City Council Meeting - 2026-09-21

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs City Council Meeting — September 21, 2026 • Council approved adding the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians’ September 30 remembrance walk and ceremony to the consent agenda. The event is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning at Second Street Park/Indian Town, proceeding along sidewalks to Zorn Park, and including ceremonies and an elders luncheon in the park. • Council authorized the city manager to replace the city’s aging IT server and wireless equipment for no more than $80,711.51. Staff said the current City Hall server is about 16 years old and the police server is about 10 years old. The replacement is intended to improve cybersecurity, reliability, capacity, backup continuity, and system performance without changing employees’ normal software interfaces. • Council approved a $71,693.57 contract with Mercury Audio, Video, and Lighting for new council-chamber AV equipment. The project includes microphones, two cameras, controls, and a projector. Staff said the first year of service is included and that Mercury expects installation could occur before the end of the calendar year. • Council adopted Ordinance 444, revising zoning provisions after Planning Commission review. The ordinance corrects parking rules that staff said unintentionally restricted parking in many districts; limits Central Business District buildings to 30 feet and two stories; permits up to 42 inches for mechanical equipment above the height limit; and requires 60% of the first floor in certain CBD mixed-use buildings to be commercial. Discussion also identified uncertainty about how attic or half-story provisions interact with the two-story limit, although staff said an attic is not considered a story. • Financial and capital-planning discussions focused on major upcoming utility needs. The city expects to borrow about $8 million for the electric substation, with bid recommendations planned for October 5. Staff also cited an estimated $2 million replacement of Lift Station 2 and a larger force-main project shared with the township. Council discussed moving the capital-improvement-plan process earlier than the annual budget cycle and using more detailed project and fund information. • Staff announced that Jacob Warner became a permanent full-time public works employee, an offer was made to fill another public works opening, the city received an AA-minus Standard & Poor’s bond rating, and four applicants had applied for police chief. Worth watching: • Council expects to address the CBD development moratorium after Ordinance 444 takes effect. • Electric-substation bids and financing will return to council October 5. • Council requested factual information for a later discussion of DDA funding, budget process, authority, and coordination with city planning. Upcoming: Council discussed beginning CIP review in October, with a dedicated work-session hour contemplated for the October 19 meeting. Why it matters: The meeting advanced near-term technology replacements while setting zoning and capital-planning decisions that will shape downtown development and future utility costs.

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