City Council - Regular Meeting

I call the order of this meeting of the Escanaba City Council, June 18th, 2026. Mr. DeMay, please call roll. Council Member Moore? Here. Council Member Beauchamp? Here. Council Member Dubois? Here. Council Member Flath? Here. Mayor Allen? Here. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

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.

At this time, seeking approval and or corrections to the minutes of the special meeting of June 1st, 2026. So moved. Second. Discussion? All in favor? Aye. At this time, seeking approval and or corrections to the minutes of the regular meeting of June 4th, 2026. So moved. Second. Discussion? All in favor? Aye. Thank you. At this time, seeking approval and or adjustments to the current agenda as written. Motion to approve.

I see we have an addendum, item five, public hearing. We should probably move that before the closed session. Makes sense. And move all the other stuff too, announcements and all that before the closed session.

We would like to move the addendum to after item number four, correct?

Well, number two is a public hearing, so it should just go together. It'll just be a public hearing, but yes, you're right. We can move the closed session to after announcements.

After appointments, Board Commission Committee reports, general public comment and announcements. Motion to approve with those changes.

Support.

All in favor? Aye. Thank you. At this time, is there any conflict of interest need to be declared by members of council pertaining to items on the agenda? Hearing none. At this time, we'll hear brief public comment pertaining to items on the agenda. If you wish to make public comment, please approach the podium, state your name, place of residence, keep your comments to three minutes or less. Moving on to public hearings, item number one, public hearing ordinance number 1326, appropriations ordinance amendment. Comptroller.

A public hearing will be conducted on an amendment to the current appropriations ordinance for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. An amendment is needed to balance out over and under expenditures within various departmental budgets for the 2025-26 fiscal year. This action is mandated by state law in a just budget accounts to help ensure that no individual line items are overrun. Yeah, same spiel every year. We amend up expenditures. We do not amend down where we expect to have extra funding. The big item is always a general fund. This amendment is going to increase the use of fund balance. by $9,780 for a total of 281,768 use of fund balance. That's not gonna be the final numbers. I'm estimating that at the end of the year, we should have a surplus of about $100,000 in the general fund.

At this time, we'll open the public hearing. If you wish to make comment on this item, please approach the podium, state your name, place of residence. Hearing none, we'll close the public hearing.

Motion to approve Ordinance Number 1326, Appropriations Ordinance.

Support.

Discussion?

Mr. DeMay, please call roll.

Councilor DeWolf? Yes. Councilor Flod? Yes. Councilor Moore? Yes. Councilor Bosch? Yes. Mayor Emel? Yes.

Public hearings item number two, public hearing and adoption of ordinance number 1327, the commercial E ordinance of 2026, planning and zoning.

Administration is requesting city council to consider approval and adoption of ordinance number 1327, the commercial E ordinance of 2026. Joey Walker is here to discuss this. If you have any questions, you can go over everything.

Good evening. So this is regarding the parcel that was the old jail site for the Delta County Jail. Everyone here has known about this hotel project for a long time. It's been a long time coming. As they came in to apply for their site plan review, that was the first time that I had realized that the parcel was split into three different zoning designations, one of which is unzoned, one of which was E3, one of which was e-commercial. following the pattern along the rest of luddington it makes the most sense to rezone it to e-commercial regardless of the hotel project that is probably what we would do anyways it also means that that hotel is by right rather than a special land use but yeah it's probably best practice to rezone it either way

At this time, we'll open the public hearing.

Public hearing.

If you wish to make comment on this item, please approach the podium, state your name, place of residence.

Hi, I'm Dayton Moyle, representing Moyle Construction. We're the general contractor for the proposed hotel project, and just here to answer any questions on behalf of the construction side of things.

Jared Drown, the Terrace Bay Hotel Group, and also as the owner is happy to answer any questions.

Is this the last step before you can start?

So the site plan approval was contingent on the rezoning voting group.

So the last step is the same.

Yes. Hearing no public input, we will close the public hearing. NOW YOU MAY.

MOVE APPROVAL.

SUPPORT. I WOULD ADD THIS DID GO BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION LAST WEEK, AND THEY RECOMMENDED THE COUNCIL TO APPROVE IT.

VERY GOOD. FURTHER DISCUSSION? MR. DEMEI, PLEASE CALL ROLL.

COUNCILMEMBER BORCH?

YES.

COUNCILMEMBER BOSCHOW? YES. COUNCILMEMBER DUBORCH?

YES. COUNCILMEMBER FLOCK?

YES.

MAYOR RAMON? YES. We currently have no unfinished business on the docket. Moving on to new business, item number one, approval special event application, North Town Block Party. Manager.

The neighbors of the 1200 block of North 16th Street is requesting City Council to approve the closure of the 1200 block of North 16th Street for a block party on Saturday, July 18th, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Motion to approve. Support. Support.

Discussion?

All in favor? Aye. New business item number two, approval patrol vehicle purchase, public safety.

Administration is seeking City Council approval to purchase two Chevrolet Tahoe patrol vehicles. The ideal price for each vehicle is $60,609. Delivery of vehicles will be an additional cost of approximately $1,400. This item is included in the upcoming budget. So the total approval you would want to do is for $62,009 to cover both the purchase price and the delivery.

Chief, question, just to reiterate, when we had our budget conversation about this, just clarifying that we are gonna have these patrol vehicles with the white on the side, that they're gonna be easily seen by citizens?

Yep, both vehicles will be marked, fully marked patrol vehicles. So we'll have the white on the sides and it will be- Black Tahoe, white lettering, same as other ones we have, all the emergency lighting will be exterior on the top. So nothing hidden on these ones, you'll see it for miles.

So our citizens will be able to identify them? Yep, absolutely. Okay, thank you. Motion to approve the purchase of the patrol vehicles in the amount of $62,900. Support. Discussion? Mr. Dominguez, please call roll.

Mr. DeBoer? Yes. Ms. Barbaro?

Yes.

Mr. Beauchamp? Yes. Mr. Falloff? Yes. Mayor Emel?

Yes. New business item number three, approval two tandem axle plow trucks, public works.

Administration is seeking City Council approval to purchase two tandem axle plow trucks in the amount of $593,354.86 from UP Truck Center and Casper's Truck Equipment. These are also included in the budget, and Kent is here if you have any questions on the trucks themselves.

After this winter, I don't think this is a very tough decision.

Move approval.

I WILL SECOND THAT. DISCUSSION. HEY, KENT, WHEN DO YOU THINK THEY'LL BE READY? ARE THEY A BACK ORDER?

THE BIGGEST REASON FOR CASPER'S TRUCK EQUIPMENT WITH UP TRUCK EQUIPMENT IS THE TIMELINE. IT'S THE LOWEST BID ON THIS ONE, BUT THEY'RE SAYING QUARTER 2, WHICH IS MARCH, APRIL RANGE OF 2027. Any other bid is quarter two of 2028. So I think it's a no brainer that we missed this winter. It is what it is, but we missed the, we take advantage of what the emissions are changing in 2027 with the purchase here tonight. But if we don't make the purchase here tonight, then we're gonna end up with a different engine. So that's the biggest point. And then on the bid sheet itself, it looked like a lot of people bid, but UP International, we've replaced two motors on international vehicles in the last year and a half. And two other bids were no bids because there was no bid bond or cashier's check. So by default, it really leaves us with who we've been working with all along anyway. So to have the trucks by March of next year gives us the chance to get rid of four plow trucks in the coming year that we'll have to lean on this winter. But then going forward, we'll be able to get rid of four trucks out of our fleet with these three coming in.

and uh kent just another question i know that we've talked about this previously would tantum send anybody to train our staff on how to use the trucks properly will they do that for us yeah any vehicle purchase that we've made um they're always willing to send someone up matter of fact we got the guys from mtech with our sweeper

from a couple years ago with staff turnover. They're coming up on Wednesday next week to retrain anybody in, and normally any distributor like Loadmaster's really good. They brought the garbage truck back today that burned up in the fire, and they're always eager to come back and train anybody to teach them on the wing or whatever it is on the equipment. Thank you.

Further discussion?

Mr. May, please call the roll. Council Member Moore? Yes. Council Member Newborn? Yes. Council Member Beauchamp? Yes. Council Member Flau?

Yes. Mayor Allen? Yes. This is item number four, approval, single axle plow truck, Public Works.

Administration is seeking City Council approval to purchase a single axle plow truck in the amount of $255,962.44 from UP Truck Center with Casper's equipment. And again, this item is included in the upcoming budget.

So move approval.

Support.

Discussion? Mr. Domeni, please call roll. Council Member Ploth?

Yes.

Council Member Moore? Yes. Council Member Beauchamp? Yes. Council Member Dubord? Yes. Mayor Ann? Yes.

Moving on to appointments, of which we have none. But if you would like to roll up your sleeves and dig in, help your city do all the cool things it's been doing the last few years, you could take one of the two vacancies on the Housing Commission, or one vacancy on the Planning Commission, or one of the two alternate vacancies on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Board of Commission and Committee reports.

Planning Commission did the rezoning.

The thing you mentioned earlier, it's great. Not yet. Excellent, next week. This time we'll hear general public comment. If you wish to make comment, please approach the podium, state your name, place of residence. Announcements. In case my shirt's not red enough. It does say Escanaba City Band, and if you would like to go down to the park tonight at 7.30 to the Cares Band Show, you could enjoy your municipal band play a concert for you for an hour provided by local musicians. We're gonna stay here and do closed session stuff instead.

Enhance Escanaba is still in there. Our patronicity funding campaign, we have about 11 days left, and we're pretty close. So I'm pretty confident we're gonna get there. It's patronicity.com slash ice rink or go to enhanceescanaba.org and you can get the information for contributing.

Motion for a five minute recess.