City Commission - Regular Meeting

Welcome to the city of Battle Creek, Michigan in the Battle Creek City Commission meeting for March 3rd, 2026. It is 7 p.m. We welcome you to our meeting. We're going to stand first for a moment of silence for our invocation. Then we'll have our pledge of allegiance led by Commissioner Chris Simmons. Commissioner Chris Simmons.

I pledge 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. Thank you very much, Commissioner Chris Simmons. Next item on the agenda is roll call. Madam clerk, when you're ready. Commissioner Katarski Smith here. Commissioner Lacass, present. Commissioner Lance here. Commissioner Morris here. Mayor Banky here. Commissioner Reynolds present. Commissioner O'Donnell here. Commissioner Simmons here. And Vice Mayor Sophia

here. Thank you. Next item on our agenda is a presentation. I'd like to call upon our city manager, Amanda, to introduce. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'd like to um ask Aaron to come up and present the presentation concerning our midterm financials.

It's okay. I'll try not to touch it again. Uh thank you mayor, vice mayor, commissioners Amanda and Ted uh for this opportunity to present and discuss with you the inter financial statements for the six months ended December 31st, 2025. Uh I'd also like to offer a heartfelt thanks to our finance team who is currently who are currently working hard towards full implementation of our new ERP software but have still made the time and effort to get things posted in a timely fashion. A PDF of my report is attached to your agenda. Uh, this report highlights the general fund and also presents the major and local street funds as well as the water and sewer funds. Um, I I probably continue to sound like a broken record, but I'll continue to hammer the point home. Don't get too excited about the bottom line number that you see on the report in the general fund. Our financial picture in the general fund especially uh looks healthy this time of year due to all the property tax being recognized in the first and second quarter of the year. Uh this sometimes makes the 50% formula a more difficult benchmark when looking at total revenues. Uh income tax revenues u as a bright spot have increased dramatically compared to the same six-month period a year ago. Uh we continue to monitor this closely as staff. Uh a large part of this increase is due to the renewed collection efforts of our income tax department to keep in touch with taxpayers and uh collect on past due balances. Uh the table in my narrative report shows the details by revenue category uh of that increase. Uh property tax revenue is 3.6% higher than the prior year and that's largely due to uh CPI inflationary adjustments. Uh excluding property taxes, the remainder of revenues at 47% of the budget uh and is a decrease of83% or $150,000 compared to the same period one

year ago. Uh this is largely due to a timing difference in how our police charges for services or have been build thus far in in fiscal year 26. Uh included in the narrative report also are several charts comparing revenues and expenditures uh to the prior year for the general fund, major and local streets and water and sewer. Uh major and local streets revenue were both up from the previous year. uh expenses have increased in the major streets fund uh year-over-year due due to the ongoing work for the construction uh of the salt barn. Uh water and sewer revenues have each increased uh this year that was largely due to a rate adjustment as well as some increased flows. Um sewer increase sewer expenditures increased slightly over the prior year as well based on a number of ongoing capital improvement projects and uh water expenditures decreased based on uh the city spending a chunk of the uh bond proceeds from the 2023 uh bond water bond project uh in the prior year. Um and at this point I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Any questions for Erin? Erin, we want to thank you very much for the report. We'll see you at the next one. All right. Thank you. Thanks. Next item on our agenda is chair noting any added or deleted resolutions. There were none. Thank you very much. Next item is petitions, communications, and reports. There were none.

Thank you. Next item on our agenda is public comment regarding any remaining agenda items. If you'd like to make a public comment regarding any remaining agenda item, please raise your hand and we will acknowledge you to come forward to the podium. You will have four minutes to make your comments. Please state your name and address before making your comment and indicate which agenda item you will be speaking to. Are there any public comments at this time? Are there any public comments? Hearing none, we'll go down to introduction of ordinance 07206, proposed ordinance 072026. Madam clerk, when you're ready.

This proposed ordinance, if introduced, would amend chapter 882 real estate taxation by adding section 23 granting a payment in lie of taxes or a pilot to the housing development to be known as stationside lofts. The proposed stationside lofts will be 43 units in a three-story elevator served urban style building. Units will rent to the low to moderate income demographic of Battle Creek. This includes those earning between 30 to 80% of the local area median income or AMI with an average AMI of approximately 55%. Should the project receive funding in the April 1, 2026 MISTA funding round, construction will commence in the fall 2027 and the project will be placed into service in the winter of 2029. This proposed pilot would last 50 years provide provided the sponsor continues to meet the statutory requirements to be eligible for the abatement as well as the requirements set out in the proposed ordinance. After the pilot expires, the property would be assessed at a normal value and tax rate. I move for the introduction of ordinance 07-2026.

Second. been moved and supported to approve the introduction of ordinance 072026. Are there any comments by the commission? Seeing none, would you please please vote on the introduction of ordinance 072026. The introduction of ordinance 072026 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is introduction of ordinance 08 2026. Madam clerk, when you're ready,

this proposed ordinance, if introduced, would amend chapter 882 real estate taxation by adding section 24 granting a payment in l of taxes or a pilot to the housing development to be known as stationside senior lofts. The proposed stationside senior lofts will be 53 units in a fourstory elevator served urban style building. Units will rent to the low to moderate income demographic of Battle Creek. This includes those earning between 30 to 80% of the local area median income or AMI with an average AMI of approximately 55%. This proposed pilot would last 50 years provided the sponsor continues to meet the statutory requirements to be eligible for the abatement as well as the requirements set out in the proposed ordinance. After the pilot expires, the property would be assessed at a normal value and tax rate. I move for the introduction of ordinance 08-2026.

Second. Been moved and supported to introduce ordinance 082026. Any comments by the commission?

Seeing none, would you please vote on the introduction of 08 2026? The introduction of ordinance OE 2026 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is the introduction of ordinance 092026. Madam clerk, when you're ready. This proposed ordinance, if introduced, would amend chapter 882 real estate taxation by adding section 25 granting a payment in lie of taxes or pilot to the housing development to be known as stationside town homes. The proposed station side town homes will be 40 three-bedroom units with six buildings in total that will be comprised of six or seven units per building. Units will rent to the low to moderate income demographic of Battle Creek. This includes those earning between 30 to 80% of the local area median income with an average AMI of approximately 55%. This proposed pilot would last 50 years provided the sponsor continues to meet the statutory requirements to be eligible for the abatement as well as the requirements set out in the proposed ordinance. After the pilot expires, the property would be assessed at a normal value and tax rate. I move for the introduction of ordinance 09-2026.

Second. Been moved and supported to approve the introduction of order 92026. Are there any comments by the commission? Seeing none, would you please vote on the introduction of proposed ordinance 09 2026? The introduction of ordinance 09 2026 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is the adoption of ordinances uh ordinance 323 uh resolution adopting ordinance 052026. Madam clerk, when you're ready.

This ordinance, if adopted, would reszone the property located at 18 Emerald Avenue, parcel number 1804- 00-004-0 from R1B single family residential district to B1 corridor commercial district. I move for the adoption of resolution 323 ordinance number 05-2026. Second

been moved and supported to adopt ordinance 323 resolution adopting ordinance 05 for 2026. Are there any comments, questions, or clarifications needed at this time? Seeing none, would you please vote on the adoption of ordinance 323, resolution adopting '05 2022, the introduction or excuse me, the adoption of ordinance 052026 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is um resolution 324 adopting ordinance 06 2026. Madame clerk when you're ready.

This ordinance if adopted would amend sections 1240.12 and 1251.20 of title six zoning of the code of ordinances to increase the building height from 50 feet to 60 ft and remove the limitation on stories in the B2 district and eliminate the requirement that hotels must have 800 square ft of lot area for each guest room. I move for the adoption of resolution 324 ordinance 06-2026. Second. Been moved and supported to approve resolution adopting ordinance 06 2026. Are there any comments or concerns by the commission?

Seeing none, would you please vote on resolution adopting ordinance 062026? The adoption of ordinance 06 2026 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is commission comment regarding meeting business. I move for the approval of the consent agenda. Second. Been moved and supported to approve the consent agenda. Are any comments or concerns about anything on the consent agenda?

Seeing none, would you please vote on the consent agenda? The consent agenda has been approved. Next item on our agenda is resolution 327. Madame clerk, when you're ready. This resolution, if approved, would accept the lowest responsive responsible bid for from Miller Davis Company for the Kingman Museum phase 2 subgrade and exterior rehabilitation project in a not to exceed amount of $75,000. The project will replace the top tier of the grand staircase and fill in the space beneath it. It also includes excavation and installation of per perimeter waterproofing. The north exterior stair and nearby areas will be removed and replaced with new masonry wall infill along with foundation waterproofing and drainage improvements for the storage area. Additional subgrade and exterior work will follow the project drawings and specifications. Mechanical systems will be recommissioned and existing equipment will receive necessary upgrades or repairs.

Move for the approval of resolution 327.

Second. been moved and supported to approve the resolution 327. Are there any comments by the commission? Hearing none, would you please vote on resolution 327? Resolution 327 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is resolution 328. Madame clerk, when you're ready. This resolution, if approved, would indicate the commission's support for staff to pursue federal and state funding through the Michigan Department of Transportation local bridge program for the preventative maintenance of the Elm Street Bridge over the Battle Creek River and the replacement of the superructure for the Barnum Street Bridge over the Kalamazoo River. I move for the approval of resolution 328.

Second. Been moved and supported to approve resolution 328. Are there any questions by the commission? Seeing none, would you please vote on resolution 328? Resolution 328 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is general public comment. If you'd like to make general public comment regarding regarding matters over which the city commission has control, please raise your hand and wait for us to acknowledge you to come forward to the podium. You'll have three minutes to make your comment. Please state your name and address prior to beginning your comment. Mary, I didn't have any.

Okay, no problem. I'm not going to argue with you, Mary. vacation. Are there any public comments at this time? See none. Any commission comments? Commissioner Patrick O'Donnell.

Thank you, Mayor. Uh just quickly, I'd like to say um it's great to see the downtown starting to to uh come together with the hotel and the Kellogg Arena. last couple weeks, month or so, we've had uh bull riding, which was sold out, attended, uh gymnastics, regional meetings. It was great to see some people walking downtown this morning buying coffee for their meeting that they're having at the hotel. And then, uh this last weekend, our barbecue and mac and cheese fest was bringing a lot of people downtown. So, I'm so happy with what's going on. Thank you. Thank you, commissioner. Any uh vice mayor? Thank you, mayor. Um, our city manager got some news today about our Verona Wellfield. Can we ask her to give us a bit of an update?

Sure. I did receive a letter today from Eagle. Um, it's actually very good news. The five wells that we have been working on have been approved for operation and we will begin operation of those wells tomorrow by lunchtime. Thank you very much and congratulations. The DPW team and Director Skellsky did a great job. Thanks. Any other comments, Commissioner Lass? I'd just like to also point out, I know there was a lot of community questions as far as the community oversight board, and we've got some information from the city manager as well that they will be fully functioning in April. They just have some things for their bylaws and other little odds and ends to iron out, but they will be fully functional by then.

Thank you, Commissioner, and thank you for the nice cookies. They were delicious. Seeing no further comments, we'll adjourn our meeting. Thank you very much for attending. I can't