City Commission - Regular Meeting

Hey Chris, we can hear you now. I think I changed a couple settings that helped out. I'm not sure what it looks like on your side, but I think we're okay. Okay, yeah, I mean, you're sounding great now, so. Okay.

I'll just keep settings at where they're at.

Okay, thanks.

I'd like to call to order the city of Battle Creek, Michigan, Battle Creek city commission meeting for July 21st, 2026. It is 7 0 1 PM. Uh, first item on our agenda will be a moment of silence for our invocation, and then we'll have a pledge of allegiance. And I'd like to call upon commissioner Patrick O'Donnell to lead us in that pledge. So if you're able to stand for a moment of silence, please do so. And then Patrick O'Donnell will lead us in the pledge. Commissioner Patrick O'Donnell.

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.

Next item on our agenda is a roll call. Madam Clerk, when you're ready.

Commissioner Katarski-Smith. Here. Commissioner LaCoste. Here. Commissioner Lance.

Here.

Commissioner Morris. Here. Mayor Behnke. Here. Commissioner Reynolds. Present. Commissioner O'Donnell. Here. Commissioner Simmons.

Here.

And Vice Mayor Sophia.

Okay. Next item on our agenda is proclamations and awards. I believe we have a couple. Let's see. Beautiful Battle Creek Awards will be first.

The first award is NPC1, Ward 2 nomination, Mary Simmons at 362 Main Street.

Mary, are you here? Thank you. I love the beautiful brick in your home. Thank you. That looks beautiful. Do you mind telling us a little bit about your house?

Oh, my goodness. Well, we've been in the house a little over 30 years. The house is over 100 years old. It's a craftsman, and we just enjoy fixing and doing and finding things. So it's quite comfortable, and we feel very much at home.

Now, did everyone hear that it was a craftsman? So that means it was a Sears house. So not only did you used to buy everything at Sears, you bought your house at Sears, too. But anyway, on behalf of the citizens of Battle Creek, we want to say, Mary, congratulations. Thank you for keeping it so beautiful at 362 Main Street. God bless you.

Marcy's coming over to take a picture.

Do we have anyone here from Kellogg Community College? Yes, please come forward. Would you mind telling us just a little bit about maybe what they're doing special on the campus besides pickleball?

I would love to. We take great pride in our campus at KCC. We have a variety of things that happen concurrently to keep up with the campus beautification. We have an art on campus committee that always makes sure that we're well adorned with new art on campus throughout the college. We have an infrastructure sustainability and planning committee. that takes requests from across the college and always carefully considers campus beautification as we look at projects. And I think one of the coolest things that make me proud is that our students weigh in as well. Most recently we had some students bring forward a request to beautify a particular part of campus that makes it what they call a third space. And so we approved that. We beautified that part of campus. And so having our students weigh in, is really meaningful for us. And I think it demonstrates how much pride we put into our campus. So this means a lot. Thank you.

Well, thank you very much. We appreciate it. And did I see that you're trying to get rid of the lily pads in the pond? I think the geese are helping us with that. Good. All right.

Marcy's going to take a picture of all of us.

Thank you, Marcy. Thank you, everyone. And we've got a couple more.

The next nomination is NPC 11, Ward 4, Karen Cooper at 152 Kirkpatrick Drive.

Are the Coopers here, Karen Cooper? I think I saw a note that they may not be able to make it. But a beautiful home at 152 Kirkpatrick. We'll get this to them.

And the last one is NPC 11, Ward 4 nomination, Adiva Credit Union, 320 East Columbia Avenue.

Well, thank you very much for not only this beautiful Battle Creek Award, but they recently donated $75,000 to Habitat for Humanity. So we want to thank you very much.

Thank you for having us tonight. Thank you for this award. It is our pleasure to continue the support in the Battle Creek community. I don't know if any of you know, but we moved from an older building that was on A Avenue or C Avenue, let me see if I can get the address correct, to our Columbia Road office. And the support of our membership is why we do what we do and why we put the pride into the building that we do. So I appreciate that. And definitely thank you for the recognition. Habitat was our pleasure. We are building an Advia house in Battle Creek. We've donated the funding for that project. And again, this is a really important community to us, and we appreciate the community support.

I believe that's it. Michelle Vogel, are you here? Michelle, please come forward. And if you have your family, you can bring your family too. Everyone can come on down. Thank you. Hello, guys. How are you? Hi there. Is this mommy? Hi. Bringing them all in. That's great.

Look at that.

We would like to read a random act of kindness certificate of recognition. The City Commission of the City of Battle Creek recognizes Michelle Vogel. for her efforts to aid a Battle Creek neighbor in need. Michelle Vogel saved a life when she took charge of a dangerous situation. Earlier this year, a Battle Creek neighbor was involved in a severe accident with his motorized scooter on West Michigan Avenue in Level Park. He was lying face down near the curb as numerous vehicles passed by. Amidst this danger, Michelle pulled over, crossed the busy street, and immediately provided directions by having other drivers position their vehicles to shield the distressed neighbor from uncommon traffic and having a bystander call 911. Michelle's quick thinking, compassion, and humanity saved this neighbor's life. The neighbor has his family and extremely grateful and appreciative of Michelle's extraordinary efforts and her willingness to show up and make a difference in the community. And we extend our sincere appreciation for her prompt act of kindness. We would like to thank Michelle for her dedication and commitment to the community of the city of Battle Creek. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. Amelia Earnhardt said that. This certificate is presented on behalf of the people of the city of Battle Creek to Michelle Vogel for her humanitarian efforts and dedication to make our city a better place for all the people. Michelle, I know this might be a little emotional for you, but if you could just share with us some of the information on how quickly you made the decisions. And I believe this young man has recovered now and is still at Mary Freebred and Grand Rapids.

Oh, it's right here.

God bless you. I'm very sorry. Thank you.

I just was running to the store and saw something in the road. And when I parked, I realized it was a human and it was a natural instinct to go save someone.

Once again, on behalf of the people of Battle Creek, we say thank you, Michelle, and thank you for all your relatives that showed up here tonight. And young man, thank you for being here. All right, if we can get a little bit closer, we're going to get everyone in the picture.

Thank you.

So what have you guys been doing all summer? Playing with your bike? Do you ride your bike and everything? Good. Swimming's good for you. Thank you for coming down. Next item on our agenda is chair noting any added or deleted resolutions. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Next item on our agenda is petitions, communications, and reports.

There were none.

Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. Next item on our agenda is public comment regarding any remaining agenda items. If you'd like to make public comment regarding any remaining agenda item, please raise your hand, and we will acknowledge you to come forward to the podium. You will have four minutes to make your comments. Please state your name and address before beginning your comment and indicate which agenda item you are speaking to. Are there any public comments at this time? Joe, please.

Thank you, Joe Harris, Battle Creek. This is in regard to proposed ordinance 16-2026. In regard to the proposed administrative hearing bureau, my only request is don't give up the voice of the people. A little back story to this. Several years ago, I found that a township supervisor believed they had sole authority to hire and fire as they saw fit, bypassing that particular township board, ergo bypassing the voice of the people. This was challenged, and as it sits, that township board has kept its authority in hiring and firing specific individuals, keeping the voice of the people strong. This commission is in a similar situation in that if you give the city manager the authority to hire appoint fire administrative hearing officers, the people's voice will be silenced in that. They will have no say with this very important decision that can affect so many Battle Creek citizens. I implore you, don't give up the people's voice. You are their representative, and you have the authority to change this ordinance, giving voice to the people, because as it sits right now, The people don't have a voice with the city manager having the sole authority to hire, fire, appoint administrative hearing officers. Put the power back into the hands of the people by changing this ordinance to make it so that the hiring of administrative hearing officers is in the hands of the city commission. Ergo, maintaining the voice of the people in whom you represent. Then further making it so that the hiring process is in the public eye. that it is the commission interviews potential candidates and it is the commission who directs the city manager on who to hire don't give up the people's voice on this important ordinance keep the voice of the people strong i would ask that the commission table this current ordinance right now as it sits and that it be changed giving the city commission the authority to interview potential administrative hearing officers And giving. And having them give the city manager the direction on who to hire and the point to that position, thus keeping the power of the people's voice intact by maintaining Commission authority over this ordinance. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. Are there any other public comments at this time? Are there any other public comments? Autumn Smith and then we'll go back to John.

Good evening. Autumn Smith 66 Massachusetts Ave. I'm going to highlight what I said during the hearing prior to or the workshop prior to this. I believe in safe neighborhoods. I believe in accountability. And I believe government has a responsibility to address legitimate problems and serve the people. But I also believe something is equally important. Government must be held accountable to the citizens it serves. This proposed administrative hearing bureau raises serious questions about due process, transparency, and the protection of constitutional rights. This is not about whether administrative hearings can exist. They can. The question is whether this specific system has enough safeguards to prevent government overreach. Again, there is a difference between something being legal and something being lawful. A government action could follow process and still fail if it does not respect the Constitution and the rights of the people. Passing an ordinance does not give the government unlimited authority. The 14th Amendment protects citizens from losing their property or rights without due process. Residents deserve proper notice, a fair hearing, and an impartial decision maker and a meaningful opportunity to challenge government actions. The concerns with this proposed ordinance deserve answers? Why should a resident potentially have to pay bond equal to fines and costs just to seek court review? Why should a civil violation have a pathway that could eventually lead to criminal penalties? How do we ensure fairness when the city issues a citation, controls the hearing structure, appoints the hearing officer, and benefits financially from the fines? Those are not unreasonable questions. Those are questions responsible elected officials should be asking. I've heard it that former city attorney Jill Steele was involved in advancing this concept. If that is accurate, it makes independent oversight even more important. The city attorney represents the municipality. Commissioners represent the citizens. That distinction matters. An elected official's oath is not to protect government power. It is to protect the people and uphold the Constitution. I'm running for city commission, and as an at-large city commissioner, I will stand for constitutional government. I will stand for transparency. I will stand for due process, and I will stand with the residents who expect their governments to respect their rights. Governments should never become a system where citizens feel like they have to fight their own government to receive fairness. We can enforce codes, we can improve neighborhoods, and we can hold people accountable, but we always must remember that government exists to serve the people, not the other way around. Your loyalty should be to the citizens that elected you, not to the commissioner to the right of you, not to the commissioner to the left of you, not to the city manager, police chief, or city attorney. Thank you.

All right, John.

John Kennebec, 204 South Avenue. Resolution 437, a resolution amending water and sewer system rates for certain non-city customers. So I'm gonna do a little history lesson for the City Commission and the citizens of Battle Creek. More than 20 years ago, The bills or costs for the water system in Battle Creek is over a five-year period. More than 20 years ago, you passed a resolution for only, for that five-year period, 200 cost increases. Five years went by. You had another resolution for the next five years. How many did you approve or appoint? 408 cost increases. Then another five years go by, and you approved another resolution, but this one was different. You said, we're going to compound all the cost increases 5% over a five-year period. Now we come up to January. I apologize again. June 16th, 2026, less than a month ago, or excuse me, just a tad over a month ago, you passed resolution that had for all areas, Battle Creek and other non areas in the Battle Creek area, 1,310 cost increases. That's what this commission approved a little over a month ago. Now we have this resolution. Does anybody here ever count the cost increases? For this, including Battle Creek's cost increases, what are all the new and cost increases for everyone else? 2,090 cost increases you're approving today. A month ago, it was historic in regard to those cost increases, and you went over 700 more in this one. I wonder if those people are going to start looking and saying, maybe we should have private wells or create our own system because we are being overcharged by the government of Battle Creek. Finally, we did have a meeting here by the city manager, and I have a little time on my hands here, about this new administration fee. And in his presentation, he was talking about property owners. Own, by definition, in any dictionary, it says, as of to oneself or belonging to oneself. Like that tie you're wearing, Mayor. You own that. No one charges you a cost increase every year note, do they? I have never seen a definition of the word own that says, making payments to the government every year. That's not ownership. That's renting. Everybody in Battle Creek is not an owner. They're just a renter to the government. A little while ago, excuse me, many years ago, you had systematic code. Oh, we're going to solve all this problem by going house by house. It was going to cost a total of $900,000 over a two-year period. $900,000 was spent and only 8% of the area was looked at. You kept dumping money on them and after five years it was $2,250,000. Four and a half times what it was supposed to cost You only did 20% of the area. Now apparently you're coming back and ripping people off with a new game because you want more government. You're telling us that we own the houses, the government of Battle Creek owns these houses, and you're just renters to us. Anytime you give a cost increase, even to a renter, excuse me, to a landlord that's renting, the rent goes up.

Thank you. Thank you for your comments.

You're most welcome.

Are there any other public comments at this time? Are there any other public comments? See none, we'll move on. Introduction of ordinances 16-2026. Madam Clerk, when you're ready.

This ordinance would establish an administrative hearings bureau to provide the city of Battle Creek with an administrative process to address blight and quality of life ordinance violations including zoning, property maintenance, dangerous buildings, rental housing, garbage and rubbish, sidewalks, trees, and other related code enforcement matters.

I move to approve the introduction of the proposed ordinance 16-2026.

Second.

So moved and supported to introduce 16-2026, a proposed ordinance. Are there any comments from the commission? We're going to first start with Chris Simmons. Chris, do you have anything?

Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm here. I was just trying to come off a mute. One other question that I didn't ask in the workshop that kind of came up in my mind since then would be there's been some recommendation that the city commission hire a independent authority or official. I'm not certain that that's... even allowed in our city charter. I think our only employees from the city commission are the city attorney and the city manager. And the city manager then hires all the other city staff. So could we get clarification on that, please?

Commissioner Simmons, this is City Attorney Kim. That issue is essentially why I drafted it that way, because the The city manager is supposed to appoint all the other employees, and the city manager is accountable to the city commission for those appointments and for basically the actions of all of her subordinates.

Thank you, city attorney. Chris, any other questions or comments?

Yeah, just just to follow up on that. So even if we have we wanted to appoint somebody or hire somebody independent, we just don't have the ability to do that is my understanding.

To be fair, I would phrase it more that it's it's not clearly defined that you have the authority to do that.

Thank you. Thank you Chris. Any other comments by the Commission? All right, as I stated in the workshop, I would prefer that we send this to an ad hoc committee and have the ad hoc committee work to propose to the full commission an ordinance that we can support. I would suggest that we have four commissioners on the committee, and then each one of the nine commissioners can appoint a representative that would serve for them on this committee for a total of 13 people. I believe we need to move as quickly as possible, and so I would ask that we would table the introduction of this ordinance until the recommendation comes back from this blue ribbon committee. Is that what I need to say, city attorney?

I think that says everything that you need procedurally. I think you just need to ask for a second for the motion.

Okay.

Second.

All right, we do have a second now. Do we have any discussion?

no discussion i have a question on the uh yeah i have a question on the table uh the motion to table um you talk about a blue ribbon committee which um you know i think that i i would support a committee uh what you're proposing seems a little onerous as far as a large committee. It might be kind of unwieldy. Maybe a smaller selection of just commissioners would be my recommendation. I will support tabling this. We can have a further discussion on how we're going to move forward.

Well, I look at it this way, Chris. If the commission isn't going to support the development of the committee, then it won't come back for further dialogue. Um, it's going to be up to the commission to make the decision and how they support it. Are there any other comments or questions? All those in favors or will that go to their clerk?

Commissioner Simmons, are you able to do the vote?

It is not coming up for me, but I will vote yes on table.

Thank you.

The motion to table passes. Next item on our agenda is the adoption of ordinance. Ordinance 14-2026. Madam Clerk, when you're ready.

This resolution, if adopted, would amend chapters 1240, 1241, and 1250 of the zoning code to establish a new T6 Lakeview Business District for properties in the Lakeview District, currently zoned B2, consistent with the Lakeview District's subplans recommendations for a mixed-use walkable district. The proposed changes would allow a broader range of land uses, including additional housing types, commercial, recreational, restaurant, and hospitality opportunities, while helping activate underutilized areas such as the mall and big box parking lots, reduce non-conforming uses, and support reinvestment along the Beckley Road commercial corridor. The amendments are intended to advance the sub-plan's goals, of placemaking, green infrastructure, and reduced automobile dependence while generating additional property tax revenue and supporting housing and economic development in Battle Creek. A public hearing before the Planning Commission was scheduled for June 24, 2026 with notice published in the June 4, 2026 edition of the Battle Creek Shopper.

I move to adopt Ordinance 14-2026. Second. I second.

Moved and supported to adopt Ordinance 14-2026. Are there any comments, concerns, or questions by the Commission? If none, would you please vote on the adoption of Ordinance 14-2026? The adoption of Ordinance 14-2026 has been approved. Next item on our agenda,

is the adoption of ordinance fifteen dashed one twenty six matter for would adapt ordinance fifteen twenty twenty six to rezone eighty four parcels along the beckley road corridor from b two regional commercial district to the newly established t six lakeview business district the proposed rezoning is intended to implement the lake district sub plan by allowing additional land uses including a wider variety of housing types and encouraging redevelopment of underutilized areas. Establishing the T6 district would help accommodate existing commercial uses and buildings, reduce non-conforming uses, provide additional commercial and residential options for vacant properties and parking areas, and support economic reinvestment in the corridor. Staff anticipate the rezoning would not create new dimensional or use-related nonconformities and would allow more housing types by right, supporting new development, additional property tax revenue, and housing opportunities for those working and living in Battle Creek.

I move to adopt Ordinance 15-2026.

I second.

Moved and supported to adopt Ordinance 15-2026. Are there any comments or concerns about this introduction? Seeing none, would you please vote on the introduction of ordinance 15-2026? The adoption of ordinance 15-2026 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is commission comment regarding meeting business. Move to approve the consent agenda.

Second.

And moved and supported to approve the consent agenda. Is there any comments by the commission? Seeing none, would you please vote on the consent agenda? The consent agenda has been approved. Next item on our agenda is resolution 437. Madam clerk, when you're ready.

This resolution, if approved, would authorize the city to utilize the rates established in exhibit one for the calculation of customer charges for services.

Move to approve resolution 437.

Second.

The movement supported to approve resolution 437. Are there any comments by the commission? Seeing none, would you please vote on resolution 437? Resolution 437 has been approved. Next item on our agenda is general public comment. If you'd like to make general public comment regarding matters over which the city commission has control, please raise your hand and wait for us to acknowledge you to come forward to the podium. You'll have three minutes to make your comment. Please state your name and address prior to making your comment. Yes, ma'am.

Good evening. I'm Catherine LaValley and the vice chairperson of NPC5. And I want to thank you for this public comment opportunity. NPC number five has expressed questions and concerns for the non-working storm siren in NPC number five. Residents who live close by the siren have not heard it at all. The biggest concern is when citizens are inside their homes, the siren isn't sounding loud enough, or if it works on the first Saturday of the month at 1 o'clock p.m., the sound is not loud enough. Since April 4th, May 2nd, June 6th, and July 4th are the recent first Saturdays of the month, the NPC5 siren has not been activated those dates. Ward 1 Commissioner Jessica LaCrosse was told that the sirens throughout the service area are not fully functional due to new tower construction happening and the assumption that all the sirens are sounding and or the assumption that it's in working order. NPC5 would appreciate a reliable solution to this critical safety feature. As you know, Mother Nature has been active in the severe storm category lately. NPC5 members want to be made aware of severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, high 80-plus-hour winds, etc., It was mentioned that during the first June week, the Urbandale siren was being worked on, and the siren kept going on and off. So that siren has loudness. I want to thank Vice Mayor Sophia and our Ward 1 Commissioner Jessica LaCrosse for regularly attending recent NPC number five meetings. On August 10th, a focus group led by Teresa Durham will be conducted to gather thoughts, ideas, suggestions on what will happen to the building, formerly known as Christ United Methodist Church, It will begin at 6.15 p.m. at that building, followed by the regular NPC number five meeting at 7.15 p.m. I thank you so much for your attention to this important safety tool.

Thank you very much for your comment, and I will make certain that our city manager responds immediately to that. Are there any other public? Yes, Mary Fields, 89 Lakeville.

Thank you. I want to talk to you guys about the old fire station number three and Cliff Street, the beautiful building. It's served really well as a fire station for over 100 years. And I think it has a long life as public safety. And I think we should look at it as maybe an ambulance station or many police station. I think you also should get public comment, maybe via the shop or whatever on uses for the building and in light of its public safety history. But if it can't serve in a public safety manner, It would certainly fill many roles, and we would want it zoned so that it could be housing or that. So that's a really big thing to me. My other thing is I want to congratulate you on having the election with the four years instead of two. I know a lot of people thought that you guys, it's like a popularity contest, and I just thought that was silly. The expense that this city goes through, if you guys get turned over every two years, it's a hidden expense, but it is substantial. And lost opportunities, as well as things that aren't being done. Having you guys work three and a half years before you worry about reelection, it's going to allow you to spend a lot more time on these issues. You know, people are frustrated that you don't address issues, not realizing the turnover that is impacting that ability. And related to that is... This problem of boarded up buildings and derelict properties that is just not being properly handled by you guys. These boarded up buildings destroy streets and neighborhoods and blocks. And I've driven, I've taken the mayor by some of these. And the commissioners. And I know you're sick of hearing me complain about this boarded up building and rehab that building. And I don't want to be looking at that. But when you live there and you're there, you know, I'm retired. I'm there 24 seven. I'm not looking at a boarded up building, and I ain't looking at his lawn not being mowed. You guys need to step this up. Everybody needs to meet standard, or you can't own property in this city. That's it. You either meet standard, mow your lawn, get your building livable, or you don't own property here. I don't want to live next to your dump. Have a great day, guys.

Thank you, Mary. Yes, ma'am.

Charlene Van Lubin, 430 Presidential Drive. This is not for council. This is a public announcement. I am urging, I am urging for all real estate agents, title companies, escrow agents, that when someone's buying a house that hasn't sold for however number of years, maybe 10, 15 years, please talk about the bill that passed in 1997 that capped your property taxes. And in that bill, it states that once a house changes ownership, the taxes revert from, my head's still swimming, so I don't got it right, but it goes from one value to another value. So in my closing, we talked about taxes, and they said it's going to go up a couple hundred dollars. I said, fine, I can handle that. Leave it out of escrow. I don't want it in my escrow. I can pay for it. So I saved my money. Lo and behold, the money I have is not enough because I got the bill. It went from $2,500 to $5,300 plus. Now, I'm talking to the assessors. I'm talking to the senators. I'm trying to get some answers. I'm not getting answers. Now I have to come back down to the assessor's office with all the paperwork they sent me and have them explain to me how they're assessing my property. I'm being charged for a shed that I don't have. I'm being charged for something else I don't know, and it's all a bunch of numbers. My real estate agent told me today that they're assessing my house at $284,000 when it appraised at $230,000. And that's what I paid for it. So I'm sitting here going, OK, if my summer taxes went from $2,500 to $5,300 plus, my winter taxes this year will go from $900 to $1,800 plus. So we'll round it up to $2,000. So that means I'm paying $7,000 in property taxes, and I want to know for what. And no one can explain for what am I paying this for. I looked at all the numbers, and it's all gibberish to me. So please, real estate agents and title companies, explain to your customers that if this house hasn't sold, there's a rude awakening that your taxes are going to double and triple. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Are there any other public comments at this time? Autumn Smith.

Good evening, Autumn Smith. I would like to invite the Battle Creek City Commission, city leadership, law enforcement and the public to join us Thursday, July 23rd for the Calhoun County Tea Party Patriots meaning serial corruption in Serial City Part 2. Our last discussion sparked important conversations throughout our community. Citizens came forward with questions and concerns about transparency, accountability, and public trust. Because there is a continued demand for answers, we are continuing that conversation. I also want to make something very clear. Being anti-corruption is not being anti-cop. Supporting law enforcement and demanding accountability are not opposing positions. The men and women who take an oath to serve and protect deserve our respect. The officers who do their jobs honorably deserve to know that citizens value their service. But true support for law enforcement also means expecting the highest standards from those who hold authority. Accountability protects the badge. Transparency protects public trust. And addressing problems when they occur protects the good officers who serve with integrity. Citizens asking questions regarding transparency and expecting government officials to follow the law is not an attack on law enforcement. It's part of our constitutional responsibility as citizens. A government that serves the people should be welcome to scrutiny and not fear it. Trust is not built by demanding silence. It is built through honesty, openness, and accountability. The event is not about attacking individuals. It's about having a community conversation about restoring confidence in our institutions and ensuring that those entrusted with powers remain accountable to the people they serve. We invite everyone, regardless of political affiliation, to attend, listen, ask questions, and participate in this important discussion. The meeting will also include an opportunity to meet local candidates who are running for office and to hear their platforms. Again, the event is Thursday, July 23, at the BASE Bar and Grill on Dickman Road in Springfield. Doors open at 6 and the meeting starts at 6.30. It is free and open to the public and everyone is welcome because a strong community is built on engaged citizens, transparent government, and leaders who remember one simple truth. Government works for the people, not the other way around. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Any other public comments at this time? We'll go to Damon Brown, then John.

Good evening, Mayor and commissioners. About a year and a half ago, I came before this commission with concerns about how rise corpse ARPA grant funds were being accounted for. At that time, I did not have the city's own documentation to support those concerns. Today I do. I'm asking you to review just two emails written by the city itself. dated January 11th and January 16th, 2025. The city's accounting summary shows there was an administrative budget of $49,627. It also shows that rise drew zero from that administrative budget. Yet the city says it reconciled $27,662.80 in administrative expenses and that those expenses were credited against funds that had already been drawn. Why does raise questions? The city also states that we should use the money on hand. According to the city's own accounting summary, the only remaining money on hand was approximately 27,000 $635.79 in the food category. The administrative category still showed funding available, but no administrative funds had been drawn. I'm not asking you to accept my opinion. I'm asking you to read the city's own emails. Compare them to the city's own accounting summer and determine whether this accounting treatment was properly documented and authorized. If it was correct, the record should clearly explain it. If not, I respectfully ask that this matter be referred to an independent review. Thank you for your time of consideration. I also have a package that I would like to pass out to each one of you. I don't know how I could do that.

Damon, you can put them in the little box, and then someone from the city will pick them up and distribute them. Thank you very much. John, can I pick?

John Kenefic, 204 South Avenue. First, again, the question of ownership. Is this your building? If you're not creating a health hazard on that property, it's got no business of the city of Battle Creek. Or in this particular case, it's not the city of Battle Creek, it's the government of Battle Creek. Most of the pay, in fact, all of the pay by code officers comes from block grant dollars. And if you bothered to look at how deep the federal government is in debt, you'd find out why we're losing our money. Now, if you give us a specific use for that use of not paying the code, you put it into an account where you think that something needs to be done and you give a small snippet or amount of money for people that are low income to resolve that matter. You get a better result than intimidating people and bringing them into court. Now, even though the federal government is paying for our code officer, the citizens of Battle Creek are paying for their retirement, not the federal government. I had a building tore down not that long ago. I was notified by the dangerous building, and I showed up, and I questioned the dangerous building officer, which the inspector started arguing over what I had to say to the dangerous building officer. It had a structurally strong building, no problems with the basement. There was no proof there. There was supposed to be a housing board of appeals meeting. I was never notified. The only thing I find out about it is they're going to tear the building down. And they did exactly that. It cost $19,000 for a building that in the future could have been turned into a rental unit or owned by anybody. Congratulations. You destroyed a building that shouldn't have been destroyed. Now, you know where fire station number one is? Same side, go down east of that building by about three more buildings. There's a duplex there that's scheduled for demolition. I called up the person that's the deed holder of that property. They hadn't a freaking clue of what you were doing over there. I'm glad the building is still staying there. It's probably structurally sound. but I have no doubts that you guys would destroy that building in the first place. Finally, if anybody takes a moment to drive up East Michigan Avenue all the way to, and a little bit beyond, Emmett Township, look on each side of East Michigan Avenue. A long time ago, that was supposed to be a widened road on East Michigan. So the government of Battle Creek was very concentrated on destroying the vast majority of buildings along East Michigan Avenue. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Yes.

Reese Atkins, 84 South 23rd Street. I want to say thank you to the commission, the city manager, as we now have construction started. any old Kmart property. It is good to see that that property is going to be substantially put into something, so it's good to see that we are getting housing built in Battle Creek. I've heard of a couple other ones that are being done, and I'm glad to see that. I just hope that some of these end up low income for people that can't really afford these high-priced rentals. Thank you.

Thank you, Reese. Any other comments? Joe?

Joe Harris, you'll pardon me. I'm kind of going off the cuff here. So I'm just going to read some things directly from the city charter because there were some questions in regard to what powers the commission had. says it's hereby created, it is hereby created city commission which shall full authority except as otherwise provided herein or by general law to exercise all the powers conferred upon the state to adopt all ordinances, resolutions, or other measures relating to its municipal concerns to otherwise governor affairs. Further on down, it says neither the city commission nor any of its members shall dictate the appointment of any person to office or employment by the city manager. And there's more in regard to that. That was amended March 10, 2020. That kind of needs to be researched. I'd like to know why that was amended. Further down, it says the city commission shall appoint a city manager, constable, city attorney who shall serve at the pleasure of the majority of the membership of the city commission. Here's what it doesn't say. It doesn't say that you guys can't have the power to hire an administrative hearing officer. The only way that happens is if you let it happen. I think the charter, if you wanted to, just throwing this out there, this is just my way of thinking. If you wanted to, you could change the charter to reflect that, that you guys could have the power to hire the administrative hearing officer. The only reason why I suggest that is it just gives another check and balance in regard to representation of the people. Just some real quick thoughts. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it.

Thank you for your comments. Any other public comments at this time? Any other public comments? Hearing none, commission comments tonight? We'll go to Chris Simmons first.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. First, I want to address the resident who commented about the property tax being uncapped. There's a mechanism. I've done it successfully. You can appeal that to the tax board. And based on your realtor should be able to help you with this, my realtor. At the time, Bill Hanner at Berkshire Hathaway put together comparables in the neighborhood, and I got mine reduced significantly, more in line with actual market value. So that can be done. What I wanted to actually talk about tonight, though, was water bills. And I have received over the last week or so, received a couple of calls, been tagged in social media. Some people a little concerned about some high water bills. And so I went and looked at mine. Normally it's on auto pay. And I'm like, wow, this is really high. And also, there aren't any details on it. So I actually spoke to the mayor, gave him a heads up that I was going to address this and gave the city manager a heads up as well. So if she cares to talk about it, it's my understanding some of the residents have been calling down to the water department. They're like, yeah we've changed the new to the new billing system and we realign the dates and the last month's bill the previous month's bill was for only like 13 days and now we're catching up which can be difficult for some residents on a fixed income and it's also difficult when you go to look why used to be our bills would have The dates, like the number of days on it, and some months it would be fewer days, 25, 26 days, and some months it would be 34 days. I never understood why we can just make a date in a month and do it, but it would vary a bit. This was drastic. But then there's no detail about the number of days. There's no detail about, yes, it does talk about the cubic feet of water that you use. That's the extent of it. Used to be how much sewer you use and then what your sewer average was. And in the summer, you would get a discount in the summer because people water their lawns and their gardens and wash their cars and fill their pools for your sewer average. Nothing like that. I'm assuming we're still doing it. But I'm going to I'm going to need to see some further detail and maybe city manager can address this that maybe we can start providing this once again. You know, I'm all for improving systems, but it seems like we've taken a step back with this new water billing system. Just passing on some concerns from the residents and then looking at my own bill, sharing those concerns.

Thank you for your comments, Chris.

Any other commission comments?

Commissioner Patrick O'Donnell.

I'd just like to stress on how important NPCs are in this community. We need to keep trying to build them up and get the voices to the neighborhoods up to here. We heard from them today. And I want to thank Commissioner Cross for having that block party on Sunday for NPC 10, getting the neighborhood together and seeing the people come together and have a good time. So that's it. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner. Any other commission comments? Commissioner Lacoste.

I just want to thank Catherine Lavalley for bringing that siren issue up. It's been an ongoing issue. It's been an issue two years before I came on, and I've been addressing it since day one with Ted and now with Amanda. The only one thing I will say is that I think there's some confusion on whether it's supposed to be heard in the home, because it's not really meant for in-home use. It's to warn people that are outdoors to basically take shelter. So I just wanted to make you aware of that. But hopefully we can get that resolved pretty quickly because it is a big concern with people in that neighborhood. They need to have activated or active alarms.

Thank you, Commissioner. Any other Commission comments? Hearing none, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much for attending.