City Commission - Regular Meeting

order and ask you all to join us as is our habit with a moment of silence. Please stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Commissioner Kilgore.

Present.

Commissioner Knight. Present. Commissioner Asasi. Present. Commissioner Perdue. Present. Commissioner Belcheck. Present. Mayor LeGrand.

Present. A first item of business is approval of our minutes from our last meeting. So moved. So moved. Do I have a second? Thank you. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. That brings us to petitions and communications. Mr. Clerk.

First one is communication received from Michael D. Yoder with a noise complaint against Akershire Amphitheater. Received and filed. Communication received from Lori Trumel with a noise complaint against the Accresure Amphitheater.

Received and filed.

Communication received from Annette Vandenberg, West Grand Neighborhood Organization regarding first ward representation on the Grand Rapids City Commission. Received and filed. Communication received from Shannon Henderson expressing support for using state funding for alternative crisis response measures. Received and filed. Communication received urging the City Commission to consider a free curbside bulk Trash day.

Received and filed. Brings us to reports of city officers.

Comptroller's warrant report for the period of May 19, 2026 through June 1, 2026 in the amount of $39,767,091.70. Received and filed. Treasurer's report for the period of May 20, 2026 through June 2, 2026. Received and filed. GRA 250 initiative and Independence Day community celebrations. Received and filed. And city managers report letter from Mayor LeGrand and City Manager Washington in regards to continuing to move our city forward.

City Manager.

Thank you, Mayor, and good evening, commissioners and members of the public. Thank you for being here this evening. The mayor and I co-authored a letter that's in the packet today entitled Moving Our City Forward. And I thought it was appropriate that we highlight this on our last city commission meeting of the fiscal year because so much has been done not only in the past fiscal year but over the years that has really put us in a position to catapult forward and continue to be a city on the rise. We've already been recognized for the outstanding things that we've done as a city by LinkedIn, and we continue to be one of the major leading cities in the country for multiple reasons. Much of it relates to engagement by community members, public-private collaboration, but also good governance by this and former city commissions. So I want to thank you for the work that you did in this past budget, our fiscal conservancy, as well as some of the decisions that you made, hard decisions that allow us to continue some of the basic services. But when you look at all the economic indicators of our city, the fact that we had our highest year of construction value last year, $1 billion, we continue to see population growth. which is not seen in every community in Michigan, as well as the development of new housing, specifically in downtown, growing another 21 housing units, as well as the investments that we've made in the likes of the amphitheater, soon to be open soccer stadium, many of you were part of the trail ribbon cutting last yesterday, and as well as many of the other events along the Greenway, as well as the river restoration project, and even the construction that we've witnessed here on the riverfront at the public museum, all because of what we continue to do to help our community be economically sound and vibrant. There are other indicators that show record high in room nights sold for Kent County, approximately 2.3 million hotel room nights in 2025. The World of Winter Festival, 2.3 million visitors. ArtPrize has generated almost $82 million in economic impact with nearly 1 million visitors. and city special events permitted drew over 1.4 million attendees. I mean, these are all good economic indicators. Having said that, I do recognize we still have our challenges. We have our challenges around affordability. We have our challenges around public safety. We have our challenges around economic prosperity for all of our community. And we are not shying away from those challenges, we never have, but we still are fortunate to be making progress. I'm very pleased with the efforts that we've done with housing this past year, with the efforts of 100 and 100 and Downtown Pathways, over 205 individuals have been able to secure permanent housing, which is remarkable. And what has distinguished our city is not that we've not had challenges like any other community, but we have not been afraid to address and partner through those challenges through civic engagement. And I look forward to our continued effort as we look at fiscal year 27 to continue to meet those challenges and work along with all of you in doing so with all the staff and the community members that are here. Mayor, would you like to add anything else?

You know, I don't want to say that we're the fastest growing city in the state because that might turn out that there's You know, maybe the city of Sand Lake grew faster than us and I didn't notice, but I did do a look at significant cities in Michigan. And as far as I could tell by looking at the data, we are not simply growing, we're the fastest growing significant city in the state of Michigan. And so I think a lot of that is a credit to the work of the people who work for the city. A lot of it is a credit to the people who invested in the city and private sector. and to the really impressive nonprofit work that's being done in the city. So at the end of the day, we are making a city that I think people are sort of voting with their feet and coming to. And it's great to be a city that people want to be in. So thanks for summarizing that. That brings us on to our consent agenda and reports of standing committees consent agenda I'd like a motion to approve the consent agenda, but just to summarize this for the audience These are items which passed unanimously out of committee earlier today And we're not pulled for further discussion for whatever reason by any member of the Commission So we have a motion to approve the consent agenda On favor say aye aye all opposed motion carries I That brings us to our next item, which is ordinances to be adopted. The first is an ordinance amending section one of the budget ordinance 2025-11 for the fiscal year 2026. This is our eighth amendment. Can I have a motion?

So moved.

Support. Commissioner Isasi.

Thank you, Mayor. This one, colleagues, as you know from fiscal, this was a longer agenda item, but as it relates to our finances, I'm going to read them all and... but condense them and know that they're available in the packet. So the first is for the Fiscal Services Department, and this is a transfer for the Grinner-Pitts Affordable Housing Fund. Second is for engineering, which is for the construction of fire department facilities. Item number three is for the Office of Equity Engagement, and this is for technical assistance to micro-local businesses. Number four is engineering of various streets that will receive rotomilling and resurfacing. Number five is for the Parks and Rec Department. This is for Sullivan Field Improvements. Number six is Parks and Rec. This is for Park and General Pool Operations. For the Fire Department, this is for a request to appropriate from our general fund balance in the amount of 1.4 million, a little over that. Item number eight. is for the police department recognizing and appropriating a transfer of ownership as it relates to a federal grant program. Item number nine is a companion item to that grant for GRPD. Item number 10 is the engineering department. These are improvements as it relates to 131 to the railroad. Item number 11 is for the Executive Office Department. This is reappropriation of some participatory budgeting investments. Item number 12 is for our Engineering Department. This is for improvements in the Grand River. Item number 13 is for fiscal services as it relates to the e-steam contract. Item number 14 is for the dispatch department. This is related to a grant around 911 public safety, a grant received. Item number 15 is a general fund item related to the police department. Item number 16 is for, again, the Dispatch Department for their fiscal year 26 appropriation. Item number 17 is for the Economic Development Department. This is related to a grant that we had previously were awarded with the MEDC, Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Item number 18 is for the Community Development Department, fiscal year 26 appropriation related to items around the Third Ward Equity Fund. Item number 19 is for the Public Works Department for their fiscal year appropriation, 26. Item number 20 is for our community's children. This is, again, their appropriation from 26. Companion item is for 21. Item number 21 is a companion item to that, one of 20 of community's children. 22 is the Fiscal Services Department appropriation for fiscal year 26. 23 is the same appropriation I'm not the same amount but that same item for the public library and lastly item number 24 is the fiscal year 26 appropriation for our City Commission Department as it relates to Different administrative functions and with that there is be a balance of zero remaining in our general operating funds contingent Account that is all the items Thank you.

Any discussion colleagues? Seeing none, then this is a roll call vote. So, Mr.

Clerk. Commissioner Isasi.

Yes.

Commissioner Perdue.

Yes.

Commissioner Knight. Yes. Commissioner Belichick.

Yes.

Commissioner Kilgore. Yes. Mayor Legrand.

Yes. Motion carries. Can I have a motion for immediate effect?

Moved.

All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. That brings us to consideration of an ordinance amending the zoning ordinance regulations for accessory dwelling units. Can I have a motion?

So moved.

Support. Commissioner Perdue.

Good evening, everyone. This is also in your packet, but I'll give a quick overview. Earlier this month, the city commission established today as a date to consider text amendments to the zoning ordinance regulations for accessory dwelling units. In February of 2025, we expressed a desire to see an increase in ADU production. To advance this goal, community leaders representing key stakeholder groups, including social justice organizations, small-scale developers, lending institutions, and affordable housing advocates were invited to join an ADU task force. That task force was charged with identifying barriers in the development process and creating a prioritized list of changes to unlock additional ADU production and provide new housing options for current and future residents. In total, the task force generated more than 100 ideas, which were organized into 20 themes and ranked by anticipated impact and ease of implementation. The Task Force Tier 1 priorities under the theme of zoning reform include the following four general recommendations, and each recommendation is further refined into four ideas. Those recommendations are to adjust the ADU size, modify accessory structure requirements, revise site layout and placement standards, and broaden ADU use requirements. This went in front of the Planning Commission twice in April. opportunity for a public comment at both of those meeting dates and no public comments on the amendments were offered during either hearing date. Following that discussion the Planning Commission unanimously voted 7-0 to recommend these proposed change amendments as written by staff and they cited that these amendments align with the housing goals of the Community Master Plan and the effect of simplifying regulations and increasing flexibility as reasons for support.

Thank you. Any comments or discussion, colleagues? Certainly something that I'm glad to see moving forward. And as you noted, Commissioner, these are four things out of 100 ideas. So there's going to be more work to be done in this space, I'm sure. But this is a great first step in terms of actually moving from idea and implementation. So thank you. OK. Seeing no further discussion, this is, again, a roll call vote.

Commissioner Perdue?

Yes.

Commissioner Knight?

Yes.

Commissioner Belchick?

Yes.

Commissioner Kilgore? Yes. Commissioner Esasi? Yes. Mayor Legrand?

Yes. That brings us to our next item, which is consideration of a major amendment to the planned redevelopment district at 2071 East Beltline Northeast. Can I have a motion?

So moved.

Support. And Commissioner Knight?

Thank you, Mayor. On June 2nd, the City Commission established for June 16th as a date for a City Commission to consider a major amendment to a previously approved special district plan redevelopment district to facilitate redevelopment of a vacant IHOP restaurant to an MSU federal credit union. The original PRD site plan and ordinance was specific to the former IHOP restaurant use and associated plan building design and signage. So to facilitate the new use in site plan, a major amendment is requested to accommodate future changes, establishment of use, site layout, building element, and sign regulations is requested in association with the major amendment. This went before the planning commission on May 14th, 2026. They held a public hearing on the project, the planning commission, You can see the planning agenda and video online if you'd like to see more about that. There was no comment offered during the meeting. The planning commission discussion centered upon general support for the redevelopment and the improved green space, acknowledgement that the proposed height, notably the parapet, is appropriate for the architectural style and does not create neighborhood impacts, and the appreciation of transparency and facade design facing east Beltline.

Thank you. Any discussion, questions, colleagues? Seeing none, another roll call vote.

Mr. Knight? Yes. Mr. Belchick? Yes. Mr. Kilgore? Yes. Mr. Asasi? Commissioner Perdue? Yes. Mayor Legrand?

Yes. Motion carries. That brings us, there being no city commission resolutions on the agenda for tonight, to public hearings. And because the public has an opportunity to comment, I ask our interpreter to come up and explain his or her role. We provide translation services in Spanish, from Spanish to English, and English to Spanish is appropriate.

Good afternoon, my name is Jennifer Hernandez. We are delighted to offer Spanish interpretation services for today's meeting. And we have a public hearing and I think item number one and number two are closely enough related that

Mr. Nero can come up. The first is a public hearing to consider establishing an industrial development district for Honeycrisp Ventures at 2210 Northridge. The second is a public hearing to consider a speculative building designation requested by the same organization at the same location.

Yes, thank you. Good evening. Okay, this property is located in the Walkerview Industrial Park. That's managed by a 425 agreement between the City of Grand Rapids and the City of Walker. The project is being proposed by Honeycrisp Ventures, and I have Patricia Kelly here behind me that will get up in a second and talk about why this project is important. But they're working to, well, they would like to construct a 90,000 square foot industrial building to the tune of $7.5 million. with the intended future use to support manufacturing, industrial, or related eligible operations to be identified. So typically when we bring district requests to you, it follows with a certificate. Tonight is following with a speculative building designation, which is in Act 198. We have not used it, so we've been working closely with Treasury. Ultimately clearing a path here for a tenant down the way to be able to come back before this body and request a certificate To be able to leverage the industrial facilities tax abatement So that's that's the that's what I know and I'd like to invite Patricia up to talk a little bit more. Thanks

Hi, I want to thank everyone for your time tonight. My name is Patricia Kelly and I'm the director of operations at Honeycrisp Ventures. I'm requesting your support in establishing a PA 198 industrial development district for a new 90,000 square foot speculative industrial building at 2210 Northridge Walker, Michigan. Grand Rapids is the relevant taxing authority pursuant to a previously approved Act 425 agreement. The PA-198 program was designed specifically for projects like this, new construction that wouldn't move forward without the possibility of a tax abatement to offset the high cost of new construction. Speculative industrial development carries real risk. We break ground before a tenant is signed, and we do so because we believe in the community's growth. This building will be over $7 million, and that's just in the hard cost. There are additional costs in design, development, leasing, tenant build-out. All of these things make speculative development incredibly rare in West Michigan with a conservative investment risk profile. It's impossible without a PA-198. The possibility of this abatement is what makes the leap to do this investment viable. Today, the parcel generates minimal tax revenue. With new construction and an eventual tenant, the long-term assessed value, even with a phased abatement, far exceeds what the site produces today. Establishing the district does not give up existing revenue, but it catalyzes new revenue that wouldn't otherwise exist. You may be asking why now? And for us, we cannot break ground without establishing a district. That's the fundamental rule of the PA-198. The commission will have a later opportunity to assess whether a qualifying tenant will merit a certificate based on their investment. So I'd ask the commission to support this district and send a clear signal that Grand Rapids and Walker support growth and investment in manufacturing. Thank you.

Thank you. Colleagues, any discussions or questions? Commissioner Belichick?

I just want to say, I think it's exciting to see such development, just like, you know, a lot of these plans are being brought before us, but I want to commend you because that was the most thorough and well thought out explanation that any developer has, I think, said lately. So I appreciate your due diligence and your care and the consideration for how, not only for your own project, but the benefit that this does bring to the community in terms of tax revenue and other other things down the road. I hope that your bold adventure in taking on a speculative risk bears out great fruit because it sounds like a good opportunity for our community to have jobs and construction and lots of other things.

Thank you. Not seeing any other questions or comments from my colleagues. Thanks. And this is an opportunity for the public to speak on this if they wish. Not seeing anyone, I will close this hearing and refer this to Committee of the Whole. That brings us to our penultimate item, which is public comment on anything that any citizen wishes to address the commission on. You have three minutes, and if you can identify yourselves and... where you live in the city, that'd be great. Also just a general reminder to the public, it's really important that we allow people to express themselves. So please don't boo and don't cheer and don't clap because it's important that people have their moment to address the commission and get our attention. Thank you.

Hello, everybody. I'm Dee Jones, passion entrepreneur and visionary. The community has seen what the school district has done. Obviously, you guys knew I was going to speak on that about the stocking community hub. But, David, I'm going to have to hold you accountable and stand on business because a little birdie told the neighborhood organization that you didn't believe that our project was feasible. They said that you didn't believe that we could potentially pull this project off, David. I've asked you for support. I'm genuine. I'm the D Jones in every single room. I don't care the place that we are. I got to hold you accountable because the neighborhood organization had the finance and we had the funders. It's sad that neighborhood organizations cannot dream bigger to solve those social issues around their community. I love that King Park neighbors can be able to go to the lodge and they can have the basketball courts and do all of those cool things. But the other neighborhoods, organizations across our city should be able to dream big. They should be able to create affordable housing. I should be able to build that eSports innovation lab where I can be able to help kids and I can help 3D with 3D printing because IFF, our funder, David, that was going to help us fund it. We still have to finance the $4.5 million to actually build our project, which is going to come to fruition, and we're not going to give up, David. But the other thing is that we were actually going to help The school district financed the 3D printing construction curriculum, then give them land so they can actually have land for the students to 3D print houses on the Stockett Community Hub grounds. That sounds a lot better than the Commonwealth Project, an organization outside of the state that doesn't understand the local community's needs over there. I've been a part of my neighborhood organization since 2018. I've been coming to City Hall for that long, since 2018. I think I know our city's needs. I think I know what our community needs. It was a true opportunity to create real economic power, to hold billionaires accountable, to put economic prosperity for communities, for all communities. That just wasn't for the West Side. That was for the entire city. That was for the entire economic prosperity of every single citizen. And we're disappointed, but we're not going to give up on this vision, David. And I'm just so disappointed in our school district people that's on the school board that's attached to the DeVos Family Foundations and them people actually helping to get other schools. There's a lot of conflict of interest in this. But I'm going to keep standing on business and holding you accountable, David, because you're our mayor. I don't think you'll be nothing like NYC's mayor. And I'm not saying you have to be because you're David Legrand and I believe on you. But I'm going to hold you accountable, David, for what the little bird said to us. Because I believe in my neighborhood organization. I believe in this community. I believe in leaders in other neighborhood organizations and associations should be able to dream as big as they can. Because I'm flying out of the state to speak to different cities across. I'm speaking to the Bahamas. Soon to speak about bringing esports to their cities and different cities across the globe. Stop sleeping on our neighborhood organizations and associations and believe in us.

Hi, good evening everybody. My name is Katie Hoffman. I'm a first ward resident. I'm here tonight on behalf of the neighbors and the board of the Garfield park neighborhoods association. In the past few months, the city commission has engaged in many important votes and conversations, including the selection of a new city attorney and soon to be police chief. The commission has adopted a budget for the new fiscal year and also discussed surveillance, immigrant protections, downtown development, and more. All of this impactful dialogue has happened without the first ward having equal representation in this body. A few of you seem eager to simply press ahead to the next election cycle, but many neighbors think that some kind of accounting is due. Neighborhood organizations and community members have attempted to raise these concerns constructively through petitions, conversations, and public engagement efforts. Residents are frustrated. They are disappointed to see the dysfunction of our federal government reflected here at home. I've heard from a commissioner or two who say that they are overwhelmed. I've heard more than once that some of you think that this part-time role should be a full-time role. And yet the seat of the person who could ease your burden and share the load remains empty. I'm here tonight to echo and uplift the request made by our neighbors from the West grand neighborhood organization. I quote them now as a community member, we respectfully request one, a public statement outlining the city commission's intended plan for resolving or not resolving the first word vacancy to your commitment to ensure this situation does not occur again, codified through a future policy or charter amendments that would ensure uninterrupted representation for residents of any ward and any future vacancy three, clarification regarding how abstentions function procedurally within commission voting and how the unreconciled abstention during this appointment process will be addressed. Thank you for listening and for your dedicated service to Grand Rapids, including the 66,000 first ward residents. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Nathan Biller. I'm a small infill developer working in the city, and I've got an open letter from myself and other small developers to read. So we're actually requesting a simple, low cost policy change that could meaningfully improve the financial feasibility of new housing construction in our city. Today, builders must commit to projects without knowing their largest long term operating cost, which is property taxes. The city does not currently provide an official estimate of a project's future assessment until after construction is complete, often months after units are already leased or sold. You have direct experience with the frustration caused by this kind of uncertainty. The city is statutorily required to fund the 61st District Court, yet has limited control over what that obligation costs. For FY26, that uncontrollable line item is $9.97 million, which is almost 5% of the general fund, which exceeds the entire parks and rec budget. Now consider if your largest expense, police services at 35%, were the line item that you could not control. What Grand Rapids builders effectively face is this exact scenario. We're not asking for a guarantee. We understand that assessments depend on final construction and market conditions. What we are asking for is a good faith estimate of state equalized value based on project plans at the time of permitting, along with a transparent statement of the assumptions behind it. Quality classification, cost factors, and which evaluation approach the assessor anticipates implying. The cost approach is already used by Michigan assessors and is grounded in a standardized cost manual, so it can be applied to permitted plans before construction begins. It's an existing calculation that you do, it just moved upstream. And knowing whether the assessor intends to apply the cost approach or the income approach to a rental project is itself valuable information that costs nothing to disclose. The consequences of this uncertainty are real. Projects are designed, financed, and approved based on assumptions about future tax liability. When these assumptions prove wrong, sometimes even doubling, projects can become financially unviable after they're already built and occupied, which is not good for anybody involved. This has happened to some of the signatories of this letter, but it is a solvable problem. We do understand that the assessor's office has expressed concerns about unknowns in the process, and we welcome that conversation. Understanding the underlying assumptions up front, even imperfect ones, would provide significantly greater certainty going into the project than builders have today. A request that the city commission direct the city manager to explore in collaboration with the city assessor's office, the feasibility of providing this estimate at the time of building permit issuance. This approach builds directly on the standard assessment practices already used by Michigan assessors, And we'll position Grand Rapids as a leader in reducing uncertainty in housing development. It's a rare opportunity to reduce barriers to housing production without subsidies or zoning changes. It costs very little to provide an estimate. It does cost Grand Rapids housing units when builders have to guess. And that's a problem that this would fix. We respectfully request that this item be placed on a future city commission or committee of the whole agenda for discussion and that the city manager be directed to report back with implementation options. Thank you for your consideration.

Buenas tardes, mi nombre es Gemma y he estado viviendo en el área de Grand Rapids por los últimos 30 años y también pagando impuestos.

Good afternoon, my name is Emma. Gemma. Gemma and I've been living for the past 30 years in the Grand Rapids area. Pagando impuestos. And paying taxes.

La ciudad de Grand Rapids y el alcalde Legrand han dejado claras sus prioridades.

The city of Grand Rapids and David Legrand have made their priorities clear.

Cuando se trata de proteger a las comunidades inmigrantes, se niegan a aprobar políticas de santuarios significativas.

When it comes to protecting immigrant communities, they refuse to pass meaningful sanctuary policies.

Pero cuando se trata de generar ingresos, esperan que los inmigrantes sigan gastando dinero, pagando impuestos y sosteniendo la economía local.

But when it comes to generating revenue, they expect immigrants to keep spending money, paying taxes, and supporting the local economy.

En lugar de invertir en políticas que protejan a las personas que viven aquí y trabajan aquí, Instead of investing in policies that protect the people who live and work here, city leaders have handed out millions of dollars in concessions to billionaires who bought a soccer team and now they're building stadiums. Esperando que las familias inmigrantes y los residentes de clase trabajadora gasten ahí el dinero que con tanto esfuerzo les cuesta ganar.

They expect immigrant families and working class residents to spend their hard-earned money there, all while long-term residents are being... Mientras los residentes de toda la vida son desplazados de los vecindarios. are being displaced from their neighborhoods.

Debemos prestar atención nosotros los inmigrantes a donde gastamos nuestro dinero.

We must pay attention to where we spend our money.

Nuestro tiempo y nuestra energía.

Our time and our energy.

Porque si nuestras comunidades son lo suficiente buenas para contribuir a esta ciudad.

If our communities are good enough to contribute to this city.

También son lo suficiente buenos para protegernos por estar aquí.

Then they are good enough to be protected by it.

No podemos seguir apoyando a líderes e instituciones que se benefician de nuestra presencia mientras se niegan a defender nuestros derechos y nuestra dignidad.

We cannot continue supporting leaders and institutions that profit from our presence while refusing to stand up for our rights and dignity.

That's why we're fighting for the things we know what to do, how to do, and with our effort and our money. Por eso estamos haciendo una campaña de boycott al negocio del David Legrand.

That's why we're doing a campaign of boycotting to David Legrand.

Porque no nos están haciendo caso. Solamente hacen caso del dinero. Es lo único que les importa. No les importa a la humanidad.

Where you guys are not listening to us, but when there's money between, you guys listen to the money.

Por eso es que estamos luchando así. Porque si nosotros nos detenemos en nuestro dinero, ustedes van a poner atención.

That's why we're fighting, because if we stop our money, then you guys are going to fight for it.

Y vamos a continuar luchando.

And we're still going to keep fighting.

Good evening. As I was commuting to the meeting today, I went ahead and read the agenda packet. And something that struck me was the mayor's letter about celebrating the growth of the city of Grand Rapids. But there's a huge irony in that. Like Hema said before me, that growth doesn't impact working class folks like myself like it does You know, the rich folks benefiting from these projects. You know, the same rich folks the mayor hung out with when Bush and Clinton came to town, you know, to honor war criminals in the DeVos family, who certainly, the type of growth the DeVos family pushes certainly is in the interest of working class folks. You know, and it's in... And yeah, the mayor put the caveat in his statements that housing is an issue, but coming from a landlord, someone who's gotten donations from landlord tax and from these rich developers, that remains hollow to me. And his votes have clearly indicated that the working class folks aren't a priority. But moreover, the mayor's continued... not only refusal to pass very doable sanctuary policies, but also the continued lie that he's met these demands, is unconscionable and immoral. We see the impact, those of us in this fight, every single day of GRPD in the city collaborating with ICE. For example, While the GRPD doesn't directly share flock data with ICE, they share it with federal agencies who for sure are sharing it with ICE. And we've seen those federal agencies mentioned in the FOIAs. We've already talked to you about countless times GRPD has directly cooperated with ICE, not just providing scene security, directly cooperating. And, you know, the mayor also mentioned in the letter in the agenda packet concern for public safety, but public safety for who? Seems to be just public safety for developers and rich out-of-town folks who benefit from these projects and not working class folks, immigrants, and, you know, the people of color that ICE and GRBD constantly target. You know, and... And even, you know, and David LeWan is so committed to this lie that he, you know, tried to argue with me before this meeting. And the last thing I'm going to point out is, you know, he accused me of someone who likes yelling at people. And yes, I've been someone who was engaged in a lot of confrontational tactics, but multiple businesses who certainly don't fit that profile have recently joined the boycott.

Hi, my name is Teresa. I am a resident of Grand Rapids. And I've been thinking that since Grand Rapids is such a loving, godly community, can you explain to me why we can't stand up and show support to our immigrant neighbors by adopting the six sanctuary policies, one which includes preventing the GRPD and sheriff from collaborating with ICE David continually says that this is not happening, but there is video evidence to the contrary. Do you ever think of the young man that GRPD did not assist ICE with shoving his face into a snowbank? Do you care he had asylum paperwork and nobody looked at it? Do you care he had a job and people who loved him and he was taking care of them and his family? Do you care that he was denied medical attention in the prison camp you sent him to? Do you care he's being returned to the country he fled from because of gangs and violence? Do you care that by denying the sanctuary policies, you are condemning others to his fate? When are you gonna stop apologizing to the GRPD because they get their feelings hurt when called out for their despicable racist treatment of our black and brown communities?

Hello, my name is Karen and I'm a resident of Grand Rapids. Thank you for hearing our public comments. I hope you will not just hear us, but also listen to us. There's a quote from Anne Frank that she wrote in her journal while hiding from the Nazis. Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Now it's 2026, and in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the entire country, we now have people hiding from Trump's deadly and violent ice. There is no due process, no oversight, Of course, you guys can't resist ICE federally, nationally, but we can do it at home. Mamdani told his voters, you have to stay involved even once I'm elected. The citizens have to stay participating in order to keep a democracy. We have 200,000 residents in Grand Rapids, but look how many people are here advancing democracy and human rights tonight. I will say that it is intimidating to participate at these meetings. I'm slowly finding my voice, and I hope more people start showing up and using theirs. If they did, I think you would find that what we are advocating for is different than from what you guys are focused on. We want ICE out. ICE out of our city, ICE out of our state, ICE out of our country. Our focus is ICE out. Movimiento Cosecha has been asking for the same six sanctuary policies for a while now. These policies do not get ICE out of our city, but they do provide some protection for our immigrant community, and it's not a big ask. Maryland has just passed a bill which the governor just signed banning 287 agreements. It can be done. The way you get it done is city by city, county by county, until it passes at a state level. We're here tonight at the city level.

We are asking you all for this type of leadership.

Please hear and listen to our demands. Then there is FLAC, FLAC cameras, AI Palantir-owned FLAC cameras. Epstein's friend Peter Thiel, who was mentioned 2,200 times in the Epstein files, owns this surveillance tool, FLAC. FLAC is used disproportionately against immigrants, stalking, following, and invading privacy. FLAC is also just illegal in general. The Supreme Court ruled in Carpenter versus United States that they violate our Fourth Amendment rights. It is a landmark case concerning the privacy of historical cell site location, The court held that the government entities violate the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution when accessing historical CSL records containing the physical locations of cell phones without a search warrant. What this means is tracking our movements, habits, and data through flat cameras is illegal due to the lack of warrant for each and every one of us in view of flat cameras. You can expect the public to start attending these meetings regularly regarding flat cameras and the six sanctuary policies and the mass surveillance and control they are installed for. Please adopt co-statistic sanctuary policies. Please end the illicit contract that the city of Grand Rapids currently has with Epstein's friend Peter Thiel to infringe on the rights of Grand Rapids residents. Thank you.

My name is Halford. I live downtown First Ward. First of all, very difficult finding this meeting. Website doesn't list it as here. It's not listed on the building. Building was locked up. I ended up calling Wood TV. They thought it was at the commission downtown, they had to find out where it was. Not a good job, folks. Last night I got to attend the Doobie Brothers and Santana concert at the amphitheater. Wonderful concert. I appreciate having it there. What I don't appreciate is having it in my living room. This time I went there to listen to it instead of opening my window and watching with binoculars and listening with the windows open. All I want is good neighbors. The other day, back on May 27th, concert ran long. I ran to 1115 City Commission, zoning 11 o'clock. I went to call GRPD and put a complaint in a noise complaint. We don't take noise complaints on the amphitheater. That was a new one to me. Sent an email to my first ward commissioner, the mayor, city manager. Got wonderful auto replies back on the 28th. Haven't heard a thing since. For those concerts that run over, what is the fine and how is it determined? They're scheduled to stop at 11 o'clock. Not 1115, not 1120, not 1130. If they run late, there's supposed to be penalties to that. That's what I'm trying to find out. I talked to Anita Hitchcock three years ago about this. Said, I'm a little guy. How do I fight back? Well, you don't. Well, guess what? The squeaky wheel is here. I'm fighting back. Concerts run long. They need to be penalized, and something needs to happen. The other thing that needs to happen is accountability by those on the dais. When somebody sends in something to 311, copies a commissioner, copies a mayor, and copies a city manager, a response needs to be provided, not just an auto reply. The other thing I'm noticing, right now a lot of you are very engaged, it appears engaged, but body language is one thing. And sitting down waiting for my turn, looks like a lot of people were not thoroughly engaged in what was going on and listening and paying attention to those who were speaking. I may be wrong, but the body language that I saw was one of, I don't really care. Let's get this three minutes over with. That's all I have to say, thank you.

Good evening, mayor and city commissioners. Thank you so much for being here at the museum, your museum. I just wanted to raise a couple of things. One is I was listening to the tax abatement, the development, which sounds like a great project, but having retired from the city, one of the issues that we struggled with, particularly the economic development department did with all the tax abatements, it's really important to monitor and audit and make sure whatever agreements they enter into for those tax abatements, that compliance is really occurring, whether it's with a certain number of jobs, the level of pay of those jobs, or whether it's some other stipulation from the negotiations with the neighborhood associations. We found that when there was just a quick down and dirty micro audit, some of the developers were not adhering to it, especially when it gets two and three years out, and they're still collecting that benefit of the tax abatement. So I'd encourage the city manager and those to make sure that's happening. The other thing I wanted to say is that you have an upcoming police chief search. I probably hired, I think, four police chiefs, Dolan and Belk, and I'm trying to remember, but at least four of them and three of the fire chiefs. And my, I won't be able to attend any of the other things, but I would say this. It's really important if we're going to hire somebody who is not from the area that there is a strong orientation with them if they are hired. It looks like you got some good candidates. I don't know. The best success I would say of those that I did was able to do the recruitment and hire for who have the longest sustaining power and have the quickest ability to gain the support of the troops and of the fire department. Even I hired Brad and he was an intern. I, you know, made sure he got and now he's fire chief. So the longest staying power usually is from those who actually are from the area or who, if they come from someplace else like Harry, we made a real, to have a strong orientation on boarding that lasted an entire year because it's just hard for people to come up quick up to speed and you got a lot going on a lot of challenges lastly I want to give shout out to my commissioners Purdue and Kilgore you guys are fantastic thank you

Good evening. My name is Sine Gant Jordan. I am a first ward and a third ward product of this city. Third generation, property owner, taxpayer, business owner. I sit on many boards for free for the city and help make some of the decisions that don't always play out because of lack of support. from our commissioners, our city staff, elected officials. But I really want to speak to the Zone GR. So zoning is one of the racist ordinance that has been out. And I want to make sure that I want to be able to speak publicly to my peers, to the business owners in my corridor, which is Division Granville, and also property owner in South town, that we are having opportunities through this new zoning ordinance. Lack of opportunity has made us fail. I am also a product of eminent domain, where I am the granddaughter of a grandmother whose property was taken by eminent domain on Division Avenue, 569 to be exact. And this was not 100 years ago, this was in 1984. And so I want to make sure, I want you all to encourage the community that these things are going to look and feel very different. I am also an emerging developer and I have some of the sisters in development. You know, we have a whole group. We have a desire to do development. And what I've seen is a lack of effort on our behalf, right, on your behalf, to support us. We want that to look and feel very different. We deserve an opportunity to develop the land that we own without all of the restrictions. We need dollars put behind us. That budget that we have, there is no way that we shouldn't have dollars behind our efforts. I have been doing the work of trying to work with emerging developers for free. That's ridiculous. I'm doing half of y'all jobs. And so I'm a small business owner. I really don't have the time to do this work, but I am because it's very important for the future for my children, for my grandchildren, and others in our community who have lost out on opportunity due to the policies and processes and the ordinances that are in place. So I'm encouraging you all to take a deep dive into what this Zone GI really is about. It should be about us. Our black and brown community people have lost out and it's time that you all pay up that the city of Grand Rapids reinvest in our efforts. Thank you. She's not going to say anything.

Hello, I'm Matthew. I've been Matthew Scott. I've been here a number of times. I usually accompany my dad. We have been, due to threats against our lives, we have been, we have been given permission to abstain from certain address. We are just, yeah, we are, we live in the city and I am up here, he's up here to serve, defend the unborn. I'm up here to, give you a disdain and a, yeah, a disdain and godly worth for what, for the Saddam might get a month, but the Christians, but the Christians or the veterans, thanks to Trump, he's changing that, but the, Yeah, the Christians don't get a month, but you might say if you give the Christians a month, you will have to give all religions a month. But I'm just, we love the Saddamites. God loves the Saddamites, but he doesn't love the sin, and you will have to give account to him someday. an open invitation to come to our church. We have two small churches, one in Butterworth and one in Division. You're welcome anytime. Thanks for your service. God bless.

Hi, everyone. Kim, third ward resident and 37-year Grand Rapids resident. I'd like to wish all of my community and our allies a happy pride. And our annual Grand Rapids Pride is this weekend. I'd love to see everyone show up and show love instead of hate. I feel compelled to speak after my supposed neighbors and Grand Rapids residents speak. I can't help myself. We are not sinners because of who we love. And these same people that come up here and say that they want to protect the unborn want to harass and terrorize and act as predators towards females, trans humans, and other neighbors going to Planned Parenthood weekly. They speak through their Bible and through the word of God, but they do the opposite in their actions. I want to know what we're going to do as a city to continue to try to protect neighbors that need protection. Not only our immigrants and our BIPOC community, which we talk about every single meeting, every single time. I want to know what we're going to do to protect our neighbors that are simply going for medical care, healthcare to Planned Parenthood from these predators. that are there Monday through Friday, yelling and screaming, blocking the driveway as people pull in. David, you witness it on your bike. You see it. I don't expect you to pull over on your bike and ask them to stop breaking the law, but you physically see it. And every time a Planned Parenthood employee, a neighbor, or myself calls on our GRPD, they're never there when we need them. Half the time they don't show up, and the other half they say they can't do anything about it because they're not physically witnessing them do it. That's beyond frustrating. It's ridiculous. And something needs to happen. Something needs to change. I also want to know what we're doing as a city to help our fellow sisters and women across the country who now have less rights than we do as women today in the state of Michigan. What are we doing? We have one Planned Parenthood that they're trying to get shut down. The group of people that just spoke before me, it's their number one mission is to cause violence, and get it shut down. What are we doing to protect women and not just women that are in Michigan protected under our state constitution, but all of the women in our country that now have less rights than us women in this room today. I'm sick and tired of hearing my neighbors being terrorized by ice. I want that to end. Other cities have done it. They're not using the excuse that it's a federal agency. Other cities have done it. I want to see our city do it. There's so many things, but up to and including, I'll leave you with this. I'm now part of the list of people being harassed and targeted by our lovely GRPD that no one ever comes up here and praises. I now have a citation going to court for a noise ordinance that the same cop that keeps terrorizing me can't tell me what the real rule is and it changes every time. So we need more clarification on that, please. Even our local courts have said it's unconstitutional. Thank you.

Good evening, city commissioners. My name is Cody of Grand Rapids. And I would like to discuss the citizen surveillance cameras that have been sold to the city. As I had mentioned a month or two ago, I used to work for a competitor to flock surveillance. I saw the ins and outs of small towns and big cities getting swindled by a salesman. I saw the right to privacy being thrown out the window under the guise of safety. And frankly, commissioners, I'm concerned with your distrust that you've shown our great community of Grand Rapids. That you believe we can't keep our community safe without being watched, fed into a database, and sold without our consent. I'm concerned with your distrust in the skills and abilities of the law enforcement of Grand Rapids that the city employs. Would anyone on this council be able to explain to me why this surveillance system was thrusted upon the city without a democratic vote? And I would also like to rephrase a question that the commission has been asked. That question being, is the city of Grand Rapids sharing data with other cities, as in flock data? Because other police departments around the country have told the public that they aren't sharing their neighbors' data, and those police departments got caught handing over their neighbors' data. So I will rephrase that question and ask if another jurisdiction requests information from Grand Rapids police, does Grand Rapids police hand that flock information over? There is precedence here for cities canceling their contracts and removing their flock cameras. Mr. Mayor, since you told our constituents that you're not an expert on these citizen surveillance cameras that have been installed by the city, would you be willing to become an expert on the removal of these cameras? And with that, I'll close. Commissioners, I ask that you please stop handing over the information of our immigrant neighbors to ICE and please stop spying on your constituents. Thank you for your time.

Good evening, Mayor, City Manager Washington, Commissioners, and my fellow citizens. Daniel, of course. My real identity is I'm a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sorry to witness the insurrection back in April here. We're at the City Council meeting by your voters.

Juneteenth. Juneteenth.

What a wonderful day to remember. End of slavery in the US, June 19, 1865. But again, I'd like to quote Martin Luther King Jr. How can the dream survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her life. The murder of children in the womb since 1973 is greater than all other deaths of African American people combined. Why does Planned Parenthood or Planned Genocide, you can look this up if you get bored, 75% of all of them are located within walking distance of black and Hispanic neighborhoods. 30% of the 1.1 million annual US murders of black children. And there's only 19% of the population that is black. This is discrimination. This is racism. Alveda King, niece to Martin Luther King Jr. When we said we would no longer sit at the back of the bus, a place was reserved for us at the abortion clinic, Alveda King. Jesse Jackson, the late Jesse Jackson, a Democrat, called abortion genocide. And now we find out the Southern Poverty Law Center funding KKK Nazi groups and white supremacist groups. And finally, I'd like to remind you what the founder of Planned Parenthood said herself, Margaret Sanger. We do not want the word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. They are human weeds, reckless breeders, spawning human beings who never should have been born. I've accepted an invitation to talk to the woman's branch of the Ku Klux Klan. If you support Planned Parenthood, this is the spirit you support. I know some of you receive money from them, and you give the money back. You will be held accountable. This is what runs that place.

Hello, friends. Mark from Grand Rapids. I have heard it all. This is why everybody who spoke should do one thing. Get your butts up and vote. If you want stuff to change, vote.

It's that simple.

Truth of the matter is, we, once again, have another donut hole in the world. The orange felon had his ridiculous UFC birthday bash and him and his white beater friend, Dana White, profited off of it. Right on the White House lawn. It's not good. This is what happens when you vote the wrong people in. Elections have consequences. Now the midterms are coming up. I want 85 to 90% turnout. This includes the young people, the 18 to 34 age group. If you can go to social house, the Bob, Mojo's, and dance up and party all weekend, you can get your butts up and go to the polls and vote. Because remember, you represent the largest, the smallest turnout in the voting process. If you want change, vote. It's that simple. But if you don't, it's gonna be the same old status quo. Because we all know this, Dorrance Fallon has sicked his incompetent education secretary to get rid of special education. And they will do it. If this is not what you want, It's very simple. Get registered and go out and get ready to vote. Because your life is in your own hands. Revenge 2026.

Seeing no further public comment. Colleagues, Commissioner Sasse.

Thank you, Mayor. Um, thank you all for coming out today. I know, um, it was a good day and celebrating a couple of people mentioned celebrating Juneteenth and also it's six one six day. So June 16th. So, um, thank you for the cookies. And, uh, it was great cause we were supporting a, uh, local small black owned business here in the city of Grand Rapids that has done a lot of great investment. So, um, I'll just say thank you all for the work. We had a really robust discussion about the K-9 policy review at our public safety meeting. Thank you to both the Office of OPA and Mr. Brandon Davis and all the people who worked really very quickly on that report, I will say. That was a very quick and comprehensive report, and thank you for the follow-up of the report. I was glad to hear the conversations. between OPA and the police department and just how we'll continue to discuss this at a further date. So thank you for that. We have had a lot of conversations around flock and license plate readers. Some of us have discussed this in different sessions. I think Mayor, you've had a couple of like Mayor's Mondays about it. I was on GRTV. We've given some reports to the media. So thank you, Mr. Green. I'm just gonna just remind everyone of a couple of things. that flock is a type of a brand of a license plate reader or what's called an LPR. We've had those automatic license plate readers here in the city of Grand Rapids since 2013. There is a policy. We talked quite a bit about canine policy today. So I'll just remind everybody that we do have a surveillance policy and it's an administrative policy that is available for you all to look at. We've provided that. And thank you. I see like, DEPUTY CHIEF BAKER IN THE BACK WHO HAS PROVIDED THAT INFORMATION AS WE'VE HAD CONSTITUENTS REACH OUT. PEOPLE ARE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT'S NO SURPRISE IT HAPPENS TO BE IN THE MEDIA ALL THE TIME. BECAUSE OF THE SURVEILLANCE POLICY WHICH WAS ADOPTED IN 2015 AND THEN WE UPDATED IT BACK IN 2022, I WAS ON THE COMMISSION AT THAT POINT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THOSE AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS WERE GRANDFATHERED AND SO THEY'RE NOT SUBJECT TO THAT SURVEILLANCE POLICY. But we do have a manual of those policies and how that technology is applied. I will also just say that there were a lot of questions. Thank you. You were the deputy, but now you're the city attorney, Mr. Strom. We worked really closely with your predecessor and you around questions as it related to flat camera and flat camera usage. There were some social media pieces that I think the city took very seriously. And again, as I mentioned, it was not part of the surveillance policy, but I appreciate the city manager saying there's enough questions about this. This is an emerging topic. We want to take a moment to understand. And as a department, we'll always do that review. And I think it was pretty unanimous to do that review. There are filters and we exclude our flock cameras at this time from immigration related searches. And while some federal agencies do have access to our flock system, ICE does not. Immigration enforcement does not. There are limits as well to prevent searches tied to civil immigration. So this was, you know, I would say that was pretty quick as even like we did when this canine policy, it was coming up. It was on social media. It was unclear. There was, you know, trying to figure out if different things we were seeing were true. And again, I want to say thank you to the department, to our city attorney's office, to the city manager, because I think that's another example, just like this K-9 policy, where we're able to respond in real time. And we do have a number of policies that govern it. And sometimes, you know, we can point people to it. Please feel free to reach out to us. We know we have a number of people in the department available to have a discussion as well. Thank you.

Commissioner Perdue. Commissioner Belichick.

I want to say that I heard a lot of great neighborhood feedback and yes a lot of fair comments and complaints and I want to say that this is one example of a forum where you can reach us and I will address the amphitheater question that's come up a little bit. I apologize if I've missed your email particularly, Mr. Froot, but there have been numerous, numerous emails that I have received and been aware of and forwarded on to our city manager and other departments to look at. Even as of last night continue to receive those so I'm aware I've had a coffee hour last week. We had about 15 people there. We talked about that we talked about stormwater and neighborhood issues with development and concerns so you know the the members of the community are being impacted by this and it is something that we have yet to fully discuss as a team further here. Right now it is new, it is something that's happening in the community and as of last night and a couple other nights, even down in the valley where I live on the flat plain, near the Y we were hearing it too. So there is something about sound that is traveling. And so this is a new feature of our community that we will have to continue to monitor and address as needed. So we will continue to have those conversations and be paying attention. I also want to take a moment to just address some of the questions that have been coming up from other neighbors about how things are going and how we are proceeding and I too want to just try to reassure everyone that while we are You know, I am serving in what people like to point out as a solo atmosphere on the first ward. I am still paying attention and doing everything that I can to be present and follow up. And we do have some great support staff and other people who are paying attention. And if people have questions or concerns about anything, the thing to do really is to call 311 and they can help. move things to the right department. So I will just remind folks that we did have a very good discussion today at public safety. So to go back and look at that, and I wanna point out that one of the things discussed in addition to what Commissioner Isasi brought up was the new fire cadets that are on board for the summer and the three different pathways that our fire department is using to recruit folks and cultivate interest in not just the city fire department, but potentially any other public service roles. So I want to say thank you to our chief and to our fire department for doing that. And we have a brand new training lieutenant as well for the fire department. So it was great to see those folks. And we also had, um, some students on part of the, um, urban league with the commission this morning for some of our meetings. And so we had a good group of maybe 20 or 30 young folks who are interested in learning about what's happening in our local politics and our local governance and how they might be civic citizens in the future.

Commissioner Knight.

Thank you, mayor. Um, Just a few things. We had the opportunity to do groundbreaking for the Leonard and Anne Trail connection. That's going to be a really critical link in connecting our trails across the city and across the state. And one of the statements that was made was great neighborhoods are connected neighborhoods. And I think it's a really great opportunity. It's something that had been worked on over the years. And it was great to be there at that space to see that happening. and to just envision the things that are happening along the Grand River Greenway and how that's going to continue to expand across our community. Also, grateful for the declaration today for the Juneteenth celebrations. As Juneteenth was declared in 1865, but it took three more years to get really to the people who it needed to get to. for them to understand what was happening. And just a side note, heart disease is actually the number one killer of African American people, and the second is cancer. I'm grateful that the youth did come from the Urban League to talk about civic engagement and what that means to them, and having the opportunity to talk to them about voting in our community and through our city and how that works and the impact on their lives. I had the chance to be at Rock the Block this weekend as well, seeing a lot of people that were out different groups, sororities, fraternities, and different groups from the city that were registering people to vote and making sure that you understand the importance of that vote. And Joel gave a great presentation today on what that's looking like for this fall, especially for the primaries in August. And it can be a little challenging for people. Commissioner Perdue also brought a little attention to making sure that our community members know exactly where their polls are and if there's been changes that they are alerted to that. So that was some good information and that's it.

Commissioner Kovar. Thank you, Mayor. I think my colleague in the third ward must have known I had like a million notes. So thank you. Thanks for the time, Kelsey. All right. Well, happy 616 day. Thank you all for staying late. I appreciate it. I have so many notes. I also attended Rock the Block. That was awesome. Southside is the best side. I am biased. Sorry, y'all. And it was just a wonderful celebration. It has been for many years. We're in the museum, so I just am really thinking of history. I grew up, and I also, so I did Rock the Block this weekend. I also went to Pilgrim Rest for Youth Day and celebrated youth all across West Michigan with Pastor Gaddy, and that was wonderful, and Pastor Shaq. And I grew up in the church, so... I continue to press back when I feel as though people are using their faith for hatred. Sodom and Gomorrah, I was raised in the Church of God in Christ Church, so we did a lot of that old fire and brimstone preaching. And I remember that story well, and although I believe firmly in the separation of church and state, And no decision I make up here is based on anyone's faith, and no faith should be guiding our decisions. It can teach us a lot. And in that, when you read the full, the full context of it, beyond what folks were doing in their bedrooms, It talks about things like greed, neglect of the poor, injustice. It's also why that fire rang down on that city in that book. So I think it's a good lesson for us. Can we continue to support the poor? Can we continue to make sure we are not uplifting greed? And can we continue to fight against injustice? But as a proud sodomite, I understand why people continue to focus on that. It's very interesting. So... I'm hoping that the community will continue to celebrate this beautiful community that we have in Grand Rapids through, of course, some Juneteenth celebrations at Dickinson Buffer. These are both on Friday, Juneteenth, Freedom Day. There will be a parade at 12 p.m. And then from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the park, you can enjoy and meet with community members to celebrate that. There's also Juneteenth Jam at Grandma downtown from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. And of course, again, for the proud Sodomites, we have the Pride Festival with the Grand Rapids Pride Center. It'll be 38 years this year. Saturday, June 20th, and Sunday, June 21st at Calder Plaza. This is the state's second largest Pride Festival, ranging over two days. It sees close to over 40,000 folks annually. There's a lot of proud Siamites here in West Michigan. In addition, since we're in the museum, the history of how proud I am to work with my colleagues. In 1988, the same year that the Pride Festival was going, The then mayor did not do the proclamation. I'm proud to work with Mayor Legrand and all of my colleagues proudly stood with me as the first openly LGBTQ person on this body, the first open queer person on this body. Proud sodomite, I gotta write that down, it's hilarious. But then in the 80s, our group, the LGBTQ plus community, the mayor then lumped us with Nazis. He said he was not gonna do the proclamation because he felt as though our community was in line with Nazis. We've changed. This city continues to grow and evolve and welcome all people. We may not always agree up here, but I am deeply honored to serve with people who look beyond their faith, look beyond who they love, who they value, who they believe are sinners or not, and can see that every Grand Rapidian deserves to have a safe and welcoming place to live. Thank you all again for coming this evening, and happy Pride.

Thank you.

City Clerk.

Thank you to Grand Rapids Public Museum for opening their doors tonight. I think this is the first time we've had Commission Night out in this space, and it's been a great space for this meeting. I think tabling downstairs was wonderful. So thank you for hosting us. And if you haven't been through the museum before, it is a wonderful facility. This morning, you know, I did have the opportunity to give an update, so if you did not see Committee of the Whole from this morning, you can go back and watch that update on this upcoming elections. It is important to know before you go and to make sure you're polling location. Thank you, Commissioner, for putting that out, and we'll make sure we're... shouting it from the rooftops. So tell your neighbors, everybody else, go to michigan.gov forward slash vote to make a plan to vote, whether that be by absentee, whether it goes through the early voting, or go to your polling location, or a little combination of all of them. Only one ballot though each. So as we go through this election thing, We just look forward to more support, and also we're always looking for more election inspectors, too. If you want to serve your fellow Grand Rapidian, that's a great way to doing it, of getting involved in the polling location, and you're just welcome to come work alongside of us. Thank you.

Thanks. City Attorney?

Just lift up Joel for a minute. Your authentic approach to elections is really appreciated. I think I've worked every election alongside of you since I've come to Grand Rapids. And if anyone wants to see the true fabric and the heartbeat of our community, just go to an election night and work those late nights along the clerk staff. And you get to see how safe, how secure, how honest that process is. It's an honor. I look forward to August and November to continue to work those elections with all the city employees and the volunteers. I appreciate this venue for this community night out. If you ask my second grader what her best experience of second grade was, she'll tell you very proudly it was Immerse, which is a week-long experience where this museum hosts elementary age students to come into this facility and learn. And so I helped chaperone a field trip at the end of the year here. and the partnerships that are going on with the schools and now with our city commission and this museum are really meaningful and appreciated from a small town guy up in the UP. This is quite a gem for our city. And then finally, if you take a look choose to sue the city the rules of engagement when we communicate change and that's rules of professional conduct for lawyers and litigants and we do our best to empower our city elected officials and our departments to continue responsible engagement and communication But when you become a litigant and you're suing the city, there are different rules that apply for communication. So that's no hard feelings. That's just the way the process works. And so if there's any confusion about that, you can seek your own legal counsel about it. Thank you.

City Manager.

Thank you, Mayor. I want to thank the staff for their work today at the conclusion of the Public Safety Committee. Our communications team began packing up to come here to this great venue, so thank you for that work. Also, I want to thank, in his absence, Dale Robertson for his leadership here. This is, I think it was last year, he's going to retire soon after 18 years of service. He's leading a $40 million capital campaign with lots of renovation, internal and external, and we've approved some of the financing for some of the capital improvements, both on riverfront but also internal with the expansion and elevator. So congratulations to him. I also want to make a point. We've been really busy in the months of April and May and even June back to back to back to back meetings and we've loaded up this agenda and if there are not significant items that come up between now and July 7th, there's a possibility that meeting, and it's conveniently the holiday week, 4th of July, a lot of people will be out anyway, and there's a possibility it might be canceled. So more to come if there's not a significant number of items. Also, I appreciate what the city attorney said regarding litigation, but I'll just say in general what we've already put out. just so there's no confusion, that there is a city code that authorizes the amphitheater to operate between the hours of 7-11 unless otherwise authorized in advance with approval. And we were noticed of their request for additional time that evening, and so it was not unauthorized. I also want to invite the public, remind them tomorrow that the police chief search. We have four finalists, as was mentioned earlier. You can come to City Hall and meet and engage them at 5.45 p.m. tomorrow, and that will be at the atrium at the ground floor level on Ottawa. Then at 7 o'clock, there will be a more formal conversation, discussion with the facilitator that will be streamed. It will be live streamed. at 7 o'clock tomorrow night. So I would ask those interested, please come or follow online. And lastly, I will say I did have a chance to go to Asian Pacific Islander Festival this past week and look forward to also celebrating both Juneteenth and Pride Festival this week as well.

Thank you. So, thank you for, you know, going last means a lot of the things that I was excited about today got covered. It was great to have the Juneteenth proclamation, and I said this morning that For me, I think that, honestly, for me at least, that eclipses the Fourth of July in terms of our independence celebrations in this country, because I think that the moral evil of slavery was at the inception of this country, and moving away from and rejecting that was the great moral triumph that this country has made since its inception. So I'm glad to celebrate Juneteenth. Can't do it enough. I also often say that foundational to any city's success is having a city where people are and feel safe. And so that comes out of a lot of things. It comes out of policing. It comes out of non-policing work. but our who our next police chief is is going to be a big deal and It really is going to affect a lot of things in our community who our leadership is in that role So just want to echo the city managers Sentiment there I'm I'm a little flummoxed on the whole sanctuary city con sanctuary policies conversation, because to put it in simple terms, um, well, first of all, all the people who came up and demanded that we have sanctuary policies left. Um, so maybe they'll watch the video. Um, I said this before, I'll say it again. Um, I have a hard time feeling like we're engaging in a, um, an actual dialogue. I sort of feel like I'm standing facing someone who's got a coffee mug in their hand who says, I want a coffee mug. And I say, well, you have one in your hand. And they say, I want a coffee mug. We have enacted all or have already in place policies which address all of the demands that have been made by a couple groups who keep coming and complaining. And I want to give some grace to some of the people who say there are six demands. I suspect they haven't read them because one of them doesn't apply to the city self-evidently. One of them is internally incoherent and the group has conceded that. I don't think it's possible for the city to not contract with anybody who also contracts with the federal government. But the central concerns we have explicitly addressed before anybody came and demanded that we did it, we already had policies in place explicitly, which do not have our police officers detaining people on civil immigration warrants. That's one of these six demands. Another one is that we don't enter into 287 agreements. Not only do we not, but we can't. There is also a demand that we have our non-collaboration policy with ICE for our police officers. We have a policy and it mirrors the policies of cities that I think that group would probably hold up as examples. And no one has explained to me from that group ever coherently how they would like that policy to be changed. They sort of have an empty set, but they keep insisting that they've got a full set. And I don't know how to fix that dynamic. I'm sorry to those of you who had to listen to that. I'm sorry that to the people who work at some of the businesses that I have investment in, that they're being targeted and that their livelihoods are being targeted. by these groups, so I want to apologize to them. I'm sorry that this group isn't engaging in good faith on things we can do to keep our neighbors safe and that they don't have any actual ideas that we haven't already engaged in. And I would love to have a productive conversation about things we could do. In addition, I think our police chief said it very, very well this morning that he's confident that we're doing great things, but he's also always open to doing things better. And I know that this commission is always open to doing things better. and Commissioner Usasi think, and the one thing I didn't address was the flock issue, and I think you had a very good summary there, so I'm not gonna duplicate that, but that can be an ongoing conversation. We may change how we deal with license plate readers. I will note, again, that I think there's often a frustration that people have between demanding that we make policies, which we can do, and insisting that those policies are followed flawlessly, which we can't do. We can hold people accountable if they don't follow our policies. But if we have a policy that we pick up trash every week, and then your trash cart gets missed, the appropriate thing to say is, you missed my trash cart. It's not appropriate to say, why don't you have a policy to pick up trash every week? Because we do. So that being said, I hope someday that group will stick around and engage in conversation. But thank you all for being here.