City Council Meeting - 2022-11-07

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs City Council Meeting — November 7, 2022 ATTENDEES: Roll call listed John Leo, Nancy Rondell, Al Daika, and John Cotton; the mayor was absent. • Council adopted the Harbor Plan after a process that included marina-use surveying, staff updates, Harbor Commission discussion, public hearings, and a Harbor Commission recommendation. The plan’s cited state and federal laws were updated before council review. Staff said the adopted plan will be sent to the DNR and neighboring townships for notice, not approval. • Council approved 2023 marina waterfront rate adjustments. Seasonal dock slips and seasonal moorings will rise 8%; transient moorings will rise by $5; and certain seasonal dinghy and kayak storage rates will rise by $15. The discussion said the adjustments were intended to address inflation while keeping city seasonal dock rates below private-marina rates. • A separate proposal to require permits for every boat launched at Ford Park was not resolved. Council members raised questions about owners with multiple boats and commercial or valet-launched boats. The matter was sent back to the Harbor Commission for more work on a fair and workable approach. • Council adopted the 2022 Parks Master Plan, described as the city’s first comprehensive plan covering all parks since the early 1990s. After recognizing that a public hearing was required, council opened and closed the hearing with no public comments recorded, then voted again to approve the plan. Staff said approval expands eligibility for grants. • Council approved a resolution directing the assessor to prepare a DDA principal shopping district special-assessment roll for later council consideration. The report described the assessment as supporting DDA administration and development-plan projects alongside tax-increment financing, grants, and donations. • Council authorized applications for Michigan SPARKS grants for a boardwalk project and a Little Traverse Wheelway/bike-path project. Staff reported preliminary MDOT approval for using the spillway as a bike path, pending final construction plans. The city also reported a $100,000 boardwalk donation from the Offield Family Foundation and a $100,000 matching donation from the Harshire Foundation. Worth watching: • The Harbor Commission must revisit Ford Park launch-permit rules, including treatment of multiple boats and commercial operations. • MDOT still needs to review final construction plans for the spillway bike path. • Staff will consult MDOT after an attorney objected to a requested city-property easement for a culvert. Upcoming: Election Day is November 8; the first Michigan SPARKS grant round is expected in December. Why it matters: The meeting advanced long-range harbor, parks, downtown, and waterfront projects while leaving key launch-permit and easement issues unresolved.

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