City Council Meeting - 2023-02-20

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs City Council — February 20, 2023 ATTENDEES: A council quorum was present; John Leo was absent. • Council approved the consent agenda. The meeting also heard a request for a historical commission to identify and protect Harbor Springs’ historic properties and features. The Police Department presented a proposed uniform patch using the city logo with “Police” added; council comments were favorable. • Two former short-term-rental license holders asked Council to make an exception to the current 61-license limit after saying their renewal applications were mailed but not received by City Hall. Staff said Council, not staff, would have to revise the administrative ordinance to change the cap. Members debated whether an exception was appropriate, but no motion to alter the limit was made. • DPW described plowing about 11.5 miles of sidewalks on weekday routes, with snow conditions sometimes requiring more than a full workday. Council asked staff to develop options for adding West Bay Street sidewalk service. The discussion also covered snow piles taking downtown parking spaces and private property owners’ responsibility to keep central-business-district sidewalks clear. • Council discussed a possible DDA role in arranging downtown sidewalk snow removal, potentially through a contractor or seasonal worker. The goal would be to reduce pressure on DPW and allow more attention to sidewalks outside the downtown district. Staff will speak with DDA representatives and develop options. • The Tree Board reported that it has a city tree plan, Tree City USA recognition, a tree-donation program, Arbor Day events, and a monthly Tree Canopy column. Planned M-119 street-tree plantings include cedar, black gum and flowering crab trees. Council requested concept drawings for the M-119 planting plan. • MDOT asked the city to consider a possible permanent jurisdiction swap that could place M-119 on Lake Street. No decision was made. Council and residents raised questions about traffic, schools, road width, drainage, downtown access, truck traffic, signage, and the city’s possible future responsibility for the bluff and washout area. Staff plans outreach to city boards and a public meeting before responding to MDOT. Worth watching: • Whether Council maintains the 61-license short-term-rental cap without exceptions. • The West Bay sidewalk-plowing plan and possible DDA-supported downtown snow-removal arrangement. • Public input and Council’s eventual response to MDOT on a possible M-119/Lake Street jurisdiction swap. Upcoming: Staff said it expects to hold an M-119 public forum in March and to continue board and commission outreach. Why it matters: The discussions affect housing regulation, winter pedestrian access, tree planning, downtown conditions, and the future route and control of a major state road.

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