City Council Meeting - 2023-11-06

Detailed briefing

CITY COUNCIL MEETING — November 6, 2023 ATTENDEES: Roll call established a quorum with Jamie Mulkey, Nancy Rondell, and Mayor Leo present. - Council approved the consent agenda. Discussion included a planned inspection associated with a city well pump. Staff said the pump had been pulled and rebuilt in the past but that the well screen had not received a video assessment then; staff said future inspections should occur more regularly as well casings age. - Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 438 on short-term rentals. Staff said the ordinance raises the number of residential-district licenses from 61 to 63, allowing two applicants who said they filed on time to receive licenses and helping resolve litigation connected to the Johnson v. City of Harbor Springs case. Staff and council said application notices and deadlines have been clarified to reduce the chance of a similar dispute. - Staff presented preliminary cost estimates for possible new electric-substation locations near White and Vesta roads. The Deer Park/Zoll Street estimate was approximately $5.87 million, including an estimated $750,000 wall. Some alternatives could be less expensive under certain overhead/underground-line configurations, while fully burying lines or locating the station farther toward Vesta Road could cost more. Estimates did not include land acquisition, and some easement and township-process questions remain. - Council did not select a substation site. It directed staff to add the Lake Street option to the comparison, remove the highest-cost Vesta Road alternative from further consideration, and continue talks with the property owner and easement owner. Council discussion also raised reliability, security, distance from the electrical load center, neighborhood impacts, and future land-use considerations. - Council discussed, but took no action on, possible term limits for city boards and commissions. Staff reported that surveyed northern Michigan communities generally did not limit the number of terms members may serve. Council members favored seeking input from board and commission chairs before deciding whether changes should vary by board. The Board of Review’s training requirements were identified as a concern. - Staff announced that the election was the next day; skate park reconstruction was expected to be completed that week; and the city and The Pier planned a December 15 fundraiser for rebuilding the eastern portion of the boardwalk. Staff also said the city is pursuing an energy-infrastructure grant with other municipal utilities. Worth watching: - Whether negotiations resolve land, easement, line-burial, and cost questions for the alternative substation site. - Whether the Lake Street comparison changes the city’s substation evaluation. - Whether board and commission chairs support tailored term-limit or officer-rotation changes. Upcoming: Election tomorrow; boardwalk fundraising event December 15. Why it matters: Council advanced a legal settlement-related rental change while keeping the costly, long-term substation decision open for additional comparisons and negotiations.

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