The Midland City Council met on Monday, September 14, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in council chambers. The meeting included one public hearing, multiple ordinance first readings, and a consultant contract approval. All votes were 4-0 (one council member absent).
Conditional Use Permit #99 (Ark of Midland) – Staff presented a request to allow a social service agency at 5114 Jefferson Avenue (RA1 zoning). The property has been vacant since 2021 and was formerly a daycare. The Ark of Midland, which serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, plans to use the site as its principal office with hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and no on-site housing. Staff noted two site deficiencies: unmarked parking (needs striping) and non-compliant lighting. Three public hearing comments were received: two in opposition and one in support (with questions). The planning commission unanimously recommended approval with three contingencies. One neighbor, Walter Keenbaum (5200 Jefferson), spoke in support but requested a fence along the shared driveway for separation. The petitioner, Laurel Bucci (executive director), indicated a willingness to work on the fence and stated they would not use the shared driveway as primary access. Council discussed lighting and fencing. The permit was approved 4-0.
First Reading – Yard Waste Collection Fees – Ms. Murphy presented an ordinance to increase annual bin sticker fees from $55 to $70 for the first bin, $35 for each additional bin, and compost bag stickers from $0.60 to $0.80. The increase is intended to recover costs (current shortfall of $109,000 based on 15% of refuse costs). A typo in one section of the ordinance was corrected via amendment. The first reading passed 4-0; second reading is scheduled for September 28, 2026.
First Reading – Bulk Fuel Purchase Authority – Ms. Murphy proposed adding a new section (2-29A) to allow the city manager to award spot bids for bulk fuel purchases without council approval. The current process requires post-purchase council approval for purchases exceeding $30,000 (if less than three bids) or $50,000 (if three or more bids), leading to administrative burden. The first reading passed 4-0; second reading is scheduled for September 28, 2026.
First Reading – Police Department Fees – Chief Ford presented an ordinance to update fees for notary public ($2 to $10), preliminary breath tests ($5 to $10), and fingerprinting ($10 to $15), and to remove fees for services no longer offered (e.g., crash reports, gun permits, background checks). Rates had not been updated since 2001 or earlier. The first reading passed 4-0; second reading is scheduled for September 28, 2026, with implementation targeted for October 1, 2026.
Transit Facility Study Consultant Selection – Ms. Murphy presented a resolution to contract with Progressive Companies (Grand Rapids) for a transit facility study using federal (80%) and state (20%) funds, with no local match. The study will produce a conceptual plan for a potential countywide public transportation authority facility, including a main hub, secondary storage/maintenance location, and remote storage. The contract amount is $59,842, with an additional $15,000 authorized for potential modifications. The study is expected to take 9–12 months. The resolution passed 4-0.
Welcome New Community Affairs Director – City Manager Ken noted that Melissa Farley began her first day as director of community affairs. She has been with the city since 2020 and previously worked in community affairs and public works. Council expressed welcome.
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 AT2 Uverse or on demand at WWW.city of MidlandMI.gov. Select meetings are available on MCTV Network's Government Affairs Podcast Channel. Welcome to the September 14th, 2026 City Council meeting. Please uh we're calling the meeting to order, and please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Honorable Mayor Pro Tem Brown Wilhelm. Here. Councilman Wazbinski. Here. Councilman Solar. Here. Councilman Passick. Here. Mayor Donker. All right. Does anyone on council have a conflict with any of the agenda items for tonight's meeting? Nope. Okay. All right. We will continue to move forward here. For approval of the minutes, all resolutions marked with an asterisk are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate consideration of these items unless a council member or a citizen so request during the discussion stage of the motion to adopt the consent agenda as indicated. If 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. Anyone in council like anything removed from the consent agenda? Nope. Anyone in the audience? All right, can I have a motion? So move. Second. Any discussion? All right, let's vote. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Oppose? All right. That passes 4-0. All right. Tonight we have one public hearing. Um before we open that up, I'd like to review the public hearing process. Um, first we will hear from a presentation from staff.