The Grand Rapids City Commission met on June 16, 2026, at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The meeting included the approval of routine items, several ordinance adoptions, a public hearing on an industrial development district, and extensive public comment on topics such as sanctuary city policies, surveillance cameras, neighborhood representation, and amphitheater noise. Commissioners also reported on community events and policy reviews.
Order and ask you all to join us as is our habit with a moment of silence. Please stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God. Liberty and Justice for All. Mr. Clerk, if you call the roll. Commissioner Kilgore. Commissioner Knight. Commissioner Asasi. Present. Commissioner Perdue. Present. Commissioner Belchak. Present. Mayor Le Grand. Present. First item of businesses approval of our minutes from our last meeting. Items. So move to have a second. Thank you. All in favor say aye. Motion carries. That brings us to petitions and communications, Mr. Clerk. First one is communication received from Michael D. Yoder with a noise complaint against AgriShare Amphitheater. Received and filed. Communication received from a Vandenberg West Grand Neighborhood Organization regarding first word representation on the Grand Rapids City Commission. Stephen Filed. Communication received from Shannon Henderson expressing support for using state funding for alternative crisis response measures. Comptrollers warrant report for the period of May 19, 2026 through June 1, 2026, in the amount of 39,767,091.70 cents. Treasurer's report for the period of May 20, 2026 through June 2, 2026. Received and filed. In regards to continuing to move our city forward. Thank you, Mayor, and good evening, Commissioners and members of the public. Thank you for being here this evening. And I thought it was appropriate that we highlight this on our last city commission meeting of the fiscal year. Because so much has been done, not only in the past fiscal year, but over the years that has really put us in a position to catapult for forward and continue to be a city on the rise. We've already been recognized for the outstanding things that we've done as a city by LinkedIn. And we continue to be one of the major uh leading uh cities in the country for multiple reasons. Much of it relates to engagement by community members, uh public-private uh collaboration, but also good governance uh by uh this and former city commissions. So I want to thank you for the work that you did in this uh past budget, uh our fiscal conservancy and as a conservative, as well as uh some of the decisions that you made, hard decisions to allow us to continue some of the basic services. But when you look at all the economic indicators of our city, the fact that uh we had a highest year of construction value last year, one billion dollars. We continue to see population growth, which is not seen in every community in Michigan, as well as the development uh of new housing, uh specifically in downtown growing another 21 housing units, uh, as well as the uh investments that we've made uh in the likes of the amphitheater, soon to be open soccer stadium. Many of you were uh part of the trail uh ribbon cutting uh last uh yesterday and as well as many of the other events along the green way, as well as the river restoration project, and even the construction that we've uh witnessed here on uh the riverfront at the public museum, all because of what we continue to do to uh help our community community be economically sound and vibrant. Uh there are other indicators that show record high in room nights sold uh for Kent County of approximately two point three million hotel room nights in 2025. Uh, the World of Winter Festival, 2.3 million visitors, uh art prize has generated almost $82 million dollar in economic impact with nearly one million visitors and city's special events permitted drew over 1.4 million attendees. I mean, these are all good economic indicators. Having said that, I do recognize we still have our challenges. We have our challenges around affordability.