Asking the Harbor Springs City Council to decouple the RRC

Please include in the Planning Commission packet if possible, Thank you!

February 3rd, 2025

Harbor Springs City Council Meeting

Submitted for the public record as a request for a new business agenda item 

Honorable Mayor Graham

Councilperson Behrmann

Councilperson Melke

Councilperson Motschall

Councilperson Reeve

Re: New Business Agenda Item for A Special Meeting – Review of Resolution 8762, dated May 2019

To the City Council:

Like the City manager, I do not live within the city, but for the past 30 years, Harbor Springs is my home, I run an equestrian business under the HS Chamber of Commerce Open for Business flag, and I work with WeAll Love Harbor Springs, a non-profit based here in Harbor Springs.

I am here tonight at a City Council meeting to ask City Council to begin the personal self-education and the sequential steps to decouple Harbor Springs from further RRC/MEDC certification.

Over the course of the last year, it has become evident that RRC/MEDC zoning requirements involved in Harbor Springs existed in at least 20 to 35 % of the repealed 439 zoning code. If not more. We are not sure.

In fact, we are surrounded by RRC/MEDC towns, and we will benefit from their growth, and by decoupling from the RRC, Harbor Springs can be saved from bureaucratic upheaval. It seems we are drowning in paperwork, massively long in the teeth and tongue, and meeting agendas. Our City Planners, Beckett and Raeder and our City Management need the immediacy of City Council’s guidance.

If Beckett and Raeder are not guided – the movie with the golf groundhog and the zoning repetition of one year ago may become Harbor Springs legacy. Our City Manager has said multiple times, at multiple meetings, I attended, that  further involvements with the RRC is a community’s choice.

We do not want to spend $45,000 again this year on the City Planners to remake Harbor Springs in the image of another RRC city.

Why am I bringing this up at tonight’s meeting?  It is only a City Council vote that can uncouple Harbor Springs from the RRC/MEDC –  but it has to be the community and the Planning Commission who gives this recommendation to Council –  so I am asking City Council and the Mayor to begin this deliberation, and to hear our recommendation before the building of the zoning proceeds further down the track.

The uncoupling of our town from RRC certification can set us free to be an authentic town.

 We have learned through the WLHS research that many grant opportunities are available to Harbor Springs without further RRC involvement. Money should not be a reason to further certify Harbor Springs as a RRC community.

Recently we met in person and by zoom with the RRC Northwest Michigan representative Pablo Majano and his supervisor. We asked questions and received answers to some questions – like no money needs to be returned and Harbor Springs can remain as an “engaged” community, with the benefit of good practices that the City Manager has said multiple times are helpful and were already in place.

As I personally have attended each CC; PC; DDA; RRC meeting for one year, as an observer, it is evident to me that when one does pay attention, we as a city can do better without the RRC – and now 6 year’s since the community became involved – it is the City Council’s moment to come to this same conclusion, and very soon.  A letter written to the RRC is the only step needed.

Again, I repeat: It is only a City Council vote that can uncouple Harbor Springs from the RRC/MEDC –  but it has to be the community and the Planning Commission who gives this recommendation to Council –  so on behalf of a large citizenry, we are recommending CC to begin this deliberation and before the building of the zoning proceeds further down the track.   The uncoupling of our town from RRC certification can set us free to be an authentic town.

Please and thank you,

Sincerely,

Karin Reid Offield

Harbor Springs Resident