Council votes on path forward for parking deck removal, public electronic meeting attendance
Houghton City Council, Feb. 9, 2022
Meeting Highlights
City Manager Eric Waara attended this meeting electronically via Zoom/conference call.
Winter Fun Day Waterfront Relay plans put in place
A citizen volunteer updated the council on a Winter Fun Day she has been organizing, and the council gave a nod of approval for the event to move forward on Feb. 26 in Kestner Park.
The event will feature teams of three skiing, skating, and snowshoeing along the Houghton waterfront. The event is open to all ages and free of charge, but preregistration is required.
For more information call or text 906-482-2422.
Pier project held up by AT&T cables
During his administrative report, City Manager Eric Waara told the council that the delays caused by AT&T’s reluctance to locate underwater cables amid the pier project are now costing the city time and money as contractors have had to delay work. He suggested the city would be seeking ways of recouping that cost, including the potential for an appeal to the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Two new Sergeants in Houghton City Police Department
The city police department has promoted two long-time officers to the position of sergeant, Chief John Donnelly reported.
Life After The Deck report from Pat Coleman
Along with the written report that was in the meeting documents (begins on page 11), Pat Coleman gave the council a summary of the public engagement sessions that he facilitated.
Manager’s bond-financed deck removal plan approved by council
After Pat Coleman’s summary, City Manager Eric Waara proposed a plan by which the city would apply for a bond which could potentially be leveraged to gain grant funds that would fund both the removal of the old deck, and some minimal improvements to the site to facilitate surface parking, pedestrian accessibility, green space, and local business redevelopment. The council unanimously approved this plan, which will also prepare the city for the future redevelopment of the site.
Electronic meetings access discussion initiated
Councilor Brian Irizarry moved that the council make all of their meetings and planning commission meetings available for interaction via electronic means such as Zoom. During the discussion, other council members suggested they take some time to give the city administration a chance to explore the options and present something that might work better than the Zoom-based system they were using last year, which proved susceptible to “Zoom-bombing”. Concern for the cost was also expressed.
Councilor Irizarry agreed to spend more time on the process, including the possibility of a special meeting focused on the topic but stipulated that a decision be reached by the end of June when the new fiscal year begins. The rest of the council agreed unanimously.
Public comment shifted to mid-meeting
After being prompted by a motion from Councilor Brian Irizarry, the council had a brief discussion about adding another public comment session to their meeting agendas. The council compromised by moving the single existing comment session to later in the meeting, between reports and the consent agenda, so that late arrivals to the meeting can still comment, and people can respond to the administration reports. The vote was unanimous in approval.
Red and yellow sign leads to the blues, officers get hairy for charity, rules of order reviewed
Houghton City Council, Jan. 12, 2022
Meeting Highlights
Council candidate hopeful makes comments to the board
During the public comment session, Craig Waddell stood to address the council. Waddell put his name forward for the council seat vacated last year by Dan Salo and intends to run in the May election for the seat, too.
Among the items Waddell spoke on was what he felt was an unwillingness on the council to address suggestions from the public.
At the end of the meeting, Councilor Mike Needham addressed some of Waddell’s comments. He said comments and suggestions from the public are not ignored, but not all of them are accepted after consideration.
Editor’s Note: Councilor Joan Suits also addressed Waddell’s statements, but is unable to be heard clearly on the recording. This is due in part to an inadvertently changed setting on the recording microphone.
AT&T line location hangs up pier project
Due to “fuzzy” rules on easements for utility cables, the city hasn’t been able to get AT&T to locate the lines that run under the construction area for the new city pier. The city is now considering the possibility of altering the construction design to work around the unlocated lines to avoid breaking them.
Councilor Mike Needham asks some follow-up questions on the situation later in the meeting.
City update on Fire Station Co sign on Sharon Ave
I recommend either watching the video or reading this quite thorough write-up from the Detroit Metro Times which includes interviews with both the owners and City Manager Eric Waara.
Houghton officers grow beards for Project Lifesaver
If you were stopped by a hairy Houghton City police officer late last year, it was part of a fundraiser they did for “No Shave November”. The fun activity raised $180 for the local Project Lifesaver fund to help families enroll in the project to find lost wanderers quickly.
“From here on out, they need to shave,” Chief John Donnelly said.
Administrative subcommittee presents on suggested rules change
Councilor Mike Needham, as chairperson of the Administrative Subcommittee, presented their opinions on rules of order changes that have been suggested to them. He mostly defended how the council currently operates but did accept three suggestions, at least in part. One of them he said a slight wording change. Another confirms that the mayor has the power to call other councilors to order. The council also now plans to formalize how correspondence to the council is limited when read aloud.
The council took no immediate action on the rules changes but intends to take the matter up after the next November election.
Capitalization limit raised to $5,000
The council, under advice forwarded from their auditor, raised the capitalization limit from $500 to a more standard $5,000 limit. This limit is the monetary dividing line between an expense and an asset when something is purchased by the city.
Rezoning issued, permit for fourth cannabis retailer approved, and ordinances updated
Houghton City Council, Aug. 25, 2021
Meeting Highlights
A citizen got up during the public comment session to express her appreciation of the city police department, for responding to a vehicle-pedestrian accident on their non-emergency line faster than 911. Police Chief John Donnelly said he was looking into what took the 911 operator so long during his report. The citizen said it took 15 rings for 911 to answer, while HPD picked up before the first ring finished.
The council had a public hearing on proposed changes to the zoning ordinance, which were recommended by the Houghton planning commission. One commercial property owner stood to support the changes, saying that they were long overdue. The council later passed the changes unanimously.
The council had another public hearing for an ordinance to rezone four plots of land from R3 to R4 to accommodate redevelopment into student housing with more limited, but indoor, parking.
From the board packet documents.
Some other rental property owners objected to the change, because of the reduced parking requirements in R4, and their concerns that students without dedicated parking would instead park cars on streets and in commercial parking lots nearby, congesting traffic.
Others, including one property owner and a member of the planning commission, supported the rezoning as a step toward new development and supported limited or remote parking and expanding public transit for students, in part to limit traffic on the roads overall.
Several board members made comments before the vote supporting and explaining the possible benefits of approving the change.
The board passed the rezoning unanimously.
City Manager Eric Waara updated the council on a water leak, preparation for paving projects, and other work going on in the city, including the construction of the new pier which is in full swing now.
Excavators and water pump on-site near the library on Aug. 26.
Waara reported that MDOT is nearing the completion of one part of the work on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge and that the lanes should be wider for the next part, which will hopefully alleviate more traffic issues.
Waara also thanked everyone who participated in the census. Houghton grew by over 8%, and Houghton County was the only county in the UP to show any growth.
There’s no news on the development of the new Meijer store.
The council also honored the departing President of the Housing Commission, who served in various capacities for more than four decades.
Finally, the council approved a permit application for the Nirvana Center, which is planning to develop the former Bambu restaurant into a cannabis retailer.
From the board information packet.
The board approved the request unanimously, after some discussion of how many retailers would be allowed. City Manager Waara said the market and limited geographical area that zoning allows them in would dictate how many retailers exist in Houghton.
Parcel split, collective bargaining agreements, thanking Rachel Lankton, upcoming public hearing
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Houghton City Council, June 23, 2021
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Meeting Highlights
During City Manager Eric Waara’s report, he covered ongoing construction and beautification projects in the city, an update on pier funding, and possible futures for the city center building.
During the Police Chief’s report, he gave an update on calls and accidents, officer training, and the department’s work toward upgrading their body mics and in-car cameras.
Among other things under “New Business” on the agenda, the board approved a parcel split of “Lot D” of the proposed future development along Canal Road.
They also voted to approve new collective bargaining agreements with the Department of Public Works and police unions, as well as an updated agreement for non-union and non-contract employees.
The board also reviewed the Personnel Committee’s review of Waara’s performance. He got a raise.
The council also scheduled a public hearing for a rezoning ordinance for parcels of land along Canal Road near the mouth of Coles Creek for their next meeting, July 14.
And finally, they honored former Councilor Rachel Langkton with a round of applause and cake to go around.
