City Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to call this City of Benton Harbor Commission meeting to order. We begin with an invocation by Pastor Williams, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by our Berrien County Commissioner, Commissioner Shokwe Pitchford. All rise.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for this gathering. Dear Father, we seek you for knowledge, understanding, and peace, that we're able to communicate, that we're able to come together, that we're able to seek out the needs of this community, and that most of all, through all things that we do, that we glorify you in unity. These blessings we pray right now in Jesus' name. Amen.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Commissioner Clark Griffin. Present. Commissioner Fields. Present. Commissioner Henderson. Present. Commissioner Henry. Present. Commissioner Isom. Present. Commissioner Kennard. Commissioner Warren. Present. Mayor Pro Tem Turner. Present. Mayor Muhammad.

Present.

You have a quorum.

This brings us to. I'm going to ask that all electronic devices be powered off or placed on silent, please. The next item on the agenda is the approval of minutes. Is there a motion for the approval of regular minutes July 20, 2026 and closed session minutes July 20, 2026. Motion is made by Mayor Pro Tem Turner. It is supported by Commissioner at Large Fields. Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Fields. Yes. Commissioner Henderson. Yes. Commissioner Henry. Yes. Commissioner Isom. Yes. Commissioner Warren. Yes. Commissioner Clark Griffin. Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Turner. Yes. Mayor Muhammad. Yes. Motion carried.

This brings us to approval of accounts payable listing. Is there a motion for the approval?

So moved.

Motion is made by First Ward Commissioner Henderson and supported by Mayor Pro Tem Turner. Is there discussion? Carry none. Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Henderson? Yes. Commissioner Henry? The AP list. Commissioner Isom? Yes. Commissioner Warren?

Yes.

Commissioner Clark-Griffin?

Yes.

Commissioner Fields? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Turner? Yes. Mayor Muhammad? Yes. Motion carried.

This brings us to our update from our Representative of the 38th District, Representative Joey Andrews, is he present? We move to the citizens comments or public participation. There is a three minute maximum per speaker. Please sign in with the clerk and she will call you accordingly.

Donna Evans.

My name is Donna Evans and I am a citizen of Benton Harbor. I want to encourage, can you hear me? I want to encourage the Benton Harbor City Council to place the healthcare action plan on the November ballot. The skyrocketing cost of healthcare is a crisis. We are all struggling to afford healthcare. At this time, the price of everything is already up, gas, groceries. I see that this affects our community every day as a nurse by families delaying care, skip medications, and struggling with preventative health care, which impact the overall well-being of our community. I believe this is a very way to allow us to have a voice to make healthcare a more affordable for people of the Benton Harbor or in Benton Harbor. A healthcare action plan would allow families and people in our community to tell Congress what actions they must take to make healthcare more affordable and more available. If this proposal passes, We would hold public hearings and develop ways for regular people in Benton Harbor to afford health care rather than rely on Washington's Act. Some lawmakers like Bill Hustler voted to take health care away from 400,000 Michiganders. And that's wrong. A health care action plan will address what we can do at a local level and create local solutions to bring down health care costs. That's why I support the health care action plan. Thank you for your time, and we hope you put the health care action plan on the November ballot.

Commissioner Pitchford.

Thank you and good afternoon everyone. Honorable Mayor, Honorable Commission, thank you for having me today. I want to first, I'm Berrien County Commissioner Shokwe Pitchford, but my day job is I'm the Executive Director of Berrien Forward, been the Executive Director since 2022. And I like to preface this in all the meetings that I've

so here's where it gets a little dicey we can only have a hundred words and this is a the communications is also at five thirty it just happens to be on a monday and come is always public comment at those as well just show up for your community and yourself thank you chair recognizes third ward commissioner henry just want to thank the citizens for coming out and listening to us

Seeing what exactly is happening, we have a very alert and wide-awake commissioner. Now, this is not normal for us to be. The old regime was sound asleep, but I can tell you for a fact that we are... WIDE AWAKE AND WE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. WE SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING. WE JUST HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS NOT THERE FOR US. SO WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT OF THE SYSTEM AND MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR RESIDENTS. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT. AND THE ONES THAT DON'T COME TO THE MEETING, Please, if you have some ideas, if you have some concerns, call your commissioner. You have four commissioners that are directly directed to you as a resident as well as the city mayor. That's five elected officials can do almost anything. for you. So it's important that the residents talk to your commissioners. We want to hear what your concerns or your ideas are. So thank you and see you next two weeks.

Thank you. Chair recognizes Commissioner-at-Large Isom.

Thank you, Honorable Mayor. I'd like to thank everyone for coming out tonight and all your comments. You have been heard. My neighbor right there with the bushes at that store, you know, you can barely see cars coming. I know what you're talking about. You know, I don't know, maybe we should make the owners be responsible, you know. It's an eyesore. It's right in front of the high school there. I thank the pastor for coming out, classmate. I thank everybody for coming out tonight to share. Health, health care. Health care is important because it is expensive, you know. I went to the doctor just to get some blood, and by the time I made it home, the bill was in the mail, you know. they will send it to your credit bureau and all that. You got to pay it right away. They be on you, you know, so anything we can do to help the people in the city, uh, the Barron County with healthcare, because it's skyrocketing. So like, thank you everyone for coming out tonight. Um, Lions camp should be almost starting. We're going to start signing players. We've got to sign Gibbs. But we've got a lot going on pretty soon with the Detroit Lions. Thank you for listening. Expect great things. And go out on both tomorrow.

The chair recognizes our second world commissioner, Warren.

Thank you, Honorable Mayor. I want to say thank you to everyone who came out and anyone who's watching on YouTube. I'll begin to talk about some cool workforce development things that we did this summer with our youth. Our second year working with Abbott March, and we had some job shadowing. Our youth really focused on surveying. It actually made the front page of the Hero Palladium, if anyone maybe saw that back in June. So that was pretty awesome. AND WE ARE FINISHING UP OUR ENTREPRENEURSHIP SEGMENT. WE'RE DONE ON WEDNESDAY. WE HAVE 12 YOUTH, AND THESE ARE MIDDLE, MOST ARE MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE YOUTH, ONE HIGH SCHOOL, THAT CREATED THEIR OWN COMPANIES, MARKETING PLANS, BUSINESS PLANS, financials and we work with Horizon Bank and we talked to some of their employees they helped out with different things so it's a really awesome program the youth created their products and sold them at the farmers market that was maybe two weeks ago or so and we made about $400 so it's pretty excited to do sales so the youth got to make the product and go on a customer service piece let's see Next up, this weekend, community yard sale. We still have slots available if anyone wants to participate. There are flyers in City Hall, and also there's a flyer outside of this door. If you're here and you want to check it out. Next up, we're going to do a town hall for the second ward. Of course, everyone is welcome. That will be – I want to do a September date. So once I can secure a location and a date, I'll have to check with – police department and get a date I want to make sure everyone can attend but just keep that on your radar I will give you guys a date very soon and then finally I wanted to also say something positive about Derek Bishop he reached out to me he wanted to talk to the youth at the Boys and Girls Club so he came twice and spoke with our youth he pretty much wanted to tell everybody his story to make sure others didn't follow in his footsteps so It was just an amazing, he was an amazing person, and he definitely wanted to help the community. And that is all. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Chair recognizes Mayor Pro Tem Turner.

Thank you. So I do want to send my thoughts with Dear Bishop as well, because I called him personally. I said, hey, what's going on here? I thought somebody was pulling my leg. And we had a conversation. And so I'm very proud of him. But I want to get to a big event today. On October 26th, which is a Monday from 1 to 4 p.m., Benton Harbor has never had what's called a touch a truck. So we're bringing in different equipment where our young kids can see unseen heroes. So you'll be seeing big trucks like snow plows, so forth, so forth. I have not got with the city. See if the city wanted to help out, but... do they do they don't they don't the show goes on we're going to have quite a bit of equipment coming in this is not equipment going to tear up the roads so this won't be no artillery equipment none of that no trailers none of that but it's going to be big trucks coming into ben harbor and it's free to the entire community so i'm paying for everything i'm my own pocket that's why i work i make good i ain't rich i make good my own job so i'm paying for everything the port-a-potties, the insurance, you name it. So it's going to be October 26th from 1 to 4 p.m., free admission. And then last, I'm going to get with our fire department. You'll find out later on. I'm going to get with our fire department because I need my ladder truck to be with us. So we got to get with our fire department so that he can request that for me.

The chair recognizes First Ward Commissioner Henderson.

Thank you, Honorable Mayor. As has been echoed, thank everyone who came out for all the comments, for all of our engaged residents, to the people who submitted the petition, even though we didn't. hear about it until I think it was late last week. Thank you, because that is the power of residents and citizenship and the power of the people at work. Just wanted to talk about the airport. There's been just a lot of information out. I used to sit on the airport authority board I never owned an airplane, but I learned a lot listening. I sat on that board for about five years. We'd go to the meetings and didn't have a clue that people had helipads in their backyards. Quite a few people in our area does. But there's been a lot said about who owns what, but there is value in having a local airport in your backyard whether you use it or not because it helps drive development in a community. So when it is our turn to help vote for that particular issue, we're not voting for it. It's not on the ballot for us, but it will be for other communities. Please support that initiative. It is important. The fire department, I think, they do trainings and things like that at... out there at the airport. So it is important. And I'll also go visit. I was also told if people wanted to have events out there, they could hold events in the inside. They've done some fly-ins and stuff. I've taken my great nieces and nephews out there, and there were car shows. So go check out the resources in Benton Harbor, which we have a lot of. And it's just very interesting. There's a gentleman who develops... garage doors for airports out there. There's a gentleman who paints airplanes out there. So go visit and check out the resources that we have in our community. And I would also encourage people to go on August 5th to the Riverview project redevelopment project. Go and give input on that project. The riverfront will be developed. I'm happy I talked about this. My daughter used to live in D.C., and I had a chance to go down there, and they were doing their riverfront in three different phases. And when I was down there, they were in phase two, and they were raising money to do phase three for that particular project. They had built boutique hotels. There were restaurants. There were fisheries, eateries, fresh fish, all this kind of stuff. And so there's an opportunity here to redevelop our riverfront. Get involved, because if you don't use your voice to give input, then people don't know that you care and they don't care what you want in your community if you don't, the only thing that you do is complain about it and not give input. So show up at that meeting at the Innovation Lab on August 5th to give your input about the Innovation Lab. And so I'm preaching to the crowd, you guys are here and you're involved in your community, but bring along others. As the city manager talked about, the city alone cannot clean up this city. We need the people who live there to cut their grasses. If you live in a house, we need business owners. As the gentleman talked about, I know where his sister lives at because she's called me before. The businesses need to cut their grass, and they need to be held accountable. But we need everybody to participate. It's not a one-person thing. It's not a city's thing. It is a community thing to clean up our community. I was coming in today, and somebody had thrown trash down the hill right there at Colfax. As you're coming down, just open the door and throw that trash out. We can't have that. And so we need everybody to be involved in helping to keep our city clean and vibrant. So thank you all and have a great evening.

Thank you. I'd like to thank everyone for coming out. I'd like to thank the staff and commission for your comments. I'd just like to share a few things. First of all, I'll begin with Governor Gretchen Whitmer's administration. I received a report from her staff where it says here's a sample of major investments in Benton Harbor across Governor Whitmer's eight BIPARTISAN BUDGETS FROM 2020 TO 2027. THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF EVERY STATE DOLLAR THAT HAS BEEN INVESTED IN THE CITY DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, WHICH COVERS APPROXIMATELY ABOUT 90 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS. AND THAT IS A CROSS RANGE WITH BENTON HARBOR AREA SCHOOLS. AND I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE FOR THE RECORD THAT TRUSTEE MATTHEW BRADLEY Forbidden Highbury schools is present madam clerk. Could that be put in the minutes, please? Our state share revenue has totaled thirteen million five hundred nineteen thousand and eighty eight cents the water infrastructure energy infrastructure and lead service line replacement and The total current allocation of funds to the city of Bent Harbor from 2020 to 2026 is $76,588,207.11. And it's a long list. of dollars that have been allocated to help rebuild Benton Harbor. And I just wanted to say and share that with you from this particular seat and station as the mayor of Benton Harbor that I'm grateful and thankful for her leadership and her administration. I've sat through Governor Granholm at the end of her administration, eight years of Governor Rick Snyder And I can say with great conviction that by far, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been the best friend in Lansing that I have worked with since I've been in politics since 2010. So, I also like to Echo, as Michael Hoy stated, Benton Harbor is experiencing the 160th year where we have gone through many changes. The character, I believe, remains the same. where the people of Benton Harbor are resilient, the people of Benton Harbor are fighters, and when it is time for us to unite and come together, good, bad, or indifferent, we have a way of coming together to fight for what is most important. So I did request Michael Hoy a special tribute from the Whitmer administration acknowledging 160 years. And as America celebrates 250 years, I would just encourage people to learn your American or your U.S. history. It is very, very, very rich, and there's a lot that we were taught in school, and there's a lot that was left out. But it is up to the pupil or the student to go and find and trace the facts so we can be informed citizens. And I will say that the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, he said that you cannot have illiteracy and democracy simultaneously. And with that being said, I'd like to make a motion that the City Commission go into closed session under Section 8H of the Open Meetings Act to discuss material exempt from public discussion and disclosure being written being a written memorandum from the city attorney. Is there a motion? Motion is made by Mayor Pro Tem Turner and is supported by Commissioner Henderson. Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Warren? Yes. Commissioner Clerk Griffin? Yes. Commissioner Fields? Yes. Commissioner Henderson? Yes. Commissioner Henry? Yes. Commissioner Isom? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Turner? Yes. Mayor Muhammad?

Yes. Motion carried. We enter into recess. SESSION OUT OF CLOSED SESSION UNDER SECTION 8H OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT TO DISCUSS MATERIAL EXEMPT FROM THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION AND DISCLOSURE BEING A WRITTEN MEMORANDUM FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY. IS THERE ANY ACTION FROM THE CLOSED SESSION?

MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT PROPOSAL ONE.

MOTION IS MADE TO ACCEPT PROPOSAL ONE. IS THERE A SECOND? SUPPORT. MOTION IS MADE BY COMMISSIONER AT LARGE ISOM, SUPPORTED BY COMMISSIONER AT LARGE FIELDS. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

COMMISSIONER WARREN? YES. COMMISSIONER CLERK-GRIFFIN?

AYE, IT'S THAIN.

CAN YOU STATE YOUR REASON?

YOU HAVE TO STATE A REASON. I can't say too much because it's closed six. I abstain because I don't agree.

You can only abstain unless there's a financial... You have to vote yes or no.

Because you have to give an actual reason to abstain. So if you don't agree, you can vote no.

I abstain because it's personal. point of order.

But if it's personal, then you have to state the personal or financial gain.

That is not.

But the only way you can abstain by Michigan compiled law is unless there is a financial or some type of gain or maybe a family member where you would be guilty of nepotism. So in this particular case, there is no financial gain, nor is there a issue of nepotism.

I stand because of nepotism.

Point of order.

We just have to address based upon the law. Madam Clerk, please continue with the roll.

Commissioner Fields? Yes. Yes. Commissioner Henderson? Yes. Commissioner Henry? Yes. Commissioner Isom? Yes. Commissioner Kennard? Sorry, Mayor Pro Tem Turner?

No.

Mayor Muhammad?

Yes.

Motion carried.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

Motion to adjourn.

Motion is made by Commissioner Fields, supported by Commissioner Isom, Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Clark-Griffin? Yes. Commissioner Fields? Yes. Commissioner Henderson? Yes. Commissioner Henry? Yes. Commissioner Isom? Yes. Commissioner Warren? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Turner? Yes.