City Commission Meeting Preview: March 3, 2025
The next regular meeting of the City Commission is Monday, March 3, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers at the East Grand Rapids Community Center. It’s a fairly light agenda (with no items related to the Gaslight Investors project), but remember - the open Public Comment period at the top of the meeting is an opportunity for folks to come and speak about any issue, whether or not it’s on the evening’s agenda.
Match on Main Grant Application
In 2023, East Grand Rapids was recognized by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) as a Redevelopment Ready Essentials Community. With this designation, the City is qualified to apply for and receive a Match on Main grant for a business located in Gaslight Village that meets certain criteria, including that it provide face-to-face product sales or services, be headquartered in Michigan, not be a franchise or “big box” store, and be able to meet a 10% match requirement for a grant award of up to $25,000. This item requests authorization for the City to move forward in reaching out to eligible local businesses and submitting an application for a grant award by the due date of April 7, 2025.
Feedback on Potential 2025 Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grant Applications
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan, approved at the January 21, 2025 City Commission meeting, included a list of projects that, by virtue of their inclusion in that plan, are eligible for various grants awarded by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The Parks and Recreation Commission has subsequently recommended that improvements to Waterfront Park be the focus of DNR grant applications for 2025. The purpose of this discussion is to get feedback from the City Commission about the Waterfront Park focus as well as the grant application strategy (i.e., whether to apply for multiple grant programs to potentially increase the likelihood of receiving funds in this grants cycle).
Manhole, Catch Basin and Void Fill Infrastructure Rehabilitation Contract
As part of regular and ongoing maintenance of the various pieces of the city’s infrastructure that are often out of view, the Department of Public Works completes cyclical inspections and refurbishment of sanitary sewer manholes and storm sewer catch basins. As with other types of infrastructure maintenance, DPW prioritizes the rehabilitation of these manholes and catch basins based on both current condition and alignment with other projects, like street construction and utility work (so as to minimize the number and duration of times that residents have to endure the inconvenience of construction projects in their neighborhoods). This item requests approval of a five-year contract with Havener Tech, Inc. (based in Troy, MI) to complete manhole and catch basin rehabilitation work within regular budgeted amounts.
Changes to the City’s Sick Leave Policy
As a result of recent legislation related to Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act, the City is now required to provide paid sick leave to seasonal and irregular part-time employees at a rate of one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Regular full- and part-time City employees already earn paid sick leave in excess of the minimum required by the recent legislation. This item requests approval of changes made to the City’s Employee Handbook based on this new requirement.
Rescheduling of the April 7, 2025 City Commission Meeting to March 31, 2025
Regular meetings of the City Commission are held on the first and third Mondays of every month. When a meeting needs to be moved due to a holiday or other significant event, the meeting will usually be moved to the next calendar day (a Tuesday) or moved up or back a week (while maintaining at least a two-week period between meetings). As it does this year, the first Monday of April often falls during spring break week for the East Grand Rapids Public Schools. While not an official holiday, because so many residents are out of town and thus unable to attend a meeting during spring break, the Commission will discuss moving the first April meeting back to March 31, 2025.
Why did the city not adjust the resident meeting on 2/17/25 regarding feedback on Gaslight Village proposal as this too fell over both national holiday (Presidents Day) & EGRPS winter break as dictated by EGRPS calendar.
Additionally, we are still missing feedback provided by community residents in both 2/17/25 Meeting Minutes & upcoming 3/3/25 Agenda.