City Council Meeting - 2024-11-18

Detailed briefing

CITY COUNCIL MEETING — November 18, 2024 ATTENDEES: Mayor Tom Graham, four council members, city staff and members of the public. • Council approved the consent agenda except for the November 7 special-meeting minutes. A resident argued that the draft did not fully reflect the city attorney’s statements about the prior zoning code being in effect. Staff will review the meeting recording, amend the minutes if necessary and return them for approval. The November 4 minutes and current bills were approved. • The police department announced that it received accreditation from a national law-enforcement accreditation organization after a four-year process. The chief emphasized that the seven-officer department completed the work without the dedicated accreditation teams used by larger agencies. • Council received its annual orientation covering the city charter, council and manager authority, budgeting, millages, ordinances, open-meeting rules, public comment and boards. A proposed change allowing residents to speak from their seats was withdrawn. Council will initially continue using the podium and new microphone system so in-room and online audiences can hear comments. • Housing North reported on regional housing needs, development activity, down-payment assistance and grant programs. Harbor Springs supports the Housing North coordinator position through 2025. Housing North said it does not independently select development sites but can assist municipalities and developers with identified priorities. It also agreed to research a newly described state requirement for housing analysis in municipal master plans. • Council advanced the Shay Park phase-one plan to engineering and Planning Commission review. The concept includes paths connecting the planned locomotive pavilion, the Aha exhibit, Jud Street and Main Street; stairs; landscaping; signage; and tree relocation. The requested amount could be as much as $30,000, but no project funding was approved at this meeting. Funding will return through the capital-improvement and 2025 budget process. • Council made several board assignments, including Jamie to the Parks Board and redevelopment-ready committee, Michael to a one-year Planning Commission term, Kathy to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and Wendy and the city clerk to the sewage authority. A motion to add possible repeal of the zoning moratorium to the December 2 agenda failed, with two yes votes and three no votes. Worth watching: 1. Whether the reviewed November 7 minutes are amended. 2. The Planning Commission’s zoning-moratorium hearing and recommendation. 3. Final engineering, maintenance arrangements and funding for Shay Park. Upcoming: December 2 budget presentation; December 5 Planning Commission hearing; December 9 budget hearing; December 16 citizen board appointments. Why it matters: Council advanced a visible park project while leaving its funding unresolved and kept the temporary zoning process on its existing track.

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