Sorry, Commissioner.

You're okay.

Good morning.

We will call the committee on appointments to order at 8 a.m.

Happy New Year.

It's our first meeting of 2026.

So excited to get right into it.

First, we have a resolution approving the city commission's appointment of Commissioner Belchak to the General Retirement System Board of Trustees.

So moved.

Support.

Moved and support it.

Comments on this colleagues.

I'll just add that this is correcting an error that I made in our end of year appointment.

So that's why it seems kind of like a one-off.

Okay.

So I had the years totally wrong, and we felt it best to have a formal correction.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Bassader.

Yes, Commissioner Sasi.

Um you had a lot at the end, so don't feel bad.

There was a there was a lot of them at the end.

Um I just want to say thank you, uh, Commissioner Belchak for serving on the spoty.

Oh, thank you very much.

I appreciate that.

And uh yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

It'll be a new new committee for me.

So thank you for everyone to teach me what I need to know.

Awesome.

All right.

Seeing no further comment, uh, all those in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Those opposed, motion carries.

Brings us to our second resolution confirming Mayor Legrand's appointment, uh, Kyle Van Shrine to the City Planning Commission.

So moved.

Support.

Moved and support it.

Comments on this appointment, colleagues.

Yes, Commissioner.

Mr.

Chair, um, thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, could we pull up since we do have three appointments for planning?

I mean, we we knew these these were gonna be coming up, but could we look at the demographic information and the in the ward information for planning?

I we'll kind of have it here for that.

Sure.

What'd you say?

Okay, there's planning.

Okay.

So with so this is before these three people are added, correct?

Or this is with the three people added.

This is with the three people after these appointments.

Okay.

So um so it looks like you know, in the future, we're really gonna need to see about ward one.

Um I also think um, you know, racial diversity on this body is is severely lacking.

Um I always put these things into context of you know, when I worked in HR, there's what you call the reasonable recruiting area.

And so a reasonable recruiting area when you're looking for a job may be a significant portion of a geographical region, right?

Like, so if you and I were looking for jobs, we might look in Muskegon, we might look in Grand Rapids, we might look in Holland.

And then we would say, okay, Melinda and her skill sets and her racial and ethnic and gender diversity.

What is that makeup?

Now I know when we look at planning commission, that pool is not just the like population of Grand Rapids, and it's not just um so I say this not to say that I I will be supporting these, but I want us to continue to highlight that.

Um, I know that's certainly something Commissioner uh Mr.

Chair, um, that you um highlighted and shared, you know, when you came on this body, it's things that uh past colleagues have mentioned as well.

And so um to know that one one ward is uh misrepresent you know is not represented.

Um then there is an opportunity for certainly more uh racial diversity.

I just wanted to make that point on the record.

Yeah, thank you, Commissioner.

Uh I um concur.

I believe that it's very important diversity of not only background of race, but thought, experience, uh, age.

I will continue to lift that up as long as I'm still the youngest on the spot.

You won't be one of the things.

Someone will beat me.

Um but I I certainly think that that's important, and we want to, especially on something as important as the planning commission.

All of our uh bodies do important work, but this is such a work that folks see and that they live every day.

We want that diversity in many ways.

So thank you for your comment.

Any further comment on uh Mr.

Van Shrine's uh appointment?

Okay, seeing none.

Uh, all those in favor, aye.

Aye.

Those opposed, motion carries.

Brings us to our third resolution, confirming Mayor Legrand's appointment of Matthew Franco to the city planning commission.

So moved.

Support.

Moved and support it.

Comments on this appointment.

This is a new oh, sorry, Mr.

Chair.

Yes, Commissioner.

Uh, to confirm this is a new appointment.

Mr.

Van Strain was a reappointment.

Um that's correct.

Mr.

Van Strain had he had termed out and then was off for his years and quibble.

He's serving again, but yes, sort of starting over.

Yes.

Um, this is a new appointment, and um you'll notice in the details that the term lengths are a little different.

Um there was an error in an appointment a few years ago, and so we're getting back on track with having three members' terms expire every year.

And so we're getting back on track with having three members' terms expire every year.

So that explains that difference.

Nice.

Thank you for fixing that.

And yeah, I just wanted to highlight again, as we just said, you know, this body is all bodies are important, but this one is important.

But there is definitely one, a certain skill set that is needed, but also two, an ability to lend typically a whole day to a planning commission meeting.

Um those meetings are oftentimes much longer than our city commission meetings.

So thank you.

Okay, seeing no further comment, all those in favor.

Aye.

Those opposed motion carries.

It brings us to our fourth uh resolution confirming Mayor LeGrant's appointment of Andrea Hendrick to the city planning commission.

So moved.

Support.

Moved and supported.

Comments on this appointment, colleagues.

This one is also a new appointment, Mr.

Chair.

Yes.

Thank you.

Yes, Commissioner.

Um thank you, Chair.

I just want to say that even though we were discussing the um ward distribution, and I agree that we need a specific skill skill set.

I also uh appreciate Commissioner Isazi's um comments about diversity.

I'm actually really looking forward to seeing what Miss Hendrick will be able to do on our planning commission.

She's got uh quite a breadth of planning background and currently lives over by um I think she's second ward.

Um and yeah, just to make a note for transparency that she brings, she is actually the planning director at Cascade Township.

So I think that this is a a good ad, and and I do recommend that we move forward with her.

Thank you so much.

Commissioner.

Um yes, I'm familiar with Miss Hendrick as well.

She actually served us very well on our North Corridor Corridor Improvement Authority.

Um this is when she was living in the Grand Haven area.

And while I do think somebody having strong planning experience is good, I think this is you know, I'm I I think it's just something to be mindful of when somebody works in one department but then is on an authority of approving in another.

I do think we just need to be mindful of any conflicts.

We just need to be mindful of you know how those roles and relationships play out.

So I am supporting this appointment, but also just uh appreciate you highlighting that and just want to say that for the record.

Um, you know, it it I think if I worked in the city of Wyoming, but I served on grid.

I don't even know if I could do that, but anyways, um making up hypothetical situations, but I do think it's just something to highlight because again, we have a professional body and different planning, you know, different cities have different uh zoning rules.

So I think it's something to be noted for any potential conflict um and any and just awareness about that.

So thank you.

Thank you, Commissioners.

All right, seeing no further comment, all those in favor, aye, those opposed.

Motion carries, and lastly, if Miss Bosker, if you could please guide us through a discussion on our current board and commission vacancy list.

Sure.

Um, so things are it's looking pretty full these days, but we have a lot in the works.

Um next meeting, we're hoping to knock out those mobile gr commission vacancies and um get some appointments there.

Also looking at the community relations commission, and I think we'll start working on some civilian appeal board.

Um, we're getting back into the swing of things with vetting and getting things moving.

Um, and then for commissioner city commission appointments, we have historic preservation, board of zoning appeals, and then a parks and recreation.

Um, so those are committees that I'll make sure that you all have packets of and we can hopefully move forward with those appointments as well.

Wonderful, thank you very much.

Commissioner Commissioner Belchair.

Um, so when you said these are com commission um appointments, do you mean they're specific to each an individual or award, or they're just stuff that we get to we are more versus the mayor?

So as far as the appointing authorities go, many of them the appointing authority is the mayor, and then there are a few that are individual city commissioners, and then there's quite a few that are just city commission as a whole, and that's what these are parks and rectoric preservation and board of zoning appeals.

So those are city commission appointments as opposed to mayoral appointments, but still not an individual commissioner.

Okay.

I and just so uh my colleagues know I did spend quite a few of hours yesterday and I've been helping recruit and making some phone calls and things.

Um I do think there were some people at the end of the year who I had talked to who had intended to apply for different things, and I double checked with him.

Many of them hadn't actually finished the application, so um it's always good to remind folks that we can um you gotta have those applications in, and then those names are things that we can look at and bring forward.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Thank you.

Um my item was more of an administrative one.

Um, because I know this again, Miss Bosker, this has been kind of a theme for yours, is just kind of clarifying things, making sure we understand.

And um, typically for those city commission ones, this body as that standing committee, you know, we would coalesce together, you know.

Um, Miss Bosker would share some names.

We would again look at things in terms of you know, geographic, age diversity, gender diversity, racial and ethnic diversity, other considerations given what the the mission of that body is.

Um, so I just wanted to add that comment, but then mine was more around um last week city, excuse me.

Last week city manager shared a number of um administrative leadership positions of individuals, and so I see one in here, Mr.

Wayne Jureenberg, who's now official official as the utilities director, Miss Laura Kate Claypool, who is now official official as the parks director, and then Mr.

Selma Tucker, who is coming back to the city as a boomerang employee.

And so just wanted to see as we have those uh leadership appointments, many of those people are liaisons to different bodies, and I think probably Wayne and Laura are okay because you were already serving as interim.

And I don't know how Miss Bohash will, you know, that's that's obviously to her discretion of the department.

Um, but that's just always a good, I feel like those messages are always a good reminder to kind of check in on the administrative piece of the liaisons.

So thanks.

Thank you and congrats.

Yeah, congratulations.

And as always, encouraging all everyone uh watching and who interacts with this to apply, apply, apply, and see where you can help the city out.

All right, any further comments, questions?

All right, yes, Commissioner.

Um, the the resignation.

So just since um this is Commissioner Belchek's first meeting, and Miss Bosker does a good job of highlighting um to us via email who is who is going off the body, but I think it's always good to share too.

What they were two that are gonna be rolling off.

Yes, okay.

One that you mentioned, um Selma Tucker.

Yeah, I usually I do mention it, and that jacked my memory.

Um he was uh serving on the local officers compensation commission.

So they'll there's two vacancies now there, those are mayoral appointment, and they're on the mayor's radar.

Um, and then also Belinda Bardwell is no longer serving on the Board of Voting Appeals.

Or excuse me, the Board of Art and Museum Commissioners.

Got it.

So that's that a mayoral appointment as well.

Um that one is city commission.

Okay.

All right.

Awesome.

All right.

Sounds good.

All right.

Without further ado, we will adjourn the committee on appointments at 8 12 a.m.

Have a great morning.

Thank you.