Councilor Lytle's parting remarks, moment of silence for Dave Wiitanen
Hancock City Council, Feb. 2, 2022
Meeting Highlights
Councilor Ron Blau was absent from this meeting.
Moment of silence held to honor Dave Wiitanen
The council held a moment of silence near the beginning of their meeting for former Hancock Mayor Dave Wiitanen, who recently died. Councilor John Haeussler reviewed some of Wiitanen’s life and contributions to the community.
Mayor delivers report for absent administrator
City Manager Mary Babcock was absent from this week’s meeting, and Mayor Paul LaBine delivered the report from notes she provided.
Zoning Board of Appeals to hear arguments for two variances
Mayor Paul LaBine briefly addressed two variances coming before the Hancock Zoning Board of Appeals next week.
Councilor William Lytle resigns for job in Idaho
Councilor William Lytle has resigned from his position and will be moving to Moscow, Idaho to become the director of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council.
Councilor Will Lytle
Each of the present councilors made appreciative remarks toward Lytle before he addressed his sudden departure. He intends to leave town Monday.
The council will appoint a replacement for Lytle who will serve the remainder of his term. The position should be posted soon.
Councilor “calls bologna” on governor’s campaign finance move
Councilor John Haeussler took time at the end of the meeting to address Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s recent transfer of $3.5 million in campaign funds to the Michigan Democratic Party. The move was ruled to be fair by the court, but Haeussler said it “creates a blueprint” for parties and candidates to circumvent campaign finance law.
He also shared comments on the Michigan Independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission. Frustrated with their budget shortfall, he highlighted their refusal to rescind the pay raise they gave themselves, among other things.
Other notes
The city’s new website is live.
New gazebo approved, pickleball grant proceeding, and streaming meetings briefly discussed
Hancock City Council, Jan. 19, 2022
Meeting Highlights
Councilors Will Lytle and Whitney Warstler were absent from the meeting and excused by the other councilors.
Hancock’s audit report: “best opinion you can get”
The audit report from Rukkila, Negro and Associates came back as an “unmodified opinion”, which the presenter said was the best possible option.
Fence meets its match
During City Manager Mary Babcock’s administrative report, she informed the board of damage to the fence at the ballfield within the driving park sustained because of wind blowing the equipment shed over. The wind damage happened on Dec. 17, but this is the first time the council has met in 2022.
Photos from meeting information packet, courtesy of the City of Hancock.
Babcock said the repair should be largely covered by insurance.
New Gazebo approved for Klondike Park
The council approved up to $6,000 for the Industrial Arts class from Hancock High School to build a new Gazebo in Klondike Park where the old water tower was located.
Photos clipped from meeting information packet, courtesy of the City of Hancock
Council approves grant application for new pickleball courts
The council voted to submit a grant application to Portage Health Foundation for the construction of four new pickleball courts at Laurn-Grove Park, which would replace the tennis court there. The grant is for a maximum of $20,000. The city intends to cover the remaining cost with other grants or from recreation millage funds.
The vote was supported by a public comment earlier in the meeting.
Hancock commits funds to technology upgrades
The city council approved spending a total of $6,933 on new security cameras for the city hall and the police department, and $9,842.20 for a new server, both from Up and Running. Councilor Ron Blau dissented on the vote for the new server, suggesting the city should investigate using the cloud for their needs instead. City Manager Mary Babcock said that may be difficult because of legal constraints on the police department’s use of informationc technology.
Council discusses returning meetings to streaming video
At the end of the meeting, the council asked the city manager to inform them of the cost of returning to streaming the council meetings and add the item to their next meeting’s agenda.
Other notes:
Industrial tax abatement district approved, grant money accepted
Hancock City Council, Dec. 15, 2021
Meeting Highlights
Council approves creation of Industrial Development District
To further the development of the business and technology park the city has been planning, the council voted 6-1 in favor of creating a special development district that could mean up to 50% of local taxes will be forgiven for manufacturing businesses that build in the park.
Approval of the district does not guarantee tax abatement for businesses in the district but creates the process for them to apply and bargain with the council to attain that tax abatement.
The council and city manager discussed the district and development of the park with some business developers who attended the public hearing on the matter.
Councilor Will Lytle was the lone vote against the district later in the meeting. Before the vote, he stated that he understood the reason for pursuing the district, but that he felt communities would be better served by not engaging in a “race to the bottom” to attract businesses.
Hancock City Manager report
It was a pretty quiet meeting, really. But the city manager’s report is usually a good way of checking in on the odds and ends going on in the city. This week City Manager Mary Babcock updated the board on the winners of the Hancock Holiday Home Decorating contest, new grant possibilities, and the completed upgrades to the campground bathroom.
Other notes:
The council unanimously approved a 2.75% wage increase for non-union represented city staff.
The council approved acceptance of a $90,000 EGLE grant toward the Hancock Waterfront Shoreline project.
Councilor Rick Freeman Jr. commented on the excellent condition of Quincy Street sidewalks, which is due to a company testing new equipment. City Manager Babcock said the company would also be testing the equipment on some residential streets soon.
New planning commission member added, council members unhappy with state bill progress
Hancock City Council, Nov. 3, 2021
Editor’s Note: I’m currently planning on attending Houghton City Council’s meeting on Nov. 17 rather than Hancock’s second meeting on the same night. Houghton is selecting a new councilor to replace Dan Salo. I’ll review the agenda of both meetings before making the final decision.
Meeting Highlights
Adam Griffis added to the planning commission
In a 6 -0 vote, the council added Adam Griffis to the planning commission after having tabled the vote at the last meeting. There had been concerns about adding a new member to the planning commission so late in the zoning overhaul process.
Councilor Whitney Warstler abstained from the vote because she is married to Griffis.
Councilor Haeussler expresses disappointment with state representatives
A bill in the state legislature that would override most local ordinances concerning short-term rentals — commonly called Airbnbs — passed the House of Representatives with Rep. Greg Markkanen’s support. Among other things, the state law specifically states short-term rentals are a permitted use in all residential zones, and is not considered a commercial use of property.
Hancock recently finalized and began enacting its ordinance limiting short-term rentals, and is among several local cities recently crafting regulations on the relatively new form of vacation rental. The council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the state-level bill earlier this year.
Councilor John Haeussler said he was very disappointed in Rep. Markkanen’s vote in favor of state-level control.
Other notes:
Councilor Paul LaBine was re-elected by the board to be the mayor for another year. Councilor Kurt Rickard is taking over as mayor pro-tem from Councilor John Haeussler.
Fencing for the new dog park is partly installed and should be completed soon.
Whoville in Hancock is happening on Nov. 26 with the tree lighting and Christmas walk being planned. More volunteers are needed.
More than a dozen high school students were in attendance at the meeting as part of a class requirement.
The public hearing for Hancock’s proposed changes to the dangerous buildings code is set for the beginning of their Nov. 17 meeting.
CEDAM fellow introduced, patrol car grant application approved, Waste Management contract extended, more
Hancock City Council, Oct. 6, 2021
Meeting Highlights
(Click the headline to see the corresponding video)
New CEDAM fellow, Sadiq Dahir Edo, introduced
Edo will be joining the city staff for 15 months and will focus on helping with the zoning ordinance update. He works 40 hours a week and is paid through a grant from the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan. You can learn more about him from his cover letter inside the meeting documents, but in short; he’s originally from Kenya, grew up in Grand Rapids, and holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and sustainability from Northern Michigan University.
660 Quincy Street sees brick face deterioration
County building inspector Todd LaRoux was called in to inspect some masonry coming off of the building at 660 Quincy Street. He said the building was structurally safe to be used, but there is the danger of more brick being dislodged.
Waste Management contract extended for 3 years
Like the city of Houghton did last month, Hancock has extended their contract with Waste Management for 1 year at a 4% increase, but unlike Houghton, they also locked in for 2 years following that with an increase linked to the national WST index.
Councilor John Haeussler pointed out that when the cities privatized their garbage collection, they did so together to be able to get an acceptable deal with Waste Management, filling in some historical context. Several of the councilors weighed in with observations and opinions.
Also unlike Houghton, there was one vote against the extension on the Hancock council. Councilor Will Lytle conceded that the council had little alternative but to renew the contract, but voted against it nonetheless.
Police vehicle grant application moved forward
The council approved a USDA Rural Development application for a grant toward a new patrol car. City Manager Mary Babcock said they usually get a new car every other year, but the last one arrived late, so they’re applying for this one to try and get back on their normal every-other-year schedule.
Haeussler plugs upcoming hockey history talk
Councilor Haeussler plugged his upcoming history talk on Oct. 14.
Councilor Haeussler’s event poster:
He also shared that he would likely be absent from the next meeting due to needing to be at an appointment with his heart doctor in Marquette which had been rescheduled four times already. Councilor Haeussler previously resigned his position due to health concerns before regaining his seat on the council shortly thereafter.
Other notes:
Councilor Ron Blau was absent from the meeting and was excused by the rest of the councilors.
The assessor’s report showed that in the last three months, there’s a trend in Hancock of rentals being sold as primary residences, and sale prices have increased over the last three years.
There were no public comments during the meeting.
City clerk Linda Kalinec has been certified by the state to run future city elections.
Interviews for the director of the Department of Public Works are being scheduled for next week.
The city beach is closed, and the campground is closing by mid-October.
The new city dog park is planned to be open to some extent before winter, but won’t be fully completed until next spring.
The city renewed the contract with Munetrix, which helps the city with its transparency reporting and capital improvement plan.
The council approved two paving bids from Bill Siler, one for some late-year street paving projects (including one area a citizen had commented on at a previous meeting), and another for the basketball court at Terrace Park.
Councilor Kurt Rickard shared that he visited the new Jim’s Pizza and enjoyed it.
UPSET presentation and donation, Finlandia's president makes appearance, fire chief stipend boosted
Hancock City Council, Sept. 15, 2021
Meeting Highlights
Finlandia University’s president visits the council, offers update
Finlandia’s president, Philip Johnson, was the first to present to the council on Wednesday night. He started by thanking the council. He told them Finlandia had 6% growth in their student body and 9% growth in their student residence halls, and other statistics. He said the remodeled historic high school was near completion and that he was looking forward to having an open house to show the public the new spaces, including an auditorium and gymnasium. Finlandia is requiring masks for all students, vaccinated or unvaccinated, inside the classroom. Weekly testing is required of the non-vaccinated. He said employees are about 85% vaccinated. Across the whole campus, they’re at about 72% vaccinated, which includes staff and students, and they have incentivized getting vaccinated. Finlandia celebrates its 125th anniversary this week, and Johnson said they have more activities planned in the run-up to their Finnish Independence celebration.
Chief Donnelly informs board about UPSET West, council approves donation to the team through Portage Health Foundation
Chief John Donnelly of the Houghton Police Department spent some time informing the council about UPSET West’s substance enforcement work, how they’ve grown, what the team does, and how important Hancock’s contribution would be. Chief Wayne Butler from Hancock’s police department and Lt. Nick Roberts from Houghton Police Department were also there to support the donation. Donnelly, who is also part of UPSET’s board, said that the buy-in from the local governments was more than matched by the state. The UPSET West team is currently five officers, and Donnelly said that safety procedures dictate that at least four officers are needed to run undercover sting operations, so maintaining funding is important. Donnelly said they attempt to push local dealers into drug court, and out-of-area traffickers into federal prisons. The team also facilitates cross-jurisdictional operations across city, county, tribal, and state lines. Donnelly took questions from the council after his presentation was over.
Chief Donnelly’s talk lasted for about 30 minutes. If you have any interest in UPSET West, I recommend watching the full video clip.
Later in the meeting, the council approved an immediate $5,000 donation to Portage Health Foundation, which acts as the fiduciary of the money for UPSET West. They also committed to four more years of $5,000 payments but acknowledged that another council could reverse that during the budget process. Councilor William Lytle was the lone dissenting vote. Before the vote, he stated that he disagreed with the overarching strategy of the “war on drugs” in addition to more specific objections, but said he did support trying to keep substance abuse out of the community.
During City Manager Mary Babcock’s report, she shared news that the fundraiser for the dog park had exceeded the goal and that the dog park should be fully funded without anything being committed from the city’s general fund. Applications are closed for the Department of Public Works director position, and Councilor Whitney Warstler joined the hiring committee. The bathhouse renovation is nearly complete at the city campground. Babcock will be visiting San Antonio, Texas to learn about the Bridges Out of Poverty program in a trip sponsored by the Portage Health Foundation, which has sponsored other Bridges Out of Poverty training in the community as well. The big bump at the corner of Elevation and Ingot Streets that a citizen brought to the council’s attention at the last meeting is being put out for bids to see if it can be fixed before the end of this construction season. Babcock said the zoning update is well underway and should begin coming to the council before the end of the year.
Fire Chief’s special stipend established
The monthly stipend to Hancock’s volunteer fire department was unanimously increased by $350 so that Fire Chief William Lepisto can get a stipend for acting as fire chief and fire marshal. Babcock also said the hours Lepisto put in, particularly in emergency events like the Santori’s Corner spill this year, warranted the special stipend. Previously, Lepisto was compensated the same as other volunteers, an even split of $1,320 per month.
Councilor’s closing notes
Councilor Ron Blau happily announced his team’s victory in the World GUTS Frisbee Championship to a brief round of applause.
Councilor John Haeussler announced a presentation about how Copper Country impacted University of Notre Dame hockey leading up to the Oct. 15 Michigan Tech hockey opener against Notre Dame.
Councilor Warstler shared that a new salon has opened, run by Councilor Blau’s daughter. It’s called Mood Spa.
Councilor Rick Freeman Jr made a statement acknowledging the importance of 9/11.
Hancock City Council discusses letter, approves bids, adjourns early
Hancock City Council, Sept. 1, 2021
Meeting Highlights
Editor’s Note: Changing the style a bit this week to more closely reflect the style of Aggregated News. I realized some sub-heads might be more helpful than the flashy buttons, so just click on the underlined subhead to be taken to the corresponding portion of the video.
Communication from the Office of the Governor
The council briefly reviewed a letter from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office placing a deadline on charter amendments and revisions. The letter was controversial because the deadline is not part of the law, so its enforceability is questionable.
Excerpt from the governor’s letter. The entire letter is viewable in the Agenda and Documents link above.
Councilor John Haeussler voted against accepting the communication.
Public comment on the corner of Ingot and Elevation Streets
One Hancock resident stood to request that the council address the rough pavement at the corner of Elevation Street and Ingot Street. City Manager Mary Babcock said they would look into the corner and see if it needed to be placed in the work queue and update the council. Councilor Haeussler, who lives near the corner, agreed the pavement there was very rough.
New Assistant Transit Director introduction
The Hancock Transit Department is going through some changes, and the new assistant director stood during public comment to address the council. They’re working to hire some new drivers and retain current ones, which includes securing a wage increase.
Babcock updated the board about the changes at the transit department. Positions for several boards within the city and the Director of Public Works have been posted and will be selected soon.
The fundraising goal for the dog park has been met. Babcock and several members of the council expressed special appreciation toward John Deibel for his efforts supporting the dog park. The council also approved a bid for the fence work at the dog park. The Community Night Out is happening this weekend, and the last Movie in the Park is also this week on the Quincy Green. Finlandia University’s President Philip Johnson will be at the next council meeting, Sept. 15, to meet new members of the council and talk about the direction of the school. The city is also looking for volunteers to repaint fire hydrants around the city. And the city is going to be working with MEDC to help move the Keweenaw Coop to their planned new location, the former Keweenaw Buick/Chevrolet dealership.
Bid award for Hancock Fire Hall emergency generator
The council approved a bid for an emergency generator to be installed in the fire hall, which will enable it to be used as an emergency shelter in the event of widespread or long-term power outages. The bid was awarded to ERICO Electric, the low bid. It will also power the electric garage doors at the fire hall during outages. The effort to get the FEMA grant for the generator has been underway for years, but the installation should start soon now that the bid is approved.
City offices (and most other offices) will be closed Monday, Sept. 6, for the Labor Day holiday.
Fireworks permitted, regretful resignations accepted, and city manager rated exceedingly well
Hancock City Council, Aug. 18, 2021
Editor’s Note: The audio for Hancock’s city council has been giving me trouble, and just when I thought I had it solved, a new problem was introduced. This week, the air conditioning was running. I did my best to make it understandable, but there’s only so much that can be done. Councilor Will Lytle and Mayor Paul LaBine’s voices particularly blended into the sound of the fans blowing. I’m trying to figure out what more I can do. Thanks for understanding.
Meeting Highlights
During City Manager Mary Babcock’s administrative report, she updated the board on census results, which showed the population decreased by more than 100 people. This could signal a small decrease in the tax budget. She also implored everyone to keep voting for the Hancock dog park in the Bark For Your Park contest until the end of the month.
Poster from the council information packet.
The community night out plans have been finalized. Rewind will be at Porvoo Park, and the city council approved the fireworks permit during this meeting, too.
Poster from the council information packet.
During the meeting, the council accepted a couple of resignations, with regret. Doug Lancour informed the council of his wish to be replaced on the Board of Review, and Jerry Wuorenmaa resigned from the Rental Code Board of Appeals. Both emails of resignation are in the council information packet (‘Agenda and Documents’ link above). The board positions will be advertised for applicants.
The council also unanimously supported a resolution to support partnerships for “materials management”, which is a term that combines things like garbage, recycling, compost, and other refuse. Councilor William Lytle pointed out that while Hancock was a regional leader in recycling, there was still plenty of room for improvement.
The council reviewed the city manager’s performance in closed session, in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. They returned to open session after a few minutes and reported her review as generally exceeding standards. No link on this one because there’s not much on the video other than the vote, which was unanimously in favor of accepting the positive report.
One resident complained during the final public comment, about the traffic turning left from Reservation Street onto Quincy Street. They said the confusion of people in the right lane turning left and the left lane sometimes suddenly deciding to go straight was dangerous and asked if there was anything that could be done to improve signage or find solutions to prevent collisions.
Dog park developments, Houghton County Arena consideration, and caring for MDOT overlooks
Hancock City Council, Aug. 4, 2021
Councilor Ron Blau was absent.
Meeting Highlights
Siri interrupted the meeting early on, but was quickly silenced. It’s worth a chuckle.
The council accepted this correspondence from the Keweenaw Co-op regarding their reason land purchase agreement.
The Gitzen Company Wholesalers also moved to Hancock from beneath Houghton’s parking deck.
During the administrator’s report, City Manager Mary Babcock thanked voters for approving the recreation millage renewal, updated the council on park work and improvements, city events, and progress on the funding and creation of the new dog park. Plans for a joint event between Hancock and Houghton are being nailed down for the first weekend in September, to include live music, fireworks, and more. The building west of St. Vincent DePaul is having facade work done before new businesses move in.
A request to the city from the Quincy Mine Hoist Association for $5,000 toward clearing the land south of the Quincy Hill lookout on U.S. 41 went without vote or discussion after it found no support.
During the second public comment session at the end of the meeting, there was further discussion about the desire and responsibility to maintain the overlook.
The council agreed to a lease for the property the dog park will be on. I haven’t read the lease, but it sounds like it was a 50-year lease at $1/per year. Babcock said the $50 would be paid upfront, and councilors roundly thanked the property owners for their generosity.
The council also created a 3-person ad hoc committee to formally consider some property acquisitions, specifically the Houghton County Arena, although other acquisitions are possible, too. The members are Mayor Paul LaBine, Mayor Pro Tem John Haeussler, and Councilor Will Lytle.
Recreation millage, UPSET funding, and Housing Commission changes
Hancock City Council, July 21, 2021
Hancock City Council, July 21, 2021
Meeting Highlights
The meeting started with a moment of silence and some comments of respect for the late Sheriff Brian McLean.
Councilman Rick Freeman Jr. thanked the city on behalf of the National Guard for the use of the Hancock Beach for some training exercises.
During City Manager Mary Babcock’s report, she updated the board on progress toward the crowdfunding toward a grant for the new dog park, the search for a CEDAM fellow for economic development, rental building inspections and registrations, the progress of the new draft zoning ordinance, the importance of renewing the recreation millage on Aug. 3, and the tentative planning of an end of summer event with Houghton and other summer events.
At the end of the meeting, Councilor John Haeussler —a member of the recreation commission— also spoke in support of the recreation millage. It supports projects in the city like the dog park, trail work, and park improvements.
After paying the bills, the council accepted the resignation of one of the Hancock Housing Commission’s members, Ron Antila, and appointed a new member, Joe Bianucci, that was requested by the commission’s director, Sherry Hughes.
The board also briefly considered a lease agreement for the use of the property for the city’s dog park with Thornton Construction, but the city manager said there were some small details she wanted to correct before the board made the agreement official. The board moved to table the agreement until the first meeting in August.
The council spent some time on a discussion about the possibility of giving UPSET West $25,000 over the next five years and other pledge options. While some members were generally supportive of the donation, some also expressed concern over the length of the pledge and the impact, origin, and oversight of UPSET’s budget. Others were concerned about the cyclical results of waging a “war on drugs”. They ultimately tabled the discussion (with one councilor dissenting), until they could get some questions answered. (I highly recommend listening to this fairly nuanced discussion about funding, oversight and drug enforcement. I’m interested to see where it goes once their concerns are addressed.)