I call this meeting of Committee of the Whole to order.

And our first item of business is recognition of National Public Works Week, May 17, 23.

So I often say that our country was founded with a declaration of independence.

And it's about time we had a declaration of interdependence.

And when I make that point, I always point out that people in cities can't possibly get through a day without help from other people.

And the example I always use is when you every time you turn on your faucet, you are relying on other people to deliver you water.

Every time you flush your toilet, you're relying on people to deal with what happens to the stuff that goes down the toilet.

Every time you drive down a street and you're dealing with roads and dealing with lighting, you're dependent on the other people.

So today is recognition of those people, some of whom are in the room.

So I'm gonna go to the uh podium now and read the declaration.

Mr.

John Gorney's gonna join you along with other staff.

I'll come back.

So I'll hand this over to Mr.

Gourney when I'm done reading the proclamation.

I was trying to get them all to fill out.

Just so you all understand you're not getting three minutes each at the microphone, right?

Alright, everybody standing who wants to stand, great.

Whereas public works infrastructure and services are of vital importance to sustainable communities and to the health, safety, and well-being of the citizens of Grand Rapids, and whereas the support of an understanding and informed citizenry is vital to the efficient operation of public works infrastructure and services.

And whereas public works infrastructure facilities and services could not be provided without the dedicated efforts of skilled prof uh public works professionals who plan, design, build, operate, and maintain the transportation system, water supply, sewer collections, public buildings, grounds, and fleets, and whereas 2026 marks the 66th annual National Public Works Week, sponsored by the American Public Works Association.

Now, therefore, I, David LeGrand, Mayor of Grand Rapids, declare May 17 to 23, 2026 as National Public Works Week in Grand Rapids, and encourage all citizens and civic organizations to familiarize themselves with the effort involved in providing public works services and to recognize the contributions made every day by public works professionals that impact our health, safety, comfort, and quality of life.

The mic is yours.

Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, City Commission.

It really is a great honor to be able to recognize all the dedicated staff from public works and across many departments that represent public works type um operations throughout the city.

The people that you have here are a small sampling of hundreds of individuals that are dedicated to the city, dedicated to the work that they do, and so thank you for the opportunity to recognize them and all of their hard work.

Appreciate it.

Get in the picture.

Come on.

Come around here.

Oh, wait.

Yeah.

Try to make sure that you're in between.

The two heads in front of you.

And then you move next to Laura.

So I will put a second.

See, here we go.

There we go.

Okay.

Absolutely.

Sorry.

What it is.

Oh, tomorrow.

Okay.

It's a lesson twelve.

Okay.

Wow.

So everybody but me.

On to more pedestrian business.

Our next item is a resolution.

Which is located at 738 Wealthy for an on-premises tasting room license.

So moved.

Support.

City Clerk.

Just to just so you're familiar with the location it is.

It's on Wealthy, where WooSa Outfitters was.

So that's that's the location of it.

Our brewing company is their main their main um brewery is in Holland.

So they're making the inroads into Grand into Grand Rapids.

Great.

Um any discussion, colleagues?

All right.

All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Uh motion carries.

All in favor, all opposed, say same sign.

Motion carries.

Next is a resolution for uh necessity of a special assessment roll number 8806.

And um, yeah, can I have a motion?

So moved.

Okay.

Good morning uh commissioners, Mr.

Mayor, Mr.

Manager.

Uh we've been through a few presentations, so I think I'm just here generally to answer any outstanding questions that you all might have uh prior to your vote today.

Okay, just so the public go ahead.

Um Mayor, just uh thank you, uh Melvin for being here and uh working with Ms.

Renero.

I just wanted to make the commission aware that uh there was some questions that were asked about the DID or DGRI's uh ability to help us address some of the cleanliness issues together downtown and uh Mr.

Kelly is here today, and we'll be addressing that in the presentation, but there's a process.

I think we some communicated uh submitted a letter of communication that indicated that they would have a meeting sometime in June, I believe, to discuss the item and the request from the city.

Correct.

Yeah, okay, great.

Uh Commissioner Beltrich, you had a question or comment?

Um, I just wanted to circle back because there had been some questions brought up about snow removal and the DID and other things going on with the special assessment.

I just wondered if you'd had any additional comments or or things you wanted to comment on.

Sure.

Uh just a reminder that uh for snow removal the improvement district staff uh remove snow from crosswalks and uh from around uh infrastructure items like fire hydrants, benches, things like that.

Uh property owners are still required to remove their own snow even within the special assessment district, and I think that's where a lot of miscommunication happens is there's an expectation that our team is the ones responsible for that when it actually is still the property owners' responsibility.

But we are aware of the concerns that were uh happening on the west side during the uh significant snowfall that we had this year and uh have worked with property owners to try to get that addressed.

So great.

Um any further questions or comments, colleagues?

Um otherwise, I'll call for a vote.

Uh, all in favor of the uh resolution say aye.

Aye, all opposed.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That brings Ms.

Rennero uh up from the background for our next item, which is a resolution approving a brownfield plan amendment for Plymouth Flats, uh located at 1225 uh Plymouth Avenue Northeast.

This is not our first uh crack at this project, but we're revisiting as the next step.

Uh can I have a motion?

Support.

Ms.

Renero.

Good morning, thank you.

Yes, this is the uh new construction behind the fire station on Plymouth and Leonard.

Uh, so there's we have 48 units across three different buildings uh committing to 90% AMI for 20% of those units.

Uh 90% AMI for a one-bedroom is six uh one thousand six hundred and ten dollars and a two-bedroom is one thousand nine hundred and one dollars.

I am happy to answer any more questions if you have them.

Okay, just that sounded a little confusing.

I think what you're what you're saying is if you make 90% of AMI, then uh the percentage of your income that would uh pencil in is 30% of your income would give you that rent figure, correct?

I'm I'm focused on the 90% AMI rent, not the income.

I'm sorry.

I'm I'm focused on yes, it's 90% income of area media income, right?

Right.

And the rents projected on the uh schedule that are committed to 90 percent are sixteen hundred and nineteen hundred between a one and two bedroom.

Right.

My point is that that's the rent that's deemed to be affordable if you were to make ninety percent AMI, yes.

1610 a month is not 90 percent of AMI.

I should have just said yes.

Yes, you're right.

Okay, thank you.

Uh any questions or comments, colleagues.

Uh yes, Commissioner.

Thank you.

Uh, thanks for this again.

You know, this has come to us, it's come to our Brownfield group.

I did have the opportunity um to go look at the location.

This is also sharing that same street with that's the entrance point into our uh kids' food basket, which does have uh, you know, quite a bit of traffic of volunteers, which is great because people want to come and help the community.

Um it looks like some of the landscaping efforts that the developer is working on will also be really I think beneficial to that area and has um connected with neighbors in the community is um you know it's the one of the probably you know 20 years ago not as much development, so there's just been a lot of change.

But like with other communities where we see development of different housing and other um projects, hopefully some other amenities that that neighborhood would like to see, Commissioner Knight.

You know, they would like to have more local sit-down restaurants, a cafe, some other things that um create character that they feel like exists in other neighborhoods and not their own.

Um so this is an example of that, and just having a lot of different housing typologies in the neighborhood.

So I know again the developer was here previously, had shared some of that communication.

I always like to share that there are some people who had some questions.

Thank you for going to those meetings in the past.

Um, and I feel you know that this is a good project using a lot of the different development tools and um happy to support it today.

Thank you.

And I'll point out obviously the what's probably pretty obvious, which is it's on a couple major corridors, which means um good access to public transportation, uh, which means uh as uh you know when you look at the affordability mix, it's not simply the cost of rent, it's uh what your cost of transportation is.

And so this is a good location for um globally affordable if you're looking at the basket of housing and transportation costs.

Um so yeah, I'm excited about this.

Um no other questions, then all in favor say aye.

Aye, all opposed, motion carries.

Thank you.

That brings us to our um Mr.

Tucker here.

Uh our next resolution, which is approving the neighborhood investment plan, funding awards uh and submission of the 2027 action plan, totaling nine million five hundred thousand and five hundred and forty-two thousand and some odd dollars.

Um, and uh can I have a motion?

So, support Mr.

Tucker.

Good morning, commissioners.

This uh this agenda item deals with your neighborhood investment plan.

Uh the 9.2 million dollars funds community projects throughout our city.

It also is the first year of our consolidated housing and community development plan, which is a five-year plan.

Furthermore, this uh this agenda item uh has slightly higher actual award amounts than what we brought you at the 331 agenda item.

That's typical.

We estimate what our award amounts are.

Um in the in our federal partners eventually give us the actual award amounts.

There's a small delta there, and we did apply the the difference, uh, the difference, the new money that we were able to receive.

In this case, they were all uh just a little bit more positive than expected.

We did apply those differences as expected in the contingency plan that we wrote to you in the March 31 memo.

Um furthermore, there was a public comment between 331 and 429 for 30 days, and uh this this uh this agenda item ultimately allows us to contract with our community partners on the um on the award amounts for each of those partners.

Okay, thank you.

Um so um for the public's benefit and perhaps also for some of ours.

Um this is we've got a five-year plan here, but this is a vote on the next year's allocation.

On the first year of that five year plan.

Okay, and so presumably things can shift year to year, correct?

Yes.

Uh the reason I bring that up is because every time uh there's a uh uh uh an amount of money for great work like this.

There are organizations that advocate and um inevitably not everybody gets as much funding as they want.

Um, and so I just want to point out that for next year we can have a we can re-examine the funding allocations.

Um again, this is a group of I think everyone up here supports everything that all these groups are doing.

Um, but there's a there are baskets for um working on you know housing renovation as well as uh new housing options and uh a complex bundle of goods here, but um and just for the public's uh information.

Some of uh we had a subcommittee of of this commission that worked on formulating the recommendations uh with you and uh came forward with these recommendations.

So thank you for the work.

Uh Commissioner Kilgar.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Tucker.

I am so happy that we have you on at the city back.

Um it's been great, a pleasure to work with you and um the community development department on this and with my fellow commissioners Belchak and Isasi on this, of course.

I uh like the mayor said, I think our colleagues support this really important work.

I'm wondering if you may speak to for a moment.

I see that housing repair services got an additional 26,000 commissioner.

26,000.

Uh we received um, that was about the most communications that I received of folks not being as um pleased with their allocation.

If you could just walk us through some of those constraints in that decision, I think that would be good for the public.

Yeah, yeah.

Um the 26,000 uh that you're referring to, I'm I'm not certain of the exact specific number that they received, uh, but that deals with our contingency provisions.

So in total, um our CDBG award was about $38,000 to the positive between what we estimated and what the what our federal partners actually awarded us.

Um our contingency plan said that if there were any increases in CDBG from that process, we would allocate uh all available funds to home repair services, um, which is exactly what happened.

So their award amount did increase uh slightly based on those contingency provisions.

Um to speak to the POT at large, um our funds this year, uh particularly for CDBG were a little bit lower, uh about 300,000 lower than what we uh than what we've had in the last several years.

Um, that's because of a whole lot of uh frankly pretty complicated uh math and in the background.

Uh part of it is the allocation from our federal uh from our federal partners, the other part of it is the amount of unprogrammed uh excuse me, uh program income and uh previous year dollars that were able to that were able to add to CDBG to supplement that annual allocation.

Um in total, that number was short, um, a few hundred thousand dollars from uh what we've experienced in the last uh five years or so.

So um that meant that we had a shrinking pie um and home repair services is still first in that shrinking pie.

If you uh if you look at all of our allocations for our community partners, uh with the exception of of funds to funds that are dedicated to new units, um new housing construction, home repair services is our largest grantee of all of our community partners.

Um unfortunately the pie that we had this year is a smaller pie, writ large, uh, which ultimately is what affected uh the home repair services um allocation, I believe.

Yes.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Shucker, again for your work in illuminating that.

I think it's very important for community partners that we really we sit and have as you now have been a part of uh in-depth meetings.

We care about all of the work that folks in community are doing, and we're working with what we've got.

So thank you again for your work in explaining that for the public.

Yeah, and and HRS, of course.

I mean, they there's a number of ways in which they're brilliant.

One is they're very, very good at um harnessing volunteer work.

Um I know handy friends of mine who have retired who now spend their days uh working on kitchen cabinets at HRS uh on a volunteer basis.

Um they're also very good at uh upcycling.

Uh I I've donated construction stuff myself when I have odd bits and pieces at the end of a project, they'll take insulation, they'll take uh all kinds of uh things and put them to good use.

So they're a great organization, um, and you know, really, really important to have them in the community.

Um so uh that's a long way of saying I wish there was more money that we could put into this into this work and just like I wish there was more money we could put into plowing our sidewalks, and I wish there was more money we could put into a lot of other things.

But um, you know, we're in the we're in the hard business of allocating funds uh across many needs.

So um thank you for your work on this and thank you uh my colleagues who who put the work into um coming up with these recommendations.

Wonderful.

Okay, seeing no further questions from the dias, I will ask for a vote.

All in favor say aye.

Aye, all opposed, motion carries.

Uh I would like to add one more uh motion uh request before we move into our briefings, and that is I have a request from our attorney that following the briefings we move into closed session uh for the purpose of discussing pending litigation.

Um can I have and Mr.

Clerk?

Commissioner Belchak.

Yes.

Commissioner Purdue?

Yes.

Commissioner Asassi, Commissioner Knight.

Yes.

Mr.

Kildore.

Yes.

Yes, and that will be in room 601.

Yes.

Great.

And that brings us up to um our ongoing effort to go through the budget.

So our this is our a continuation essentially of our budget review workshop, which we uh did many hours of work on last week, but we're moving on to our next sections.

And um looks to me like Ms.

Barons is the only one coming up to the microphone.

So I'll start us off, Mayor.

Yeah.

Alright, thank you, um Mayor and Commissioners for your continued work on this, and uh there will be other staff that that's coming up to the um podium.

Uh this is our third work session we've had since introducing the budget.

And today we're gonna do a couple things.

We're gonna cover uh economic prosperity and affordability, health environment and stormwater.

And then I will also at the end attempt to summarize uh some of the considerations that we have heard so far, or teed up so far, uh within the constraints of uh any potential amendments to the budget.

Uh we have about three hundred thousand dollars uh variants to get to balance.

So uh with everything that we've added.

Doesn't mean we have to spend it.

Uh but if there are things that you would like to uh see uh based on our discussions, we would have to consider that, or either uh reducing other items uh from the budget.

So today we have um a group of employees.

We'll start with economic prosperity and affordability, Ms.

Barns.

We'll we'll lead uh that along with other presenters, and then we'll pause for questions after this section, and then we'll go into health and environment and uh have questions uh after that section.

So with that, I'll turn it over to Ms.

Bear.

All right.

Uh all right.

So without further ado, we are here talking about the strategic plan objective uh regarding economic prosperity and affordability, uh, joined by Ms.

Sarah Rennero from our economic development department, who will be presenting on the boards and authority budgets uh after we go through the strategic plan slides.

And then the thank you.

All right, there we go.

Okay, uh, and then uh Mr.

Tim Kelly will be presenting on a number of the authority budgets as well.

So just a reminder of the strategic plan outcome areas that we are particularly focused on within this economic prosperity and affordability slide uh and been a number of initiatives and investments over these um pillars over time, probably becoming very familiar to people.

Uh so focusing on economic opportunity and ensuring that we are a community that provides uh opportunities for folks that are here and that also provides opportunities for for folks that may want to come here.

So attracting talent is something that we're always interested in.

So continuing a number a number of our investments in this regard.

Uh the with the smart zone operators contract, and just a reminder the smart zone uh provides opportunities for entrepreneurs uh focused in uh some geographic areas of the city and some economic sectors.

Uh we have the environmental site assessment grant program, so that's early seed money into redevelopment projects in the form of a grant uh that helps get through some preliminary feasibility and see if a project is really viable and understand the scope of the work necessary for that.

We continue our partnership with construction allies in action, as you are aware from a number of presentations that we have made over time.

We have been focused on the construction industry in particular as an area of opportunity both for small business and entrepreneurship and for stable uh well-paid jobs as well and careers.

Um, so this is an area that we continue to uh invest a lot of time and policy work uh to ensure that uh we have a healthy sector of that economy.

Um we are also continuing our investment in the retail uh focused support.

So uh continuing on in fiscal year 27 in a different format than we have in the past couple years.

So the city will be engaging directly for some business corridor support.

Uh we know for sure that we want to continue that and and talked uh very recently in the announcement of uh Ms.

Cindy Irving as our new city engineer talked about uh continuing our relationship with Mr.

Richard App, uh particularly focused on business corridor support during construction and during the design and sequencing of discuss of construction as well.

Um, but also uh sure that in fiscal year 27 we will see other ways that we can continue to support the retail sector.

Uh it is a sector of the economy that also that has faced a lot of disruption.

Uh and I don't think we've seen where the chips are gonna fall uh for that sector in particular yet.

Continuing on with economic opportunity, uh just oh sorry, I keep for I have so many different things to move forward.

Uh so continuing on with economic uh opportunity, we have a number of outcomes here related to our MLBE or micro local business enterprise programs.

So again, in that uh small business sector, we also want to focus on ourselves as a customer, so ourselves as purchasers of uh expertise, goods, services, uh, and a lot of good work here that we plan to continue in the next fiscal year to help support folks being able to do business with the city and other major purchasers, so other governmental entities, other uh institutional, other institutions in the community that share similar objectives, uh, and just want to highlight the good work that we will continue to do in this next fiscal year on that opportunity.

Uh, we always want to consider uh how it is to do business in the city and with the city, so business environment is another area where we will continue to invest as we have been over the last several years with a number of programs that are successful.

Do you want to highlight here that we are continuing the implementation of the policies that were outlined in the community master plan, which was adopted uh late uh last year?

Uh so that zoning code update we think will be uh impactful in many ways from a business environment perspective.

We are looking at a platform, a zoning code platform that will be much more user-friendly.

So hopefully reducing the complexity of understanding what can happen and potentially reducing the number of hours you might need a lawyer or some other kind of expert to help you navigate that code.

So looking forward to that.

Housing continues to be a critical piece of the pie for uh being a place where we can attract and retain talent.

Uh so we will we do invest and we will continue to invest in in a number of areas.

So one is first, how are we aware of what's happening in the housing field and how are we uh encouraging and streamlining the process to bring new housing units online?

Uh the second is to support that pipeline of uh the construction industry and the trades to help make sure that we can produce units at scale and at some consistent pace, and when we do our mid-year and year-end reporting, we have been seeing some good traction and meeting our housing unit uh targets over the last couple years, so we want to continue to grow that.

Uh, and then we directly invest in housing both through the community development department.

You just heard and approved those recommendations.

Uh, we also have our affordable housing fund board, which uh will very uh soon receive the share of proceeds from the sale of 201 market.

That will be an upcoming budget amendment for the uh commission.

Uh, and they will make recommendations on the investment of those directly into housing.

And uh as you received a presentation, I think last month, they'll also be doing some more due diligence around where can we find additional funds uh to pump into uh producing units and affordable units.

Uh so I won't belabor this slide.

You just heard that presentation and approved the investments uh through our community development department.

Uh so this is where we leverage a lot of uh other people's money to uh create those ever complicated capital stacks for building and retaining uh good housing in the city.

So the final piece of the puzzle in economic prosperity and affordability is really placemaking.

Uh, and so placemaking is important, and I think Grand Rapids has had a strong history of this particular understanding with our civic partners for a long time.

So it's not only about investing in places, so the capital investments to create public spaces where people want to gather, which are highlighted here on this slide, and we'll continue our effort to uh create those great public spaces through leveraging other funds that are available from the state and federal governments.

So you'll see the the North Monroe uh project that is invested in in this fiscal year 27 budget.

You see our continued investment in the Grand River itself, so that has been a key strategy for us in thinking about the river, thinking about what an asset it can be for the future of the city, and uh we have been for many years persistently changing the way the city relates to the Grand River, and we're continuing those investments.

And then you'll see some funds budgeted for the Griffs Ice House facility upgrades that would continue to support not only the community but the the professional sports team that's having it making a good run right now.

Uh so want to continue to create that sort of opportunity in our community and some looking at uh trying to catch uh the wind of pickleball, and we have a we host a great tournament here in the city already with the Beer City open that attracts uh players from around the country, and looking at how we can lean into that use again, both to continue to draw those kinds of economic activities and at the same time enhance the quality of life and offerings for folks that live here year-round.

Uh so with that, we'll dive in a little bit more to uh some of those restoration projects.

So the Grand River, of course, very exciting time.

We will be working in the river this year, which is something that's been a long time coming.

We'll be removing the four low head dams and restoring natural features that will uh which will be exciting to see happen.

We continue our partnership on even a bigger scale with respect to the upper reach portion of the Grand River.

So that requires us to work with the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, not to dive too deep, but currently the Sixth Street Dam, which is at the end of its useful life, operates as a barrier to an invasive species called C lamprey, up there on the screen.

And so as we plan ahead for the responsible stewardship of this resource, we need to think about what happens when the Sixth Street Dam is removed and replaced with a purpose-built facility that would control C Lamp Ray.

So that is the reason for the very close partnership with the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, whose charge it is to think about the health of the Great Lakes and to control C-Lamp Ray.

So there will be more to come on that.

But we are we just started the environmental impact process with a public meeting asking for the public to provide some impact input on the scope of that analysis.

And then special events.

So we build these great places, we invest the capital dollars in creating public spaces that are really an asset and can draw people in, and then we need to program that space.

That is a very important part of placemaking.

So you'll hear more from our partners at DGRI who do this very well.

But we have an office of special events that uh does this very well as well and actually really leans into helping the community do this.

So we we really appreciate our our partners at DGRI and other corridor improvement authority that bring that kind of dynamic opportunity to their business corridors and to their community parks.

We also really want to create that opportunity amongst smaller organizations, individual neighborhoods, individual uh cultural uh organizations that want to provide that sense of belonging and that sense of education and that sense of enjoying and appreciating each other's different cultures and different interests.

And so uh we offer a lot of training through our Office of Special Events to help people understand how to take off to put on a festival at scale, and we really benefit and appreciate the energies of our community in doing that.

And we have had a lot of great success, so just some stats there that we tend to dive deeper in in our mid-year and year-end performance, but uh something that certainly pays dividends again.

We are in the economic prosperity slide, so we tend to focus on the the more tangible dividends of uh people coming in and enjoying the offerings of our hospitality sector and and shops, but but there is that that fabric of uh Grand Rapids just being a great place to be where you can find something that you are interested in.

Um, you can convince your you know college-age children, speaking to my own, that Grand Rapids would be a great place to come and stay.

So uh that's part of what we want to have happen as well.

So now just digging into a few of our unique programs, uh, a quick overview of the third ward equity fund.

So uh if you remember this slide, the third ward equity fund has historically been sort of programmed across one of these four buckets or multiple of these four buckets.

And as you think as you move down this the scale, uh we really think about uh which sources of funds we have to make these investments, and the complexity and the program definition and monitoring gets a little bit more complicated as you move from left to right as we use general fund dollars.

We need to ensure that we are using those for public purposes.

Uh so that is just an orientation for everyone.

Uh on this slide, I want to reinforce uh that the current fiscal year budget in front of you, the manager's preliminary budget does recommend $1 million dollars in fiscal year 27 for continued investment in the third ward.

At the top bullets there, that's what we have we're softly recommending as the way we allocate those dollars for fiscal year 27.

So, there will probably be more information for the commission, but this Rx for Kids uh local match at $50,000.

That is going to be focused in the third ward and leverages a lot of funds to provide some stability in income for young families or families that are expecting children.

We anticipate continuing on our programming support in a number of areas in the third ward, including Grow 1000 and youth engagement programming.

Again, that kind of stability of programming funds year over year can help those programs grow and help us have a sustained impact on people in our community.

And then additional funds for pedestrian and other traffic safety improvements throughout the throughout the ward, those projects have not yet been identified.

So again, that's fiscal year 27.

And the table at the bottom of the screen, I just wanted to provide a summary of where we are at in the prior fiscal years.

So fiscal year 2025, we did uh invest across all four of those buckets.

So infrastructure investments.

There are two intersections where we are installing uh rapid flashing beacons, uh, and those will be constructed this year.

So it takes us a little while from designation of the funds through design and then getting into the capital uh pipeline, but those two projects will be constructed this year.

Uh, there was the the long-standing investment in the third ward cultural tour, and and there was an update about that last month.

Uh, the youth and family programming in the areas we've talked about, and then the revolving loan fund, which we will be updating the commission about in the next month or two, uh fiscal year 2026.

So, in fiscal year 2026, we're allocating that uh investment a little bit differently.

So, approximately 600,000 has been earmarked for traffic safety improvements along the Kalamazoo corridor.

There has been uh significant engagement by a community group on that and some preliminary work to identify sort of a package of improvements that would have some impact along the whole corridor, and uh the mobile GR department is now evaluating that and coming up with a prioritized list to be able to make this investment.

We will do an update at the economic development project team once we have that prioritized list and a good sense of of how far down the list we can get with the $600,000 uh improvement, and uh then we will bring budget amendments to the city commission to move the funds from the third ward equity fund into the capital fund, much like we did in fiscal year 25 as design uh moves along.

So, nothing changing about that earmark, and that is expected to come forward to the commission over time.

Uh we also have continued investment in youth and family programming again, grow 1000, focusing on allowing different employers and nonprofits within the third ward to be able to uh participate in that program and and pay the wages of uh folks of uh the youth that may be able to work in those particular areas, and then uh we've talked a couple months ago about this partnership with uh the Southtown CIA and other interested stakeholders in the southeast part of the city and uh partnering on a position that would be focused on accomplishing the shared objectives, economic development objectives in the southeast part of the city.

Uh and so we are holding a portion of third ward equity funds for for the first year of that position, uh hoping that partners would come forward and fund another two years of that position, and we can attract uh a relatively sophisticated economic development type who would spend their day making sure that uh where plans overlap and visions overlap, we are really able to get some transformational investments in the third ward.

So work underway on that as well.

And then just a little bit more on a couple horizon topics that we want to bring to your attention that will uh be an area of focus over the next year or so.

We do have a grant position that is currently funded and is in our Office of Equity and Engagement.

That grant is expiring in the middle of fiscal year 2027 and is consistent with commission policy.

We have not presumed that that will continue past the middle of fiscal year 2027.

That position is an ASO1, which supports uh our supplier diversity and river equity focused programming.

The Affordable Housing Fund Board will focus on that presentation that they provided to the commission on finding sustainable and scalable local revenue tools that can help us continue to amplify the number of units we're able to bring online into the city over time.

And then we have the Grand Rapids Public Museum Millage Renewal, Zoo and Museum Millage Renewal.

We touched on this briefly at the last presentation.

There is currently discussion at the Kent County subcommittee on how to renew that particular millage and the split between the zoo and the museum.

It seems to be moving off of the 50-50 split to something different than that.

And then finally, I want to delve a little bit deeper into emerging developer support.

So this has been an area of focus over the last several years.

So the authority over the last couple years had earmarked a portion of funds specifically to support emerging development.

And that is grant funding that was able to come in early into projects.

We awarded 3.1 million dollars total across 22 projects.

And 10 were in the first ward, eight in the third ward, and four in the second ward.

We have 11 applications that were not that we had the funds had all been awarded.

We still have 11 applicants that are interested in funding.

We are currently, and as described in more detail by Ms.

Ronero a couple months ago, evaluating the features of that program.

So we were able to make these 3.1 million dollars of investments in 22 projects.

How is that going?

What did those grants allow the projects to do?

Are they moving forward?

How quickly are they moving forward?

What other barriers exist in order to understand what might be sustainable about supporting emerging developers?

So that analysis is still underway.

In the meantime, we continue to support emerging developers.

Again, it's a critical component of ensuring that we're getting good quality infill development throughout the city, which meets a number of our goals.

So we're seeking solutions for those pending applications, looking for other sources of funds to provide grants to those projects.

We'll continue the technical support and advocacy work that we're doing on behalf of this particular sector.

It's again, checks many boxes for the city in terms of providing housing supply, providing uh wealth building opportunities, providing small business and entrepreneurial, that is a really tough word, opportunities.

And so we will continue to focus a lot of staff time and effort and policy advocacy work on this particular sector.

We will continue to work to connect those pending applicants and other applicants on TIF programs and housing TIFF where they're eligible for those or where it's the right time for those projects.

We're also continuing to explore other partners that may be able to come in with funds.

So we have uh talked a couple times now with the Affordable Housing Fund Board in particular on opportunities to support this work.

Again, it would meet many of their policy objectives.

So staff is currently looking at the applications we have and seeing where we can find some other ties to other pots of funds.

So just wanted to highlight that work will be ongoing for some time.

And with that, I'm going to turn it over to Ms.

Renero.

All right.

Good morning.

Kate has a lot more pictures than I do.

Just up front.

You have to change it.

There you go.

Okay.

Okay.

So I'm gonna be talking about the $34.5 million that the Economic development Office leads.

Uh so this comprises of our Brownfield redevelopment authority, our Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund, which is most of our real estate work.

Our economic development corporation, which accepts mainly fees for a lot of our the abatements that we see come through, as well as we do bonding through the EDC.

So if you can think of like the Beacon Hill project.

So what I wanted to do is just go through these briefly and highlight our focus areas.

So for the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, which again is comprises a lot of our work.

I mean $24.6 million between the authority and the revolving loan fund.

We expect a lot of things that we've invested in the last few years to actually be coming online.

So think of housing TIFF projects, think of transformational brownfield projects that will need ongoing administration and reimbursement.

And so just to give you context, we have 98 different approved redevelopment projects that we manage across the portfolio, and that includes some of the work that the DDA does.

We'll continue to implement our inclusion plan goals.

Just want to make a call for the environmental site assessment grants.

Those are funded at 100% right now.

So if there are projects that you come across that need uh phase one baseline environmental assessment, we are the pit, we are the place to come.

And then finally our housing development projects with the housing, the newer housing TIFF program.

The Economic Development Corporation, again, this is mostly mostly bonding, and then the fees that we have for our abatements.

The new thing that we are evaluating right now and anticipate coming back in front of the Economic Development Project Team is the revolving loan fund for the leftover.

I'm sorry, the fiscal year 25 Third World Equity Fund dollars that support small business.

Oh, I'm just not.

Thank you.

So many.

Okay, so this is continued collaboration with our operating partners, being MSU and Spartan Innovations and Start Garden.

We're going into our last year of that three-year agreement.

Providing equitable access and resources to high-tech founders with an overall goal of 30% of the companies utilizing services that are that represent underrepresented and underserved founders.com.

This is where we lift up a lot of the programming as well as the funders that we get to work with.

And we're trying to be really active on the storytelling there.

So hopefully you'll find something you can connect to.

And then finally, the business accelerator fund and the gateway fund.

Those are one's a partnership with the state, and then the other is a cohort model that is a 10-week program and offers resources to again high-tech high growth entrepreneurs.

The land bank.

We've got maintenance, legal fees, and uh website fees that mainly are administrative in nature and uh operating that small budget of 146,510.

Uh this next year we anticipate focusing in on the acquisition strategy uh to take the land bank to the next level.

And I look forward to building that out with the board and the team.

Across the CIA and bid, um we have a lot of different things happening across the CIA.

So I know that each of you are represented on those authorities, and um the the priorities really vary across each of the the districts.

Uh, we've got um gateway signage, we've got murals, we've got um public art, alleyway activation.

It really ranges and depends on the authorities' specific goals.

Um, but I I would like to just say that we've seen increased revenues across all of these.

Um, with the exception of um North Quarter.

North Quarter is just its level.

I think they're um on their their journey, but the rest of the CIAs have all grown 20 to 30 percent, uh which is really really helpful uh at putting these dollars back into each of the districts.

This one on the how about now?

Yeah, good.

All right.

Morning, everyone.

Uh thanks for having me.

Uh I'm gonna give you a quick overview of the uh downtown managed uh boards and authorities.

This is obviously uh exciting week for downtown with the amphitheater opening up in just a few days, so uh a lot of exciting things going on.

Um, quick reminder of the DGRI structure, because I know you don't all live in it every day.

Um DGRI is the 501c3 nonprofit um that is contracted to manage uh three public boards, those are the downtown improvement district, the downtown development authority, and the Monroe North Tax Increment Finance Authority.

Uh we also continue to incubate uh both the Grand River Network as well as Art Prize.

Uh our core uh focus areas for work include uh the things you see on the screen there.

So planning and design, public infrastructure investment, activation and engagement, as well as ongoing maintenance.

These are our uh geographically defined boundaries that we can work within.

Um so you see left to right, that's the DDA, the DID, and the TIFFA.

Um within those areas, we also have statutorily defined eligible activities that sort of guide the work that we do, and so each year um those boards and authorities within those confines uh put together a uh an annual budget that is presented to you.

Um you see this summary here, and I'll walk through a bit uh a bit more detail on on all of them.

Um for the DDA, um, and actually for all three of them, I'd say these uh these three budgets really represent continuation of existing priorities.

Um there's a lot of work uh underway in and around downtown, as I'm I'm sure you've all seen, and so really what these budgets represent is uh continuing and finishing the priorities that have been set in motion.

So for the DDA this year that includes finishing design on projects like the division um avenue realignment.

Um, Miss Rainero and Miss Barons I think referenced that.

That is the talent grant fund that's coming through, and we want to see that work put forward.

Um, also continuing to partner with the city on the Calder Plaza redesign, um, and then continuing to invest in streetscape infrastructure, growing and managing the urban tree canopy, uh, wayfinding wayfinding implementation, um, as well as uh public riverfront investments uh to support projects like the amphitheater, but also a number of other river corridor projects.

Um, am I one more?

I'm one behind.

There we go, sorry about that.

Um, some other priorities for the DDA include um investing in data reporting um and really understanding trends that are happening in downtown.

This helps to inform our monthly vitals report.

Um retail, the retail incubator program.

So we have um 12 new businesses and entrepreneurs going through a retail incubator program that we invest in uh at Studio Park with the Arts Marketplace.

Um we also continue to prioritize as Miss Barron's reference activation of downtown.

So having events and public space activations uh both for residents and uh employees in the year ahead.

We'll continue to uh invest in events like World of Winter, um, the upcoming return of the river, um, taking advantage of the World Cup that'll be happening.

We'll have a lot of programming over at our footsall courts at Les Conscious, um, and then also continuing to partner with um uh organizations like disability advocates on our accessibility initiatives.

Uh this is where I did want to highlight um the manager referenced previously the Meltrotter storage program.

We will have a presentation at the DDA in June to identify potential funding for the DDA.

We do think that's an important uh important work, and so we we do want to hear that out.

Um, and we'll be working closely with Ms.

Bohatch on the uh the uh investment amount.

Um jumping then to the Monroe North TIFA.

Um, as a reminder, this is a small um several block area in Monroe North between Colbrook and Sixth Street.

Uh 71% of the budget for this year goes toward completion of the Canal Street Canal Street Park.

Um, that is a really important project for that board and authority, and we're really excited to see it come to fruition.

Um in addition, they have placeholders for pedestrian uh safety and enhancement projects, um, looking at um some of the crossings up on Monroe Avenue to make sure that people moving back and forth between businesses and the riverfront can do so safely.

And then um you've got a crash course in the DID over the past three weeks, so I won't belabor this one, but do just want to thank you for your approval um previously.

Um again, the DID primarily funds the downtown ambassador program.

Uh about 75% of their funds go towards that.

So we do appreciate your support on that.

Um, and then uh two other initiatives I want to make sure I mention um the DGRI uh 501c3 received the 55 million dollar grant uh a few years ago, and we're working very closely with the city and the county on delivering these greenway projects.

These are projects up and down the river corridor throughout um the city and Kent County, um a number of which are gonna be getting under construction here in the next couple months.

So um you'll see a lot more riverfront activity, not to mention the in-channel work that's gonna be happening.

Um, and so we're really excited to see these these funds invested by the end of the calendar year.

Uh and then last but not least, uh we will be updating our downtown master plan.

That work is already underway.

Um you may recall GR forward was approved back in 2015.

That was a 10-year vision and master plan, and so we're uh beginning the work to update that um and look forward to engaging with all of you on future priorities for downtown.

Uh again, here's a summary of the um the authority budgets, and I think with that, we're done and happy to take any questions.

Mayor, before we uh go into questions, a couple of things I want to thank uh all of our presenters this morning and just as Ms.

Claren shared with this body the remaining ARPA funds that we have, uh $5 million, and how we are diligently going to ensure that that is uh spent by uh December 31st, 2026.

That same sensitivity um registers uh for the funds that we've been awarded as a grant recipient from DGRI.

I know there's been a lot of discussions around that given uh the weather and whether or not those projects will be able to be completed, but our staff is working very, very diligent to make sure that uh both sources of federal funding uh federal and state funding are able to be um utilized.

One other thing I wanted to point out uh while they were presenting, uh Miss Barron's covered uh the um issue related to the public museum and the millage renewal.

Glad to see uh Mr.

Dale Robinson who is here to uh answer any questions that you may have regarding uh the millage renewal.

No, there's been a lot of communication to this body uh from constituents and others, and so we it's we're very fortunate to have him today.

So with that, we'll pause for questions.

Thank you, manager.

Um any questions or comments, colleagues?

I guess probably everyone has some.

So I saw I'm as uh Commissioner Purdue first.

Yes, good morning.

Thank you so much for the presentation and all the hard work it took to get here.

Um so a few questions for today, and then I'll have some that I'll send be a follow-up because they're not as much of a priority for the full um for the discussion time.

Um so I'm on slide 10, um, just starting from the beginning, the emerging developer program.

Um, so can you talk a little bit more about where that is at?

No, that was paused, um, to look at budget and um what's next.

So, what is the timeline on getting that up and running?

Where are we at with the plans?

And um, I'm seeing it's listed on here as a priority for this next fiscal year.

Uh so just want to connect that more explicitly.

Slide 10, not 20.

If you were looking for a but it's fine, yeah.

Help.

Okay.

Um so the the high point here is that emerging developer grants.

Um I feel like we're gonna do these in some form on a going forward basis.

There it's just gonna it possibly look different, right?

So we've been evaluating since we closed the applications in December the investments to date.

So we had um 3.1 million across 22 different projects, two and a half million of that 3.1 came in last year.

So um the demand was um certainly there, the resources limited, and so we wanted to take a beat and and make sure that we're focused on the right things and getting the outcomes that we want.

Um, and so we're we're in that um evaluation now.

We're working to bring other partners to the table, both from money perspective as well as technical assistance, and um, as far as the pending applications, those were that was 11, and I'm approximating another two million um in potential resource there, and though they were contacted in January where we we indicated that we'd follow up after the fiscal year uh with next steps, and so we hope to have more in coming months.

But at the point at the moment, we're still evaluating uh the journey here.

And I'll just add to that.

So the affordable housing fund board would hear some um request.

Right now, the 11 applications need to be evaluated or are in the process of being reviewed to see if they fit within the policy of the board, so so affordability uh uh in some way, shape, or form will be necessary.

The affordability level changes depending on whether it's rental or ownership.

So we really have to look at those applications and see if any would will fit within that, and then uh we have shared the same presentation that that Ms.

Renero made with the uh EDPT with the affordable housing fund board.

So we expect to be able to provide uh a request to them for those applications that would qualify for for affordable housing fund board funds um later this year as well.

Okay, look forward to uh staying up to date on that.

Did you have something on the topic you wanted to add?

Commissioner.

Um, just wanted to add that perspective that was on my list of questions to Commissioner, and I'm I'm sure you all knew that that was gonna be a question we've had because we talked about it.

I think there's been so much interest.

Um I think there's two things that we should be thinking about for a little bit longer horizon.

Um, is one we're gonna have a governor's race, so there's gonna probably be some different pieces that will be happening at the MEDC.

You know, you and Tim talked about some of the projects, right?

Sometimes what we'd like doesn't always fit, but how do we understand what will be those priorities under who's ever administration?

I think is gonna be a priority.

So taking this time to evaluate, I think some of there have been some projects, right?

Ms.

Ms.

Renero, not a ton that haven't moved forward, but we're probably uh because of capital stacks, and we have seen in this last year, we heard from our treasurer today.

Um, just obviously a very much softening people sort of taking a little bit more time, understanding how these things are gonna work, and so the capital discussion, um, you know what can we provide, but is there gonna be all of the other capital to follow?

So I know that that has also been a conversation that we've had with some developers as well.

Um, and that has I would say definitely changed over this last year much more than probably when we started this conversation.

So I think this is a good, I don't it it, you know, I think there's just so much interest, and then when there's interest, people like, hey, what else do we do?

So there is an opportunity.

I think for our legislative body to also, I know we just had our um a legislative meeting, but also to get prepared for this next, you know, governor, whoever's in gonna be in seats about there's been so much interest and excitement about this, um, but I also know hearing from developers and kind of the CDFI space, just cost of construction.

We have um uh I won't say who, but there's been a business that I've worked with in the past and just been challenges with trying to get insurance up and running, and some of these other things that seem like oh, it's just a check mark, uh, but are certainly can delay that development process.

So I know that's also what that executive committee or that that subcommittee at Brownfield also wants to evaluate because certainly the money, but then all these other enabling factors are gonna have to play out appropriately.

So I just wanted to add that that perspective, Commissioner.

So yeah, thank you.

Yeah, uh, great point, and uh continuing with that, you know, even the role of our permitting um process.

You know, I talked to a project a few weeks ago that they were waiting, they were on week five of waiting for someone to come out and inspect, and so inspection not permitting, um, and so that that cost project delays to your point around cost and things like that.

So administratively there's some um implications there, but um really um think it's uh just kind of support the idea of a more comprehensive comprehensive strategy as we move forward and look forward to those updates.

Okay, so second question um is around um, I am on slide 20 to 22 looking at the improvement districts and authority budgets.

Um, so really, you know, for many years I've talked about you know, to be successful as a city, we have to focus throughout our city, and uh Grand Rapids is not just downtown.

Downtown is a very, very important part of creating a prosperous city, but we also have neighborhood business districts, as we talk through the CIAs and bids, and they need attention, time, resources, as well as staff capacity.

And so my question really is we we we walk through the budget uh for each of the authorities.

I really want to hear a little bit more about staff time allocation and how staff time allocation is split between economic development downtown versus economic development in our neighborhood corridor districts, and what proportion of staff capacity is being spent in each of these areas, let's say on our average year.

Do you need follow-up time to analyze that?

I maybe a bit, but I do want to just comment we've had um success this last year adding resources to support corridor improvement authorities.

So uh recently promoted Vera who leads the work there, which is great, and I'm excited about that, as well as replacing her position that both positions are fully dedicated to this work in the corridors.

Um so I think that a lot of the excitement that I had last year and the things that we wanted to do.

Um, we really built more of a the team up this last year in order to be able to follow through on some of those ideas.

And then we could look at the TIFF approved outside of downtown and ratio later.

Oh, I'm sorry, I think we could do some additional follow-up on the TIFF and the reimbursement work.

There's a lot of the projects that are outside of downtown that drive a lot of the administrative work, so we can follow up with more detail.

Okay, good, thank you.

And again, getting to staff capacity proportionally, where is it being spent?

Are our business districts and business corner corridors getting their fair share of our internal capacity?

Is really adjacent to the other programming, adjacent to the focus on downtown versus focus on our business corridors.

Not a judgment at this point, but really I think it's a good starting place to know.

And I anecdotally, I think that we need to spend a lot more time and resources.

Actually, you know, it is a judgment.

I think we need to spend a lot more time and capacity on our neighborhood corridors.

Um, but I think it's good uh for all of us to be at least starting from the same point of conversation of where are we right now and what does it look like to shift that over time.

Um so thank you for that.

Um, one more before um I um let go of the mic.

Well, two more.

Uh, one, I we can follow up this if needed, um, but this related to special events.

A few years ago, maybe three years ago, our first year in 2023, uh we had a conversation about fee structure related to special events.

There were ARPA dollars to help, particularly community groups, grassroots groups, plan events, um, waiving fees that went away with some ARPA dollars, and we had a discussion within Mayor Bliss about how do we bring how do we bring back some version of that program?

And as I've engaged with folks around the community, when I say, What do we need?

I do a lot of like undercover work, okay?

Like I go to places, don't tell folks who I am, ask how they feel about the city, what's needed, and and what I hear a lot and when I do my undercover work is art, activation, events, and for um, I think a community of artists that might not be as connected to the city and or face barriers in the special event fees.

I know we have the art and cultural committee work that's happening countywide, but wanting to hear more about how are we approaching fee structure and how do we ensure that these events um can stay accessible for everyone throughout our community.

Mind if I take this one, Miss Barr?

Okay.

Um this is one of those areas where it crosses over special events reports up through me, but it's part of economic prosperity and prosperity and affordability.

Um what you're referencing was actually uh cash sponsorship program for special events.

Um it's been 10 years now, I believe 2016 is when we adopted an amended fee schedule that has deeply discounted fees for community organizations and their events.

Um so that's still in place, uh recognizing that there's still prohibitive costs, particularly when you start talking about some of the costs that are related to public safety, street closures, things like that.

Um we're not bringing forward at this point any cash sponsorship program like we had in the past.

Uh, but we believe that that's really where the where the point of need is, particularly when you talk about neighborhood oriented events.

Uh some of that has been covered through the neighborhood match fund.

Um but neighborhood match fund isn't intended for ongoing support of those types of events and activities.

Great.

Sounds like another problem to solve for.

It's all right, yeah.

So I again just raising up, I think that that's really important.

I hear you, um, but I wonder how we can um put more attention there, and I think this goes right back to uh the point that I'm making in the sentiment of where are we spending our time and our capacity and um who and what are we prioritizing.

Uh last comment is related to the third war equity fund.

Um I know we'll have continued conversations around this, um, particularly as it makes its way back for specific approvals.

Um, but one thing that I really want to see, and I think we've talked as a group here on the day is off days is the importance of supporting our neighborhood associations.

And so through this budget, whether it's for the the from the equity fund or elsewhere, um, would like to see and think we need to pull support for our neighborhood associations.

We need to rebuild the infrastructure that existed decades ago.

Um that helps uh liaise the city hall, that helps connect folks with services, that helps be an advocate and an extension of the work that we do in terms of uh constituent relationships and community engagement.

Um we've also been talking uh for at least the last four years, um and even more recently around the community trauma, community level trauma that happens when bad things happen in our in our community, right?

And I think the last few months and even last week is it brings up some really great examples of that.

Um these are not individual, these acts and you know, when someone dies of gun violence, it's not just that the impact of that is not just isolated to that individual, obviously the entire community is impacted.

So we talked about um creating some sort of response plan almost almost akin to emergency response, right?

Um, that uh we might deploy for a flood.

Uh, but some sort of emergent emergency response when community level violence, community level trauma happens.

And so I think there might be an opportunity to leverage the funds from the Third War Equity Fund to pilot some of that, um, to get that off the ground.

And I think particularly right now with the timing and recent events and world events, that that is especially salient and needed.

Um so those are some of my initial gut reactions to the proposed investments for 2025 for the third war equity fund is certainly neighborhood associations, emergency response.

Um, and I think Commissioner Kilgore will will uh follow up with a few other parts of our conversation.

Thank you.

Uh Commissioner Knight.

Uh thank you.

Um, thank you for this presentation.

Um Commissioner Purdue uh hit on some of the things that were really important to me as well.

The arts is my sweet spot.

And so really making sure that we're thinking about how we're supporting those things.

And I I think it's just running through my head when we talk about the um the fees, like you know, you said some of the fees were reduced for um uh different things around security and applications, but it's still really exorbitant.

I mean, when it's nine hundred dollars just to rent a park to do an event, you know, all those dollars seem to add up, and then now I'm thinking about the um neighborhood match fund.

I think I mentioned this last time.

Um, you know, there were a lot of people that um were looking to do things and utilize those funds for events and activation uh in the community, but those funds have been diminished, and so now we're thinking about okay.

It's like telling somebody to go to the grocery store and I want you to get groceries, but you're not giving them any money to do it, right?

And so we want these things to happen in our community, but it's like where can we be a little more creative in helping some of those things happen?

Um, I was happy to see the money that is um helping to support the uh RX kids.

Um I know that um press release is gonna happen in uh in another month or so in our community, and I think that's really important that we continue to support that.

Um I was thinking about the uh money that was um allocated for the safety kind of infrastructure, sidewalks, flashing beacons, things like that for the third ward, and and it is needed.

Just wondering why that amount has to come from the third ward equity fund.

Just a question, um, because to your point, some of these other things that we want to happen in the third ward, you know, we want to be really specific about where that money is going and how it's supporting that infrastructure and that growth over in that area.

So, I mean, just it 600,000 just seems like a lot.

I'm not saying it's needed.

I don't know how much it costs to put in a flashing beacon.

So, we agree, Commissioner.

Okay, okay.

So I I know that's your ward, but you know, I saw it.

Um, and then also thinking about our C at CIA supports, um, again, even thinking about the amphitheater, um, and looking at different transportation options and thinking about the Dash and how we, you know, we had obviously had to make some changes uh financially in uh the routes and how it's service.

But I I think we need to take some time over this next year as we watch how things play out, um, and and rethinking um how we can utilize the dash.

Yes, this year, yeah, we need to minimize, we need to save money, we need to make sure that we're being responsible.

But thinking about how there can be some some cost sharing for businesses and go back to looking at expanding it back out and cost sharing with businesses, and maybe there's you know a discount uh for people that are going into these neighborhoods, but they can get something from the business, and and there's a cost, right, but not uh uh an exorbitant cost for people to utilize that dash so that there's money that to help support that, you know what I mean, going forward.

I I'm you know, I don't have it all flushed out.

I had a lot of ideas and and people um bringing comments to me about that um and how we support that because if if they expand into the neighborhoods, we don't want that cost to be then pushed off on the CIA's and that they're the ones responsible for just one thing, but how can we how can we bring money into the dash and utilize the neighborhood and support those businesses so that people will go into the neighborhoods, but there's money going back into supporting the expansion of the Dash, if if that made sense.

I said I said a whole lot of stuff, I know.

Um I was just right, really fast, and then definitely want to hear a little bit more about uh the zoo millage and the the possibility of the county decreasing that share um because I think with all the work that has gone into not the zoo, I'm sorry, the museum, um all the money that has gone into revitalizing and building that up and the things that are happening.

Um I would hate for that to be impacted.

Um, but but what is the what what other options do we have, right?

Um it doesn't make sense to build something bigger and then it end up not functioning because we don't have the money to support it.

For these questions that too much we get through the work session, not being able to spot it.

Let me just couple.

Okay, let me just touch on a couple.

So I'm interested to hear from Commissioner Kielgore, but relative to third ward equity fund, we can reallocate among the different areas and make those adjustments.

I want to be clear though.

Uh once the budget's adopted, where we land.

And so if there's a desire to see more of this um kind of violence prevention, healing.

I know we attempted after a couple of critical incidents to have uh some community service, social services, mental health through OPA.

But if there's a desire to do that more ongoing, we're already also talking about a mediation program potentially that we could fund from future violence prevention funding from the state that we have not stood up yet.

So I think we need to assess whether there's some synergy or prioritization of the two, but in the interim, um if there is a preference to particularly focus that on the third ward, uh perhaps we can do uh less in pedestrian and traffic safety improvements to uh move some of that funding for that effort.

Um I do want to um also just uh I know there's been a lot of conversation on the dash.

We talked about a little bit of that uh last week, and commissioner um I understand what you are saying about the potential to expand it, but if the corridor improvement authorities find it a value, we certainly would want to talk to them and see if they would be able to cost you.

I know that at one point the DID was it did or DDA?

Uh both the DDA and the TIFA were former.

Part of it.

Sorry.

So if the other authorities are are interested in similar program, happy to to have those conversations moving forward.

Thank you, Ms.

Kelly.

And um, I do think, Mayor, if if if I know other commissioners haven't commented yet, but uh Mr.

Um Dale Robinson, I'm not sure how long we have them this morning.

Would it would you permit him to address at least uh the commission on the update on what's happening with the millage?

Okay.

Yeah, I think that'd be uh appropriate.

I do uh want to point out I think your your point about the quarter improvement districts is well taken.

I mean, we just saw the numbers up there.

These are these are uh mechanisms now which are generating real revenue, uh significant revenue across the city, and if they are in fact intended to be supporting quarters and business quarters, and um uh public transportation options are useful for facilitating connections, that's an I think that's an entirely appropriate place for those to to discuss those funds.

Um, if after all we're trying to support businesses and we have a tax capture mechanism um for entities that are supposed to buy their charter support businesses, and that's something that um we can facilitate.

I think that's a conversation we're gonna have about how those funds are allocated.

Um I will also be as Mr.

Robertson Waits in the in the wings momentarily uh just point out for the public that uh we're we're in the middle of discussing a renewal of a millage, which uh I believe it was 10 years ago.

How long ago was the first millage?

10 years ago uh was allocated very simply uh 50-50 between the zoo and the museum.

This is a countywide millage, uh, and it's a little bit of an odd, it's neither fishing or foul in the sense that it's a millage that supports um two assets, and one of them is owned by the county and one of them is owned by the city.

So even though it's a county millage, um it's you know, it historically was seen as regional support for regional assets, um, but there's different ownership, and so we uh as a city uh are not gonna be able to approve the millage allocation.

That's just the way it is.

Um so that's going to be a decision by the county commission.

But historically that was a 50-50 split, and the city manager and I um have been in conversation with the county and have actually reached out to them and acknowledged some of the um pressures on the zoo, some of it being deferred maintenance and things that the uh frankly the good management at the museum means that they don't have those pressures.

Um but that there are some structural um financial pressures at the zoo and acknowledgement of those.

Uh we were open to uh a slight shift in the in the allocation, but obviously from using our city hat it's very important to us uh as a city that our um jewel on the river are uh you know maybe our uh finest public asset uh in downtown uh city-owned asset and the thing that clearly engages um our community uh across the board in in ways that don't involve uh concerts or anything like that, but that the uh museum continue to get um robust support.

So Mr.

Robinson, uh feel free to update us or say anything you want.

Thank you, Mayor City Manager, members of the commission.

I am Dale Robertson with the Grand Rapids Public Museum, and if I could just maybe to expound on that a little bit, Mayor, what you just said and bring us up to date with what just happened an hour ago.

Okay, so yes, in back in July, the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the John Ball Zoo sent a jointly signed letter making a formal request to Kent County to place on the ballot an identical renewal to what was passed in 2016.

So 50-50 split, 10 years, and in this case at the current headley rollback rate.

So it was truly a renewal.

The county formed a committee of the county commission, and then began going through a deliberative process to evaluate that.

Uh not as wide-ranging as what was done for the for the county.

As a result of that, they came up with three additional scenarios for funding for the millage to committee to consider.

So first was a 50-50, then there is scenario two, three, and four, and through processes of give and take and and meetings, the two scenarios that emerged with getting the most attention were scenario two, which is essentially covering net operating expenses as calculated through the plant moran study.

That would result in about 70-71 million total over 10 years, so 7 million a year.

Under the 50-50 scenario, it was expected of course to be higher 90 to 95.

This is each to each or organization.

Scenario 4 recognized uh net operating income, but also pulled out from the plant moran study that the plant moran study identified 8 million and expected asset management needs to uh to keep maintain cases of the facility and avoid getting into a deferred maintenance issue.

Scenario 4 though called for 4 million towards the 8 million that the plant moran studies.

So our counter proposal during this was we would support the museum scenario 4 with not just the 4 million and to cover asset management but the eight.

And that's what I spoke in favor of this morning at the millage committee meeting at Kent County.

The committee voted at the end of their meeting today to move to the full committee, the full commission scenario two.

And so it is the chair of the discretion of the chair of the county board once the recommendation comes to him of where to go.

It could go to standing committees, but he is gonna move it directly to the county commission for action on Thursday's meeting.

So that's um that's the extent of of where we are.

So if it goes on the ballot uh for Thursday, and then as uh supported by the voters, there will be a continuation of funding for the Grand Rapids Public Museum uh to the tune of about 70 71, maybe more if SEVs continue to rise over the next 10 years that is designed to cover our operating expenses and is roughly about what we're getting now the last year or two.

Thank you.

Uh City Minister.

So just to clarify, so the the funding level will be the same, but the split would be what ratio would the split effectively be then.

Yeah, so thank may I I um they did not do it based on the last so 10 years ago was a 50-50 split.

You know, the language said to be split equally.

They have not set it up that way, it's according to a formula.

Now our CFO Karen Wilburn is is here who may be able to explain more about the formula, but it is it all that is laid out in an MOU that will also be approved by the county commission on on Thursday.

So the exact ballot language I haven't seen, I don't know how exactly it will it will convey that.

Well maybe follow-up mayor, just practically it's less than 50 percent.

It'd be good for the public to know what percentage.

Correct.

I'm my sense is it's about 39, 40 percent probably of what the of what the expected revenues are.

So 39 so 3961 instead of it ranges.

Yeah, come to the mic, Karen.

Come over to the mic.

Public record.

Hi, I'm Karen Wilburns, CFO of the museum.

Uh the the range it varies every year, they did it based completely on projected NOI.

So it ranges from like 33% to 39%.

Okay.

So something like one third two-thirds, uh, rather than 50-50.

Okay, thank you.

Um Commissioner Purdue and then Commissioner Kogar.

Just a question on this, because I know part of the concern is that you know, when this was brought to voters, they they expected a 50-50 split renewal.

Um, so how how is this action possible where that could be taken away after after the election, after after residents vote on something like this?

Well, we haven't had the election yet.

City clerk sorry, yes.

Yeah, it's it's a question of what language gets put on the ballot.

So we're in the putting, so nothing's been voted on by the voters, and it was 10 years ago, but and you correct me if I'm speaking out of turn here or or inaccurately, but essentially we're talking about what ballot language will go up for the millage renewal, which uh, because when you said it was presented as just a standard renewal language, I assume we were past that.

When the county commission chose to engage Plant Moran, they also engaged uh attorneys.

Um and the attorney's opinion was that the current language is not specific uh specific to a defined split.

Um so the only language that's required in the renewal is the language that reflects the purpose of the millage and the amount of the millage, and not a specific split.

So that's where that conclusion came from is that those two things could be decoupled and it would still be a renewal.

Got it.

Thank you, Commissioner Cogar.

Yeah, thank you so much uh for the improv.

Too I didn't know we were getting uh a whole thank you so much uh to the museum.

I appreciate it.

I guess I'll touch on that first.

Um I've got some comments for our whole presentation here, but thank you to the folks from the museum for that.

And I'll say I don't know, I just think it's especially in modern times, it's deeply important to uh have history uplifted.

We have a whole museum school.

I'm actually speaking to the museum school students on uh this week Friday in the morning about courage and standing up and not being a bystander.

Uh so in that same vein, I think it's actually inappropriate.

I hope our um our colleagues at the county level um understand that both of these uh the museum and the zoo are deeply important, and uh would love to not today, because um I really have other parts of the the presentation I want to talk about, but um you know I'm I'm hopeful that they can communicate to the public why that maintenance was deferred and why now they want more money to like foot that maintenance, and I think to me it just sort of smells like old school smokestack chasing.

Like we've got this big fund project, the aquarium's great, that's awesome.

But I just want us to be a little bit cautious here of how we are going to use public dollars.

Uh so thanks again to the museum staff for that.

Uh now on to um I'm on slide 17 about the third word equity fund is a top issue.

Uh and thank all of our presenters for their work today.

Uh, but I really liked Ms.

Bearens the uh gradient, that was cool.

I think that'll be good for community.

Uh Commissioner Purdue uplifted a lot of our concerns.

We're gonna follow up offline about the split that we're proposing.

I really appreciate it for the public.

It's a soft recommendation.

Uh, the the way that this commission did last year is what we are hoping to do uh this year for fiscal year 27, where the third ward commissioners uh work with community arm in arm and uh present our uh key findings in community and where we see the most need is, and then our colleagues supported us, and we really appreciate that.

So if you could um Miss Bearens, for the public to have more clarity.

So we've had a lot of communications about uh groups of it's been hundreds of individuals in the third ward uh who are working on some street calming measures, uh specifically a four-way flashing stoplight at Calamazoon Adams and then a flash and crosswalk at Kalamazoo and Hancock or Calamazoo and Ewing.

So tentatively it's there, but if you could just explain that process in a short way here for community, um, because they were this a little bit they we've done all this organizing, we've had multiple meetings with staff, and they were a little like, where is it?

We don't see it directly.

So could you speak to that?

Sure, a little bit.

So uh as part of our and I'm um looking backward to see if Jessica's here.

I might so I'm gonna keep it at a high level so we don't go too far down the path, and then Jessica can clean up or we can follow up in writing.

But generally speaking, so we had a request through our traffic uh safety program to do an analysis at Kalamazoo.

We do some studies there, we figure out what's actually happening with the traffic, what's what are the improvements that are necessary, and sort of how where should those improvements uh happen in order to get the behavior to change on that corridor?

So that work has been done, that study had been done, uh the work shared.

Now we have a process internally to say, okay, of all of the traffic calming tools that could be layered in here, what are the right, what's the right um sequence of those or or package of those to apply within the $600,000 earmark to get the most bang for the buck in terms of the behavior change.

So that's the piece we're doing right now.

As soon as we have that prioritized list of projects.

So I don't want to commit to those specific to a rapid uh projects that you just talked about because I don't know where the staff is going to rank those in terms of these are the right improvements to make to get to the end result.

So I think we share the end result uh with the stakeholders.

The piece that's happened now is that traffic engineering science of these are the right improvements to make to get to the changed behavior.

Uh and so when we get that prioritized list, we will bring that uh to economic development project team, say this is what we would propose and intend to do.

If that gets endorsed, then we'll work with the CFO to do the right series of budget amendments that would come to the city commission that would move the money from the uh fiscal year 26 third ward equity fund into specific project budgets.

Gotcha.

So it's in there.

I hear what you're saying with prioritization, but if I recall correctly, when we met a few months back, this was in line with mobile GR's um prioritization.

I will defer to that uh and we can confirm that separate separately.

I just I'm not in the weeds of that.

Yeah, so I mean, we I think we met with um Miss Mendernero, yourself.

Um we've been working on this for quite some time, so that's why this is coming forward with hundreds of neighbors.

It's because this was in line with this would be a good priority.

So I'm hopeful and would like to see um this move forward um with those that specific designation.

Um I understand we have a process, but I really would like to see that um uh brought to the top.

So I think um my question is like so when do we have economic development project team coming up?

Um and could we um I understand our usual process, but I I remembered uh specifically that this was in line with our prioritization and would not harm um the other projects.

So just wondering how that can all fall into place um and make sure it's not lost through the current allocations that we have.

Sure.

I uh we'll go back to the team that's looking at those projects and and we'll come back to the next economic development project team, give you a status update.

Awesome.

Thank you so much.

Um and then plus one to what Commissioner Purdue said with the sort of emotional psychological um emergency response.

I think this would be a really good area uh to test that out, pilot it and try it, and then in addition, we continue to see a can uh really a need for neighborhood association support, more uh support in the third ward.

So plus one to both of those.

Thank you all again for all of uh your presentations today.

Thanks.

So Mayor, can I ask for clarification?

So the this commission would support using the third ward uh funds, just for the support of the neighborhood associations in the third ward.

I wanna that's that's the ask to allocate it.

Just for an amount, whatever the amount is just for those neighborhood associations in the third ward.

I'm sorry.

Both both third ward commissioners have asked to use the third ward equity fund to bolster neighborhood associations, and I'm getting clarification from the dais.

That is the preference as well for everyone to use that for us to use that fund just for the neighborhood associations in the third ward.

Sorry I'm sorry, you're saying that you you're you're saying you heard the commissioners say that they wanted to use the entire third ward equity fund.

No, not the a portion, a portion of the third ward equity fund to help neighborhood associations, and I'm getting clarification.

This is not going to be is it or not to be used across the entire city or just in the third ward.

Right.

Well, you're asking other colleagues who are not because you've heard the plus yeses for that.

I would say for me, again, I I go back to I was here when the third ward equity fund you know was started, and I think this is where we always think about it is equity, not you know it, you know, uh equality.

And so for me, I'm totally fine with that.

Um I know we've had um and I I appreciate also community development when we had our subcommittee that we had um just some opportunities of how we could support non-neighborhood associations, knowing that some of that infrastructure needed to be there.

So I would support that as a non-third ward commissioner.

I think that's the clarification you're looking for, um, city city manager, as you know, obviously this is all being baked in.

So I could absolutely support that.

Thank you.

So I'll say as someone who was on the commission when some of these neighborhood organizations were collapsing a couple decades ago, um, that I do think that there is been weakness in neighborhood organizations um in certain parts of the city, and some of those are in the third ward.

Um, so I do think I do think I'd be supportive of that.

That being said, I think it's worth pointing out uh and I want to get back to this, that um just naming uh that I think I frankly think that the concept of a first ward of a third ward equity fund is is could be done better.

Uh I think if what we're trying to get at is uh focusing on areas with poverty and and lack of equity, that um we have 11 census tracts that are relatively higher uh poverty census tracts, and the minority of those are in the third ward.

Um the majority are actually in the first ward.

Um and so I think that as I look at like the South Division uh quarter and the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association, which are not in the third ward uh and where there's real need, um, I think it would be better aligned with our values if we were to have a fund that we're focusing on uh census tract analysis and not simply by ward.

And frankly, that's partly because I don't think I think there are parts of the third ward that are not at not in need at all.

So I think we could have if we had something called I shouldn't say not a need at all.

Everyone, everyone has need everywhere.

Um but the there are I I wouldn't think that anyone would think that um for example um the areas east of Breton Street, for example, uh and south of Burton have the same kinds of needs as uh the areas more proximate to downtown, but I think that that's also true in first ward areas.

So I think there's a broader conversation to be had here about how to align and define the funds, and uh maybe this is not the time for that as we're in the middle of the budget, but I do so that's a long way of saying yes.

I would I would support um uh help for those neighborhood associations uh in the third ward with third ward equity fund, but I do think that this is something that um on if our values are to support areas of greatest need, we should be having a conversation about how we redefine that funding mechanism.

Uh Commissioner Belshack.

Uh just speaking to just speaking to this point, um, I will remind us too that the first ward actually has neighborhoods of focus all the way up 131 and through the Harrison Park district.

So there's several all the way up there.

Um but in terms of the third ward equity fund discussion, um, I think this is an example where our commissioners understand their neighborhoods and their wards the best, and it is one of those things where we are all representing our area and we all are doing, you know, understanding our community.

So this is one of those times where I believe deferring to the people who work and live and represent those neighborhoods is something that we are meant to be doing.

Um that's something that we do with colleagues.

So I'm in support of the discussion that's been brought forward by the third ward the third ward commissioners.

Okay.

So uh Commissioner Knight, the only the last non-third ward uh person of your heard.

Yes, and well, I was from third ward too.

Um but I just want to uh put forward the I I totally agree, and and these are conversations that they want to they are having in that in that community, and so um out of respect for that, definitely want to support that, but also want to lift up that um yeah, there are things that go on in every uh corner of the city, but that third ward equity fund was specifically designed to impact the urban core of this city that has been historically divested in, redlined, set apart, segregated, stripped from, taken away all of those things, and so that fund is specifically for that area.

There are other things that are that are happening across our city and and in different communities to help support and uplift the work in those areas, but I don't think we need to take away from what we know has happened in this community, uh um over a number of years, and to make sure that we are continuing to support and finding ways to invest in to beautify to uplift to create uh areas that are just as supported as some of the other spots in our city.

So I just want to make sure that we name that specifically.

Yeah, Commissioner Purdue.

And I'll just finally add um thank you all for that support.

Um I do agree that we do need a larger um almost anti-poverty strategy is really what you're talking about with neighborhood of focuses.

Um I do think that their war equity fund is very different from that, but I do agree, and I do think uh that we have a lot of opportunity in front of us to better leverage that fund uh to make bigger impact.

I think one of the first steps that we need after funding it is for it to really have dedicated support, right?

I think it's kind of been a side thing to manage, and I think it hasn't been able to live up to its potential because of that.

So I I'm certainly aligned with you on how do we add a little bit more capacity so that we it we can actually get the most get the most juice out of this.

Yeah, so thank you.

Yeah, and I and I agree completely.

I mean, again, having lived through the history of some of those neighborhood organizations, frankly, collapsing for a lack of uh for for a variety of reasons, but they really did collapse.

And so uh you know, we all know there's some neighborhood associations which are prospering and thriving and doing great.

Um, but you know, it's a little bit like if you've got a family and one of your family members needs a little more help than another family member, like you pay attention to that, right?

And and I think that aligns with our values.

And so the you know, we don't want we don't want to slow down the uh our successful children in our uh if you want to call our neighborhoods our children, but we want to make sure that all of our children get the support they need.

So um no, I I I think you've got unanimity there, uh city manager.

Okay, mayor, in the essence of time.

I'm sorry, Commissioner Us, you wanna I think I was just gonna ask, are we gonna though those of us that didn't get asked a question on this section?

Are we gonna have an opportunity to do that?

Yeah, I think we're still moving it asked, but thank you.

I uh you had a I what I heard you had was a response, not a question earlier when Commissioner Purdue was so my list I've gone through.

I've had I've had uh Commissioner Purdue, Commissioner Knight, and Commissioner Kilgore this far, so I'm not having forgotten about you.

But my our city manager is starting to notice that the sun's going down.

So I don't mean to um I don't want to curtail anyone's comments, but uh it is 1145 now.

So um so uh Commissioner uh Sassi, if you want to go next.

Let me um essence of time.

We should um delay the start of the economic development project team to at least one o'clock.

If we have to consider this angle of the closed session, so I'll ask the staff to let everyone know.

Good point.

Thank you.

Uh Commissioner Usasi.

Thank you.

I think um thank you all for the presentations and for the information that was shared today.

Um last week we talked about how we were gonna focus on the budget, and I think you inherently can't it always comes back to values, and so I think that's why there never feels like there's enough time to have these discussions because quite honestly, what I see here in front of me is well thought out, well executed plans that we have had for the last year, um, and so now it's just like reaffirming those again.

And we also need to think about what are the what do they call them the headwinds and the tailwinds and all those sorts of things, um, especially as we go into a new year.

That's why you brought up the pieces on the you know state of Michigan, because there's gonna be a whole nother, you know, sense of considerations.

We also know that change is really hard.

Um, you know, I'm excited to to see Lionel Richie on Friday, um, even though somebody made a joke about not wanting to see Lionel Richie, so whoever they were, shame on you.

But um, and so we we're preparing for this, we're excited for it.

This is like our super bowl, if you will, and it also just like we had this conversation with what the mayor said, you know, I I was getting frustrated because I feel like we've been having this conversation about the third ward equity fund.

We can do two things, we can do multiple things at once.

It's not don't do the third ward equity fund and then we're gonna do this other thing for the first ward.

And so I just do not want that conversation to continue.

Um, and I really appreciate the framing that you put on that, Commissioner.

So really everything that was presented today.

Sorry, Tim, I didn't have a lot of questions for you because I think we have been sort of even though again it's not just one authority, um, you know, we uh you know probably can see some of that more directly where sometimes some of these other projects we might not see what is all behind them and what's going down.

So the number one thing that I just you know wanted to say is I support what's what's in these efforts.

I do think we are trying to figure out how to balance people wanting to activate, but also you know, we do we're in a different financial position than we were in when we talked about ARPA and these sorts of things.

Um we I think have to continue to ask ourselves what is as you know uh sorry, Dale was gonna point to you, but you're not the one with the the 40 million dollar deficit in maintenance, but I think we have to think about our own entities, right?

So the park, what are the things that are not the park but parks?

What are the things that we have to do while we want to balance things being affordable to people and affordability means uh things in a lot of different ways.

So the number one takeaway that I have is I think we need um, you know, with our small business supports, this is gonna be a number one priority piece for me.

Um the reality is I I think um the question was, Commissioner, are we spending the same amount of time for these smaller groups?

And I think actually, and I don't know how we would figure this out, it we are probably spending more time with smaller businesses and in smaller districts.

It's just the virtue of it.

I think because of a larger firm has more people inside of it to be able to support it.

So I think about the loans that we write at Grow.

It takes us more time to do a $10,000 loan than it does to do a fifty thousand dollar loan.

So I think your line of thinking, I would support that, I want more supports for small businesses, and I think we are providing supports.

It is really challenging to have a small business right now.

It absolutely is.

And I think we probably haven't clarified that, but it's somewhat clarified that that would be for third world businesses as well, because that was that allocation.

So let me also say that.

So I think for us, we need to maybe not go so wide in the small business side, and we need to go a little bit deeper.

We need to have that T because access to capital is going to be a continuous challenge to these small businesses.

And if you think about it, the corridors are going to be a little bit different.

Like our North Quarter, because we might manufacturing or other large, you know, a large uh a large hotel.

These are main street retail restaurant businesses that are experiencing it.

And so I think what I'd like to see sort of continuing with these small business supports is what do we learn from this revolving fund.

I think this is a good opportunity for us to say what is helpful or not, and also try to understand because predatory lending in small business is not talked about, certainly not talked about in the commercial and you know the individual side either.

But I think we're gonna have to go a little bit deeper for some of the outcomes that we all want to see.

Um, I want to say thank you, the small business supports.

I know we have an economic development department, but let's not forget all the other folks that are you know in these other departments just last week.

We had a this was a really successful event.

I think Mr.

Hardy and Mr.

Hills like brought in almost 500 businesses to do business with the city of Grand Rapids.

That is amazing.

And I know that they're that you know they're already thinking about what that goal is gonna be for next year.

And so when we look at what cities can do for small businesses, it's gonna be programs and it's gonna be policy interventions.

A lot of the programs were already doing it.

You guys, you know, you, Tim, you guys have the retail incubation and those sorts of pieces.

We've had um, you know, some other pieces.

I mean, zoning is another big piece.

So I just wanted to remind us of this.

I think sometimes we're like, what's the next thing we can do?

And we're also doing a lot of the things that people are writing about other cities that they're instrumental in trying to build these small business corridors.

So I would just want to say it's not that we're not doing stuff.

I think it's just really, really hard to have a small business right now.

So I just wanted to focus on one issue today instead of a whole bunch of other ones, just because I think there are a lot of good investments that are happening.

I also want to just say thanks um the infrastructure pieces.

I know um our engineering department has worked really closely with our corridor improvement authorities uh regarding these um, you know, our islands, bioretention islands that people either love or they hate.

And so um just look continue to look at the infrastructure, like when is it the responsibility of the authority, and also when is the right time to wave the flag and say this is like a structural issue that we can work collectively together.

So I don't think it's ever one or the other, it's it's probably gonna have to be a uh be a bit of both.

So thank you.

Was there a question there or not?

No, but nobody else only answered questions.

So no, I'm just possible for me to share my thoughts.

So uh let's see uh Commissioner Bilchuk.

Well, I'll make mine very brief.

I just want to provide strong support for the things I've heard my other my colleagues already talk about, um, in particular the the emerging developer fund.

And I just want to note that according to my reading of this budget, there's no actual dollars allocated to the emergency emerging developer fund at this time because you're going through the review process.

I would just like to strongly encourage us to speed that up.

We need to get those funded.

Um, and I also want to provide uh my strong support for the concerns that are emerging constantly about the dash.

I think that this is an economic development opportunity that's being missed.

We need to find a way to make that viable and functional, and I will continue to say that there are, you know, many, many businesses that um will be missing out on the economic development of the amphitheater opening because the Dash has been shrunk.

I do believe that with a 1.6 million dollar budget change equivalent that we should have had the opportunity to talk about that, city manager, not just keep that in-house.

But those are my two main points, and I'm going to be looking forward to the updates on the affordable housing fund diligence on the bonding or the other options, and just again seconding that we need lots and lots of support for our CIAs.

So Commissioner Belchak, if I could uh I we did not highlight this actually, uh, but I do want you to be aware that we are working on shuttle ideas for some of the business corridors for particularly the venue event performance nights.

Uh so we have talked to the CIAs about creating an opportunity.

So if you remember when we talked about it was really a very parking forward conversation, so forgive me for that.

But we're talking about spreading the trips out geographically and time-wise, and one of the tools to spread the trips out geographically is we have engaged with the corridors about an opportunity to run shuttles on performance nights and invite people, you know, to do their pre-event meals and and gatherings somewhere else and then take a shuttle in.

So we'll be piloting that during this period.

Maybe a way to work with the rapid if some of that proves out to be actually worthwhile uh to work with the rapid to expand some kind of offering.

So I just want you to know that we are looking at that already.

If I could, I uh I will uh wanted to listen, but I appreciate Commissioner Sasi's comments about making sure we stay focused on the work that we are doing before scaling, um or starting uh before scaling to something else.

So I think that's a very wise um counsel there.

I would offer that to not just the staff but the entire commission and part of um the the conversation around the the dash we did discuss the financial constraints on the dash, starting with the adoption of the last budget and how the parking fund was strained, and part of that was the operation of the Dash.

We continued that discussion at our mid-year budget update about some of the things that we were looking at.

The mobile GR Commission has publicly discussed that.

That is a public discussion and recommended that change that we brought forward.

That was very publicly discussed in terms of my budget proposal.

If this body wishes to fully restore the funding, we'll make other decisions.

But this is your opportunity to to this is a public discussion of it.

So I want to um just make sure that um you're clear if we piloted a program in starting in May, and that's uh around the amphitheater kickoff season.

If we don't want to continue a longitudinal review of that over the next year, you want to see something sooner, we're happy to consider that.

We're also happy to uh consider additional staffing.

This budget was proposed with very lean uh staffing additions uh to the general fund.

There was none, but if we want to add staff to focus on corridor improvements, uh core corridors and authorities, we can we've talked before about having an allocation where the authorities contributed to some of that cost in addition to uh the city because there is pressure on the general fund.

What you heard from Mr.

Robertson is if this millage changes, I don't want to be dismissive, the variance of what would have been funded could be up in the area of 19 million dollars or so, which means if there's added cost to the museum, the risk is now on the city to fund that without county support.

So there are a lot of pressures on the general fund, and I want us to adhere to Commissioner Saucy's point about continuing to do the things we're doing now before starting something different, and if I could follow up on the Dash conversation just briefly, um City Manager, and I'll leave my comments at that, unless anyone else, and we can continue this conversation or move on to our next uh portion.

But um, I just want to point out that um I think uh following up on Commissioner uh Belcheck's sentiments, we have a stated and a planned uh pilot period for this dash shift, and uh I think it would be a great thing for this commission to have a presentation fairly soon on uh feedback we're getting from business communities, feedback we're getting from riders, um, how that's going.

Uh not as maybe our final report, but you know, as an initial uh and as an initial response to that, uh as well as explorations of um you know whether we could the dash is a loop, and so the question maybe is whether we can build something that looks more like a starfish uh and less like a loop if there are if there are points that we could run um connectivity to to downtown uh and maybe come up with another model.

I mean, the the advantage of piloting something and and looking at it is you can plan as best you can, but then you experience and so I think it will be important to have uh feedback on how how the new uh how the pilot is being experienced, how successful it is, where whether we think that there are ways that it can be improved or reimagined.

So I think it was explicitly uh intended to be uh a pilot or an experiment if you wanted to put it even more dramatically.

So anyway, thank you all for your presentations.

Uh colleagues not seeing anyone else who wants to make uh uh input.

I will move us on to our next portion of the budget, and that is our uh health and I want to say health and human services, but that's not our word.

Health and environment.

Thank you, commissioners.

So I'm I'm assuming we're gonna try to move through this fairly quickly.

We're good.

Okay, so health and environment, as we've mentioned previously, is the uh really the priority area where we have the largest investments simply because we're talking about the infrastructure that supports the community writ large in terms of water, wastewater, and things like that.

Um for the purposes of today's presentation, we've divided this up into some focus areas for us to talk about.

The first one uh we wanted to bring forward is what are we doing in terms of the climate action and adaptation plan priorities that you all had set forward.

So we've highlighted some items here.

You'll see um investments related to car share, investments related to uh our tree canopy, as well as food waste diversion, updating of the zoning ordinance, and then developing the systems to be able to track our own accountability to the CAP over time.

Related to that, we've highlighted some of our greenhouse gas reduction efforts.

Um we've talked previously about our efforts, in fact, made some initial investments in terms of expanding our capacity to generate renewable natural gas from the wastewater treatment facility.

Um, continuing to expand our low and no emission vehicle fleet.

Um we've talked about previously the Butterworth landfill.

We're continuing to make progress on being able to develop solar on that site.

Uh, and then we made some additional investments in this budget, hoping that we'd have that project done and begin the process of purchasing solar uh from the developer off of that site.

The last item here you'll see is uh renewable energy evaluations for other sites within the city that we own.

This is another way to build resilience for those particular facilities, but also to increase our own capacity to stand on our own when it's necessary.

Terms of environmental health, you'll see here where we highlight our investments in lead service line replacement.

Oh, sorry.

Uh in lead service line replacement, continued investment in terms of ensuring the safety and the quality of our drinking water and the treatment of our wastewater.

You'll see investments here in terms of the uh urban forestry program, continuing work that started uh really about three years ago through parks and the forestry department to ensure that the canopy's healthy.

Also in environmental health, we have sanitary sewer improvements here at Woodlawn Cemetery, as well as continued investment in green infrastructure that helps reduce flooding and slow down water as it moves through our neighborhoods.

The next highlight we have here is around community health.

You'll see here we've got two hundred thousand dollars for our expanded neighborhood cleanup program.

That's something we started a few years ago, as well as investments to continue the personal storage program in partnership with Mel Trotter.

Both focused on maintaining neighborhood safety, health, and sustainability, and then $500,000 for community behavioral health services through the community development department.

Now we move on to our investments in parks and trails.

You'll see here $5.7 million to increase that level of service that includes both infrastructure investments and personnel, continued funding for the operation of our outdoor pools, our free summer day camps, programming at the new MLK community center, capital investment in additional parks.

We've got $2.4 million in nine park improvement projects across all the wards.

82% of those are in our identified neighborhoods of focus.

Then $500,000 for capital investment in the cemetery system.

Here we called out our utilities specifically to talk about some of the things that we're going to be focused on in FY27 as well as some of the things that we're looking on further down the horizon.

So for materials management, that's uh refuse, recycling, and uh yard waste collection.

Uh we did launch a phased expansion.

Well, we launched our our residential organics collection program, and we're gonna start looking at how we can expand that in a phased manner within our neighborhoods.

We're in the process of developing a business plan specifically for the processing and the marketing of our compost as that program grows.

Exploration of biochar production.

So that's a way of creating productive reuse from the yard waste and the tree waste that we collect at the DOMTAR facility, and then continuing to invest in additional marketing for our residential services.

That's something that we talked about after the conversation we had last year in regards to uh single hauler collection.

Looking on the horizon, there's ongoing discussions that we're having with Kent County and other partners, including uh vicinity on broader waste diversion and circularity goals.

We talked about biochar production, but also organics uh processing, potential opportunities for residuals treatment, and uh long-term visioning for the campus that we envision in between waste energy extending all the way to the wastewater reclamation facility.

So, looking at wastewater, some of the things that we're gonna be looking forward to uh in FY27 is reuse opportunities for our effluent that's produced.

Currently, that just goes directly back into the watershed for the Grand River, and we're gonna look at some ways that we might be able to make productive reuse of that in the community.

Uh expansion of biogas production, establishing a long-term agreement for the processing of uh municipal sludge from the city of Wyoming.

That's one thing that's contributing to the increased production in RNG, and completion of a site master plan for the WERF site that may include additional services, including water, including um stormwater and some other activities.

I want to highlight here that uh operational staffing, there is a request in the budget for utility aids and maintenance positions at the WORF that are going to help us continue to maintain, particularly with the additional production on the biogas side, but it also provides us opportunities to grow our own into our operator positions where we need them.

Looking out on the horizon, uh similarly, there are some potential uh opportunities for partnership with waste to energy.

Potential partnership opportunities with waste to energy, talking about the use of our effluent.

We're talking about opportunities maybe to return that effluent over to waste to energy in order to assist with the cooling and take that draw out of the river.

Also to look at disposal and treatment of our sludge and our residuals, which may have the potential for us to address two things, which is the cost of uh disposing of those residuals as it is, but also uh potential regulations around PFOS treatment.

And then looking at waste to energy as a potential power provider, going back to wastewater treatment plant, which would allow us to minimize or eliminate the utilization of the gas generators that are currently powering the facility.

Looking on the water side, uh we're going to be continuing our attention towards removal led service lines across all three wards.

Um we're going to be supporting system expansion into areas where PFOS is contaminating private wells.

Uh that's a very present issue in the Cascade area right now that we're working through.

Continuing the work, and I think there was an item that came to fiscal this morning in terms of our SCADA system.

Um, you know, that is the that is the brains and controls of all of our systems when we talk about both water wastewater, also our traffic signals systems, so mobility is involved with this as well.

Um being or continuing to be a strategic partner with Vital Streets in terms of how we can align our work with their work in a way that most efficiently addresses aging infrastructure where we can.

Similar to wastewater, uh we're looking at additional utility aid positions to be able to maintain our facilities, but also again to be able to grow our own in areas where we know that we've got difficulty just going out into the workforce and finding people to fill those positions.

If we look at our horizon issues, asset management is always a priority when we're talking about the water system.

Um that includes uh some investments that we know that we're gonna need to make at our major facilities, the the filtration plant at Lake Michigan, our pump stations, and our reservoirs.

And then the last one here is uh not just not just restoring of the capacity of the mains, but also we've been pulled into a number of conversations from the economic development side on what is our capacity uh to be able to support um additional industrial um in some cases technological investment in the region that might need water to supply.

Um we feel like the most responsible thing for us to do is to ensure that our system is operating as efficiently as possible before we start talking about expanding our system uh potentially to be able to draw in additional water.

And here, I'm gonna call a little pivot.

I I I'd like to defer to Wayne on this.

Um Mr.

Jermberg, our utilities director uh can probably speak a little bit more in detail when it comes to where we are with the lead service line replacement.

Yeah, so uh on this particular slide.

You can hear me okay?

Okay.

Um, there is uh one of the one of the things that we did a few years back was the participatory budget process for what we called home uh in-home led awareness kits.

Uh we started that uh about a year and a half or so ago, I think is when we started that.

We're at 1300 kits.

That was specifically geared towards the third ward.

Uh we brought in Healthy Homes Coalition, and they've been an excellent partner uh with us in getting information out.

Sometimes it can be a very laborious situation or process uh uh, you know, trying to get people's awareness and attention to the topic.

Um, so 1300 kits so far.

Um, I couldn't tell you right now how many lead service lines there are uh in the third ward alone, uh, off the top of my head.

But 1300 is probably gonna be in the neighborhood of probably about 25 to 30 percent of those.

So each one of those kits will have a picture filter in there that has geared towards uh essentially three to six months per filter that would remove the lead.

So we are getting those out in advance of all projects that are happening in the third ward uh to the point that we're starting to get requests from the first and second ward projects.

Can we do the same thing?

So in our budget request this year, uh we have requested funding to continue that process beyond the PB funds that were granted uh to water, which all I think all came from ARPA, if I'm not mistaken, and then um we've also requested in out years to continue that partnership with Healthy Homes to keep putting these filter kits together to get those out in advance of the projects.

So that's been a great partnership.

In terms of the lead service lines remaining, the number that you see up there is from the beginning is from January, so just under 17,000 lead service lines.

Um our lead and copper levels uh copper is pretty is non-reportable essentially.

It's a zero.

Um, and then the lead level at seven parts is well below the action level that the state has currently at 12 parts.

Um we're still waiting on federal uh changes to be adopted by the state, which would further reduce it down to 10 parts, but we're not really even in that ballpark either.

So we're in a good spot.

Investments, as you can see here, investments continue to be made.

I will note that the calendar year 25 or fiscal year 26 amount of five million.

That is a direct result of the state not appropriating as much money as they had in the past to us, but we continue to use that.

I will note that we still show in FY27 the 2 million for operational, which is private side led service line replacements.

We continue to fund that uh and then the nine million that we project or are asking for in FY27.

If we don't get the DWRF funding that we have put in through the project plans uh that we that um uh were noted today earlier in the commission that we will be looking at uh senior level municipal bonds to be able to fully fund those replacements.

Okay, I'm gonna call Mr.

Tabor up here to talk about stormwater oversight and then we'll take questions at the end if that's okay.

One short here, we'll adjust slide down.

Yes, dude.

Okay.

We're good.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh good afternoon, Commission.

I am Dan Tabor, the stormwater manager.

And with us today is Jack Barr, uh, the Stormwater Oversight Commission chair.

I do want to highlight uh Mr.

Barr has been with the stormwater oversight commission since the beginning.

So he's tenured member.

Uh he's uh principal of a local engineering firm, Nader Velvet and Associates, uh dealing with uh commercial and residential engineering and development.

So he's valued member of our board, and our little saying here is uh slow it down, spread it out and soak it in for for stormwater here.

All right, and just uh to highlight uh we have a nine member uh commission here for the Stormwater Oversight Commission.

Uh Mr.

Barr is the chair and assorted members uh representing business community, uh different wards, and really trying to get a a cross section of our compute uh of our community that deals with stormwater.

Yeah, uh it was highlighted earlier that it's national uh public works weeks, but I'll I'll mention it's also bike to work week.

So I'm dressed like this because I rode my bike to work today and I rode my bike from work to here, and it was raining.

So this is what you get for me today.

It's bike week um yeah so the staff worked very hard this year uh on the Eagle audit of our MS4 permit that was successful uh in satisfying Eagle that included um review of city records site visits um touring city facilities um basically eagle needs to ensure that we're complying um with the MS4 permit and uh what the stormwater oversight commission is uh is intended for uh in addition staff worked on uh uh stormwater pollution prevention plan for the um uh 1500 scribner public works building i don't know if you want to mention anything else about that or yeah that that's an ongoing partnership with our our friends at public services basically the the municipal separate storm store permit the permit we have with eagle that we're required to have to run a storm source system they want a uh a stormwater plan for our high priority facilities and and scribner being a public works facility with fueling and salt and all that type of deal uh so we're in an ongoing process developing that plan and with support of Mr.

Gorney and his staff so that was started Friday so it's ongoing slide four is you and just uh to highlight of our FY26 and FY27 budgetary items uh we stormwater is a general fund item so basically a continuation type budget uh with similar requests and amended asks uh from FY26 and FY27 I would say no real or different surprises here um continuation budget and it's uh continuing our our uh level of service goals and this was a budget that was brought to the stormwater oversight commission in February and did receive their their recommendation for for support there to and that was all handled through uh city processes for budget deliverables so and really continuing uh current programs uh supporting rainscaping and green infrastructure uh monies for drain and emergency repairs uh really so uh continuing what we're doing slide here we go uh so next couple slides are just uh explaining our uh the things that we're focused on so we're we're looking at um level of service C which is what we've always been focused on in Stormwater Oversight Commission um every uh meeting we have city staff presents to us uh what they've done as far as visual inspection video inspection and then maintenance so this first slide is uh the visual part of that that can be with your eyes or with uh video inspection of pipes on the left is the asset that they do this on uh whether it's uh main mainline pipe televising catch basins culverts and ditches and on the far right is the uh top is the goal uh the second line down is the actual so we're meeting our level C levels of service with the exception being culverts we're a little shy on the the culverts for meeting the level of service uh the next slide is the actual preventative maintenance items that come about after that visual inspection um at the bottom is the catch basin and manhole repairs which a lot of times uh after that visual inspection or during a city project will identify specific catch basins or manholes that that need repair um and there's there's not really a goal uh associated with that with uh stormwater oversight commission um level service c but we do keep track of that um we can see that we're meeting all of our goals for level service C as far as preventative maintenance activities next slide and yeah and so we have three or four high level goals for for uh our stormwater oversight commission but that's really like tells uh a a small story of what our uh collection system asset technicians are CSATs really the the backbone of a lot of our maintenance work.

So it's nice to see those guys out here today for the the the public works, but there's uh just a a uh a small snippet of you know the re the repairing mains, they're fixing laterals, they're fixing catch basins, and uh, you know, these are the men and women that are out there at you know 11 at night when we get heavy rain events, or there's a uh sewer rain break or things like that.

So uh just wanted uh to give a sense of a few of the other activities that are that our staff uh is undergoing throughout the year.

The next three slides uh have to do with the public um education and engagement that uh stormwater oversight commission largely through staff participate in.

Uh you'll see billboards during December through February as far as the SALT campaign to reduce the amount of salt usage.

Um so we have data on that left-hand side of kind of the um the clicks and the reaches that we that we have there.

Um next slide.

Uh and as far as social media on Instagram and Facebook, uh, we have posts about our adopted drain program, keep keeping catch basins clean program, and also the statistics there on the impressions, reaches, interactions, and shares associated with those social media.

Yeah, and just uh a side note, we uh as fun and creative as us engineers are, we uh use a local firm well designed to help uh with our social media content the last uh year and a half or so, and we we've had really good responses and people are are sharing outside of our region on uh some of our some of our engineers are are the the actors at play, so it's it's been a pretty successful campaign, and we've been we draw them in on like the funner, adopt a drain and programs like that, but then by having more followers, like when we're expecting heavy rains or heavy weathers, we can almost use it as a uh preventative maintenance or emergency response type deal, like clean your catch basins.

We have large storms coming, so we've we've tried to utilize those connections in a in a uh proactive way.

And then the last slide on public education engagement is our uh waterpalooza events, community engagement there, and then the home show where staff attends and tries to educate people on where our water goes, where it comes from.

Yeah, and again, we've had great success with this.

Uh trying to reach the younger kids on various items.

Uh we found good luck with you know getting to elementary and middle school kids, then they can teach their parents and help their parents.

And those two kids in the photo just oh I got oh those just happen to be my kids, so they're forced to come to work with that.

Uh and then as we uh start getting back to I guess some of the the budget items.

Uh capital budget, we we try to plan for a five-year capital cycle.

Uh so really FY26 through FI 31.

We're we're in the 1.4 million dollar range, depending on various needs or project requests, but that's that's where we're we're landing at.

Um, and the budget is comprised of you know, end of life service replacement projects like fixing pump stations and you know, necessary work, but then also supporting projects throughout the city that are more towards uh you know advancing the strategic plan and programs that we value here at the city.

Uh just a few a few of the capital projects from every year, just uh to highlight that.

Uh we've had great success with catch basin lining programs.

So by lining the catch basins, uh we're seeing great returns on not having to fix roads.

So because when catch basins fail, then it starts to eat away the pavement and you get bigger potholes.

So uh really supporting that work.

And then again, uh setting out a separate line item for uh major and local streets uh for VSOC capital support.

So we get into road projects or find something unexpected, we have uh opportunity to to make it right, fix it the right way, and then not have to come back.

Uh really adhering to that dig one philosophy, and then other types of projects throughout uh the various fiscal years include, you know, plaster creek stabilization projects, pump station improvements, um, daylighting, so really uh the bread and butter of I would say uh stormwater and green infrastructure type work.

So both maintenance type work and you know visionary work.

Um with that said, we we work closely with Vital Streets.

Uh I'm on the Vital Streets Commission.

We have a member from them on the Stormwater Oversight Commission, so really uh trying to do that work in tandem.

Uh recently, Vital Streets uh uh completed a green infrastructure report reviewing existing green infrastructure in the city and provided us uh valuable recommendations on construction and maintenance practice.

Uh we've been doing uh green infrastructure, you know, with Vital Streets Heavy for the its inception.

So it was a good opportunity to look at what's working, what's not, what changes can be made, and what's more useful.

So that was that has been a helpful report, and then also uh additional funding from Vital Streets for maintenance and operations of the green infrastructure.

Uh everyone likes to build it.

The hard part is taking care of it.

So getting more attention and resources towards that.

Um, and as part of our metrics with Vital Streets, we have uh two main goals we look at.

A how much water we infiltrate, so we've surpassed that goal.

The initial goal was a hundred million gallons uh based on participation rates, and we're estimating 241 million.

So we're able to infiltrate a lot of water, so that's been good.

Uh a goal we're trying to address more with green infrastructure and neighborhoods and additional projects is area treated.

So we had a initial green infrastructure goal of treating 921 acres in the city.

Uh currently we're treating 441.

So we need we get a lot of water, but we just need to capture more areas.

So, as part of the capital initiatives, have some larger scale regional uh detention systems similar to ones we've completed at Mary Waters Park and Joel Joe Taylor Park, but trying to look for the next one, and then uh also including leaching basins with all of our vital streets work and and finding additional areas for that green infrastructure.

Um as part of that, uh trying to get state, federal, local money.

Uh earlier today was uh went to commission for an acceptance of a flood mitigation grant uh from FEMA.

So that's exciting work that's focused along Indian Mill Creek up in the first ward there, basically from the Grand River up to the city limits up near uh Walker Avenue in the northwest side of town.

Uh, this is a very flashy creek, so looking at opportunities for flood mitigation, uh potential prevention, uh, additional uh protection of our fire trading center and that large scale uh consumers energy substation in the area.

But as also part of this work, we have uh public engagement, reaching out to neighborhoods, reaching out to uh citizens uh to get their impression and feelings on how flooding or potential flooding can affect their life.

So both an engineering component and uh a human component as well.

And then again, still going after those uh stormwater coupons, really always actively trying to pursue uh grants with Eagle, both for planning level items like developing plans for certain watersheds, but then also uh seeking actual monies for project implementation.

Um I guess reducing our ask, or instead of having Eagle put in more money, we're we're trying to change the ratio two to one just to try to win those grants.

Um they've been very competitive lately, especially money from uh the state being reduced in kind of these avenues.

So uh really still going after those.

And then this spring was really really wet.

So I just wanted to highlight and acknowledge that.

I know on March 10th we had a rain event.

Um, one participation measure I saw.

Uh in East Town, there was roughly 2.19 inches of rain in a 30 minute span.

That's a hundred-year event.

That's basically four times of greater than what we design and build for.

So that's that's why there was challenges.

Um, March and April.

Uh March, we had 38 311s related to yard drainage and and issues like that.

April, we had 41.

On a monthly average, we get 10.

So it's been uh uh still still working through those, uh customer service first.

A lot of my staff time has been, you know, helping with homeowners and businesses with technical advice of sump pumps and drainage issues, really reaching out to community on things that they not be they're not experts in it sometimes.

Um it's led to two significant repair projects working through engineering with on right now that's requiring engineering design and permit level support.

So there is there's tangible effects from from those events, and then again in April, it didn't stop raining, it felt like uh second wettest April ever, only to 2013.

And as you know, in 2013 was when we had the highest crest of the Grand River.

Uh this time we hit crested twice, right at 18 feet and change um minor flood stage.

That led to a lot of additional staff work of uh supporting engineering, uh, walking the flood walls, making sure those were inspected and safe, but then with all the development and construction along the river, uh my staff had additional inspections ensuring those construction sites uh like the amphitheater and and the trail systems and canal park were appropriately buttoned up and conditioned for the the heavier weather.

And we're continuing to invest and support engineering the flood wall system, uh, free board and harassment and resiliency projects with uh was uh Annabelle, the sustainability department, and uh the fun fun one of this month was uh we had a cascade engineering out at the plant uh last week demonstrating a new flood wall barrier uh that we we've been able to demonstrate and try out so a mobile flood wall protection unit uh while supporting local business.

So that was uh that was a fun win for the month.

So and then on that note from you know stormwater horizon topics uh adjusting to fund on funding sources uh including city fund adjustments and really more so the less funding and grant funding available at the state and federal level is really on our radar.

Uh reviewing the potential of a stormwater utility fee.

Uh stormwater utility fee uh not only would dedicate monies for stormwater and and relieve that from general fund pressures, but there's certain uh state grant opportunities through clean water by having a dedicated funding source.

There's there's different grants and funding opportunities available to you that you wouldn't be available without it.

So that's a driver there.

And then with Jack's help in the board, uh evaluating that level of service C.

We've had that for for the 14 years of of the Vital Streets and Stormwater Oversight Commission, uh, seeing if that's still appropriate and where we're at relatively to those goals.

So and I do want to add uh one more horizon item here.

It's not related to the budget, um, but it's it's worth you all being aware of.

Um over the last couple of months, the drain commissioner has reached out to us um interested in transferring some drain commission assets over to the city.

Um we're reviewing exactly what that looks like.

It does seem like uh a disproportionate number of the assets that we're talking about are assets that are underneath uh structures.

Um that's an ongoing discussion.

There's no budget conversation to be had this year, but I think it's uh you worth you all being aware that we're having those conversations with the drain commissioner, um, as well as pulling the historical documents, getting the attorney's office involved uh to talk about that issue.

Do we have any questions?

Colleagues, Belchuk.

Thank you.

Thank you, everyone for this uh really in-depth presentation, and it's necessary.

This is um an important but hidden part of our infrastructure.

So I just want to start at the top by reminding us that we are in mental health awareness month, and so we've already had a few comments talking about that, um, but with like you know, how do we respond to critical incidents, uh gun violence, neighborhood health and safety, and I just wanted to highlight that because that we're somewhere in here it said something.

There it is.

Uh $500,000 for community behavioral health.

Um, I'm imagining those are our downtown services and things, but one question I would have is like, how are we uh using that money or addressing it to, you know, address these critical incidents.

We've had the the neighborhood shooting in Roosevelt Park, and people are really um struggling there with that with feeling safe.

So I wanted to throw that out there as a question, and while they get organized, um I also wanted to uh mention that let me get thank you for highlighting the waste to energy triad that is and going into that a little bit more.

That'll be an ongoing discussion.

And I am looking for my questions, hold on a second.

Um, while you do that, Commissioner, I think that 500,000 is our contract with network 180.

Is that part of the call response?

This bohats is coming.

That's um a combination of different services in your opioid settlement funds that are being provided through the neighborhood investment plan.

So you have ex um sorry funds there that have been allocated that you approve today.

Okay, so just just uh percolating, I guess, as we think forward into other years or as we continue to talk about these other gun violence and how do we address neighborhood safety, community safety.

How do we talk about it in terms of our essential needs as to including our mental health?

Um, so when it comes to our stormwater, um a question that I have coming up is uh how are your forecasting how is your forecasting construction costs and is it related to inflation affecting any of these?

You've kind of got 1.5 million every year, but we are seeing construction and labor costs going up.

And similarly, how are you prime prioritizing the areas you're expanding for geo, you know, for geographical acres of stormwater treatment?

So the the forecasts uh of the 1.4 million, I mean, that's just forecasting and projects and working through city processes.

Uh as inflation goes up, that 1.4 million will will be less work.

I mean, that's that's a reality of that.

So that's I guess that's uh discussion for.

So you're saying these are this is your current budget budget forecast that you're gonna be asking for, and then if there's adjustments, we would need to discuss that in future years.

Okay.

And then in terms of uh prioritization, uh that a lot of the the grant work uh with FEMA and with state uh really focusing on neighborhoods of focus, honestly.

A lot of the the grant elements uh uh prioritize though that work.

So I'm in agreement on that work, so focusing on those elements of seeking the grant work, and then in terms of actual maintenance and infrastructure projects, that's where our uh our master plan and asset management management plan of of assets really I would say let the science decide in terms of you know pump station failures or likelihood of failure, really looking at it from uh an engineering perspective.

I would just offer you the idea that we have some neighborhoods, and this is kind of come up.

I'm thinking you're aware of some of the emails.

Um, but there are some neighborhoods that are ripe and primed for neighborhood development, housing development, but currently don't have stormwater infrastructure, don't have curbs, don't have sidewalks, things like that.

So, you know, I love that you're prioritizing neighborhoods of focus and certain and certainly looking for all those what'd you call them coupons grants?

That's that's great.

I mean, all the free money we can get from other sources, I suppose.

Um, but they're all public dollars, so continuing to use those and prime them for prime our neighborhoods for what's coming next.

Thank you for your time.

Those are my main issues, main questions.

Um just keep up the good work.

Thank you.

Colleagues, Commissioner Coger.

Yeah, thank you all so much for your presentations.

Uh I'm really uh excited to hear more in the fall about uh cost analysis for the cap, but this is a nice uh quick snapshot of what's uh uh on the uh horizon for uh uh investment to our climate action adaptation plan.

I think that's gonna be important.

I know a lot in cute a lot of folks in community are looking forward to the fall uh Mr.

Tabor uh if you could just quickly will we have more information on this potential utility fee program and um what other folks are doing and and will the commission be able to be a part of those conversations or hear more on a potential fee.

Yes obvious yeah certainly uh last year there was some major court cases in Detroit in Ann Arbor that went in favor of the municipalities of having a stormwater utility fee it's been very like under legal review for for several years uh associated with the Headley Act.

Um the court cases basically said this is not a tax it's it's for services uh so very early in the initial phase of uh potentially looking at grants for the development of the stormwater utility fee so I'd say nothing immediate but with uh with those court cases being decided uh other communities and uh really consultants are gonna start pushing uh their their knowledge and awareness of development of a stormwater utility fee so that's that's really where where it stands.

Yeah I look forward to hearing more oh yes I'll just add I I'm a practicing civil engineer we practice all over the state the city of Grand Rapids not having a utility fee for stormwater is odd to me like every other large your pure cities that are similar size you know Holland doesn't have one but Lansing Detroit and Arbor they all have a stormwater play fee and that's just common for land developers to know that they have that we tried that in uh in the Logie years and it failed spectacularly right and and and truthfully yeah it was the development of the CSO in the the late 80s early 90s the the political environment was no rain tax yeah and then as as Mayor Lagrand mentioned again looked at in the 2013 and 2014 era again yeah there was a community of support for so yeah I think really now that some of the legal challenges have been uh addressed I think developing some framework and messaging and and program um is is is honestly needed and and to Mr.

Barr's point it's unusual we don't have one yeah I think I mean you know then there's sort of a resurgence now I think the governor I continue to say this to folks the governor in New York was saying like no tax on teachers there's a big resurgence of like how can people pull back and I understand where it's coming from I think even the president is working on like the federal gas tax like repealing that or having a pause on that there's so many things where um I think we're just trying to find some relief for folks as we know inflation is rising wages are not uh so I certainly will want to hear more on that uh that could be a good tool for us that our other uh colleagues in the state have uh but folks are really stretched thin so um I look forward to hearing more and thank you for including that well and and honestly though uh the the counterpoint to that regarding the stormwater utility fee is a lot of people in businesses do view it as a tax it's it's really something that they're paying for now that they didn't used to have to pay for and you know and you have to think about also you know nonprofits like you know uh churches and and ministries that have large parking lots that don't have a revenue that are now going to be take you know paying stormwater items that not necessarily was apparent to them so it's it's it's a it's a discussion to be had yeah good thoughts thank you all so much colleagues um I'll just win with a couple things um first of all um I think it's worth the community knowing as we talk about lead line replacements which is great work um that our lead levels in the community continue to drop.

And uh in you know, that's an amazing success story for our community.

I think that I looked at the data and as we you know, we're at levels that are about 30 percent of what they were in the 2000s.

Uh and so uh it's great to see the the levels of lead exposure in kids continue to drop, and that's just true across the city.

I happen to live in four nine five oh three and I was looking at those numbers and the numbers in 49503 in 2000 were like triple what they are in four nights in in the worst neighborhoods now in the city.

So like the whole uh exposure conversation has is really um moving in the right direction.

Um I do want to say I think I like your stormwater sewage um, I mean, pardon me, your stormwater slogan.

Um I think the same slogan could be applied to compost, uh spread it out and soak it in.

So uh although and I also think that like the the best solutions are the free ones, so I continue to think that one of our priorities in CAP should be to leave uh biomass where it is.

Um I like my leaves.

They're potential fertilizer for my yard, uh and I'd like to be able to compost my leaves in my in my yard without having to get uh special city permission and special city tools, which is what's still required.

Um so I hope we can move towards some free on-site, not move it around uh solutions for some of our organic and compost wastes.

Uh the last thing I'll just flag, I know we're gonna spend four point two million dollars on uh capital improvements for parks.

Um I did some quick research during COVID uh uh pet ownership in the community went up by about 30 percent.

Um and ultimately it seems to me when we're talking about parks, we ought to be talking about activation and usage.

Um, and so more ways we can constantly ask ourselves the questions of how can we mark make our parks meet the desires of the people in our community.

So more pickleball courts, more basketball courts, more soccer fields, more uh things for people to actually be able to do.

But one of those things is um play with their dogs.

And I don't think that our current model essentially relies on you putting your stuffing your dog in a car, which is never fun, and driving to a dog park, of which we have two or three.

Um so again, I love a vision where you can actually walk to a dog park wherever you are in the city.

We've got a vision for a city park within 10 minutes of where everyone lives.

I think we should frankly have a dog park within 10 minutes of where everyone lives because it's uh it's a big big uh desire out in the community and it's a it's a real thing that people do with their time, and especially as we move towards more density.

If we want more density in our community, we're gonna have smaller backyards.

We're gonna have more people in living in buildings where they don't have green space at all.

If we're gonna go vertical, uh that implies um, you know, the new buildings that I'm seeing on Leonard and Eastern and all these four or five story buildings, um they have parking lots behind them, but they don't usually have uh big green spaces behind them.

And if you're living on the fourth floor of a building, um, you know, you don't have the lawn that somebody does if they're lucky enough to uh live in a single family home.

So as our city matures into more density, I think that more uh publicly accessible resources for things like that is are really gonna be important to look at in the future.

So I want to lay that out there as a as a general theme.

Yeah, but for clarity for this budget, how many parks uh dog parks are we planning for this year in this proposed budget?

Good afternoon, Laura Claypool with the parks department.

Um so in this budget, the five year capital plan for parks, we have about 1.5 million dollars planned between uh fiscal year 27 and 30 for a big project at McKay JC, which will include recirculation in the dog park.

We're also working closely with DGRI this budget year with DJI and the chamber on a pop-up dog park for Hart Side Park, and then we're continuing community conversations for um other dog park opportunities um throughout the community.

So other than the chamber funded one before and now between now and 2030.

Um big dog park projects, correct, but we're also exploring smaller opportunities and um some of our smaller community park projects that are coming up that are yet to be in design and haven't gone through the community engagement process, yes.

So while there is an unintentional plan, it doesn't mean that a dog park won't be rolled into one of those um park park projects.

Right.

Well, I'd I'd encourage those listening to start looking at their parks and seeing where there's space that uh we can put them in because I think virtually every park we have potentially has space for one.

So thanks.

All right, Mayor, before we um adjourn, I'd like to highlight real briefly uh mentioned some of the critical things we had earlier, Joel.

Can you go to the next slide?

And back up quickly.

So we all clicked at once.

No, no, that's fine.

So our CFO, we we talked about this at the beginning to transfer $7 million to our budget stabilization fund and the $50,000 to RX kids from the fiscal year 26 budget, and I heard no objections.

Uh so we're going to proceed forward with that.

Next slide.

What I need more feedback on is uh these things that I mentioned that were not funded in the budget.

And right now, uh what you saw in the preliminary forecast was that we were projecting in fiscal year 27 about a 300,000 or so surplus.

That's the margin.

This list is uh over half a million.

So I did not get any uh feedback on whether or not there was a desire for this commission to continue to fund in the general fund the positions that were uh being uh discontinued due to the grant funding.

So that needs to be um clarified and it would I would appreciate that clarity today so we can start preparing um the restated budget, final budget for next week because right now it's not in there.

Uh I did hear support uh for the uh disaster in enhancing the disaster relief fund by another 50,000.

Right now it's 50 in the budget.

We were proposing to increase that to another 50,000.

Um, and we talked about this mediation uh coordinator position that right now we don't have the funding for it in terms of uh the added state funding.

I would uh suggest we defer until we actually receive that.

Uh but the enhanced support for the commission of communication, I've heard corridor enhancement today as well as um, you know, potentially reallocating the funding uh within the Third World Equity Fund to support more neighborhoods as well as uh some violence prevention.

So uh I need some direction on uh what the commission's priorities are in continuing uh to uh convert the pilot into a permanent program because right now it's not in the budget.

Support which pilot would you talk about the commission support pilot?

Oh um I don't see nobody else going, I'll go.

Um I think I said from day one, um, I didn't think that we necessarily needed the commission to support or the enhanced communications contract, just uh I think that we have um the talent and the people internally here already uh in the city, especially for the enhanced communications piece and um the commission support.

I I think we can do something different with those funds that would be more um applicable and impactful uh within the city than continuing to pay for that.

So that's my commissioner Cora.

I'm supportive of the um I'm happy to hear that the additional money for the disaster fund.

That was really a top thing for me.

I'm happy that that's in there.

Um I am supportive of the commission's support and the enhanced communications contract.

Um I support the city manager in deferring until the state dollars come for the mediation coordinator, but I'm very supportive of that um and want to continue to note that.

Um, and yeah, that's where uh where my support will will lie on these considerations of uh the enhanced commission support, enhanced communications commission support uh and the disaster relief fund at 100,000.

Both of you mentioned what you're supportive for, so I want to assume you're not supportive of um adding those grant funded positions back in the budget.

No, I'm sorry, I'm I'm supportive of everything else that you had on there, it's just those two things that I'm not.

Got you.

And due to for cost saving, it's I would be okay to support what I only what I noted without the other grant funded positions.

Um I guess I have the same position as Commissioner Kilgore, although, you know, frankly, given that we're putting $7 million dollars into our budget stabilization fund, and if if I understand correctly, we have a $300,000 wiggle room.

We're talking about, you know, we could we could satisfy all of these if we move $250,000 out of the budget stabilization fund.

So that's obviously an option.

Um that that maybe if it were one time costs we could, but to sustain it ongoing, um we could not.

So so the so if we if we backed off the budget stabilization fund, it would whatever we would fund elude, would only have to be a one-year cost.

It'll be for the year, right?

Okay.

I mean we are we're we're you know it's for this year's.

We wouldn't be converting the program permanently of just be funding it for the year, um, so uh colleagues.

Uh Commissioner um Delcheck, I saw your hand, but I also saw uh Commissioner Purdue looking like she wanted to talk, so I don't know how to take a glance versus a hand.

All right.

Well, I think we'll move on down the line.

Um so I I also concur mostly with what I heard Commissioner Kilgore say.

I think that the support for the commissioner support administration and the enhanced communications contract, these are things that have been very vital and useful this last year.

I think that it has improved our um communications with um neighbors and answering the 311, the higher demand that there is.

So I'm in support of those.

I agree with mediation coordination being something that we should do and support uh with the deferment until we receive the state of Michigan money.

I too am happy about the disaster relief fund, and I continue to look for ways that we can expand that outside of um this particular kind of disaster relief and into more of the other kind where we can have more uh response to people who find themselves in situations with uh city services or city infrastructure.

Um and then I would like a little more time to to look at the grant funded positions.

So I'm not ready to uh put specifically weigh in on those, um, but I should have an answer within you know the next time we we converse.

Commissioner Purdue.

Yes, thank you for asking directly, city manager.

Um yes to the grant positions, yes to additional disaster relief fund contribution, um, yes to waiting on the state to move forward with the mediation coordinator, but uh very supportive of that role and um to your point earlier, I think we can talk about how might that relate to some of the other potentially over overlapping or synergistic efforts that we've discussed today and and um other times.

Um and then, you know, I think for the enhanced communication contract, that really uh really refers to the warp Wednesday uh work that was stood up over the last few months.

Um I think that that is something that uh you know when we heard uh Mr.

Green uh gave his presentation and he talked about the value add that they saw by doing that.

I will hope that that's something that now that it's been we have the proof point that we can bring it in house.

You know, it's a once a quarter, once a quarter, uh, once a month, no, once a month, once a month um communication.

So I will be supportive of not contracting that out, save the dollars and bring that internally.

Um, but that might be a question of capacity, but that seems pretty um I couldn't be a big lift.

And then regarding commission support, I think it's it's essential to provide additional support to city commissioners.

Uh we have a ton on our plate.

We have a part-time role with full-time responsibilities and expectations.

Um, and so you know, my hope and dream for the extra commission support was I think above and beyond what was delivered in this pilot phase.

Um I think right now we really just had uh more robust scheduling support, which I think is just base foundational support that you can prov that we should be uh be a title to.

Um, I would like to see more enhanced support beyond that, um, but if that's not part of this deal, then I think that we need to renegotiate because 100k, I'm I'm not sure if we're getting the full value from that role.

So I want to continue ensuring that we have baseline support, potentially additional support beyond scheduling.

Um I am not as confident that this role designed this way at this time is the best way to do that.

So let me know if that's that's not clear.

I think I've touched on all of them.

Thank you.

Commissioner C.

Thank you.

Um agree on the mediation to to wait.

Um, although I think it's needed uh, you know, seeing some of the serious violent acts that we've had in this city, um, you know, one with a landlord and a renter, and then the one that just happened um in the first ward.

So definitely see that and and see a lot of the mediation things that come sometimes to our office that might come through that are a civil issue that uh GRPD tries you know tries to work to respond to.

I think I've been pretty vocal.

Um I don't support the enhanced communications contract.

I too think um thank you, Mr.

Green, for sharing how that's been performing.

So I had uh my belief of it was not right.

So I want to say thank you for correcting that.

Um, and so it has had reach.

I think some of the things like I'm doing mine today is I'm giving ideas where I think we could streamline what we need to do to make it happen, and so definitely support that.

And I I can't speak for the department, but I think um, you know, they have really really great produce videos, so um hopefully they'll they'll be able to to make that happen.

Um the administrative I I I think you know, for me, and maybe this is just my own, I've been doing this without it, probably the longest, and so and managing my other schedule, and so I I too have not seen the value in the way that this is currently designed.

Um, current executive staff provide a lot of support already for the things that I need um that were previous to this and I think are always able to help and support because the reality is one individual for six of us doesn't really work.

Um it's not really, you know, we talk about you know how you know we were talking about equity versus equality earlier, uh, but I don't think it has been equal, and so I don't support this.

Um, but I would uh be open to what does something else look like.

Um I I had suggested we take some of those dollars, even though they were not budgeted to be able to support additional communication for our neighborhood associations, and so even though that is not a fully imagined infrastructure piece, I do think again we have seen a lot of um city managers shared with us last week.

Just you know uh what I'll call I won't even call it journalism, um, but just people who are reporting on what's happening at the city, and it's just you know, one-sided um unclear, and so I do think that neighborhood associations are often often trusted communicators for us.

So to me, that would also help, even though that's not administrative support.

I do think that is commission support.

Um, I know today we have our kickoff for zoning, and um I've seen it all over.

We have a lot of connection communication, and I know neighborhood associate associations are part of that, and they were definitely in full force at the neighborhood summit.

Um I think the grant funded positions, I will just do a little bit of prioritization here.

I probably prioritize the energy and carbon specialist um over the administrative services officer, only because I think we're embarking on this journey with CAP, and we've been talking about some of the the budgeting pieces.

So that's you know, probably how I would uh prioritize that, although I'd prioritize those two over like the commission support.

So I hope that answers your question directly, city manager.

Thanks.

Um, just uh manager.

Yep, just uh so thank you for the feedback.

Um, this is going to be interesting going through some of these because it's almost like the uh vacant city commission uh discussion on some of these items.

So we'll have to toggle through it uh this week a meet with uh some of you tomorrow and so look forward to the further discussions off the dice about uh some of these issues.

Regarding timing, um we have EDPT and then um City Attorney still wants to go in a closed session afterwards is the commission available to do closed session at two two o'clock.

Okay, Ms.

Claren, um you have anything you'd like to add before uh we wrap.

Um, no, only besides uh, you know, as always, send me and the city manager your questions if you didn't weren't able to get to all of them today.

Um, um and we'll try to get those answered uh you know as soon as possible prior to you have to make a decision next Tuesday.

So okay.

We are adjourned.

So now