Good morning.

The time is now 8 30, and we're gonna go ahead and call the fiscal committee meeting to order.

Happy St.

Patrick's Day, happy Tuesday.

Nice to see you all.

Um we have a number of items today, so we'll go ahead and get started.

First is a resolution recognizing Meltrotter Ministries as a local civic organization.

Do you have a motion?

So moved.

Support.

Moved and supported.

Mr.

Straum, I see your name here, but I don't know if there's also a representative from Meltroner.

Sure, I believe they're here.

Uh we did attach the letter.

We I invite them to the podium.

It's always a nice opportunity if you want to say anything about your charitable organization.

Uh we're recommending uh there's a podium right here if you'd like to come up.

You don't have to, but I think the commission and the committee would be happy to hear from you.

Uh we have done the due diligence on this to determine that they meet all the statutory requirements for a charitable organization.

Uh they've applied for a lottery uh license.

And uh if you want to hit the button and introduce yourself to our fiscal committee, uh we're recommending approval of this item.

Great, thank you so much.

Thanks for letting us be here.

I'm Pam Liggett.

I'm the director of philanthropy at Meltrotter Ministries.

This is Kim Snyder, she's our community engagement manager.

We are, as you know, the largest homeless shelter in Grand Rapids.

We serve men and we serve families.

And any given night, we have about 550 people that sleep in our building.

Last night, because it was so cold, we expand shelter under those conditions, calling it cold blue.

So probably last night we had about 650 to 675 people.

We do very robust programs in prevention and diversion in an effort to keep families stable and in their home and out of our building.

Although we think that we do a really great job taking care of people, we'd like to have them stay in their homes.

And we do a lot of work in the area of workforce development and housing.

You may have heard of our tiny home community, which is the first one in the area that's um welcoming the first residents this month.

Super exciting.

We also have many programs that help people get soft skilled job training, job coaching, and a lot of technical skills training.

So on average, we serve about 5,000 different unique individuals every year.

Uh we serve about 222,000 meals.

Um and last year, excuse me, last year we helped 225 children stay in their homes through our prevention and diversion efforts.

So we have a very um large and broad um menu of services, and um happy to be in Grand Rapids for 126 years.

Thank you so much.

Thanks for being here.

Um colleagues, any other questions?

This is a pretty typical item.

So I will go ahead and call the question.

All those in favor, aye.

Any opposed, the item carries.

Thank you.

And thank you for your work.

Uh next is a resolution authorizing the contract to authorizing to contract with side strategies to provide capacity building services to emerging violence prevention nonprofits in the amount of 23,380.

Do you have a motion?

So moved.

Support.

Moved and supported.

Mr.

Davis.

Good morning.

Good morning.

This item is exactly what the title describes.

If there are questions, I'm happy to answer them.

I'm I'm happy to add something here as well, Mr.

Davis.

So um through our um Safe Task Force, I've been working with uh Mr.

Davis's office, uh, particularly uh Miss Letitia Lipscomb on this item, which was a carryover that Mr.

Kane was working on.

Really, as we were doing these mini grants and connecting with different um violence reduction organizations throughout the city.

It was clear that uh many people were doing this out of their own pocket, out of their own heart, and oftentimes not having some of the infrastructure to maybe go after other dollars to you know maybe expand to do collaboration and so working with stride strategies is one way that we felt, you know, our intention was never to be we're not gonna be the entire funder of this program, but really come in to help them innovate to iterate, and so this is just another way to add value and and hopefully support smaller organizations in our community.

So just wanted to add that and thank you, Miss Lipscomb for your work on this.

Do you have any questions, colleagues for myself or Mr.

Davis?

I'll say okay.

I'm gonna call the question.

All those in favor, aye.

Any opposed?

Item carries.

Thank you.

Um item number three is a resolution accepting a 775,000 grant award and authorizing the execution of an agreement with um the Michigan Economic Development Corporation or MEDC, and two subgrants for the revitalization and place making 3.0 grant program known as a wrap.

So moved.

Support moved and supported, Miss Renero.

Come on down.

I wasn't sure.

Morning, thank you.

Uh, this is an exciting award that we actually were notified about in April of 25.

Uh, when I first was here in the summer twenty four, we were notified that a core uh facade grant through the revitalization in place making award money would be um coming.

And so this is a long time coming, is basically the point.

We applied for a million dollars across three different projects.

We had uh three priorities.

One that they be um historic preservation projects, two, that they follow our quarter improvement authority facade programming, and then um three that they're shovel ready.

And so we've got two of the three that we were able to award in uh ward one and ward three.

Uh and we're just we're excited to keep it moving.

I'm happy to answer questions.

Colleagues, questions for Ms.

Renero on this item.

And this will be the last iteration at this point of wrap, at least as we know it, and we've got to do that.

Yes, they're trying to get rid of money elsewhere, and so we might try to take some of that that isn't moving, but yes, for all practical purposes.

Thank you for that.

Um hearing and seeing no other questions, all those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed item carries.

Thank you, Miss Renero.

Item number four is a request for approval to enter into a one-year agreement with Park Mobile LLC to provide uh parking reservation software and establish a customer convenience fee.

So moved.

Support supported, Miss Smith.

Good morning, everyone.

Jessica Smith from the Mobile DR department.

Um, this is to establish an agreement with ParkMobile.

And Park Mobile is an application platform that would help us do um reservations for our parking system.

Um the customer service fee.

I was I I've been working on this a little bit, and one of the things the customer user fee, it'll actually be a zero dollar contract with the city because Park Mobile has agreed to lower their uh 15% user fee that they charge directly to the user in bed the three percent credit card fee.

And so we don't have to do any sort of a customer user fee in our omnibus this this year, but I did want to be transparent about it's embedded in that 15% that Park Mobile will charge on top of the special event fee for the parking reservation.

The only other thing that the customer will see is a 20 cent per transaction fee, and that's pretty common that 3% plus a 20% per transact credit card transaction fee.

So you'll see that all wrapped up.

So our customers will see the parking fee, whatever that is for the day, and then that 15% plus the 20%.

So my math is a little bit um 20 cents, sorry.

You're right.

20% would be too many.

Yeah, 20 cents, thank you.

Um and so I've worked with the treasurer's office on this to overview this to make sure that we're all um up to speed on the uh processing and any sort of revenues that we're bringing in from there.

So and uh if you have any questions, let me know.

Colleagues questions yes.

Do you have a top level number of how many parts how many parking spots will be reserved for this?

I know it's not all of our spots, this is gonna be a select number.

Sure.

So what we're hoping for as as many reservations as possible for special events.

So that's when special events are when we have the Van Andel, the amphitheater, um, the DeVos Place, those sorts of um special event venues.

Also our cultural events, those are times when we'll charge a special event fee.

We have an internal operating um process for when we charge our different tiers of um special event fees.

So you'll see that the special event fees are dynamic.

And when we have those special events, we would love to see as many reservations as possible.

We'll roll this out.

Um, you can see this is a one-year uh agreement, and that's not typical.

Typically, a company will want to see multiple years on agreement.

They've agreed to go into a one-year agreement with us so that we can try this out.

Um, so I don't have a number for how many, but we will balance to make sure that all of our customers are taken care of.

Thank you.

Commissioner?

Thank you, Chair.

Uh okay, so I'm trying to understand what this is gonna be.

So you're reserving parking.

Can you walk me through of its so special events, parking spaces, just trying to make sure this is still accessible for all residents?

You bet so walk me through what it'll look like.

So today when we have a special event pricing on one of our facilities, on these are our off-street facilities.

So when you try to go and to a Griffin's game and you're looking for a spot right there, Ottawa Fulton, the most convenient ramp right there for uh for the van handle.

Um, right now it's first come first serve.

And you may or may not know if our um our facility is filled up.

And so in this way you can actually reserve a space in that facility, not a specific space space, but we hold a space for you.

And when you get there, you show your code and and you come on in and we say there's your space at the you know, wherever in the ramp.

So that's what that would look like, and we want to do that on uh multiple uh facilities and try this out to see how that helps us manage demand.

If we know how many folks are gonna be in a facility, let's say we we sell out a facility or we sell out 90% of it.

Um we have so many 90% is a bad number.

There is a percentage that we will sell to because we want to remain um we want to keep our contractual obligations to our monthly parkers and allow them to have access where they are where their contract they have a little month to month, basically a lease that says you can access this facility.

So we want to make sure that we're still serving those customers.

But if we have our reservations at whatever that cap is, um, and it's different for facility, that's why I don't have you a number right off the top of my head.

Um when we get there, we can put up a little sign that says this is full.

We'd like you to go over down to Pearl Ionia or something like that.

So it'll help us manage the system a little bit better if we know how many folks are gonna be there ahead of time.

That's kind of the idea around parking reservations for special events.

Gotcha.

And then for folks who are maybe just um live close by, want to go to dinner, but aren't going to the Griffins game, they still are allowed to as well.

For sure.

Right.

It's that first come, first serve.

Just if your reservations are are filling up, right?

You might run out of spots.

But um, taking into some of these concerns into account, and that's some of the things that we're looking at is how do we balance being able to have a few what you would call dailies, right?

A dailies available in those spaces so that you still have access for those who didn't make a reservation, and also balancing that with folks that would like to make a reservation so that we can manage those facilities that are really high demand.

We call it a congestion pricing.

Um it's higher demand because it's real close to an event that's maybe sold out.

Does that make sense?

Is that helpful?

May I add something here as well.

Um, I just came, well, I just came back from Mexico City.

There was 400,000 people at the Shakira concert in the Zocalo.

And the people came in, it was amazing, just so everybody knows.

I had a great time.

Um there was 400,000 people in this Ocalo, their city, their city center, but it's like they do all these things.

And I thought, how did all these people get in here?

You know, they there's obviously other transportation options, but it was one of the people that I was talking to is like how can we provide more certainty for people?

Because a lot of the frustration I think that we get when we're downtown is we don't know what's going on, right?

Or like, and if you're coming for me and for many of us, going downtown is is super easy.

Um, but for many people who might only come for a special event or for G VSU graduation, which is uh which is a very busy time, or other graduations, to give them more certainty during that that during that time can hopefully say, okay, I'm trying to think about your experience, but then certainly to your point, Commissioner, we don't wanna there's all different types of parking that still could be going on, even when the special event is going on, right?

Like maybe people are trying to go to Leo's or they're trying to go somewhere else.

But um, so what I think is I'm glad that it's a one year because it gives us the opportunity to iterate because we don't know this will be new for us.

Um but I just kept thinking when I was in Mexico City, I'm like, we're gonna we're gonna this I'm not it's been figured out, it's been working on, but we're gonna figure this out.

We got soccer stadium, DeVos Place, all these things going on.

Um we're gonna be able to provide this because it's happening, and you know, Mexico City is a city of 22 million people 22 million people, and the way those people exited, so my husband's like, why are you thinking about the city when we're here watching Shakira?

Um but you know, I think this is another one of those just different sort of services as we continue to evolve and grow as a city.

So I'm glad to see it.

Thank you for the clear documentation in the in the packet around what is the pricing, because I think that needs to be truth and pricing so people can make the decision about if they want to do that.

Um but I imagine there'll be a number of people who will be you know planning ahead and you know being able to utilize our communication system so people can have less frustration.

So right.

Yeah, thank you for that.

I'd I just like to add, so I know you all are seeing things bits and pieces at a time as we're preparing for this explosion um of visitors downtown.

So this is one of those pieces, one of those important crucial levers to help us manage uh the system, both your mobility system and your parking system.

I think of them all all as one.

We're just we're moving people, right?

So this is one of those pieces that we're putting in our toolbox to help us manage the whole system.

And I just want you to know that your input and your thoughts and your questions, I take those back and I work with the staff on how can we think through that to make sure that we've thought of everything that we possibly can.

So this has been super helpful, and and I really appreciate your help here.

So if there are no other questions.

Yes, okay.

Not a question, but I just want to thank you for your comments.

I just my I'm like, okay, I my think my thought process was making sure that no one felt like they just get to be first in line, right?

That we still are prioritizing whatever you want to do in the city's downtown, you can still do.

And then of course, it sounds like this is hopefully going to make things more manageable and accessible for everyone.

So I I like the idea of sort of doing it as a pilot for a year.

Um, and I look forward to seeing uh the outcome of it.

And thank you for your uh presentation on this.

Thank you.

Okay.

We're gonna have one more app to use, right?

Because absolutely.

And if anybody put in the comments who is Shakira, we'll talk about that later.

But anyways, um, all those in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The motion carries.

Thanks, Miss Smith.

Um, next is our bid resolution for March 17, 2026.

Do you have a motion?

So move.

Support.

There we go.

All right, there we go.

And can I turn this over to Miss Clarence?

Sure.

Um, our bid list starts on page 15 of the packet for the public, but we had just have eight items this morning, all fairly routine.

Um I will note in the parks and rec department, we do have uh a mower and greens roller, which means spring is coming, so it's snowing outside, but you know, we can have hope.

So go ahead, go ahead.

Oh, sure.

Oh, thank you.

Um, so on the on the parks purchase of the lawn mower and the roller, I'm just curious.

I know there's always a a calculation and a trade-off.

Um, what was the decision making for um leasing it versus buying it?

I am looking to see if we have anyone from parks here today.

Dan, maybe Daniel Williamson from Yeah, I was looking at the list, and I just it you know, there's always a trade-off with the price.

We're all fighting over this and our parks director claypool, our parks director.

Thank you.

Ms.

Claypool.

Good morning, and happy St.

Patrick's Day.

Um, can you repeat your question for me, please?

So my question was on um the difference between what choosing to lease it over um buying it outright or financing it ourselves.

Sure.

Um, so our model has historically been um leasing the mowers, and that's just a model that helps us um continue to do uh uh a good asset management for replacement of those mowers.

Um the cost differential is minimal compared to the outright purchase, and um with a pretty strict operating budget, it's just made sense to do that historically.

Okay, did you have a development?

Um so this mower must be really popular because my question is about this mower as well, too.

Boy, um you know, a couple of years back, I think we've had a couple iterations about uh certainly you know that thank you for the reminder, but also just um am I saying this right, like diesel versus electric and different things.

So I know I know we kind of had you know some of this conversation.

I know this is for was this for specifically for Indian trails, so it might have not so Indian trails.

We went to electric mowers a couple years ago.

Um there's a you know a different funding model for that.

It's an enterprise fund.

Um they are significantly more expensive, probably 40 to 50 percent more for the electric mowers.

Um that'll be something that we continue to explore as we you know just watch our our long-term funding.

But the golf course is currently on um uh electric golf carts, still gas mowers.

Okay, yeah.

Thank you for those reminders because um that was a the hot topic for a couple of years.

So okay, so I think we've exhausted this bin list.

I have one.

Oh, I'm sorry.

That's okay.

I was we were piecemealing there for a second.

I you I do not have a question for you, you're off the hook.

Uh the the question is about the RSM services for the technology department.

I think there was a um there was a slightly lower bid on the list, but I do see that in the the the commentary that there was you know conversation about what that this would be better, particular process that they were going to put put forth that made it better, and I just was wondering if you could comment on the scoring there.

Sure, thank you for your question.

Um, this is a professional services bid, and so um the other uh bidders didn't have specific co-pilot implementation experience.

RSM had several co-pilot uh implementations they were bringing forward.

We felt that that was best for uh mitigating risk and helping the project be successful.

There was one I thought that was like 50,000, this was at 68,000.

So there must have been just something in the just the how the experience or that they're bringing.

Okay, I understand.

Yep.

We've we've also partnered with RSM in the past with our uh CFR process in three in uh 311.

So we know what their uh their service delivery is like, and uh felt that there was a better uh um there was more confidence in them being able to to deliver.

Great, thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Snart.

Thanks.

All right, all those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed item carries.

Item number six is the Comptroller's warrant report for the period of February 10th, 2026 through March 2nd, 2026, in the amount of 55 million seven hundred and forty thousand six hundred and nineteen dollars and two cents in the monthly travel report.

So moved.

We don't need them.

Oh, right.

It's a report.

It's a report.

Thank you.

You're right.

Mr.

Comptroller.

Good morning.

For the period reference there, cash payments were released totaling approximately $55.7 million, which includes approximately 11.7 million dollars for uh employee payroll related payments and uh just under 1.6 million dollars for income tax warrants.

Uh in terms of quantity, there are 4,450 income tax refunds issued and 1,666 excuse me, accounts payable, uh checks and electronic payments uh issued.

Uh these funds were issued for payment by individuals not in the city controller's office and not in accordance with the terms uh of the city charter.

The second report that we have here this morning is the January fiscal year to day travel report, and that report is showing so far that uh we've spent just over uh a million dollars on uh approximately 2.3 million dollar budget uh or about 45 percent uh of the overall budget.

And that concludes uh both of the reports that I have for you here this morning.

Thank you, Mr.

Comptroller.

I will also note in the packet that there is a note um that says that that this item has been reviewed reviewed by the city manager and the city attorney's office, and is um just wanted to clearly communicate that in response to your communication.

Um thank you.

Next is the treasurer's report for the period of February 11th, 2026 through March 3rd, 2026.

Mr.

Treasurer, good morning, commissioners.

Um, since this report was written, there's been a lot of things that have been going on.

Um really when we talk about the financial markets, though, we are still looking to evaluate the trajectory of inflation, interest rate policy, and the broader global economic impact of the different things that are happening right now.

The Fed remains caught very cautious, they're still at three and a half to three point seven five percent.

It's not looking that there's any time soon that they're gonna be changing interest rates, even with the change in um Fed chairs, which again is gonna be murky right now as it is, because the person who is who is nominated for that might face some headwinds of being uh approved.

So that starts with the Senate Finance Committee before it goes to the full body of the Senate to be voted on for a new Fed chair.

Um there are other issues with the Fed also that are going on right now, but those are things that are not really going to impact what we're doing.

Um I want to point out that the key economy I do have a paragraph in here that really the key economic risks that we're monitoring right now are gonna be the persistence of inflation.

Um they still want to see that driven down closer to two percent.

Um there is headwinds, not really headwinds in easing in the labor markets, they seem to be pretty strong right now.

But again, data coming out of different organizations has been uh kind of um sporadic, and so we're really looking to have more balanced, more accurate, more reporting coming out from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that actually support some of these things that are going on.

The energy market obviously is volatile right now with the Straits of Hormos being closed down and some of the things going on in the Middle East.

Um we are seeing those oil prices going up and we're seeing it at the pump, right?

We are that this is this is our pain point is we're seeing this type of action at the gas pump.

Um commercial real estate stress is out there right now, particularly within the office markets.

We're really seeing uh there was a report I saw out of Chicago where you were seeing buildings that sold for 40 million dollars 10 years ago are now selling for twelve and a half million.

And so now you're seeing some really commercial real estate stress right now.

So we want to probably pay attention to that in our own market as we're trying to bring businesses downtown or have offices open up and the commercial real estate vacancies that we might be experiencing Grand Rapids, um that might be something that we're gonna see more prevalent in our community.

And obviously, global trade tensions are are out there, especially with the US and China trade imbalance, as well as the fact that so much of the oil coming out of the the Middle East and the Straits of Removes uh is roughly what 25 to 30 percent of China's demand.

So, you know, right now that's gonna be uh a pain point right now that we're waiting to see what how that's gonna develop.

Um but as we look at our our portfolio, we are at 712 million dollars and we're at 3.25%.

Again, our portfolio is highly rated.

It is the bulk of the uh monies are in U.S.

treasuries, U.S.

agencies, and municipal bonds, as well as other very, very short-term liquid investments that we can get our hands on the money whenever we need to.

So just so you know, we are prepared.

We're earning a great interest rate, but we're also prepared and flexible that should the need arise or should we something happen in our community, we're prepared to act.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Treasurer.

Questions for the treasurer?

I would just say um thank you specifically for noting.

I saw the again, I I'm not on Instagram all the time, but it was like, hey gas, what were you like in the 90s?

Because you know, gas prices were you know so elevated, especially I think in other parts of the country.

But um particularly your comments around the commercial real estate, I think are really key.

I know some of the work um looking at the economic development department, you know, a number of our commercial spaces, just one across the way, um, you know, have now transitioned into residential think thankfully due to the Brownfield TIFF program, uh changes there and how it can be applied, but certainly you know not to the levels that we had previously seen.

So thank you for highlighting that.

Thank you, Commissioner.

It's not good, but it's good to know.

We have to keep our eyes wide open, right?

And and that uh the sooner we could talk about it, the sooner we might be thinking about plans to to fix things or or other creative ideas to navigate those positions.

Yeah.

That is what we count on you for.

So all right.

With that, it's eight fifty-five and we're gonna go ahead and adjourn.

Next meeting is at 9 15 for community development.

Thank you.