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Record of Proceedings

Port Huron City Council Meeting - July 13, 2026

City Council — Monday, July 13, 2026
BodyPort Huron, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, July 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 52:47

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:40

We will recycle the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:54

And to the Republic for which stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:05

Now we will have our national anthem.

1:16

Oh city can you see by the don't learn?

1:28

What's so proud of the twilight's last gleaming?

1:38

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perceived were so gun streaming.

2:01

And the right bones bursting through the night that our flag was still there.

2:37

Or the end of the free and the home of Honor Guard, retired colors.

3:38

Thank you.

3:38

You may be seated.

3:42

And this is on behalf of our Port Hair City Council, our acknowledgement as governing body of the city of Port here, our acknowledgement of the two hundred and fifty anniversary.

3:54

And many in our communities have gotten started, but no matter who does it or how many, we still needed to do that as your governing body to pay tribute to our Great America.

4:06

So now we will uh have our roll call.

4:11

Councilmember Archibald here.

4:14

Councilmember Haremza.

4:16

Councilmember Lamb here.

4:19

Councilmember Mojerak.

4:21

Councilmember Peyton.

4:23

Here.

4:24

Councilmember Pemberton.

4:25

Here.

4:26

Mayor Ashford.

4:27

Present.

4:28

Council members, you have before you minutes uh from June 22nd, 2026.

4:33

Uh motion.

4:34

So moved.

4:35

Moved by Mayor Potiam Archibald supported by Councilmember Mojarac in discussion.

4:43

Hearing none, roll call, please.

4:45

Councilmember Archibald.

4:47

Yes.

4:48

Councilmember Haremza.

4:50

Yes.

4:50

Councilmember Lamb.

4:52

Yes.

4:53

Councilmember Mojrac.

4:54

Yes.

4:55

Councilmember Peyton?

4:56

Yes.

4:57

Councilmember Pemberton.

4:59

Yes.

5:00

Mayor Ashford.

5:01

Yes.

5:02

And the next on our agenda is a public comment.

5:06

At this time, we will hear from the city residents and city businesses owners who signed up, and the clerk will call your name and just remember the speakers may address the city council on any agenda item or any matter under the city's jurisdiction.

5:23

And speakers are allowed one four-minute opportunity to make their comments.

5:29

Our first speaker tonight is Aaron Kriner.

5:36

Yeah, I just wanted to say I know I can't address the crowd, but I want to say that was beautiful.

5:41

That was very nice.

5:51

I want to say it looks really nice.

6:03

If you haven't been down there at night to see it, it really looks sharp.

6:07

So with the with the trees that were cut down in the shade, there's other ones that were planted.

6:14

Those will be big pretty soon.

6:16

And we did just get 200 trees planted in the city.

6:19

So there are plenty of trees going up.

6:22

Granted, it's not down there, and it's not exactly what it was, but it really looks nice.

6:27

And I think we'll get a lot more people down there too.

6:30

So that's it.

6:32

Thank you.

6:34

Our next speaker is Astra.

6:49

Good evening.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████26%
Public Engagement███████████████████████23%
Affordable Housing████████████12%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Pending Litigation███████7%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Economic Development████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Port Huron City Council Meeting - July 13, 2026

The Port Huron City Council met on July 13, 2026, with all council members present. The meeting included public comments, consent agenda approvals, discussion and votes on multiple resolutions, a zoning ordinance first reading, and a closed session for the city manager's performance review.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes from June 22, 2026 (unanimous).
  • Adopted Resolution 5 (amending fee schedule for virtual currency machines), Resolution 6 (scheduling public hearing for CDBG program year 2025 on August 10, 2026), Resolution 7 (appointing Raven Wright to the Beautification Commission), Resolution 8 (confirming single lot assessments for brush pickup), and Resolution 9 (confirming assessments for blight removal). All passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Aaron Kriner: Expressed support for the downtown improvements, noting the new lighting and tree planting (including 200 new trees citywide).
  • Astra: Criticized the pocket park project, calling it a waste of over half a million dollars spent over five to seven years. Argued it lacks green space and benefits visitors over residents. Also stated that artists feel the busking policy is exploitative and urged the city to pay performers.
  • Betty Hall: Inquired about the parade float, raised concerns about trash at Lakeside Beach and a recent drowning of a 22-year-old. Proposed using parking fees to hire lifeguards and establish an emergency response point.
  • Rachel Farkour: Announced progress on a chicken petition, praised the pocket park's appearance, and expressed excitement for Boat Week.
  • Craig Schlingert: Requested ADA compliance on microphone delivery and headphone availability for upstairs meetings. Called for safety improvements at Pine Grove Park (speed bumps, police presence) and urged hiring lifeguards following the drowning.
  • Brian Farquhar: Announced his candidacy for city council, presenting 86 signatures. Promised zoning overhaul, parking reform, and safer streets for children.
  • Michael Kirchner: Delivered an extensive personal testimony about alleged abduction and harassment, claiming involvement of law enforcement in the death of Joshua Cohen. (Content unrelated to agenda items.)
  • Kathy Nugent: Strongly criticized the city for lacking any July 4th celebration or red, white, and blue decorations, stating it disrespected veterans and America's 250th birthday.

Discussion Items

  • Connor Street Conversion Project (Resolution 1): Accepted a bid of $328,498 from Raymond Excavating for reconstruction including a road diet, streetscape, and lighting. The project is pending Neighborhood Improvement Authority approval. Councilmember Lamb amended the motion to conditionally accept pending NIA financing. Passed unanimously.
  • BSNA Software Upgrade: Authorized $301,235 to upgrade city software to the cloud, with an ongoing annual cost of $164,000. The city manager noted it was a necessary move due to loss of in-house hosting and lack of alternative vendors. Passed unanimously.
  • Water Street Road Reconstruction (Resolution 2): Approved a contract with MDOT for over $1 million in federal aid. Construction start delayed to September 1 to avoid traffic conflicts with ongoing 10th Street work and Blue Water Week. Passed unanimously.
  • Comprehensive Master Plan 2026-2030 (Resolution 3): Councilmember Peyton voted no, arguing the plan is too vague and lacks actionable steps on parking, zoning, and housing. Planning consultant Brian Keesey explained the document is deliberately high-level to allow flexibility and sets the stage for future specific ordinances. The plan passed 6-1, with Peyton dissenting.
  • 250th Anniversary Resolution (Resolution 4): Removed from consent agenda for a full reading. Mayor Ashford read a bipartisan, inclusive resolution celebrating America's 250th anniversary. Passed unanimously.
  • Investigation Report on Mayor's Email (Resolution 10): Authorized release of an investigative report regarding alleged hacking of the mayor's email, waiving attorney-client privilege for public access. Passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes: All resolutions passed; only Resolution 3 had one dissenting vote (Councilmember Peyton). The motion to enter closed session (city manager performance review) passed 6-1 (Mayor Ashford opposed).
  • Zoning Ordinance First Reading: Unanimously approved rezoning 1011 Pearl Street from C1 to R1.
  • Closed Session: The council moved into closed session under Section 8A of the Open Meetings Act to discuss the city manager's annual performance review.
  • Next Steps: Staff will proceed with Connor Street and Water Street projects, implement software upgrade, and address public concerns about lifeguards, ADA compliance, and park safety as noted in comments.

Meeting Transcript

We will recycle the Pledge of Allegiance. And to the Republic for which stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Now we will have our national anthem. Oh city can you see by the don't learn? What's so proud of the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perceived were so gun streaming. And the right bones bursting through the night that our flag was still there. Or the end of the free and the home of Honor Guard, retired colors. Thank you. You may be seated. And this is on behalf of our Port Hair City Council, our acknowledgement as governing body of the city of Port here, our acknowledgement of the two hundred and fifty anniversary. And many in our communities have gotten started, but no matter who does it or how many, we still needed to do that as your governing body to pay tribute to our Great America. So now we will uh have our roll call. Councilmember Archibald here. Councilmember Haremza. Councilmember Lamb here. Councilmember Mojerak. Councilmember Peyton. Here. Councilmember Pemberton. Here. Mayor Ashford. Present. Council members, you have before you minutes uh from June 22nd, 2026. Uh motion. So moved. Moved by Mayor Potiam Archibald supported by Councilmember Mojarac in discussion. Hearing none, roll call, please. Councilmember Archibald. Yes. Councilmember Haremza. Yes. Councilmember Lamb. Yes. Councilmember Mojrac. Yes. Councilmember Peyton? Yes. Councilmember Pemberton. Yes. Mayor Ashford. Yes. And the next on our agenda is a public comment. At this time, we will hear from the city residents and city businesses owners who signed up, and the clerk will call your name and just remember the speakers may address the city council on any agenda item or any matter under the city's jurisdiction. And speakers are allowed one four-minute opportunity to make their comments. Our first speaker tonight is Aaron Kriner. Yeah, I just wanted to say I know I can't address the crowd, but I want to say that was beautiful. That was very nice. I want to say it looks really nice. If you haven't been down there at night to see it, it really looks sharp.

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