Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay, I'm going to call this regular meeting of February 2nd, Traverse City Commission meeting to order. Please all rise for the pledge of 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. [clears throat]

And as always, we begin by acknowledging the land on which we gather is the territory of the Ottawa and Chippoa peoples who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. Thank you for your strength and resilience in protecting this land and inspiring us to uphold our responsibilities to do the same. And we will begin with roll call. Commissioner Treadwell here. Commissioner Funk here. Commissioner Anderson here. Mayor Promness here. And moving on to announcements from the city manager.

Yes. Good evening. I have some announcements for this week, the week of February 2nd, 2026. And happy Groundhog's Day to everyone. Uh we're proud to announce that uh last week Traverse City was recognized as a silver level bicycle friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists. In 2009, the city was awarded the bronze designation. We now, as I said, have the silver level designation. That marks a milestone in the city's commitment to continuing to evolve into this safe, accessible, and multimodal transportation community. Applying for this uh designation was a significant undertaking. And I want to thank Leslie and Katie and our planning department for leading the project. And I thank our many partners who provided input into the application process. And the city's public ice skating rinks at 14th Street and F&M Park are now open. Uh due to the heavy snowfall this season, there are fire hydrants within the city that have become buried or obstructed by snow. from the Traverse City Fire Department is asking residents and business owners to help ensure hydrants near their properties remain clear and accessible. And it is recommended to have a three-foot radius around the fire hydrant to allow room for firefighters to operate. So, please try to have a three-foot radius around fire hydrants. Uh, and then the last few weeks of course have been snowy and and cold and I want to thank um our team who have been able to keep our street safe. And that's all that I've got. Thank you.

Thank you. And before we move on to our city clerk announcements, I wanted to share that Mayor Shamro is unable to be here with with us this evening. She tested positive for COVID and I know we all share in wishing her a speedy recovery and we look forward to welcome welcoming her back soon. Sarah, announcements.

Sure. Thank you. Uh meetings schedules this week are the planning commission regular meeting will be Tuesday, February 3rd at 6 PM here in the commission chambers. The downtown development authority subcommittee on tiff 97 will meet Wednesday, February February 4th at 4 pm in the commission chambers. Uh the recck authority will meet Wednesday, February 4th also at 7 p.m. in the Garfield Township Hall. And the parks and recck commission will meet Thursday, February 5th at 6:30 in the chambers. Great. Thank you. And we will move on now to our consent calendar.

And just before we do that, if I may, a number of items on tonight's agenda require five affirmative votes. We have four commissioners tonight. So, I wanted to uh ask uh Mayor Prom if you're willing uh to remove from the cons from the agenda al together this evening consent calendar items 6 through 11 and both uh the the item under old business and also the item under new business. And if you're willing to do that and there's no objection, those items are automatically removed. But then again, they couldn't be approved because they require five votes. Yes, that would be fine.

Okay. The purpose of the consent calendar is to expedite business by grouping non-controversial items together to be dealt with by one commission motion without discussion. And any member of the commission, staff or the public may ask that any item on the consent calendar be removed there from and placed elsewhere on the agenda for individual consideration by the commission and such requests will be automatically respected. If an item is not removed from the consent calendar, the action noted in parentheses on the agenda is approved by a single commission action adopting the consent calendar. One, consideration of approving the minutes of the January 20th, 2026 and January 26, 2026 meetings of the city commission. Approval recommended. Two, consideration of adopting to make permanent traffic control order 749, which provides for no parking here to corner sign on Webster Street at the intersection near F&M Park. Approval recommended. Three, consideration of adopting to make permanent traffic control order 750, which provides for a bus stop sign on Hastings Street between Carver and Center Streets. Approval recommended. Four, consideration of adopting to make permanent traffic control order 751, which provides for bus stop sign on Titus Avenue west of Fair Street. Approval recommended. Five, consideration of adopting to make permanent traffic control order 752, which provides for reserved ADA signage on Gillis Street. Approval recommended. Thank you. Are there any members of the commission who wish to remove an item or items from the consent calendar? Hearing none, are there any members of the public who wish to remove an item from the consent calendar? Okay, bringing it back for a motion.

I move that we adopt the consent calendar as modified. Second. Okay, we have the motion by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Funk. All those in favor? I. Any opposed? That motion carries. We are moving on now to agenda item I appointments. And we have number one, the consideration of authorizing appointment to the housing commission as recommended by the ad hoc interview committee. Is there a member of the interview committee who would like to make a motion or present a recommendation? Um um Commissioner Funk,

Mayor Prom. Um myself and Commissioner Anderson were on that committee and um I didn't know if you had reached out to Commissioner Anderson about having her make that recommendation. I I was on the um the tax appeal one. Um well, we're on number one first, which is the housing commission. Be my guest. All right, hold on just a moment as I pull that up. I don't think we're going to be here for a really long time, so bear with me a moment. [clears throat]

Um, I would like to make a recommendation that Laura Dagwell be appointed to the term expiring November 3rd, 2023, previously held by Amanda Scott on the housing commission as recommended by the ad hoc committee consisting of Mayor Shamro, Commissioner Funk, and Commissioner Anderson. Second. And if I may, I think it's uh expiring November 30th, 2030. Did I say 23? Yes. I apologize. Yep. 2030. Okay. Do we have that right? Yes, you're good. So, we have a motion by Commissioner Funk, seconded by Commissioner Anderson. Is there any discussion? Uh, I would like clarity from the clerk or city manager or somebody. Uh, why was the incumbent deemed uneligible?

I don't believe they were deemed ineligible. We had um two people applying for the position and neither was an incumbent. Yeah. It's just that there had been a person filling this seat that told me they were interested in continuing to serve and I I don't know anything about that. Do you Sarah? I am unaware of Okay. Any further discussion? Do we Oh, we have a motion. Um, all those in favor? I. Any opposed?

That motion carries. Moving on to our second appointment, the board of tax review. Commissioner Funk. Yes, ma'am. I will make a recommendation. I make the recommendation that William Tweet Meer be appointed to the term expiring December 31st, 2028 previously held by Barbara Relle on the board of tax review as recommended by the ad hoc committee consisting of Mayor Prom Ness, Commissioner Funk, and Commissioner Treadwell support.

Okay, we have a motion by Commissioner Funk, seconded by Commissioner Treadwell. Is there any discussion on this appointment? We had one applicant for one open position and it was an incredibly qualified candidate at that. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Tweet Meers. Literal decades of service to the city of Traverse City. Um, a reputation that stands on its own. I would agree. I was on that ad hoc committee. All right. All those in favor? I. Any opposed? That motion carries. We are moving on to agenda item J, reports, announcements, and correspondence. And we'll begin with reports from the city manager.

I don't have any at this point. Thank you.

Any reports from city commissioners? I have a report and update from the Hickory Hills Advisory Committee, which met on January 22nd. Um, the Hickory Hills Advisory Committee met on January 22nd. We discussed some of the ongoing challenges at the Hill. We heard updates from staff on the steps underway for improved operations. And I just want to say one of the most encouraging takeaways from that meeting was the level of community engagement at the table. And user groups, volunteers, partners, and stakeholders continue to step forward with a strong willingness to collaborate, share their expertise, and support Hickory's success. And that spirit of partnership remains one of Hickory's greatest assets. As we look forward to Hickory's 75th anniversary next year, the committee formed a subcommittee to help plan celebrating this milestone to honor the legacy of Hickory Hills and its early founders. And there's more to come on that exciting celebration. Thank you. Any other reports? Reports. Let's see. We have your Jacob's report is in the packet. Grace Episcopal Church report is in your packet. And we are moving on to public comment. And this public comment can be on any topic. Do we have any public comment? Hearing none and having no further business, this meeting is adjourned.

Thank you. Is that a record? It might be [laughter] seriously for a regular meeting that wasn't convened for a very limited purpose.