Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We'd like to call the City of Benton Harbor Commission meeting to order. We begin with an invocation by Commissioner Sharon Henderson, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance from Commissioner Edward Isom. All rise.

to serve in this community. Bless our time together as we make decisions and move our city forward. In Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name.

I yield to the city clerk.

Commissioner Clark Griffin. Present. Commissioner Fields. Present. Commissioner Henderson. Present. Commissioner Henry. Present. Commissioner Isom. Present. Commissioner Kennard.

Yes.

Present.

Here.

Commissioner Warren.

Present.

Mayor Pro Tem Turner.

Present.

Mayor Muhammad.

Present.

We have a quorum.

This brings us to approval of minutes, regular minutes, July 6, 2026. Is there a motion for the approval? Motion is made by Commissioner Henderson and is supported by Mayor Pro Tem Turner. Madam Clerk?

Commissioner Henderson?

Yes.

Commissioner Henry? Yes. Commissioner Isom? Yes. Commissioner Kennard?

Yes.

Commissioner Warren? Yes.

Yes.

Commissioner Clark Griffin. Yes. Commissioner Fields. 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? Motion. Motion is made by Commissioner Henderson and is supported by Mayor Pro Tem Turner. Is there discussion? Carry none. Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Henry. Commissioner Isom? Yes. Commissioner Kennard?

Yes.

Commissioner Warren?

Yes.

Commissioner Clark Griffin? No. Commissioner Fields? No. Commissioner Henderson? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Turner? Yes. Mayor Muhammad? Yes. Motion carried.

This brings us to citizens comments or public participation. There is a three minute maximum per speaker. Please sign in with the clerk and she will call you according to the list.

Jacqueline Elliott.

Good evening, Mayor Muhammad and commissioners.

My name is Jacqueline Elliott. I'm a co-founder of the Jean Clark Neighborhood Coalition. I would like to thank Demetrius Meeks and the Public Works Department for replacing the missing stop sign at the exit of Jean Clark Park. That's a huge help to keeping the park safe. I'm here because we all want Benton Harbor to thrive. All 14 city parks should be safe, welcoming places for families and visitors. Our coalition is focused on Jean Clark, but we support efforts to strengthen parks throughout Benton Harbor. gene clock park is one of our community's greatest public assets given to the city by the clock family in 1917 it's a destination for residents and visitors alike in 2022 mayor muhammad you called it a jewel of the community and noted that it generates approximately 200 000 an annual revenue for the city and i agree with you it is a community jewel that deserves protection more than 275 community members have signed our petition so far for practical common sense safety improvements at gene clock our requests are straightforward enforce the existing 10 p.m closing rule by closing the existing front gate, restore after-hours vehicle controls at Graham Boulevard by repairing the traffic spikes or installing a gate, implement traffic calming measures to stop the ongoing drag racing and reckless driving, and update the park signage in the Chapter 28 so that expectations are clear for everyone. We recognize the challenges that the city faces. We know that public works went from 28 staff members to six and that public safety is down five officers with only two to three patrols per shift. We also know that the city is working to restore eligibility for parks grant funding and we support that effort. Rebuilding a strong Parks and Recreation Department and investing in all 14 parks is an important long-term vision. But our community should not have to wait for those resources to make meaningful public safety improvements. Those solutions already exist. The 10 p.m. closing rule is already in place. The front gate is already there. The Grand Boulevard traffic control system once served this purpose. These are practical, cost-effective steps the city can now take as it pursues that long-term vision. We are not here to point fingers. We are here to be partners. Mayor Muhammad, we would sincerely welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your administration to discuss our concerns, hear your perspective, and work together to protect Jean Clark Park. We all share the same goal, a thriving Benton Harbor with parks that are safe, welcoming, and well cared for. Our coalition stands ready to help make that vision a reality. Thank you for your time and service.

Thank you.

Precious Valentine.

Good evening, Mayor, Commissioners, City Manager. My name is Precious Valentine. I live at 1142 Pearl here in Benton Harbor. I'm here tonight not just for myself, but for every homeowner who is investing in our neighborhoods and wants to see Benton Harbor continue to move forward. I've lived in my home since 2020, purchased in 23. Because I believed in this community. Thought about moving away, and I'm like, no, I'm going to purchase here. Like many neighbors, I've worked hard to improve my property, increase the value. My goal has always been to be part of a solution and help revitalize the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the city-owned lot next to my home has become an ongoingly safe hazard. Excuse me. There's rotting trees, dropped large lambs that's been dropped really close to my home, my vehicles from the rotting tree in the front. Then around my house there's a gate. You cannot see the alley or anything from the vegetation. There's a city lot right next to me where the Trees and things are coming up through my fence. I've repaired it once. I've asked for the city to help. I've had a gazebo for two years and haven't been able to put it up because the way it looks around there, I can't even put up a privacy fence because it's going to tear it down. There's big trees coming through there. There's lines coming through my yard. AEP will not touch them. It's a city's issue. I've brought it to the city a couple times. The city comes and literally, I have pictures. That whole lot, they will come and mow that part there, pick up a little trash. And the bags are still there from four weeks ago, from the trash they picked up. It's still on the curb. I refused to pick them up. I took pictures. I finally decided to move forward in my backyard. I'm putting things up. And it's just getting to the point where it's hazardous. I've got a dog who goes through there. And before you know it, he's got a cutter. It's hazardous for the city. And we're trying to build up our neighborhood. Like I said, I've asked numerous times. They did cut it down a year ago maybe, but not from the root. So it just grew right back and it's doing the same thing over and over. So I've asked for help with the fence and I was told to go through my insurance company to do so. And I don't think that's something that I should have to do. Again, we've got the front tree that's rotting and about to drop. on my home or my car or someone walking down the street with a big crack in it. And then we've got the vegetation around the fences and the lot that is unmaintained. I'm not asking for anything special, just the same accountability that you expect from the homeowners. So thank you.

Ms. Valentine, have you emailed your pictures to any staff or the city clerk you have?

Some of the commissioners. The city manager.

Could you leave them with the city clerk, please?

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Daryl Jackson.

good evening everybody good evening well you know i reside in 1151 broadway and it has became a problem with a lot of people and uh... and i understand but you know i got targeted and targeted and just messed with but let me say this to you a lot of stuff happened at that property and um... I got good advice from Mayor Pro Tem Shaquille Turner, you know, because he was concerned about the neighborhood, how things were looking. Yeah, it was looking bad. I had purchased that house, towed stuff, a lot of stuff out, put it on my property. And it was a hazard. But a lot of other stuff came out the alley. But however, I had to go to court. I had my day in court. I just want to thank Mr. Little for his advice. He's not my personal friend. Killed Turner's not my personal friend. The city attorney's not my personal friend. It was just concerns. But bottom line, it all got straightened out. It was a lot of chaos. And I appreciate, I appreciate your manner of approaching him. I appreciate you, Mr. Little, and I appreciate the city attorney. I was guilty of that rubbish. I ain't got no problem paying that fine. But it got squared away. The other problem got squared away as well. And I also want to thank Mayor Pro Tem Turner for straightening out a serious problem. And he knew what was going to go down, but I listened to him, young man, and everything got squared away. But all that's good now is water on the bridge. I'd also like to thank Officer Henderson. Officer Henderson, he patrols the area, and he's a real good officer. He'll talk to anybody. He happened to see me, and he talked to me about some personal stuff that I told him about it. You know, listening to him, he got that straightened out. And now I'm saying to you all, if... I can get something straightened out by listening to somebody. Everybody else in the city, Mayor Prokofiev, Turner, should listen and clean your eyes up. Get down and do all that stuff. You start to be a good figure in the neighborhood by doing what you're doing. And I ain't got to be your friend to listen to you, but I did listen. You're a city official. So again, You know, everybody got their day. And I'll tell you something else. It's not easy for all y'all being up here anyway. You do what y'all do every day. People got their personal vendettas. Y'all need to stop that. Thank you.

Desiree Durden.

Good evening, everybody.

Good evening.

I just wanted to formally invite you guys and let you know that I have officially launched the first pillar of When Roses Bloom's community wellness ecosystem in partnership with the Benton Harbor Public Library. So we will be doing our Roots and Roses parent cafe every third Friday from 430 to 630. There will be food and refreshments. Child care will always be available on site, so you can literally just come and bring everybody. There will also be giveaways and, of course, access to local community resources and learning about the resources you don't know about. I do want all of you guys to be present if you have the time, at least have one of them. There will be one every month, but come as a regular community member, just somebody who's a part of the community. You don't have to show up as a commissioner. I want you to be able to come and enjoy yourself as everybody else would, too. Thank you.

Thank you.

No more comments.

I'd like to thank everyone for participating in these citizens' comments or public participation. This brings us to our consent calendar. Is there a motion for the approval of the consent calendar, or are there items that should be separated? Chair recognizes Member Pro Tem Turner. Member Warren. Chair recognizes Commissioner Clark Griffin. And that will conclude our consent calendar. Is there a motion to approve? Motion to approve. A resolution to accept Eagle Water Career and Workforce Grant. Motion is made by Mayor Pro Tem Turner.

Support.

It is supported by Commissioner at Large Fields. Is there discussion? Chair recognizes Mayor Pro Tem Turner.

Yes, so in the package, I don't know if by mistake or what, it has here the temporary solution for city park restrooms, which is attached to the youth grant here. I THINK I SUPPORT IT. IT'S ON THE NEXT PAGE OVER. IT SAYS, SERIOUS TEMPORARY SOLUTION FOR A CITY PARK RESTROOM. A TEMPORARY MEASURE I RECOMMEND UTILIZING EXISTING CITY PERSONNEL TO REOPEN, MAINTAIN THE PUBLIC RESTROOMS AT BEN HARBOR PARKS, INCLUDING THE BEACH. AND IT GOES ON. I SUPPORT THIS, SIR. SO I'M HOPING THAT IT'S PART OF THIS RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT THIS GRANT AS WELL, BECAUSE I THINK having the young kids here for 84 000 and 848 i think that plan will work wonderful to keep on attached to this here the chair recognizes commissioner henry

THANK YOU, MAYOR. WELL, $84,000 IS A GOOD SUMMER MONEY FOR SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT, BUT I REALLY LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE ONES THAT ARE GETTING PAID OUT OF THIS $84,000. AND ONE OF THEM IS THE KAYAK I NEED TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT THIS ENTITY IS GOING TO BE DOING FOR THIS GRANT. YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHO IS GETTING THE MONEY AND DEFINITELY WATCH HOW THEY CHOOSE THE STUDENTS. From my understanding, they always take the cream of the crop and leave the rest to rot. So those kind of things I look out for. And the question is the kayaking. What job or what tasks do they have in this grant?

Chair recognizes the city manager, Mr. Alex Little.

Thank you, sir. I am not sure where this came from, but this is not the way I intend to do it. We are going to assign from the group of youth that we have a person for both Yarborough Park and also for Union Park to work the morning hours and the afternoon hours. and the restrooms will be open during that period of time when they leave we'll close it up the park attendants will be observing what's going on and if necessary reporting any problems they see the cleaning will not be done by the youth the cleaning will be done by the janitor that we have here at City Hall who has agreed he's willing to go and clean those each day. So I'm not sure whether, and this is not part of what we're putting before you tonight.

So I want to read the resolution just for clarity. It says, whereas the City of Benton Harbor was awarded a $84,848.85 grant from EGLE to supplement the City's 2026 and 2027 Summer Youth Employment Program, and whereas with additional funding the Summer Youth Employment Program will be able to be extended to support and expose youth in Benton Harbor to various environmental science career pathways through job shadowing and or hands-on experience. And whereas the additional funding is crucial to be able to provide proper PPE tools and materials to perform environmental stewardship, task and have safe exploration in the field. And whereas the funding will cover the remaining 2026 season and expand the program for 2027. And whereas the grant aligns with the goals of the city's master plan, Ox Creek restoration and revitalization plan, and the community needs for youth opportunities. And now therefore be it resolved that the Benton Harbor City Commission hereby accepts the Eagle Career and Workforce Grant in the amount of $84,848.85 and authorizes the city manager to execute the terms of the grant. So that's the actual resolution of what's being voted on tonight. And I would just say that EGLE, this pot of money in this particular program is very specific in terms of allocation, activity, and administration. I'm excited, actually I'm thrilled that we have another source of funding for summer jobs. Currently, we are working exclusively with CDBG, Community Development Block Grant dollars, to service a small number, yet we still have summer youth employment. But this gives us another opportunity, and what happens with grants, when funding or funders see that you have the capacity to properly administer grants and the grant is successful, then that's how more money will come. So hopefully with the administration of our CDBG, now EGLE, perhaps more money maybe from federal will come in order to expand our summer youth employment program. I do want to recognize our fourth ward commissioner, Clyde Griffin.

So I have a question. The attachment that Mayor Pro Tem Turner has stated something different that the city manager say he plans to do and he wasn't aware. So who put that attachment and who wrote it?

THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ACTUALLY PRESENTED TO COMMITTEE THAT MUST HAVE SLID INTO THE COMMISSIONERS. IT WASN'T ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA THAT WENT OUT. SO WHEN WE PRINTED IT AND I NOTICED IT, WE PULLED IT. IT WASN'T IN THE PUBLIC PACKETS. IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT WENT THROUGH COMMITTEE THAT WAS SHUFFLED INTO THE RESOLUTION.

Okay, so who wrote it still, and why is it different from what the city manager says?

Because it wasn't included with this grant. It was something totally different for the committee, and I believe it was sent by the Mayor Pro Tem to the committee.

Okay, so you, I mean, because he just asked the Mayor Pro Tem questions about it. Okay, never mind. All right, thank you.

Chair recognizes Commissioner Henry.

Honorable Chair, I still didn't get an answer about the kayaking and what position they were going to do. I mean, this is probably the third or fourth time I've asked that question. It came up in committee. I asked the question, and now I'm asking it again and again, and I get no answer. And then you wonder why I vote no, because I don't get qualified information. And now I'm asking the question again, what is the kayak going to do with this project for our youth to work in the summer? This sounds like somebody's taking care of their buddy and their friend. I need to know. What is the kayak doing? This kayak company has a history in Benton Harbor. So some of you might not know, but I need to know what it is. Through the chair. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Manager. Could you please, I'm interested because I don't see the word kayak nowhere in this resolution. Could you speak to that, please?

Yes, initially there was consideration given to some youth that are interested in environmental activity to be taken up the river. Mr. Rasmussen was going to go along with them, as well as possibly someone from CISMA. to help point out to them along the way invasive species that are growing up along the riverfront on the pawpaw and so forth in order to show them what types of invasive species, what impact they're having along the way and whatnot, and to talk about what has to be done in order to control it and remove it. Kind of like the discussion we had last Wednesday about all of the Japanese knotweed and so forth.

So would that fall under the career pathways in environmental science? Yes, sir. But that wouldn't be an actual job? No, just exposure to... A part of the educational component of the grant.

Right. And that there are jobs that do that removal and so forth.

Yes.

I WOULD SAY CAREERS. THOSE ARE ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS AND THAT KIND OF STEM. CHAIR RECOGNIZES FIRST WAR COMMISSIONER HENDERSON.

Thank you, Honorable Mayor. And I think this cycle, I think many of the youth who are working summer jobs also went kayaking. It was an experience for many of the youth. Many of them had never gone before. And I think Dan may have saw that. Mr. Rasmussen may have seen that and included that. But many of those students who have never had that opportunity went during one of their Thursday sessions. where they had the afternoon off and then they went kayaking. I think it's a great experience not kayaking. I think it's a great experience for youth to actually get that opportunity to do that in our community, to experience some other things.

Chair. One more question. Yes, Commissioner Henry.

Okay. I see the grant and I see the wages. are those wages just for the three supervisors and the kids? Or is that including all the other services that we're offering?

Mr. Manager.

These wages are primarily for the youth and a couple of additional supervisors that will be brought in to support them. But it will follow pretty much what we do under the CDBG summer youth program. This is We wrote this this way in order to satisfy the source of funding that we were getting, that it's related to Ox Creek development and the issues of invasive species. that type of thing. Some are getting outfitted with boots and actually out there helping to do plantings and so forth as a part of the habitat restoration. And this is a two-year process. It's split across both years.

Okay. I'm liking this more and more. I see that supplies and materials are going to be bought. then I would like to know who's going to be in possession of that, and is it going to be your department community block grant that's going to be supervising these?

I'm asking Dane to oversee this along with the supervision that we have in the regular summer youth program. Thank you.

Thank you. So... Thank you for the questions. I'll just close my statements by saying, I can remember when I went to the emergency manager and asked, I see that there's no money in the budget, CDBG or general fund for summer youth employment. And I said, where is it at? And he pulled out a penny, put it on the table and said, that's your budget. We don't have no money for summer youth employment. So even though it's not a lot, we've come a long way. So I'll call for the question. Oh, I want to recognize Commissioner Fields.

I just want to reiterate what I actually said at committee was I like THIS IN REGARDS TO CAREER EXPOSURE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. I REFERENCED WE HAVE A CLASSMATE THAT IS DOING SOMETHING WITH NASA, AND I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHEN SHE HAD OBTAINED THAT EXPOSURE, AS WELL AS WE HAD A TOP BALLERINA AT ONE POINT, WHICH WAS PRIOR TO CITADEL. SO I BELIEVE THIS IS GREAT EXPOSURE FOR THE KIDS, ESPECIALLY WITH STEM AND SCIENCE. EXPANDING IN REGARDS TO CAREER-WISE LATELY. SO I LIKE IT A LOT.

MADAM CLARK. OH, PARDON ME, COMMISSIONER KANAR.

THANK YOU, MAYOR. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE ALSO, THAT SOME YEARS AGO WHEN THE PARK, GENE CLARK PARK WAS LEASED OUT, IT WAS SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE NO INTERRUPTION TO THE ROSE PINK. IT'S ON THE FRONT PAGE. So I'd like for that to be documented that in this research that they're doing and all the educational wheels that they got in that, that that be a part of them investigating to see where is the rose pink at this point. Has it been interfered with? Because then there's a violation if that plant is no longer there because it was... ALMOST EXTINCT. I THINK THIS WAS THE ONLY PLACE THAT IT COULD BE FOUND. AND I KNOW THE JAPANESE KNIGHTWEED IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO ADDRESS ALSO BECAUSE IT'S QUITE AGGRESSIVE AND IT'S TAKEN OVER IN A LOT OF HOMES, LOTS, AND EVERYTHING.

THANK YOU. MADAM CLARK.

COMMISSIONER ISOM.

YES.

COMMISSIONER CANARD. YES. COMMISSIONER WARREN. Yes. Commissioner Clark-Griffin? Yes. Commissioner Fields? Yes. Commissioner Henderson? Yes. Commissioner Henry? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Turner? Yes. Mayor Muhammad? Yes. Motion carried.

This brings us to our final item on the agenda, which is a resolution to approve millage renewal ballot wording for Dollar Rye Takata Twin Cities Area Transit Authority. Is there a motion for the approval?

Support.

Motion is made by First Ward Commissioner Henderson, and it is supported by Commissioner-at-Large Isom as their discussion. Chair recognizes Fourth Ward Commissioner Clark Griffin.

I just wanted to separate it. Because the final impact, it says the impact will be the same to our local taxpayer as it currently is, as this is just a renewal with no increase. I want to make sure that, well, it's kind of assuring.

So with that being said, Commissioner Clark-Griffin, if there's no objections, I'll read the resolution. I recognize Commissioner Isom.

Say that we had asked Takata to come here and do a presentation.

If there are no objections, we will or can entertain the presentation by Takata.

please introduce yourselves your you can you can actually give them to the city clerk and she'll okay um my name is teresa greshak i am the executive director over at takata i started working with takata with the u of m project back in april of 2024 in september of 2024 i was brought on as deputy director and now i'm the executive director with me today he did not have family obligations It's Nick Schoenfeld. Go ahead, introduce yourself.

Great to be here this evening, engage with my community and meet you all. I'm the new general manager at Takata Baibiya. I was brought on in April. We've seen a lot of positive improvements, so we're happy to be here with you tonight and talk a little bit more and add some color commentary for you.

Yes. So in front of you now, you're going to have a presentation. Yours actually has a nice little van on there as well. We're going to go through this fairly quickly just in case there are questions in the interest of time. On the last page, it's just a very quick sheet of the same statistics we'll be giving you. as well as a flyer. This goes to the Takata by Zia website. That will also link you to the app if you do so choose. There's a lot of really good information.

It's very user friendly.

So check it out. I have a few more copies as well if anyone who came to the meeting today would like to take one as well. Okay, so one of the questions we've had is why did we even bother getting a management company? For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that over the past decade, we've had executive turnover, we have had passenger complaints, we have had safety issues, maintenance issues. And then because of all of this, we have wound up with insurance problems, really high costs, poor compliance when it comes to our FTA and MDOT regulators. And then we've also had very mediocre service for passengers. Because of this, we decided to take a chance on something brand new. We hired VIA to do our operations. What that means is primarily they do driving, dispatching, and maintenance. You also help to coordinate a bit with community trips and partners, but that can be a little bit of a team effort in how we solve those problems. When it came to the transition, something that was very important from the Takata side was that as much of the staff as possible, as appropriate, got to move on with VIA. So VIA interviewed everybody, and after that process, 85% of Takata staff moved over with VIA. So I was very excited about that. We've also had questions about the city residents. really exciting. We didn't learn this till today. Before VIA came on, only 38% of the staff came from Benton Harbor City proper. Now, what was it? You found 54% lives in the city proper. So we've actually increased that number. That is not a prerequisite for getting employed by Takata by VIA, but we are a community-based organization. So we were happy to see that. Once VIA took over, all of the staff were retrained on technology, safety, wheelchairs, lifts, everything that is essential for a driver to know, and that's whether or not they had been working for Takata for 15 plus years. You will also see them in beautiful new red uniforms to create some of that solidarity and professionalism. With this transition, we have also had added tools. So you've heard me mention already, we have a rider app. This lets people see the number of the vehicle that's coming. So if vehicle 54 has been assigned to you, you now know that information. It lets you have an estimated time of pickup, an estimated time of drop off. And if you're familiar with DoorDash or Uber or Lyft and you watch the little car, you know, Go to the place to pick up your chicken and then come back and drop it off at your job. Chick-fil-A is my go-to. You can watch the vehicle in that same way through the Via app. And because it's been so useful, we have 40% of our on-demand trips are being booked through the app. With the app has also come added payment options. And I had this question before, so I wanna be clear, this is not replacing any options we had before. Fair cards, cash, tokens, those are all accepted on all Takata vehicles. What we've done is added the ability to pay with a credit or debit card through the app. And 15% of those transactions in the app are paid for by credit and debit card, which to me says we are increasing convenience. we are increasing access, which is what public transportation is all about. We also have improved passenger profiles. Why is this important? Well, before, if your ride was canceled or got stuck, let's say a tire went flat or we had one of those crazy snow storms and we just couldn't get to you, we didn't have a great consistent way of contacting you to let you know that your ride was not coming. That's pretty catastrophic if you're trying to get to a doctor's appointment. Now we have that information. We can call you, we can e-mail you, we can let you know where your ride is. It also makes it easier for us to book your favorite locations, contact people in case there are emergencies. Something that was very important to me, if you have applied for reduced fare, you're a senior, you have a disability, something to that effect, now that is part of your passenger profile. This means you're going to get consistent pricing.

Gone are the days.

Mostly gone are the days. We're still working on all of the kinks. Where one driver would give you your discount and the other one wouldn't because they didn't recognize who you are. Now that it's in the app, when... they drive up to pick you up. Shouldn't really be a question anymore. This information is not necessary if you are taking a fixed route. That is the same process as always. You pay your fare, your token, your fare card when you get on the vehicle and doesn't, you know, you can be Joe Schmo from Alaska. It doesn't really matter. Yes, Commissioner Clark Griffin.

Um, Wednesday, at the meeting, I heard the meeting manager say that, I don't remember if he recalled my name, actually, but he said somebody said that it's worse, it's not better. And that was me that said it. And I said it, and I speak on facts from residents. You know, you can put charts. whatever. But what the residents are telling me, it's not better. And from what I'm hearing, people are still waiting a long time. So the length is still long. Also, people are having trouble with beer, especially a lot of senior citizens. My ward is the biggest in the area, and I have a whole lot of senior citizens, and they're having problems. And another problem is when they are calling, a lot of times the ones answering, people are not understanding, having a hard time understanding what they're saying. So that's just a problem. Let me finish. Thank you. And like you said, you can change uniforms. You say, oh, they got uniforms. You can change uniforms. If you got the same kind of service running it, that does not matter. Thank you.

So just briefly, I want to redirect you back to the presentation, and then after you finish the presentation, then we'll be able to entertain questions or comments.

Absolutely. Thank you. So I do want to say that part of why Nick and I are here are to hear concerns. from passengers, from you all hearing from your constituents. We want to hear that information so we can address that information. I also want to say you are about a page ahead of me. If you all flip to page number five, this is our biggest pain point, which is the off-site dispatching. The reason we have off-site dispatching is, I don't know how many of you remember, but it used to be you'd call and it would ring and it would ring And it would ring until eventually you gave up and hung up the phone and would go, well, I guess I have to call back in 10 minutes. The off-site dispatchers alleviate that issue entirely. So they're going to pick up the phone if they're either not enough staff on-site for dispatching, maybe someone had a vacation day, I think it was someone's birthday today, so they had a day off. Sometimes we have higher volume calls than we have the on-site staff to deal with it. So the off-site dispatching is supposed to take that load. And I also want to mention, I've heard concerns, not from this group, from other folks in the community, there were no dispatchers that did not come on with VIA. So no one has been let go. they have not downsized that department in terms of the staff who were already present. We know that understanding one another has been the biggest issue, though. There are regional accents kind of on both ends of the phone to the folks who are on the phone. There are colloquialisms that are not recognized by the off-site dispatchers. And there's a lot of local knowledge where people could call and say, hey, pick me up at the plasma center. Well, the off-site folks don't know where that plasma center is or where that hospital is. So this is a conversation that Viet and I are really working on now. One option, and this is one option of I imagine several, is that they opt for only using native English-speaking countries. That doesn't solve the entire problem, but that does go at least... Part of the way in helping to understand one another because the folks here have not responded well to talking to someone in Spain that has been heard very, very loud and clear. And we want we want to service that works for the community. So I'm going to pass it off a little bit now to Nick so he can talk about some of the statistics that we're seeing already.

Thank you, Tressa.

As general manager, your feedback, regardless of its negative or positive, is very important to me.

So I just want to let you know that your voice is heard and that I take it seriously. I take it to heart. The reason that I took this position was because I felt as a member of this community, this was a great way to get engaged and to help make this city better, to make this operation run more efficiently, and to make the operational improvements that are required. I've heard some negative feedback. It tends to be louder than some of the good stuff from time to time. But I've also had an overwhelming majority of the feedback. I've worked the front desk across the street every morning from 8 to 10 and all day on Friday. And so I do... I feel a lot of feedback from residents and most of the feedback that I've gotten has been positive, but I know we're not perfect and that we're still striving to get there. So we've made some operational improvements for sure, some things that we're still working out, but I would expect it to get better in the months ahead for sure. I've been with the team since April and already we're seeing the progress. And as you can see in terms of on-time performance, We're hovering right around 95%. Drop-off, we're just over 82%. And the ride duration is just under 15 minutes.

And would you clarify why it's on-time performance and not wait time specifically? Or I can clarify that.

Yeah, go for it.

Yes, so wait time is a little deceptive. Sometimes people book rides in advance. Sometimes the way things are kind of puzzle pieced together, one person might wait five minutes, another person might wait 20 minutes. What our key indicator is here is if you book a ride and we say we will be here between 11 and 1130, that is when we have told you we will arrive. That is on time for us. If it is 1058 or 1132, that is not on time. So that's why we use that indicator. It's more representative of if we are doing what we say we are going to do.

Thank you, Tressa.

What is paramount in public transportation and most workplaces, it's safety. And so what I'm most proud of here recently is the safety improvements that we made. And you can see on the graph, the goal and the target is to be at 90% or better. It's a scale of zero to 100. And so right now you can see we've skyrocketed to a 93. I can tell you that we started at zero. and so we do have technology in the vehicles that allow every single event gets flagged and it ends up in my inbox so i'm able to personally monitor them and coach them on every incident whether it's cell phone usage seat belt not being worn rolling stops and so where we were at the bottom i we just received praise today in the in the central region for being at the top of the list so we're very proud of that making the community safer is a paramount in all that we do um if you want to turn the page to seven um talking about some results some so 23.5 increase in unique writer profiles so more people are signing up we're bringing more people into the under under the via takata umbrella and we're happy to see that 66 increase in the number of daily on-demand rides and our efficiency levels have more than doubled. And so you can see week of 3-20, 3-26 is Previa. You can see active riders, unique riders, 3-61. As of last week, we're at 446, which is that 23.5% increase. Average daily rides at 158 prior, we're now sitting at about 262. That's a 66% increase. And our service efficiency levels have improved from a 1.8 in 2024 and 2.9 in 323-26. We're now sitting at a 3.8.

And that efficiency number is key because it means we're spending our money well. If that number is low, then it costs a lot per passenger to provide service. If that number is high, it means that, I mean, it means the opposite. Yeah. The very last page is just some, just a few comments that we've gotten about the service that have been sort of sent to an inbox. I won't go into them in too much detail The one that I really love is the first one that says they are doing 200% better. Very proud of that. But by and large, other than the offsite dispatching, the comments that I've been getting from passengers have been overwhelmingly positive. That being said, Nick and I are here to hear you all and answer any questions that you might have. So with that presentation concluded, by all means, ask away.

Chair recognizes Commissioner Lodge-Kennard.

Thank you, Mayor. You've shown such an improvement in a lot of areas. Is it mainly because you're servicing a bigger area than once was?

No, we're serving slightly more on demand, but it's really only a few blocks. The improvements have to do with VIA's technology and training and just those added tools.

Yeah, we're doing a lot of things like making sure it's the little things that stack up and make a difference, making sure our drivers are punched in on time, that we're getting them out on fast starts. So if we're supposed to be out at 6, people have to get to work. And so we're out there monitoring them, watching them, making sure that they get out, do their pre-inspections. And we're just trying to chip away and make things more efficient across the board every single day.

Well, one of the things I want to make sure that I am hearing you clearly, it was the one time that I experienced that I want to see how the service is going. Would it be, I wouldn't have to have the card and all of the other things that go on. I could just play as I get on. How is that done?

For fixed route, yes. For on-demand, it's helpful for us to have a profile for you. But if you want to test ride the service without doing that, we can make that happen.

Okay, I don't want it to be put together so that it works because I'm writing and I can come back and be a mouthpiece for it. I once served as a board member. So I'm really interested in what I hear from our community, what is going on. A lot of times they're late for their doctor's appointments and other things. So for that reason, I would let it randomly. WANT TO RIDE AND SEE HOW IT WORKS FOR ME. THANK YOU.

Chair recognizes Mayor Pro Tem Turner. Thank you. So when it gets down to the safety department, that's what I do at work. So you said you get alerts, which is kind of interesting, you get alerts, but okay. When it comes down to pre-trip, post-trip TIVs, my biggest concern is hours of service. How do you manage hours of service, which is HOS? Yes. How do you monitor hours of service? A driver can only drive 10 to 14 hours per shift per day. You have to mandatory take a 10-hour break. That's DOT law. You have to do it. So how do you monitor the hours of service of a driver?

Yeah, so one of the great things with the technology that we've incorporated is it does that for us, and it kind of blocks you from scheduling or over-scheduling your employees, so it prompts you. But to make sure that those breaks are taken, if you try to schedule a driver beyond the recommended or legal amount, it blocks you from doing that as well. And alerts go off and all sorts of things to make sure that that is prevented.

Okay. So if I did the still work hard to the left or to the hard right, do you get an alert? Yes. Yes, sir. What is that called? What critical break is that called? Harsh turn. Okay. Making sure. Safety vests. Do you implement safety vests or no for every driver? Absolutely. Okay. And my last one is navigation. How do the driver get navigation and communicate with the dispatcher?

So the great thing is that each individual driver has a manifest, and so we're utilizing tablets right now. They log into their tablet and then it will have their manifest spelled out for them for the day. And then from there, once they start their shift, they're on their way and it's directing you from one stop to the next with efficiency in mind, with customer experience in mind. And so at any point in time, we utilize another piece of software called Zello, and that is replacing the old school walkie-talkie systems. So at any point in time, they can dial in or Zello in and contact dispatch directly. And if dispatch here on site isn't available, it will go to central dispatch as well.

So there's an emergency.

So, yeah, at any point in time, that central dispatch is a great backup in case someone's going to the restroom or whatever it might be. They can always reach somebody and escalate matters if it's an emergency.

Chair recognizes Commissioner Lars Fields.

Okay, for the sake of clarity, what is on-demand versus unique rides?

Oh, yeah. Unique rides... Does it say rides or riders? Unique riders are the individuals who use On Demand. So if each one of you had a profile, you would each be a unique rider. A unique ride would be if you went to the grocery store and then you went to the beach and then... Say you went to the hospital, right? Even though there's two of unique riders, those are three unique rides. Does that help to clarify it? Basically, riders is the number of people in our system. Rides is the number of rides we provide. Just in general, yeah.

That all relates to on demand. The reason why I'm asking that is because you said they needed a profile in certain situations and not in other ones. However, my experience from the call was that was the first line of communication. What is your account information, your name and your phone number?

Okay, that makes more sense, thank you. For fixed route service, so the red line and the blue line, we do not need any personal information from the rider. If it's an on-demand, you are booking, say, to get picked up from home and dropped off at a very specific location, that's when we need personal information. Yes.

That's what allows you to track your ride and get information or get updates if we're running late, whatever it might be, but... That's what gives you that direct connectivity to know exactly where your ride is and if it's on time or not.

Yes. No, that makes sense. But just, again, from the call, just on the onset, that was the question in regards to look up the person that they were trying to come and pick up. I was doing the call for a person that couldn't hear. THAT WAS JUST THE INITIAL INFORMATION THAT WAS NEEDED, NOT BY ONE, BUT TWO INDONESIAN DISPATCHERS THAT ANSWERED ON THE FIRST RING, SO IT WASN'T SEVERAL RINGS. BUT I CAN UNDERSTAND IF MAYBE SOMEBODY WAS OFF THAT DAY. NOW THAT YOU GAVE MORE CONTEXT, MAYBE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN WHAT HAPPENED. JUST IDEALLY, IN WHAT CASES DO YOU SAVE MONEY BY USING different dispatchers versus just having an additional person in office to answer and more people to answer the phone? What is the purpose? Is it cost savings?

Yes, but because it's economy of scale for VIA is my understanding. So we're not the only place that they operate. They also operate a bit in Kalamazoo, a bit in Ann Arbor. They have operations, quite a few of them, I've come to understand, in Texas. So to handle the volume that they're handling at the price that they charge, they have to off-site some of those calls. It did occur to me, though, we have a separate service that nobody uses called Takata Access. This is in addition to just having reduced fare if you have a disability. Reduced fare cards, you can qualify for any disability. It doesn't have to be anything like... Yeah, it doesn't have to be something completely disabling. For folks who have additional needs, maybe you have vision impairment, hearing impairment, additional mobility impairment, this is where we have Takata Access. If you qualify, which it sounds like the person you are working with absolutely does, you not only have on-demand service for the normal service area, there's additional service that runs along the fixed route. I think it's three-quarters of a mile on either side of the fixed route services that we have. So, for example, you couldn't get to the Meijer in Stevensville right now with the on-demand Takata GO service. You absolutely could get there with Takata Access. Again, it does require having a personal profile on file so that we're sure that you're getting marked and charged and access to that service appropriately. But those trips are handled... with a little bit more care because we know the person needs additional care.

So should he ask for his account to be marked for that similar to how you were talking about discount rates for say a senior citizen? There is an application.

You can get the application online. I'm also happy to help you with it. We keep copies at the office. The goal is not to have it be overburdensome, but also to make sure that the folks who apply for it actually need it. So, yeah.

And I'll just add that we can bring Takata back. for a more inquisitive conversation and public conversation. questioning, if you will. So I don't want it to turn into a congressional hearing tonight because we are actually entertaining a actual resolution for the millage. But every voice is important, so I want to recognize Commissioner Clark Griffin, Commissioner Henderson, the city manager, he also wanted to win.

So my question is, as you said, people with disability can get a reduced rate. How do they go about, how do you determine if they're disability qualified? How do you go about finding the disability? Because at some point, HIPAA law comes in play in FMLA. And you cannot ask, they can say they have a disability, but you cannot ask what the disability is. So how do you determine, reduce rate? Okay.

No, that's a really good question. So for just the regular reduced fare card, it's pretty straightforward. We need a copy of a picture ID with your name on it. Usually it's a state ID or a driver's license. And then if you are a senior, your birth date is on your ID or your driver's license. That's all we need to verify that you qualify for reduced fare. If you have a disability, there's a small portion at the bottom of the application that your doctor can fill out. I don't think it's so much what is the specific disability in that instance as much as it is I am a doctor and I verify that this person has a disability that qualifies. You can also present your Social Security disability card or your Medicare card. And that qualifies as well. For Takata Access, it's a little more in-depth. We ask why it is that you can't take the fixed service. You don't have to specify exactly what your disease or medical condition is so much as I can't walk to the bus stop from my home. That's really what we're aiming for. Okay, I would like a copy of that.

Thank you.

Chair recognizes Commissioner Henderson.

I just have a simple question. With the fixed routes, do all of them have bus shelters or is it just a few of them that have bus shelters?

No, we have one bus shelter right now at Michigan Works. We had another one at Triangle Park. That one was, someone hit it with a vehicle and it was demolished. We are in talks about getting that one reinstalled, but I'll be honest, my first priority right now is making sure that we have enough vehicles that are well-functioning for service to run before we're able to circle back to those things.

Mr. Manager. One of the reasons that VIA was chosen is that they are one of the largest operators in the country. I believe they have about, if I recall correctly, 12 different operations here in the state of Michigan already. The process is working as it's supposed to. The reason you're here is because of some of the comments that had been made earlier, and it's easy enough to have the staff and company come before you and answer the questions and present you the facts. We heard the concerns about people not being understood and so forth. I shared that with them and had a discussion. I meet with both Via and Tressa regularly. We talk about whatever is under consideration, whatever problems there are and whatnot. I communicate with the board and make sure they're up to speed in terms of whatever discussions are taking place. And the process is working as it's supposed to.

Thank you, Mr. Manager. And I will just close by saying I believe that the city manager, who also serves on this board, was responsible for writing the grant that actually built Takata. So that's just for and I believe you were part of the initial Millage where the city of Bent Harbor began to Exact a dedicated millage That we're actually entertaining tonight years later. I did download the app and Just that quick.

Yeah, it's fast.

It's very, very efficient. I was just in a presentation with Argo. which you probably are familiar with, and I can say that Takata is right smack dab on in terms of, at VIA, the technology and where transportation is headed when you start talking about municipal. So thank you for the presentation, and we will most certainly invite you back. Yes, appreciate it. Thank you. So I think that's pretty thorough. I call for the question.

With clarity. Now, we voting on the meal is not the presentation or the punctuality of the Takata, right?

We're voting on the language of the millage.

I just want to make sure everybody knew what we was voting on.

Is that clear for everyone?

Peel the residents.

Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Kennard. Commissioner Warren.

Yes.

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

I make a motion that the City Commission go into closed session under Section 8A of the Open Meetings Act at the written request of the City Manager, Mr. Alexander Little, for a periodic personnel review. Is there motion? Motion made by Commissioner Henderson and is supported by Mayor Pro Tem Turner. Madam Clerk?

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

Yes. We will recess in the mayor's office and we will return when the closed session is completed.

Thank you. Thank you.

A motion to enter back into city commission out of recess under Section 8A of the Open Meetings Act, which was a written request from the city manager, Alexander Little, for a periodic personnel review. I make a motion. Motion to be approved. Tim Turner, supported by Commissioner Fields. Madam Clerk.

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

Yes. Motion carried. The City Council has successfully evaluated Mr. Alexander Little, and at this particular time, there will be no action. Is there a motion to adjourn? Motion to adjourn. Motion is made by Mayor Pro Tem Turner and is supported by Commissioner Fields. Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Fields? Yes. Commissioner Henderson? Yes. Commissioner Henry? Yes. Commissioner Isom? Yes. Commissioner Kennard? Yes. Commissioner Warren? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem Turner? Yes. Mayor Muhammad? Yes. Carried.

This motion is adjourned.