OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Grand Rapids City Commission Committee of the Whole – August 25, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
BodyGrand Rapids, Michigan
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, August 25, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:55:38

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

All right, calling this meeting of city commission to order uh committee of the whole.

0:07

And uh first thing on our agenda is um probably gonna be a uh tough fought uh uh resolution.

0:15

This is yet another resolution for a development uh liquor license, and this is for 1415 Plainfield Northeast.

0:23

That's the location, and it's Hoxie House LLC.

0:26

Um Mr.

0:26

Clerk, you want to give us an age deals?

0:28

Yep, thank you.

0:29

Support support great.

0:30

Yeah, so this is um going into going in that Creston area, and so basically it's a it's a historic 102-year-old building, and their concept is a cafe by day, bar by evening, run by owner and first time Russian tier Angela Tramper.

0:46

So great.

0:46

Any discussion, colleagues?

0:48

All right, all in favor say aye.

0:50

Aye.

0:51

Motion all in all opposed, motion carries.

0:53

Thank you.

0:54

Uh next is a resolution uh adopting the 2027 city commission meeting schedule.

0:59

And just so the public knows, these are this is our schedule for the next year.

1:03

You know, things can change.

1:04

Um, but uh it's good to have a default uh schedule in it uh well in advance now again to refresh everyone's memories.

1:12

Uh the purpose of city commission meetings is to do city commission work.

1:16

Uh and we have public comment as a secondary function.

1:20

Um, but we uh historically have not had uh all of these meetings happen at the times that they're currently in this calendar, and sometimes we uh cancel meetings if there's not sufficient work for this body.

1:32

Um that doesn't mean we're avoiding public comment.

1:34

People can come all the other meetings and talk to us about it about issues.

1:37

And of course, they can also reach out to commissioners anytime they want, and all of my colleagues are very good at uh responding to uh constituent concerns.

1:46

Um so just want to put that pin in there, but otherwise, uh I assuming that all my colleagues have looked at this schedule, I'd ask for a res uh motion.

1:54

So moved.

1:55

Support.

1:56

Uh any discussion, colleagues?

1:58

I do have one thing to add to the one thing that we did uh that I did add to the calendar that you know normally isn't on there is the um the beginning of May um budget work session.

2:07

So then we want to call a special meeting later.

2:08

So that that budget work session, since that that's been our flow that's that's um that's there, and then usually the the the first meeting of the month is at two o'clock, but in May we haven't switched to to have the public hearing for the budget and then the approval at the two o'clock meeting in May.

2:24

So that's the only one that's kind of changed from the schedule.

2:26

Thanks for the detail.

2:27

Let me also uh thank you, uh Mayor.

2:28

Thank you, City Clerk, for uh helping develop the schedule.

2:31

There's likely one special meeting that we will have to call in November.

2:36

It'll be after the election for our annual workshop work session.

2:40

And right now we are targeting the 12th of November.

2:45

But we'll we'll confirm as we get closer.

2:47

Great.

2:47

Thanks.

2:48

Um further comments, colleagues.

2:51

Otherwise, all in favor say aye.

2:52

Aye.

2:53

All opposed.

2:54

Motion carries.

2:56

Uh next is a resolution approving election day polling locations and early voting sites for the 2026 election and fixing uh pay for early voting, absent uh voter accounting board and election day inspectors.

3:08

Uh Mr.

3:08

Clerk, you want to first of all motion yep.

3:10

Um Mr.

3:11

Clerk.

3:12

Um so no changes to the no changes to the pay from what I re requested in for the August primary election.

3:21

Um two changes in polling locations that are different from August.

3:25

First of all, we're adding a fourth uh early voting site.

3:28

So that fourth voting site will be at New Hope Baptist Church, which will give us a voting site and then all four and all four quadrants of this of the city.

3:36

And then we're also adding um we're moving back from Yankee Clipper Library to um back to the Yankee Clipper Library.

3:44

They had a flooding issue, and so we had a temporary move that location for the August election, but we'll be back in there in November.

3:50

And then just for a note, um early voting will be for 13 days instead of nine days.

3:55

So we're adding four we're adding four more days.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████████28%
Arts And Culture██████████████████████████26%
Community Engagement█████████████████████████25%
Youth Programs███████████11%
Procedural█████5%
Public Engagement███3%
Zoning Policy█1%
Accessibility█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Grand Rapids City Commission Committee of the Whole – August 25, 2026

The City Commission convened as a Committee of the Whole on August 25, 2026, to address several agenda items, including a development liquor license, the 2027 meeting schedule, election polling locations, Art Prize 2026, the SAFE Task Force annual update, and an update from Just GR. All votes were unanimous. The meeting concluded with a motion to move into closed session for litigation discussion.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution for Development Liquor License (1415 Plainfield NE – Hoxie House LLC): Approved unanimously. The 102‑year‑old building will house a café-by-day, bar-by-evening concept run by first‑time restaurateur Angela Tramper.
  • Resolution Adopting the 2027 City Commission Meeting Schedule: Approved unanimously. The schedule includes a budget work session in early May and a special meeting tentatively set for November 12 for the annual workshop. The Mayor noted that meetings may be cancelled if there is insufficient work, and public comment remains available at other meetings and via direct contact with commissioners.
  • Resolution Approving Election Day Polling Locations and Early Voting Sites for the 2026 Election: Approved unanimously. Changes from the August primary include adding a fourth early voting site at New Hope Baptist Church, moving the Yankee Clipper Library location back (flooding resolved), and extending early voting from 9 to 13 days to align with the 14‑day in‑person registration period.
  • Resolution Approving Art Prize as a Special Event (Sept 1 – Oct 10, 2026): Approved unanimously after a detailed presentation.
  • Motion to Move into Closed Session for Litigation Discussion: Approved unanimously. The closed session will be held in the law library (room 601) after the public meeting.

Discussion Items

Art Prize 2026 Presentation

Yvette Pittman (Office of Special Events) and Art Prize Executive Director Tyler Loftus, along with deputy directors Ellen Trombow and Coleman Brooke, presented the vision for the 17th annual Art Prize. Key points:

  • Expected to welcome more than 900,000 visitors, with an economic impact of $82.6 million (based on 967,000 visitors in 2025).
  • This year’s theme incorporates America’s 250th anniversary and President Ford’s legacy; branding includes Roman numeral 38 on the Blue Bridge.
  • Four themed weekends: Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and Fashion, each curated by local arts organizations (Grand Rapids Ballet, Opera Grand Rapids, etc.).
  • Major events: Opening celebration on Pearl Street Bridge with the “Earth Harp” (world’s largest stringed instrument), a parade with 14‑foot puppets representing city commissioners, fireworks, and a drone show at the awards ceremony.
  • New venue cluster at 1111 Godfrey in the Black Hills neighborhood; West Side venue fees waived through CIA/CID support.
  • “South Prize” partnership: 24 businesses in the third ward hosting artworks; a trolley will connect South Prize to downtown Art Prize on voting day (Sept 26).
  • Over 1,100 artists and 1,025 entries – the largest number since 2018. 159 venues, with city sites including Blue Bridge, Sixth Street Park, Calder Plaza, and City Hall.
  • Awards include the city‑supported Community Awards, a new Delta Airlines Award (artwork to hang in the Detroit Sky Club for one year), and a Guinness World Record attempt for the most attended fashion show (current record 3,000; amphitheater capacity 12,000).
  • SAFE Task Force will host the Gun Violence Memorial Art Installation RFP reception on October 1 during Art Prize.
  • City Manager Mark Washington and several commissioners expressed strong support, highlighting the event’s unique role in Grand Rapids’ identity and its expanding reach into neighborhoods.

SAFE Task Force Annual Update

Letisha Lipscomb, Civilian Violence Prevention and Intervention Manager, presented the FY26 update alongside pitch winners Duke Turley (ADT Logistics Drive Your Future) and a mentee. Key details:

  • SAFE Task Force was founded in 2015. The annual Pitch Night awards $50,000 in grants (up to five projects at $10,000 each).
  • Highlighted projects: ADT Logistics Drive Your Future (workforce development for at‑risk youth ages 16‑21, full enrollment, new center and website launched) and African Resource Center’s Safe Youth project (empowering African immigrant youth ages 16‑24 with socio‑emotional skills and mental health resources).
  • Technical assistance provided by Renard Jenkins (Side Strategies) through workshops on grant readiness, vision/mission, and organizational infrastructure.
  • Gun Violence Memorial Art Installation: $20,000 RFP for a 3D sculpture; RFP release coming in the following week, with a community informational meeting, artist selection, and a reception on October 1, 2026.
  • Other initiatives: Safe Summer poster campaign (150 posters), tabling at events, $500 sponsorship for an accessible playground in the third ward, and ongoing collaboration with KConnect on out‑of‑school time for suspended/expelled youth.
  • Commissioners praised the work, noting the importance of addressing basic needs and violence prevention. Commissioner Knight highlighted that basic needs like housing and jobs are community safety issues.

Just GR Update

Pastor Paris McMurray (co‑chair) and Rafa Castanon (Corewell Health) presented findings from data analysis of public safety systems. Key findings:

  • Over‑reliance on arrest and pretrial custody: 45% of jail admissions (about 3,500 per year) are released within 24 hours for non‑DUI, low‑risk offenses like trespassing.
  • 33% of all custodial situations come from just 7 neighborhoods, which represent only 10% of Grand Rapids’ population.
  • Domestic violence accounts for 54% of violent crime jail bookings but 28% of cases are denied prosecution; concentration in neighborhoods with high stress and instability.
  • Police‑community disconnect is cited as a top challenge in distressed neighborhoods; arrests for violations of law enforcement conditions cost over $1 million annually.
  • The Heart Side neighborhood ranks highest in combined eviction filings, jail bookings, and ER visits, with no systematic data sharing among shelters, hospitals, and jails.
  • Next steps: “Action sprints” (listening sessions) with nonprofit, institutional, and neighborhood partners in fall 2026 to gather community‑generated solutions. A cross‑sector data dashboard will be made publicly available.
  • Mayor LeGrand and commissioners emphasized the need to reform pretrial detention, reduce recidivism, and address root causes like housing and economic insecurity. The city manager noted that the best way to reduce jail costs is to prevent entries, and supported face‑to‑face visits in jail to lower recidivism.

Key Outcomes

  • Liquor license for 1415 Plainfield NE: Approved unanimously.
  • 2027 city commission meeting schedule: Approved unanimously.
  • Election polling locations and early voting sites for 2026: Approved unanimously.
  • Art Prize 2026 special event: Approved unanimously.
  • Move into closed session for litigation: Approved unanimously.
  • SAFE Task Force update: Received; no vote required.
  • Just GR update: Received; no vote required. Commissioners directed staff to explore integration with housing and basic needs efforts.

Meeting Transcript

All right, calling this meeting of city commission to order uh committee of the whole. And uh first thing on our agenda is um probably gonna be a uh tough fought uh uh resolution. This is yet another resolution for a development uh liquor license, and this is for 1415 Plainfield Northeast. That's the location, and it's Hoxie House LLC. Um Mr. Clerk, you want to give us an age deals? Yep, thank you. Support support great. Yeah, so this is um going into going in that Creston area, and so basically it's a it's a historic 102-year-old building, and their concept is a cafe by day, bar by evening, run by owner and first time Russian tier Angela Tramper. So great. Any discussion, colleagues? All right, all in favor say aye. Aye. Motion all in all opposed, motion carries. Thank you. Uh next is a resolution uh adopting the 2027 city commission meeting schedule. And just so the public knows, these are this is our schedule for the next year. You know, things can change. Um, but uh it's good to have a default uh schedule in it uh well in advance now again to refresh everyone's memories. Uh the purpose of city commission meetings is to do city commission work. Uh and we have public comment as a secondary function. Um, but we uh historically have not had uh all of these meetings happen at the times that they're currently in this calendar, and sometimes we uh cancel meetings if there's not sufficient work for this body. Um that doesn't mean we're avoiding public comment. People can come all the other meetings and talk to us about it about issues. And of course, they can also reach out to commissioners anytime they want, and all of my colleagues are very good at uh responding to uh constituent concerns. Um so just want to put that pin in there, but otherwise, uh I assuming that all my colleagues have looked at this schedule, I'd ask for a res uh motion. So moved. Support. Uh any discussion, colleagues? I do have one thing to add to the one thing that we did uh that I did add to the calendar that you know normally isn't on there is the um the beginning of May um budget work session. So then we want to call a special meeting later. So that that budget work session, since that that's been our flow that's that's um that's there, and then usually the the the first meeting of the month is at two o'clock, but in May we haven't switched to to have the public hearing for the budget and then the approval at the two o'clock meeting in May. So that's the only one that's kind of changed from the schedule. Thanks for the detail. Let me also uh thank you, uh Mayor. Thank you, City Clerk, for uh helping develop the schedule. There's likely one special meeting that we will have to call in November. It'll be after the election for our annual workshop work session. And right now we are targeting the 12th of November. But we'll we'll confirm as we get closer. Great. Thanks. Um further comments, colleagues. Otherwise, all in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed. Motion carries. Uh next is a resolution approving election day polling locations and early voting sites for the 2026 election and fixing uh pay for early voting, absent uh voter accounting board and election day inspectors. Uh Mr. Clerk, you want to first of all motion yep.

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