OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Midland City Council Meeting – March 2, 2026

City Council — Monday, March 2, 2026
BodyMidland, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:49

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

The following presentation of the Midland City Council will begin in a moment.

0:05

The Midland City Council is the city's legislative body.

0:08

It sets policies, approves budgets, determines tax rates, and adopts ordinances and resolutions to govern the city.

0:15

It is made up of five elected officials that represent the wards in which they reside.

0:20

And councilmen are elected to two year terms.

0:23

The mayor is elected from among the council members by vote of the city council.

0:27

City Council meetings are held at 7 p.m.

0:29

two Mondays per month in Council Chambers at City Hall.

0:33

This presentation is provided by the MCTV Network, a service of the City of Midland.

0:38

Replays of this meeting can be found on MGTV Channel 188 on Charter Spectrum through Channel 99 on AT2Uverse or on demand at WWW.city of MidlandMI.gov.

0:50

Select meetings are available on MC TV Network's Government Affairs Podcast Channel.

1:00

Good evening and welcome to our March 2nd, 2026 meeting of City Council.

1:04

Please stand and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:08

I'd like to be able to do that.

1:13

And to the republic for which it stands.

1:16

One nation.

1:26

Honorable Mayor Donker.

1:28

Here.

1:28

Councilman Solder.

1:29

Here.

1:30

Councilman Wasbinski.

1:31

Here.

1:31

Councilman Brown Rohel.

1:33

Here.

1:33

Councilman Passick.

1:34

Here.

1:35

Okay, great.

1:35

Thank you very much.

1:36

Does anyone in council have a conflict of interest with anything on tonight's agenda?

1:41

Seeing none, we'll move on to the consent agenda.

1:44

Resolutions marked with an asterisk are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion.

1:49

There'll be no separate consideration of these items unless a citizen or council member so request during the discussion stage of the motion to adopt the consent agenda as indicated.

1:58

There's even a single request.

2:00

The item will be removed from the consent agenda without further motion and considered in its listed sequence in regular fashion.

2:06

Can we have a motion to approve the consent agenda?

2:09

So move.

2:10

Second.

2:12

And second.

2:13

Anyone on council want an item removed from the consent agenda?

2:18

Anyone from the public want an item removed from the consent agenda?

2:22

So we need to madam mayor.

2:23

We do need to remove item number eight.

2:25

There was a technical error in the resolution, so I'll uh uh you have an updated version on your desk, but since it's no longer on the packet, we have to remove it and discuss okay.

2:36

Don't let me mess that up.

2:38

Okay, great.

2:40

Okay, perfect.

2:41

All right, anything else?

2:43

Do we have a motion to approve?

2:45

Yes.

2:46

All in favor, then please say aye.

2:48

Aye.

2:49

Opposed.

2:50

Okay, that passes five zero.

2:52

All right, that takes us down to item number two.

2:55

And this evening we have a proclamation regarding um MS Awareness Week.

3:00

And Selena Harris is here to tell us about that.

3:05

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that sadly will affect over 200 households in Midland County.

3:13

Each year, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society brings attention to this horrible disease through National MS Awareness Week.

3:23

Tonight we have a resolution proclaiming March 8th through the 14th as MS Awareness Week in the City of Midland.

3:31

And Helen Myers and multiple friends from our uh MS Society are here this evening to receive the proclamation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Zoning And Land Use███████████████15%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Transportation Safety███3%
Environmental Protection███3%
Mental Health Awareness██2%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Midland City Council Meeting – March 2, 2026

The Midland City Council met on March 2, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers. The council unanimously approved a rezoning, modified a sidewalk improvement program, and awarded seven stormwater improvement contracts funded by $25 million in ARPA/Eagle funds with a deadline of December 31, 2026.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously (5-0), with item 8 removed due to a technical error in the resolution.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Zoning Petition 669: Jay Brown, attorney for applicant Patricia Sweeby, expressed support for rezoning 1605 Bookness Street from RA4 to NC, stating it would remove legal non‑conforming status and allow the property to remain viable. No other public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Proclamation – MS Awareness Week: Council proclaimed March 8-14, 2026, as MS Awareness Week. The resolution noted over 200 households in Midland County and 1,000 in the Great Lakes Bay region are affected by multiple sclerosis. Passed 5-0.
  • Zoning Petition 669: Staff recommended approval, noting consistency with the master plan and existing use. The council voted 5-0 to rezone the property.
  • Sidewalk Improvement Program: Staff presented eight citizen‑requested sidewalk infill projects. Council discussed costs and past opposition, then voted 5-0 to remove Christie Court and Countryside Drive from the list. The remaining six projects (Bay City Road, Dublin Avenue, Foster Road, Garden Brook Drive, Sam Street, Sweet Avenue) will proceed to the manager’s report stage, with detailed cost estimates due April 13.
  • Item 8 – Fuel Tank Contract (Revised): After correcting a technical error in the resolution, council awarded a contract to K&W Equipment Company for a 10,000‑gallon above‑ground storage fuel tank at Barstow. Passed 5-0.
  • Stormwater Improvement Contracts (7 Resolutions): Staff presented seven construction contracts for storm sewer upsizing projects. The $25 million in ARPA/Eagle funds must be fully expended by December 31, 2026. Each contract was approved 5-0:
    1. Avon Street – Superior Contracting Group LLC ($2,629,116.40)
    2. Dartmouth – Champagne & Marks Excavating ($2,115,430.76)
    3. East Lawn Avenue – Fisher Contracting Company ($5,278,912.29)
    4. J Street – Johnston Contracting Inc. ($4,741,319.00)
    5. Lawndale, Sweetbrier, Waldo – Champagne & Marks Excavating ($2,194,271.30)
    6. Plum Tree – Johnston Contracting Inc. ($2,582,101.10)
    7. Scott Street – Johnston Contracting Inc. ($2,281,504.20) Discussion included concerns about easement acquisition on private property and tight construction timelines. Staff assured they would negotiate with property owners and include penalty clauses in contracts.

Key Outcomes

  • All votes were 5-0.
  • The zoning map was amended to rezone 1605 Bookness Street to NC.
  • The sidewalk improvement program will advance with six segments; property owners will be assessed a portion of costs.
  • Seven stormwater construction contracts were awarded; projects must be completed by November 13, 2026, to meet ARPA spending deadline.
  • Council acknowledged staff effort and requested adding PASER ratings to future CIP street projects.
  • Reminder: Joint meeting with Planning Commission scheduled for March 3, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

The following presentation of the Midland City Council will begin in a moment. The Midland City Council is the city's legislative body. It sets policies, approves budgets, determines tax rates, and adopts ordinances and resolutions to govern the city. It is made up of five elected officials that represent the wards in which they reside. And councilmen are elected to two year terms. The mayor is elected from among the council members by vote of the city council. City Council meetings are held at 7 p.m. two Mondays per month in Council Chambers at City Hall. This presentation is provided by the MCTV Network, a service of the City of Midland. Replays of this meeting can be found on MGTV Channel 188 on Charter Spectrum through Channel 99 on AT2Uverse or on demand at WWW.city of MidlandMI.gov. Select meetings are available on MC TV Network's Government Affairs Podcast Channel. Good evening and welcome to our March 2nd, 2026 meeting of City Council. Please stand and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. I'd like to be able to do that. And to the republic for which it stands. One nation. Honorable Mayor Donker. Here. Councilman Solder. Here. Councilman Wasbinski. Here. Councilman Brown Rohel. Here. Councilman Passick. Here. Okay, great. Thank you very much. Does anyone in council have a conflict of interest with anything on tonight's agenda? Seeing none, we'll move on to the consent agenda. Resolutions marked with an asterisk are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. There'll be no separate consideration of these items unless a citizen or council member so request during the discussion stage of the motion to adopt the consent agenda as indicated. There's even a single request. The item will be removed from the consent agenda without further motion and considered in its listed sequence in regular fashion. Can we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? So move. Second. And second. Anyone on council want an item removed from the consent agenda? Anyone from the public want an item removed from the consent agenda? So we need to madam mayor. We do need to remove item number eight. There was a technical error in the resolution, so I'll uh uh you have an updated version on your desk, but since it's no longer on the packet, we have to remove it and discuss okay. Don't let me mess that up. Okay, great. Okay, perfect. All right, anything else? Do we have a motion to approve? Yes. All in favor, then please say aye.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com