By Gari Voss
The City of Allegan Council spent time wrestling through the Study Session and Regular Council meeting balancing needs and opportunities related to special funding. As the Council heard the requests for addressing large improvement projects, examined the laundry list of project expenses, and the possible grant funding that would cover large portions of expenses, members kept coming back to the desire to prioritize goals that had been identified during strategic planning sessions.
Special Parking Request
The request from Michelle Oliveri on Thomas St. to create a temporary parking permit adjacent to her existing driveway was approved.
Downtown Development Authority
As the Streetscape Project is coming to a closure, the DDA would like to create a sidewalk ordinance to regulate sidewalk furniture, signs, bicycles, cigarette disposal containers, etc. The plan is to draft the ordinance at the March meeting.
The Hubbard Street Parking Lot became an ongoing topic. A conceptual plan was shared for the lot, and DDA members made suggestions for motorcycle parking, dumpster and HVAC location, and loading zones. They felt the improvement of this lot is a continuation of the downtown improvements, so the motion was made and passed to encourage the Council to prioritize this project.
Downtown Manager & Assistant to the City Manager Parker Johnson, updated the group on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Match on Main grant program that will be reinstated this year. This could be another opportunity to fund a project, or partial portion thereof.
Planning Commission
To give clearer directions to the zoning administrator, the Planning Commission began the conversation to draft an ordinance that would regulate the design and significant alterations of 1- and 2-family residential dwellings in the City of Allegan. The in-depth discussion regarding neighborhood design standards would take up where the historic commission left off.
One and two-family residential structure guidelines would be sent to the Zoning Commissioner and will assist in keeping the neighborhoods consistent.
City Manager Joel Dye will speak with residential developers to create more housing in Allegan. He is now part of the regional housing partnership that is being coordinated by the Allegan County Community Foundation.
The RFP went out for bids on the previous Girl Scout property. The second developer has responded to Dye, but the first group to approach the Council has not given anything in writing. Joel will follow up with both.
Dye did share that the Hubbard Street parking lot concept design has not yet been brought to the Council because the DDA is still working with Abonmarche. There is ongoing discussion required for specific concerns.
Finance Department
The Payable and Payroll request to approve accounts payable in the amount of $1,020,589.81 and payroll in the amount of $108,716.45 for a total disbursement of $1,129,306.26 was approved.
Resolution 24.05 Single Lot Assessment Resolution of Determination
In accordance with Ordinance #501, the City Manager reviews and determines to levy the single lot assessments and authorizes the assessor to prepare special assessments for the upcoming tax season. The Council approved Ordinance #501 so the special assessment can be added to the 2024 tax roll.
Public Works
The Council accepted the report from Public Works Director Doug Kadzban on an emergency repair done by the W.W. Williams Company LLC to salt truck #310 in the amount of $5,903.30 and approved the budget adjustment for the specialized work.
Mahan Park. The request to authorize a purchase order for Abonmarche to create the Mahan Park Improvement design engineering and bidding in the amount of $39,000 was approved. The design occurs this year and the work begins next fiscal year. The approval did not go unquestioned because it is one of the strategic plan goals that has not been prioritized. Is this the right time to complete this work?
Hubbard St. Parking Lot. The request to adopt Resolution 24.06 authorizing a Rural Business Redevelopment Grant application through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to assist with the Hubbard Street parking lot improvement project was approved. This grant for public spaces improvement was brought to the city’s attention by Abonmarche.
Again, the conversation turned to whether this is the time to budget the balance to pay for this project. After extensive discussion, the purchase order for Abonmarche to create the Hubbard Street Parking Lot Improvement design engineering and bidding in the amount of $48,000 for this fiscal year and the work to do next fiscal year was approved 4-2.
City Manager & City Clerk
After reviewing how property along the Sherman Street Right-of-Way off Briggs Court had been appropriated by adjacent property owners, the request to schedule a public hearing on the division of the undeveloped Sherman Street Right-of-Way with the abutting property owners was approved.
Friday, March 1st at 6pm, the City will hold a public meeting for the property owners to attempt to come to an agreement and quick claim different parts of the undeveloped right of way in a unique manner.
Board Appointments
The request to appoint Steve Ampey to the Airport Advisory Board for a term set to expire on
December 31, 2026, was approved.
Communications From City Manager, Council & Mayor
Johnson shared that the websites have been refreshed, and they would like to know if anything looks incorrect. Fonts and layouts may be different, but it should be easy to navigate the site.
Michaela Kleehammer, City Clerk, reminded the Council that the early primary is done, and the final voting in the primary election will be on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.
Finance Director Tracy J. Stull thanked the Council for considering the schedule of 4/10 hour days for the City Hall staff. Also, she acknowledged that emailing questions on budget before the Council meetings was helpful because she can answer them quickly.
Kadzban shared that he had a pre-construction meeting with MDOT regarding the Roundabout. Pre-construction would begin the week of March 11th, the week of the 18th prep work would continue, then things will be mobilized by March 25th when demo will begin. Completion is slated to be late in August, but MDOT will wait to complete the last stretch until after the Fair.
STUDY SESSION
Round Table Discussion
The Study Session began with a Round Table Discussion that focused on what councilmembers have noticed around the city. Questions rose concerning how to help all residents and visitors take pride in keeping the city clean. There are a couple groups that gather to do trash collection once a year. Members wondered if high school students needing community service hours could assist.
As Streetscape is taking shape, concern was voiced regarding a tree on Locust Street that is very close to an awning. The sidewalk is narrow at that point. Dye will look into the type of tree and location.
The Allegan Conservation District is having a workshop on March 21 in Wayland to cover spongy moths. Dye shared that the city was waiting to see if the County was going to address the moth problem because it will not last if the larger area is not addressed. ACD will have a groundbreaking/Open House on April 20, Earth Day, on Taft Road.
ACCF has gathered a housing collaborative. Joel Dye is part of this group at the ACCF plus another group at the state level.
FY2025 Budget Review Presentation
City Manager Dye reviewed the 2025 budget. The General Fund was $8,797,405; Expenses 10,224,510; General fund balance 1,427,105
Projected All revenue 18,259,175.*
*There is a Citizen-led Petition going around the state that will remove the property tax and this would affect the City budget by $2.8 million.
Projected expenses $19,519,551
Personal costs $4,966,570
Operating costs $8,357,270
Capital costs $6.195,711
When reviewing employee pay and cost of living increase, Dye did not feel raises could be made to cover the cost-of-living but recommended a $1,000 appreciation check. The department heads and above would like an extra 40 hours of PTO because of being on salary but working extra hours.
Special and ongoing projects that need to be prioritized include:
Capital improvements, technology, basement improvement, improvement of the city dam that may be partially funded with a grant from EGLE, Hubbard St. parking lot grant, police radios, cemetery columns and burial equipment, airport improvement, Rossman and Mahan Parks (partial grant), boardwalk replacement, Ely Street plus other road and sidewalk maintenance the Roundabout, DDA parking signs, MVP chain saws and dump trucks, WRRF septage grinder, asset plan, water plant, sewer distribution, water collection, but no trestle trail bridge, Water St. parking lot, or annual street maintenance.
When examining the laundry list of projects, the Council realized the extent to which meeting time had to be made to prioritize. The first meetings were set.
Request for Four-Day Workweek for City Hall
The City Hall office staff would like to do a pilot program to adjust operating hours from 8:30-4:30 Mon.-Fri. to 7am-4:30pm Mon.–Thurs. All staff members would be available 4 days each week, which they feel would provide consistency when working with customers.
The most common dissent was “We are here for the city of Allegan.” After listening to advantages and disadvantages, the Council agreed to allow the staff to do the Pilot Program. The plan and starting date will be brought to Council for approval.
City Hall Basement
Following up with how best to utilize the space in the basement of City Hall, measurements were made that would create 25 storage units of varying sizes that could be rented at a per sq. ft. cost. Rather than have the space sit empty, it would be possible to collect about $30,000 a year in rental fees. The leases would work much like the t-hangers at the airport. City Hall units would include security cameras, key card access and a fire suppression system.
Joel will develop an RFP for the construction of the chain-link structures.
Downtown Infrastructure and Streetscape Update
The sub-contractors are continuing with the installation of veneer stonework, landscaping installation, security cameras, street furniture, and cleanup. The sidewalk in front of what was previously Bubba’s Sports Bar will be removed and repoured. The overall project remains within budget.
One piece that is being decided is the installation of flagpoles/banner holders on the lamp posts.
Set Meeting Topics
A meeting to prioritize goals was set for Monday, March 25, 2024. That will leave the next meeting to be designated to focus on the fee schedule and approval of vendors.
A burning question – How can the city get more money for street repair? April 1, 2024, at 6pm the Council will dig into street schedule and capital improvement which need to be examined very carefully. This will include the discussion of a special millage ideas and CIP.