City Council Meeting — 2025-07-02

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs City Council — July 1, 2025 ATTENDEES: Council members Tom Graham, Wendy Reed, Kathy Matchel, and Jamie Melky; council applicants and members of the public. • Council approved the meeting agenda and consent agenda. The consent agenda included bills that members said needed approval before July to avoid being late. • Council reviewed applicants for the seat left vacant after Michael Berman resigned in June. Ten applications were received by the June 26 deadline, while one additional application arrived late. Applicants had been invited to speak for up to three minutes, and several described their government, nonprofit, financial, planning, zoning, business, and community-service experience. • Council first considered Chip Everest. The motion to appoint him received two yes votes and two no votes, so it failed. Members then discussed other candidates and publicly identified their preferred choices. Their comments focused on communication, local-government experience, financial knowledge, community relationships, zoning familiarity, and whether a new perspective was needed. • Council subsequently appointed Bob Buckner to the vacant seat, with all four sitting council members voting yes. The appointment is temporary and runs until the November election. Buckner immediately took the oath of office and joined council. • Council also appointed Buckner as its representative on the Planning Commission, where he had already been serving as a resident member. That change creates a resident opening on the commission. Members also noted that Buckner’s move to council creates an opening on the Zoning Board of Appeals, although alternates are available there. • Staff said it would advertise the Planning Commission vacancy, retain applications from council candidates who expressed interest in that commission, and contact people who previously applied. The replacement will complete the remainder of Buckner’s resident term rather than beginning a new three-year term. Worth watching: 1. Council is expected to choose a resident for the Planning Commission on July 21. 2. The Zoning Board of Appeals vacancy also remains to be addressed. 3. Rezoning work may reach council before the November election, according to the discussion. Upcoming: The next referenced council meeting is July 21, when a city manager report and consideration of the Planning Commission appointment are expected. Why it matters: The appointment restores a full council while shifting membership on two bodies involved in upcoming zoning and land-use decisions.

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