding and public engagement.

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