Category: Uncategorized

These statements are made by City Commissioner Evan Bonsall on his own behalf. They are NOT official statements made on behalf of the City of Marquette or any other members of the Marquette City Commission. This website is Commissioner Bonsall’s personal website – it is NOT the City of Marquette website or a news organization.

Here are my explanations for all of the substantive votes I took at the City Commission meetings on December 12 and December 19, 2022. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns – you can call/text me at (906) 236-0247 or email me at [email protected]. Here are the video recordings of both City Commission meetings:

December 12, 2022: https://youtu.be/i1RQ2PF5Jps

December 19, 2022: https://youtu.be/R9eDVF_Uuck

December 12, 2022 Vote Explanations

Sell City Land at 600 W Spring St. for Affordable Housing Development: YES (Passed 6-0)

Several months ago, I made a motion to sell a 0.8-acre City-owned property at 600 W Spring St. to an affordable housing developer, and task City staff to craft and issue a public Request for Proposals (RFP) for “higher-density low-income or workforce housing development” at that property as defined in the Housing Committee Final Report and the Community Master Plan. This property was one of four surplus City-owned properties that were identified by City staff as having potential for higher-density affordable housing development at a City Commission work session in June 2022. My motion was approved by the City Commission on a 4-2 vote. Although there was apparently interest from several developers, Habitat for Humanity was the only developer who responded to the RFP on time. Starting this year, Habitat for Humanity will build 8 single-family homes that will be affordable for low-income families (i.e., households earning less than 80% of Marquette’s Area Median Income, which equates to ~$35,000 per year for the median household).

While this project is not as high-density as I was envisioning when I initially made that motion, we need to be realistic – this parcel is very small and cannot be accessed from 7th Street, Habitat wants to provide genuinely affordable housing for 8 families who otherwise could never afford to buy a house in Marquette, homes will be built in 2023, and this project can help build momentum and serve as a model for multiple higher-density affordable housing projects on other surplus City-owned properties which could be approved in the near future – there are developers who are interested in building affordable housing in Marquette, and the City does have some developable surplus property. This project will also establish a strong relationship between the City and a local, not-for-profit affordable housing developer. It will also offer low-income families the unique opportunity to build wealth through homeownership. Any City taxpayer should be in favor of this project, even those who don’t care about affordable housing, because it will be an owner-occupied housing development which will generate around $28,000 in additional property tax revenue upon completion, plus the one-time revenue the City will receive when Habitat purchases the property. For all of these reasons, I was proud to vote Yes in favor of this Resolution of Intent to Sell this property to Habitat for Humanity.

Notice of Intent to Issue $6.8 Million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund Bonds: YES (Passed 6-0)

The Marquette Wastewater Treatment Plant is in serious need of upgrades, and after years of putting off this project, in 2020 the City sought bids and applied for funding assistance from the Michigan Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). In 2021, the City Commission voted to approve a Notice of Intent to issue up to $8.5 million in bonds (i.e., debt) to fund this project. However, the City delayed the project because bids came in well over the $8.5 million budget. We decided to wait and reapply for CWSRF funding in 2022 or 2023, and this strategy was finally successful – the City was just approved for a $11.7 million loan from the CWSRF, with 50% of that amount eligible for complete forgiveness by the CWSRF. We also received much more reasonable bids for the project, with the solids handling improvements at the Wastewater Treatment Plant now projected to cost no more than $6.8 million. This vote authorized the City to issue up to $6.8 million in CWSRF bonds, most of which will eventually be forgiven by the CWSRF. This is a fantastic deal for City taxpayers and this project is absolutely necessary, so I voted Yes. It is also a reminder that one of the City’s biggest challenges for the foreseeable future will simply be maintaining the infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, water, sewer, stormwater, etc.) that we already have.

Approve Police Union Wage Increase: YES (Passed 6-0)

In 2021, in the midst of serious budgetary constraints and fiscal uncertainty, the City Commission approved a 2-year contract with our police union, the Marquette Professional Police Assn. This contract included a 2% raise in Year 1 (FY 2022), and a wage reopener in Year 2 (FY 2023). After lengthy negotiations which eventually required mediation, the City and the police union agreed upon a 3% wage increase for FY 2023. Of course, this wage increase does not keep up with inflation or the cost of living in Marquette, and having grown up in a law enforcement family I have seen first-hand the sacrifices that our MPD employees make to do a very difficult job. However, this is absolutely the most that the City could offer in the current economic and budgetary conditions, and it is consistent with other contractual wage increases that the City has approved in the past two years. As a result, I voted Yes.

Rezone NMU Property at 1000 Wright St: YES (Passed 6-0)

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on Nov. 1, 2022 to consider rezoning a 0.22-acre parcel of land that is owned by NMU at 1000 Wright St. This parcel was previously City-owned, but was part of a land swap that was required to assemble land for the Municipal Service Center. Earlier this year, City staff discovered that this parcel was still zoned Municipal, and needed to be rezoned to Civic since it is now owned by NMU – NMU subsequently requested this rezoning. This was a common-sense vote to follow the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and rezone this property from Municipal to Civic.

December 19, 2022 Vote Explanations

Appoint Jermey Ottaway to City Commission: YES (Passed 6-0)

On Nov. 15, 2022, Jenn Hill resigned from the City Commission after being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, where she will represent Marquette and the rest of the 109^th State House District. Per the City Charter, the City had 60 days to fill the resulting vacancy on the City Commission. The City Commission decided to use the same appointment process as in the past – we would accept written applications from any eligible City residents, provide each applicant 3 minutes to address the City Commission at a regular meeting, and then appoint a new City Commissioner by a majority vote of the 6 remaining City Commissioners. At my request, we provided more time for residents to apply than in the past, and I think that this helped yield an impressive pool of 8 qualified applicants. The City Commission decided not to hold a special election because to do so would have cost $20-25,000 at a time when the City is facing extremely tight budgetary constraints. Per the City Charter, the only alternative would have been to allow former Commissioner Hill’s seat to remain vacant until a regularly scheduled City election in August or November 2023. This is because the City Charter does not allow for appointments to partial terms until a special election can be held – clearly, waiting up to a year to fill a vacancy on the City Commission was not acceptable. This is why the appointment process was used, and likely will continue to be used unless the City Charter is amended to allow appointees to elective City offices to serve until facing election to a partial term at the next regularly schedule City election.

While reviewing the applications, I was looking for a candidate who could bring a fresh perspective AND prior local government experience to the table. I also wanted someone who would provide the sort of progressive, thoughtful outlook Jenn Hill brought to the Commission. While we were fortunate to receive applications from multiple candidates who clearly fit that mold, Jermey Ottaway’s strong record of leadership on the Downtown Development Authority and Board of Zoning Appeals and his focus on affordable housing and economic development were deciding factors for me. I am glad that Commissioner Ottaway received the unanimous support of the City Commission on the first ballot, and I am looking forward to serving with him! I also hope that the many highly qualified candidates who were not appointed to the City Commission last week will instead choose to run for election to the City Commission next year, as three seats will be up for election in 2023, including a seat that will be vacated due to term limits.

Create City Charter Study Group: YES (Passed 6-0)

The Marquette City Charter, which took effect on January 1, 2013, requires the City Commission to appoint a Charter Study Group every 10 years to review the City Charter and make recommendations for amendments. Any amendments would need to be approved by the City Commission and adopted via a City-wide ballot item. While the Charter does not explicitly state what the makeup of this board should be, minutes from the 2012 Charter Commission meetings provide some insight into the original intentions. The original idea, as expressed in meeting minutes and in motions, was to require the City Commission to request an internal administrative review of the Charter every 10 years and to pair it with a public hearing to gather input from City residents.

This motion authorized the creation of a Charter Study Group consisting of the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney, and gave them one year to review the City Charter and hold at least one public hearing to seek input on potential City Charter amendments from City residents. The Charter Study Group may then make recommendations to the City Commission on Charter amendments if any are deemed necessary or beneficial. I voted Yes to start this important process.

These statements are made by City Commissioner Evan Bonsall on his own behalf. They reflect his own personal beliefs, and are NOT official statements made on behalf of the City of Marquette or any other members of the Marquette City Commission. This website is Evan Bonsall’s personal website – it is NOT the City of Marquette website or a news organization.

These are my vote explanations from the Monday, August 8, 2022 Marquette City Commission meeting. As always, please reach out to me with any questions at (906) 236-0247, [email protected], or on Facebook. You can watch the meeting HERE.

Adopt New NFPA 1 Fire Code & NFPA 101 Life Safety Code: YES (Passed 6-0)

Amendment to Direct City Staff to Consider Adopting NFPA 909 & 914: NO (Passed 4-2)

This was a vote to adopt new Fire & Life Safety Ordinances for the City of Marquette – the latest editions of the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1 Fire Code and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code. The actual changes implemented by these new codes are fairly minimal. They will not affect new construction at all, as new construction is regulated by the Marquette County Building Codes Dept. (not the City), and NFPA 1 and 101 standards are already followed by County Building Codes. It will also not affect owners or tenants of existing residential properties, as the City already has a Rental Safety Ordinance that includes the current NFPA 1 and 101 standards, and we already inspect every rental in the City every 3 years or by request.

The only major change implemented by the adoption of this new code is that existing commercial buildings will now be subject to fire and safety code inspections conducted by the City. While some residents expressed concern about the effect this could have on local businesses, the reality is that commercial property owners are already supposed to be complying with NFPA 1 and 101 per state law (PA 230, Stille-DeRossett Act), as the state code prevails in any conflict with local codes – until now, the state standards have not been consistently enforced in Marquette because state code enforcement is badly underfunded and understaffed in Michigan, and the State of Michigan does not allow local governments to enforce the state code (i.e., NFPA 1 and 101) unless they have adopted a local fire and life safety code of their own. These new Fire & Life Safety Ordinances also create a fair, transparent appeals process, in which any notices of violation can be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals, an existing volunteer board made up of City residents appointed by the City Commission. Fire & Life Safety Code inspections will require a fee of $65/hour, but this is only intended to cover the City’s costs (not to make a profit for the City) and most inspections are completed within 15-30 minutes.

Mayor Pro Tem Mayer initially moved to adopt NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, but he then made a last-minute amendment to his motion, directing City staff to explore the adoption of NFPA 909 and NFPA 914. These codes, which were mentioned during discussion by Commissioner Stonehouse immediately before Mayor Pro Tem Mayer offered his amendment, provide additional standards for the protection of “cultural resources” like libraries, places of worship, etc., and historic structures. However, I was completely unfamiliar with NFPA 909 and 914, and it was clear that most of my fellow Commissioners and City staff didn’t know anything about them, either. In fact, I asked Mayor Pro Tem Mayer, Commissioner Stonehouse, and City staff if they were able to provide additional information about these codes, but nobody responded to my question except Assistant City Manager Sean Hobbins, who simply stated that City staff had not previously looked into NFPA 909 or 914. It was also unclear how approving this amendment would impact economic development in the community or ongoing City grant funding applications. I voted No on the amendment because I feel it is bad practice to vote in favor of motions with which I am unfamiliar and which do not have any clear basis in the Community Master Plan, other City planning documents, or previous City Commission discussions. I also felt that the amendment was unnecessary because, as Commissioner Davis noted, City staff stated that they would have been willing to look into NFPA 909 and 914 based on Commissioner Stonehouse’s request without a formal vote of the City Commission.

Nonetheless, the City Commission voted 4-2 to approve Mayor Pro Tem Mayer’s amendment, and I voted in favor of the final motion to adopt NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 as the City’s new Fire & Life Safety Ordinances as amended.

Apply for Electric Vehicle Smart Communities Program: YES (Passed 6-0)

This was a common sense Yes vote which is consistent with the City of Marquette’s ongoing efforts to do our part to address climate change. The City Commission was essentially voting to give our approval to the City’s application for the State of Michigan’s new Electric Vehicle Smart Communities program, which will provide funding and technical assistance to 25 Michigan communities (including 12 rural communities like Marquette) to help them plan and prepare for the ongoing transition to electric vehicles. This change is coming sooner rather than later – the price of electric vehicles is gradually falling while battery and charging technology is rapidly improving. In fact, by 2030 the U.S. government and most major automakers (Ford, GM, etc.) expect at least half of all new vehicles to be electric and new electric vehicles to be just as affordable as traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.

We need to think in the long term and be ready for this revolutionary change in America’s transportation system, and if we are selected to participate in this program, the City will not be committing to spending a single taxpayer dollar. This program would also be consistent with our current participation in the MI Next Cities program (which, among other things, will help the City reduce energy and fuel use), the Climate Action Work Group which will be an important part of our master planning process in the next year, and the City Commission’s stated goal to reduce the City’s carbon emissions to zero by 2050. As a result, I happily voted Yes.

Approve Land Development Code Amendments: YES (Passed 6-0)

This was essentially a procedural vote correct a minor clerical error in the Land Development Code (i.e., City zoning code). Two paragraphs relating to regulations on signs were accidentally omitted from the Land Development Code amendments the City Commission approved on May 31, and could therefore not legally be included in the code without another public hearing and City Commission approval. This was another common sense Yes vote, as the City Commission had intended to approve these amendments when we previously voted 7-0 in favor of the much larger, more comprehensive package of amendments.

These statements are made by City Commissioner Evan Bonsall on his own behalf. They reflect his own personal beliefs, and are NOT official statements made on behalf of the City of Marquette or any other members of the Marquette City Commission. This website is Evan Bonsall’s personal website – it is NOT the City of Marquette website or a news organization.

These are my vote explanations from the Monday, July 25, 2022 Marquette City Commission meeting. As always, please reach out to me with any questions at (906) 236-0247, [email protected], or on Facebook. You can watch the meeting HERE.

Authorize City Manager to Negotiate a PA 425 Agreement for Housing Development in Marquette Twp.: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to negotiate a PA 425 agreement with Marquette Twp. to facilitate a new housing development in the Forestville Basin. This was NOT a vote to approve this development or a PA 425 agreement, and did not commit the City to taking any action other than talking to Marquette Twp. officials. PA 425 is a Michigan state law which allows one local government to agree to temporarily transfer land within their jurisdiction into a neighboring local government’s jurisdiction for a period of up to 50 years, while still collecting property tax revenue from that land. A final PA 425 agreement will need to come back to the City Commission for a public hearing and a vote in the coming weeks.

JM Longyear is a local firm which has owned much of the Forestville Basin for many years, and they want to develop approximately 150 acres of the Forestville Basin into a 240-unit housing development. The housing in this development would likely consist of suburban-style, market-rate houses, with a low average density of about one house for every two-thirds of an acre – think Bishop Woods or Harlow Farms rather than Trowbridge, East Marquette, or Founders Landing. More than 80% of the land in this development would be located in Marquette Twp., with only 29 acres located in the City of Marquette. Again, the City does not own this property, JM Longyear does, although the City has zoned the property for Conservation/Recreation. The only road access to the property is through Marquette Twp., and Marquette Twp. would pay to build and maintain all public infrastructure and utilities. Per the proposed PA 425 agreement, the City would essentially let the Twp. “borrow” the 29-acre portion of this development within the City limits for up to 50 years, but would still receive a portion of the tax revenue from the property during that time. JM Longyear is currently talking with the NTN regarding potential impacts to local trails, and has committed to permanently preserving a “significant” amount of this heavily forested 150-acre property for conservation and recreation.

I am of two minds about this proposed project. Given our ongoing budgetary challenges and housing crisis, Marquette urgently needs more housing and more tax revenue. However, it seems unlikely that this development would include any affordable or even truly “mid-range” homes, and while some research has shown that increasing housing supply at least marginally decreases housing prices, this finding has been disputed by some other research, and it is unclear how true this is in smaller housing markets like Marquette or much of an impact it would really have on local housing prices. It is also unclear how much revenue the City would actually receive per the PA 425 agreement. Finally, from a land use standpoint it seems questionable to convert undeveloped forestland on the edge of town which is currently zoned Conservation/Recreation into yet another low-density subdivision – this is a very different proposal, for example, from Veridea Group’s plans to build a similar number of housing units of varying types, price points, etc. (including lower-mid-range workforce housing) on a much smaller property in the heart of Marquette, in an existing residential neighborhood a short walk from downtown Marquette and vital services.

There are many other unanswered questions related to this project aside from questions about revenue and the impact on the local housing market: What does JM Longyear feel is a “significant” amount of green space – 40% of the property? 50%? 60%? Does JM Longyear have a trail management agreement with the NTN – if so, what does it say? What happens 50 years from now when the PA 425 agreement expires (right around the time when roads and pipes may need replacing)? Will all the infrastructure in this development be public, or will there be private drives as well? Given that JM Longyear has stated that they will likely go forward with the project in one form or another in Marquette Twp., how would the plans for the project change if the City Commission were to vote down the final PA 425 agreement for the 29 acres located in the City limits (i.e., would fewer units be built, would more green space be consumed, would more trails be affected, etc.)?

We simply won’t know the answers to any of these questions until the City Commission gets to see the current site plans for this project and a final PA 425 agreement, and hopefully hear directly from the developer. That is why I voted Yes to move forward with negotiating a PA 425 agreement with Marquette Twp., so the City Commission and the public can get the answers they deserve and so I can cast a fully informed vote. I encourage residents to reach out with their thoughts and questions.

Appoint 3 City Commissioners to City Manager & City Attorney Performance Evaluation Subcommittee: YES (Passed 7-0)

The City Charter requires that the City Commission conduct a performance review of the City Manager and City Attorney (the only two City staff members who are directly hired by the City Commission) each year. As a result, this was a routine vote to empower the Mayor to appoint a subcommittee of 3 City Commissioners to review the contracts and performance of our City Manager Karen Kovacs and City Attorney Suzanne Larsen, and make a recommendation to the full City Commission regarding future employment and compensation. I voted Yes, and the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Smith then appointed Commissioner Davis, Commissioner Stonehouse, and I to serve on the Performance Evaluation Subcommittee.

Approve New Facility Use Agreement w/ YMCA: YES (Passed 7-0)

For many years, the City has used the YMCA as a polling location for Precincts 5, 6, & 7, and the City has always paid $1,000 to the YMCA for each election (generally there are 1-4 elections per year in the City of Marquette). This is a new Facility Use Agreement which will continue this practice, except that starting with the November 2022 general election, the City will now pay a fee of $1,400 per election to the YMCA. This agreement will be in effect through the November 2024 presidential election, and can then be renewed for up to 4 years at a time moving forward. Given that the YMCA has not raised the fee for using their facility as a polling location for many years, and 44% of Marquette residents (more 6,000 registered voters) rely on this polling location to exercise their right to vote, I felt that this agreement was very reasonable and voted Yes.

These statements are made by City Commissioner Evan Bonsall on his own behalf. They reflect his own personal beliefs, and are NOT official statements made on behalf of the City of Marquette or any other members of the Marquette City Commission. This website is Evan Bonsall’s personal website – it is NOT the City of Marquette website or a news organization.

Here are my explanations for all of the substantive votes I took at the City Commission meetings on June 27 and July 11, 2022. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns – you can call/text me at (906) 236-0247 or email me at [email protected]. Here are the video recordings of both City Commission meetings:

June 27, 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHHySEF1R_o

July 11, 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQSawe4cL-o

June 27, 2022 Vote Explanations

Conditional Rezoning of Property on Forestville Basin Trail: YES (Passed 6-1)

This was a vote on a request to conditionally rezone a 27-acre parcel on Forestville Basin Trail from Conservation/Recreation to Low-Density Residential. This is a heavily wooded rural area in north Marquette near the City-Township line. Most of Forestville Basin Trail is actually a privately maintained gravel road which is the only point of access to 34 existing single-family homes – the Huron Woods subdivision in Marquette Twp. is located further up the road, to the southwest of this property. A developer wants to build 8 single-family homes on this property and a small adjacent parcel and add them to the existing Blue Heron Bluffs 2 Condominium Project. The Planning Commission initially declined to rezone the property as Low-Density Residential due to potential future land uses that would be allowed by this rezoning but would be inconsistent with the City’s goal of preserving as much of this part of town as possible for conservation and recreation. Concerns were also expressed about the capacity of Forestville Basin Trail, which is in poor condition and is not maintained to County Road Commission standards by the property owners who use it. However, the Planning Commission did invite the developer to submit a conditional rezoning request – they did, and this request was recommended by staff to the City Commission for approval. Essentially, this conditional rezoning request excluded all non-residential land uses, but still permitted all residential land uses (including Accessory Dwelling Units, “granny flats,” garage-top apartments, etc.) that would normally be allowed by-right or with a Special Land Use permit in a Low-Density Residential zone.

I was initially skeptical about this proposal for two reasons: 1) I am generally not in favor of “sprawl” development on the edge of town that saps City tax dollars and damages the environment, and 2) I shared the concerns about the condition and capacity of the road shared by many local residents. However, I concluded that these were not concerns did not apply in this case for three reasons:

1. During the meeting, it became clear that the developer planned to build only 8 single-family homes similar in character to the houses that already exist on Forestville Basin Trail, and the vast majority of the forestlands and green space that cover the 27-acre property would be preserved. Impacts to trails would be minimal, and the developer was already having productive conversations with the NTN on this topic. In addition, the developer owns a 40-acre parcel of forestland across the City line in Marquette Twp., which they had committed to placing into a permanent conservation and recreation easement, more than offsetting the already minimal environmental impact of this project.
2. Because this is a private road and these homes would use wells and septic systems, this development would not cost the City a dime in terms of infrastructure upgrades and maintenance, and it would generate some additional property tax revenue right away at a time when the City is facing serious budgetary constraints.
3. A roughly equal number of local residents wrote in or spoke to the Commission in favor of this rezoning as those who expressed their opposition to it, and concerns about the condition of the road seemed less valid given that there are already 34 homes on this road – the addition of only 8 homes would likely have a very small impact on the condition and use of the road. From a zoning and land use standpoint, this property is also adjacent to a similar land use in Marquette Twp., a subdivision zoned “Scenic Residential” (i.e., Marquette Township’s version of the City’s Low-Density Residential zoning district).

Due to the minimal environmental impact of this development, the prospect of indirectly placing 40 acres of forestland in north Marquette into permanent conservation, the fact that there was certainly no overwhelming public opposition to this rezoning request, and the opportunity to grow the City tax base at no cost to the City, I decided that this rezoning request was reasonable and voted Yes. This does not mean that I would be in favor of larger-scale, low-density residential developments in the Forestville Basin – quite the opposite. I believe that moving forward, we need to remember that this rezoning decision does not set any legal precedent and consider any future rezoning requests on a case-by-case basis on their individual merits.

Rezoning of 595 Forestville Basin Trail: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a minor rezoning request related to the larger request above, affecting one small single-family parcel, with the petitioner requesting that it be rezoned from Conservation/Recreation to Low-Density Residential. This was a very low-impact rezoning which was recommended nearly unanimously by the Planning Commission, and staff advised that it would make the most sense to vote the same way on both rezoning requests because they were related to one another. As a result, I voted Yes.

Camp Cannabis Special Event Permit: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to approve a special event permit for the Camp Cannabis public marijuana event at Tourist Park on October 7-9. This permit is dependent on the event hosts, TFS Events, LLC (i.e., The Fire Station Cannabis Co.), obtaining appropriate liability insurance for the event – without this insurance, the permit will not be issued and the event will not be able to occur. However, the event hosts were confident that they would get the insurance at least 90 days before the event (i.e., in the next couple weeks), and the event would be able to move forward as planned. They also shared details of their extensive public safety planning – they will have 30 private security guards (all EMT certified) and a professional “care team” on site, the entire event area will be fenced in with one designated entry and exit point, they will be checking IDs to ensure minors are not entering the event, and shuttles will be provided for attendees who plan to consume marijuana at the event. There will be no campers at Tourist Park, as it is October and the event hosts are required to rent out the entire park per City ordinance. Many high-profile musical acts will also be performing at the event. I think this is a cool new event for our community that is similar in many important respects to existing events like Beer Fest,  Food Fest, Hiawatha Music Festival, etc., and I was very impressed with the detailed, responsible planning that went into this event. As a result, I voted Yes.

Purchase of Used Fire Truck: YES (Passed 7-0)

The City Commission was recently warned by City staff about the rapidly deteriorating condition of our two 2004 Pierce Arrow XT fire trucks (this is why we just purchased a new fire truck using roughly $800,000 in federal ARPA funding), and this warning was validated recently when one of our fire trucks completely broke down, its frame suffering a severe crack which rendered it inoperable. We considered repairing it, but this would have required taking it out of commission for at least 6 months, spending at least $50,000 to repair it with no guarantees of future performance. Furthermore, the new truck we just ordered will not be delivered for nearly 2 years, leaving us with only one aging truck that could easily suffer the same catastrophic frame failure at any time. While even used fire trucks generally cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, City staff found a deal that seemed almost too good to be true – a 1999 Pierce Sabre fire truck (very similar to our current model) for sale in Pittsville, WI for just $39,000, with just 20,000 miles on it. Upon inspection, City staff found that this used truck was in excellent condition, with an estimated 5-10 year lifespan, and would only require about $10,000 in additional upgrades upon arrival in Marquette. This was a vote to purchase that truck, and I am not sure if I have ever been presented with such a common-sense vote in my 3 years on the City Commission – I happily voted Yes, as this would not only meet an urgent need to replace our damaged fire truck and save the City hundreds of thousands of dollars in the midst of serious budgetary challenges, but it would also have the benefit of getting our two fire trucks on different replacement schedules, making it much easier for the City to replace fire trucks in the future. According to longstanding City of Marquette tradition, the fire truck will be named after our current mayor, Jenna Smith.

July 11, 2022 Vote Explanations

Curbside Recycling Cart Purchase Using Grant Funds: YES (Passed 6-1)

I was conflicted about the City transitioning to a mandatory universal recycling cart system, and in April I voted against accepting the two grants that were intended to fund this transition – you can read my explanation of that vote HERE. However, the City Commission voted 4-3 in favor of accepting the grants, and the City is now preparing to use these grant funds to purchase and distribute 6,200 64-gallon recycling carts to City residents at no cost to City taxpayers. In my view, we already debated this issue and, while I still have some concerns, I did not feel that it would be productive or appropriate to vote against using these grant funds to purchase the carts, as this purchase is certainly fiscally responsible and was already approved by the City Commission in a previous vote. I was also reassured by the City’s plans to educate the public on the new recycling cart system and provide accessibility accommodations to City residents who need them. As a result, I joined all of my colleagues except Commissioner Stonehouse in voting Yes to purchase the recycling carts (again, using grant funds and at no cost to City taxpayers), and I hope that City staff are able to work with local residents to address any concerns and successfully implement this program. If we can make it work, switching to universal recycling carts will significantly increase Marquette’s recycling rate and make our waste and recycling collection system much more efficient, which I think we can all agree is a very good thing.

Authorize up to $6 Million in Capital Improvement Bonds for FY2022: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to issue up to $6 million in Capital Improvement Bonds to fund various infrastructure construction and maintenance projects in the City limits – the City Commission passed a resolution of intent to issue these bonds on May 31, giving the public plenty of time to provide input. City staff now project that we will actually only need to bond for $5.35 million this year. The City Commission does this each year to finance critical infrastructure projects that cannot be cash-funded from the City’s General Fund budget. The City’s usual practice has been to limit Capital Improvement Bonds to roughly $5-6 million each year, as we retire about $5-6 million in City debt each year, allowing us to finance expensive infrastructure projects without increasing the City’s overall debt load. In that sense, this year’s Capital Improvement Bonds are nothing out of the ordinary.

However, in addition to funding normal street maintenance and improvements, this year’s Capital Improvement Bonds will also fund the Shoreline Restoration Project and infrastructure for a new subdivision in south Marquette, on former Parcel 12 of the Heartwood Forest. The final phase of the Lakeshore Blvd. relocation project, the Shoreline Restoration Project will see Marquette’s northern shoreline east of the new Lakeshore Blvd. restored to natural dunes, swales, coastal vegetation, and pebble and sand beach – this will dramatically reduce out-of-control erosion of our public lakeshore, prevent damaging coastal flooding, and help restore our public beaches in the long run. I am strongly in favor of this project, and I think most Marquette residents feel the same way.

I am much less supportive of issuing $2 million in City bonds to pay for infrastructure for the new subdivision being built by Veridea Group in south Marquette – I might feel differently if a portion of these units were affordable for working-class families, but this is a market-rate development consisting almost entirely of $300,000+ houses which will not do much to meet Marquette’s current housing needs. Essentially, this is a case of the City subsidizing unaffordable housing, which just doesn’t make sense to me. I voted No on this deal when it was proposed, but it passed 4-3.

However, we were voting on the entire Capital Improvement Bond issue for FY 2022 – we couldn’t pick and choose which projects we liked and which ones we didn’t. As a result, I voted Yes to issue up to $6 million in Capital Improvement Bonds for FY2022.

These statements are made by City Commissioner Evan Bonsall on his own behalf. They reflect his own personal beliefs, and are NOT official statements made on behalf of the City of Marquette or any other members of the Marquette City Commission. This website is Evan Bonsall’s personal website – it is NOT the City of Marquette website or a news organization.

UPDATE: The City Commission approved a 2.6379 mill operating millage increase at the June 21, 2022 special meeting, raising the City’s of Marquette’s operating millage rate from 14.9225 mills to 17.5604 mills. The vote was 7-0 in favor of the increase. You can watch the official meeting video by clicking HERE.

For over a year now, the City has been dealing with significant budgetary challenges – after millions of dollars in cuts and cancelled or delayed projects, we are still facing a roughly $2 million structural deficit (out of an annual General Fund budget of around $20 million), and the only remaining alternatives are deep, long-term cuts to City services or raising new tax revenue. Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 21, at 5:15pm at City Hall, the City Commission will be holding a special meeting at which we will discuss and likely vote on an increase in the City’s property tax rate (a.k.a., our operating millage), potentially raising the City’s property tax rate from 14.9225 mills to 17.5604 mills (an increase of 2.64 mills, or 17.7%). This would equate to a property tax increase of about $226 per year or $18 per month for the average homeowner in the City of Marquette, with a similar effect on the average renter if landlords passed down 100% of the cost of the proposed increase to their tenants.

Here I have included answers to some of the most common questions that I have been asked by Marquette residents over the past few months. You can attend the meeting on Tuesday, June 21 or watch it live on Charter Channel 191 or the City of Marquette YouTube channel. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me as well at (906) 236-0247, [email protected], or on Facebook – I am happy to answer your questions and I want to hear your perspectives and ideas! Finally, I encourage everyone to check out the City’s FAQ page on the proposed operating millage increase, and watch the presentation from the May 9 City Commission meeting – they are both very informative and eye-opening. You can view them by clicking HERE.

Q: Why is a tax increase necessary? Can’t the City just make some cuts here and there?

A: I completely understand why folks are concerned, and I certainly don’t want property taxes to go up, either – although I am a renter, a large portion of my rent goes to pay my landlord’s taxes, and increases in non-City property taxes were partially responsible for an increase in my rent this year. I and everyone else at the City have been working very hard on this issue for the past year. Last fall, the City was looking at a $4.5-6.0 million deficit going into FY2022. We made a lot of cuts (including virtually eliminating overtime and delaying numerous capital expenditures on things like vehicles, roads, etc.) and negotiated very minimalistic new contracts with most of our employees (raises in City contracts over the past 2 years have generally ranged from 0-3%) – that got us down to a $1.9 million structural deficit. A structural deficit is a deficit that exists not because of extravagant new spending, but because the City does not have enough revenue to maintain current basic services.

Further cuts to eliminate this deficit would have required drastic reductions in those basic services – furloughing or laying off numerous employees in every department (a loss of human resources that it would take many years to recover from), major reductions in snow plowing and routine road and park maintenance, potential closure or major hours reductions for key parks and community centers like Lakeview Arena, the Senior Center, and Peter White Public Library, delaying urgently needed capital projects (like the purchase of a new fire truck), and so on. As a result, for FY2022 (the current fiscal year) the City Commission covered the remaining deficit with $1.9 million from reserves (we still have about $8 million in reserves, down from $14 million in 2018). This was not intended to be a permanent fix – those reserves won’t last forever – but merely to the buy the City Commission and City staff enough time to look at every possible solution to the City’s budgetary problems and leave no stone unturned. We knew that tough decisions would probably have to be made this year.

At the end of the day, the closure of the Presque Isle Power Plant cost the City $1.5 million in annual tax revenue starting in FY2020, Tax Tribunal/dark store appeals have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars more, state revenue sharing has declined significantly, and Proposal A has seriously limited the taxable values of properties (even as true cash values have increased dramatically). Without new revenue, the City will either have to enact deep cuts to City services (which I don’t think most City residents would be willing to tolerate), or we will spend down all of our remaining reserves by FY2025. This last option is terrible policy & would just be delaying the inevitable hard choices.

The City will likely still have to enact additional budget cuts this year, but there is very little “fat” left to trim after over a year of working very hard to minimize General Fund spending. If we’re going to maintain the City services and infrastructure that we already have, we will need to find a combination of spending cuts and new revenue this year.

Q: But didn’t the City just raise property taxes recently? My taxes keep going up every year!

A: No, the City has not raised our property tax rate since 2006. In fact, the City actually cut taxes in 2009 during the Recession, and never raised them again. In the meantime (especially in the past year), inflation and rapidly increasing material and fuel costs have hit the City hard, just like every business, family, and government entity in the country. Consider that in 2006 (the last time the City raised property taxes), a dollar had the same buying power as $1.44 today. That means a dollar only has about 70% of the buying power it did the last time the City raised its property tax rate, so adjusting for inflation, the City has about 30% less tax revenue per dollar of taxable property value today than it did in 2006! And that’s not even accounting for the fact that state revenue sharing is a lot lower today than it was in 2006, and that Proposal A has severely limited the growth of the taxable value of most properties in the City even as the true cash value of most properties has skyrocketed in that time. This is because the taxable value of a property can only change in Michigan according to an extremely conservative formula that always fails to keep pace with inflation, or when that property is sold, transferred, or substantially improved in some way. If your taxes have gone up substantially in recent years, this is because 1) your property was sold or transferred, 2) you made major improvements to your property, 3) it was previously undervalued and was re-assessed by the City Assessor, or 4) other local taxing entities (Marquette County, Marquette Area Public Schools, Peter White Public Library, the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, etc.) approved millage increases of their own – it is NOT because the City raised its millage rate.

Q: Why don’t you just cut Arts & Culture, Parks & Recreation, and tourism subsidies and promotions? Those aren’t essential services and they must cost a lot of money!

A: I’ve heard a few people suggest this, but it just doesn’t make much sense when you actually look at the City budget. Putting aside the fact that every City department has already had to make sacrifices this year, and ignoring the fact that the City’s Arts & Culture and Community Services (i.e., parks & rec) departments add tremendous value to Marquette and help make it a place people want to live (which I think is undeniably true and certainly not a secondary consideration when we’re talking about budget priorities), from a purely dollars-and-cents standpoint, Arts & Culture, parks, and tourism promotion are simply not the places you would look to fill a $1.9 million budget deficit.

Arts & Culture accounts for less than 1% of the City budget ($231,000 in FY2022), and in recent years they have not only been one of the most active and cost-efficient City departments, but they have actually generated almost as much revenue for the City as they cost the City through grants, fees, and events ($115,000 in FY2021 and a projected $164,000 in FY2022). Similarly, Community Services (i.e., parks & rec) accounts for only 3-4% of the City budget (~$500,000). In fact, many of the City’s parks and recreation services generate revenue and some even pay for themselves – for instance, we receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue from Tourist Park each year, which has actually made a net profit for the City in recent years. Regardless, the City is not a business, it is a service provider – our parks system doesn’t pay for itself because it’s not designed to, and it frankly shouldn’t be. Parks exist for everyone in Marquette, and they cost money and require skilled, hard-working staff to maintain. Deep cuts to these two departments would be a tremendous loss for the Marquette community which would be felt by every resident, and even the complete elimination of these departments would only fill a small fraction of the City’s $1.9 million budget deficit, especially when accounting for hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

As for tourism, the City does not spend any significant amount of money on “tourism subsidies or promotions.” We cut funding for “Community Promotion” from $45,000 to $4,500 in this year’s budget, and this money generally isn’t spent on promoting tourism. The City spends about $80,000 per year on special events, but these events are enjoyed by thousands of locals as well as tourists, and in reality they almost pay for themselves by generating about $60,000 in revenue for the City. Similarly, the DDA spends $30-60,000 per year on “Promotion & Marketing,” but brings in more than $30,000 per year in promotional revenue. In comparison to a $1.9 million deficit and a $20+ million budget, this is relatively insignificant.

Q: But what about all these big projects the City’s doing right now? It seems like the City is spending beyond its means on extras, and now they’re raising our taxes!

A: I completely understand how someone might get this impression, because the City has been able to do some really cool, highly impactful projects in the past few years. However, this isn’t because we are irresponsibly spending beyond our means or because we’re rolling in money – rather, this is a testament to the expertise, creativity, and extremely hard work of our City staff and other community members and organizations that have made these projects possible. To cite some of the big ones:

• Lakeshore Blvd. Relocation & Shoreline Restoration Project ($8-10 million project to move Lakeshore Blvd. 300 feet inland and prevent erosion and coastal flooding, paid for mostly through grants and Capital Improvement Bonds, with a small fraction of the road relocation funded through General Fund expenditures a couple years ago – also important to consider that the City was spending ~$300,000/year in General Fund money fixing up Lakeshore Blvd. and minimizing erosion after major storms devastated the shoreline almost every year).
• Kids Cove Playground (~$1 million playground at Lower Harbor Park funded entirely through grants and charitable contributions raised by Marquette Playgrounds for All – no cost to City taxpayers).
• Hurley Field Playground (refurbished playground at Hurley Field built using charitable contributions, volunteer labor, and a grant from the Marquette Public Art Commission – negligible cost to City taxpayers).
• Founders Landing Pier Project (two new public piers built south of the Lower Harbor Ore Dock at Founders Landing, a $5.6 million project funded entirely through Brownfield TIF revenue from the Founders Landing development, without a single taxpayer dollar from the rest of the City – this was part of the Founders Landing Brownfield Plan since its inception in 2009).
• Williams Park Repairs (funded almost entirely through grants and $40,000 in matching funds provided by the Marquette Tennis Assn. – the City only provided $8,000 in matching funds).

We have accomplished all of this in spite of our budgetary challenges, not because those challenges aren’t real or because were spending extravagantly. Foregoing these projects would have done virtually nothing to minimize the City’s current budget deficit, and would have cost Marquette some fantastic opportunities to improve our community. Even within very tight budgetary constraints, we can still do great things in Marquette if we’re creative and willing to put in the work.

Q: If the City needs new revenue, why can’t you just implement a ________ tax instead?

A: I have heard many reasonable and creative arguments from City residents that instead of raising property taxes, the City should implement some other tax. But after exhaustive research (believe me, I and many other folks at the City have lost a lot of sleep over this), there is simply no realistic alternative to a property tax increase, at least not for the near future. We have considered alternatives to a property tax increase, but these are very limited. For instance, a small City income tax (say, 1%) might make more sense in the long run than a millage increase, but it would not be possible to implement until at least 2-3 years from now, by which point our reserves will be completely exhausted without new revenue.

Lodging/hotel taxes would be a great source of revenue, but with very few exceptions they are essentially illegal under Michigan state law – and yes, that includes taxes on Airbnbs and other short-term rentals. The same is true of local sales taxes, which is another idea I’ve had a few people propose to me – they are simply prohibited by Michigan law. A voted bond levy could help with one-time capital expenses, but wouldn’t solve the core structural budget deficit issue the City is facing. DDA parking revenue goes directly towards paying for the maintenance of downtown parking, sidewalks, etc. – similarly, utility bill revenue goes directly towards paying for City water and sewer pipes and stormwater infrastructure. As a result, these funds cannot just be raided to cover the City’s budget deficit. This is what happens when the state government cuts revenue sharing, passes on unfunded mandates, and ties local governments’ hands to keep corporate lobbyists and partisan ideologues happy.

Q: What about making money from tourism? Can’t the City just raise fees for events or for non-City residents using our parks, or tax hotels and motels?

A: As mentioned above, Michigan state law prohibits the City of Marquette from charging sales or use taxes of any kind – this means that we cannot tax hotels, motels, campgrounds, Airbnbs, etc., like local governments can in most other states. We do already charge non-City residents higher user fees than City residents for many of our parks & recreation facilities, but according to Michigan state law, the City cannot just set user fees, permit fees, etc. as high as we want. In Michigan, local government fees may only be high enough to cover the cost of providing a particular service, and may not be any higher. As a result, raising fees is not a solution to the City’s budgetary problems. The City also cannot profit directly from tourism – whether a hotel is 100% full every night of the summer, or mostly empty most of the time, they pay the same amount of property tax to the City, and that’s it.

Q: What about marijuana? The City must be making a ton of money from all these new marijuana businesses moving into Marquette!

A: Aside from the relatively small amount of property taxes that marijuana businesses pay just like any commercial business, the City only gets revenue from marijuana sales through state revenue sharing – in FY2021, we received $28,000 from the state from the one marijuana retailer that existed in Marquette at that time, and in FY2022 we are receiving $225,600 in marijuana tax revenue ($56,400 per retailer). Again, according to Michigan state law, it is illegal for local governments to charge any sales/use tax, including excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Marijuana is also an incredibly unstable source of revenue – consider that the amount of tax revenue the City receives from each marijuana retailer nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022 – and as such, the City does not even factor it into our budget planning. This might change at some future date when Michigan’s marijuana market eventually stabilizes, but until then, marijuana is simply too unreliable as a revenue source, and it certainly could never generate enough revenue to significantly reduce the City’s budget deficit.

Q: Haven’t Brownfields and/or the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) TIF District caused all these budget problems? If we didn’t have to deal with TIF, the City would have way more property tax revenue!

A: There have certainly been some Brownfield Plans approved by the City that I felt were unnecessary, and I have voted against multiple Brownfield Plans in my time on the City Commission. It is true that past decisions about Brownfield Plans are part of the City’s current budgetary challenges, and some of these decisions (the DDA TIF District, the Founders Landing & UPHS-Marquette Brownfield Plans, etc.) go back many years or even decades, before most current City Commissioners were elected or even old enough to vote. However, I have heard some residents suggest that the City should just cancel some of its current Brownfield Plans or “reassess” these properties to pay off the Brownfield Plans and get them paying taxes into the General Fund more quickly. This is simply illegal. The City cannot arbitrarily reassess the taxable value of any property, nor can we get rid of the Brownfield Plan which was approved for the new hospital in south Marquette in 2014 or any other Brownfield Plan, as Brownfield Plans are legally binding contracts which require the consent of both parties (the City and the developer) to amend.

It is also important to consider that the City did not just hand out these Brownfield Plans because we were feeling generous. Most of these Brownfield redevelopment projects would not have happened at all if it weren’t for the availability of Brownfield TIF to reimburse the developers for major eligible expenses like environmental assessments and clean-up, vapor mitigation, parking, infrastructure, demolition and site preparation, lead and asbestos abatement, etc. The owners of Brownfield properties still pay taxes – most of those taxes are captured by the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to reimburse the developer for eligible expenses, and in some cases to reimburse the City for issuing bonds for public infrastructure associated with a Brownfield redevelopment project. In the coming years, these Brownfield Plans will be fully paid off and start paying millions of dollars in property taxes into the City General Fund. For instance, the former Marquette General Hospital redevelopment will produce $1.5-2 million per year for the City starting 10-15 years from now, enough to completely eliminate the City’s current budget deficit all on its own. The new UPHS-Marquette hospital will start paying $1.24 million/year into the General Fund as soon as the late 2020s, and in the 2030s the City General Fund will start receiving taxes from the UP State Bank ($55,000/year), Founders Landing ($314,000/year), and Liberty Way ($169,000/year) – that brings the total future tax revenue from Brownfield projects by the 2040s to $3-4 million each year, a 15-20% increase in revenue for the City General Fund. All of these projects would have been impossible without a Brownfield Plan to make them financially viable for developers. In the long run, this revenue will be the solution to the City’s financial challenges, but it is impossible for the City to unilaterally cancel Brownfield Plans that have already been agreed upon.

Similarly, we cannot just cancel or revise our current TIF agreement with the DDA at any time – these agreements can only be renegotiated when they are up for renewal or when both parties (the City and the DDA) agree, and the DDA is facing budgetary challenges as well. I am certainly very skeptical of recent DDA proposals to expand their TIF district onto Third Street, but the DDA does provide important services to the downtown district (sidewalk plowing and de-icing, parking maintenance, promotions and events, etc.), and the City would have to pay for most of those services anyway in the DDA’s absence. In short, “defunding the DDA” is also not a realistic or desirable solution to the City’s budgetary problems.

Q: The City Commission has been talking a lot about affordable housing lately, but won’t raising taxes make housing much more expensive for both homeowners and renters?

A: I share these concerns about housing costs – I am the only renter on the City Commission, and I worry about the impact of a millage increase on people like me and many of my friends, family, and neighbors who are also renters or homeowners on limited incomes. I also believe that we need more affordable and mid-range housing in Marquette. That is why I chaired the Ad Hoc Housing Committee in 2020-21 and why I recently voted to designate a City-owned property at 600 W Spring St. for low-income/workforce housing development, for zoning reforms that will allow more “Missing Middle Housing” to gradually develop in our community, and for the redevelopment of the former hospital property which will lead to the creation of 300 new housing units (including dozens of senior housing and affordable/workforce housing units) over the next few years, and eventually generate $1.5-2 million in new tax revenue for the City. I believe that the City needs to implement further pro-housing zoning reforms (such as legalizing duplexes City-wide) and set aside as much surplus City-owned land as possible for affordable housing. My hope is that this can dramatically increase the supply of low- and middle-income housing in Marquette over the next few years – I believe the future of our community depends on it.

Regardless, the average renter in the City should only see about an $18-20 increase in their rent per month if their landlord passes down 100% of the cost of a millage increase to their tenants. My rent just went up $25/month and I am on a tight budget, too, so I understand that this is not easy for Marquette residents who are on limited incomes. But would it be preferable to degrade vital City services, see our parks and community spaces close down or fall into disrepair, let our roads and sewers crumble, or lose many of the City’s firefighters, police officers, and the people who maintain our parks, roads, sewers, and water system? Personally, I don’t think it would be, and I don’t think most Marquette renters (or City residents in general) think it would be, either.

That being said, it is important for renters to ask their landlords to justify any significant rent increases to them – I received a letter from my landlords explaining my recent rent increase, and good landlords will be willing to do the same. Some landlords may use a City property tax increase as an excuse to justify a large, sudden rent hike, but remember that the average renter should only see about an $18-20/month increase – of course, this amount will vary quite a bit depending on the size of your apartment and the taxable value of your rental property, but renters would be wise to be skeptical of a sudden large increase being explained away as resulting primarily from increased property taxes.

The impact on homeowners would be similar to that on renters – the average homeowner would see a property tax increase of $226 per year, or $18-20 per month. There would of course be a lot of variation, but the vast majority of Marquette homeowners own a house that falls close to the average home value. Any homeowner, regardless of income, can contact the City and make a payment plan if they are struggling to pay their property taxes. City staff are ready and willing to work with you – what is most important is that you communicate proactively with the City and pay what you can afford, even if it’s not the full amount owed to the City. Many City residents are also eligible for rental assistance, Homestead Property Tax Credits, and/or for disabled veteran or poverty property tax exemptions, and do not even know it. There is help available if you need it.

Q: If approved, when would an operating millage increase affect my tax bill?

A: The increase would take effect July 1, 2022 and would be incorporated into your summer tax bill – winter tax bills will not be affected by an operating millage increase. You do NOT need to pay your summer taxes right away – the deadline for 2022 summer taxes is Sep. 14, 2022, and you can submit summer tax payments with only a small late penalty (1% per month) through Feb. 28, 2023. As a result, all other things being equal, the average homeowner in Marquette could expect to see their summer taxes go up $226 and see their winter taxes remain essentially the same. Again, if you need help paying your taxes, please contact the City of Marquette – we can work with you to set up a payment plan that works for your budget.

Q: What if I pay my taxes using an escrow account?

A: Sometimes mortgage holders overcorrect with escrow withholdings. If the City Commission approves an operating millage increase, you should contact your mortgage company to make sure that the escrow is adjusted to the correct amount.

Final Thoughts

I have serious concerns about an operating millage increase, but the more I study this issue the more it seems that it may be the only realistic option, at least for the near future. If the City has to raise the operating millage rate, I believe we should commit to bringing property taxes back down in a few years once we can get a different, long-term source of new revenue and/or start seeing new tax revenue from the various Brownfield developments around town, which will start hitting the tax rolls in the late 2020s and 2030s. 

I hope I was able to address some of the question and concerns that you may have about the proposed City operating millage increase that the City Commission is voting on tomorrow evening – I know it’s not what anyone wants to hear, but I’m just trying to be honest with the people who elected me to do this difficult job. The can has been kicked down the road for many years by past City leaders, and it has landed in the current City Commission’s lap. It is our responsibility to listen to our constituents, and then do what is necessary to put the City back on a fiscally sustainable path. If there are specific City services that you would rather see cut instead of seeing a property tax increase, please let me know – I want to hear from you and I am willing to listen to any and all ideas.

Here are my explanations for all of the substantive votes I took at the City Commission meetings on May 31, June 13, and June 15, 2022, including my vote in favor of the Former Hospital Property Brownfield Plan on May 31 and my votes on proposed City land sales and in favor of affordable housing development at the June 15 special meeting. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns – you can call/text me at (906) 236-0247 or email me at [email protected]. Here are the video recordings of both City Commission meetings:

May 31, 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5jiBkkLkZ4

June 13, 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MkYOePRXqw

June 15, 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S61gzJJyKMY

May 31, 2022 Vote Explanations

Former Hospital Site Redevelopment Brownfield Plan: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote on a Brownfield Plan which was necessary to facilitate the redevelopment of the former hospital property in central Marquette by Veridea Group, a local development firm, and the NMU Foundation. At the meeting on May 16, one of the residents who offered public comment said something about this project which really stuck with me: “Rather than being divisive, we need to work together toward a positive outcome for the whole community.”

Prior to the construction of Marquette General Hospital, this property was a middle-income neighborhood. The Ad Hoc Housing Committee Final Report, which was unanimously approved by the Ad Hoc Housing Committee (AHHC) in June 2021, accepted by the City Commission in November 2021, and incorporated into the City’s Community Master Plan in 2022, contained numerous references to the former hospital property. Housing experts interviewed by the AHHC “recommended using Brownfield Tax Increment Financing (TIF), 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, MSHDA 9% tax credits, New Market Tax Credits, and other federal, state, and local incentives to attain affordability.” The AHHC Final Report also cited examples of successful redevelopment of former hospital sites into affordable, Missing Middle, or mixed-income housing using Brownfield TIF, such as the Mason Run project in Monroe, MI, the Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City, and Jasperlite Senior Housing in Ishpeming. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the NMU Foundation (NOT Northern Michigan University, but an independent 501c3 non-profit affiliated with the university) which was approved Feb. 28, 2022 includes “affordable and workforce housing as described in the City’s Ad Hoc Housing Committee Final Report” as a minimum requirement for this project. A review of the minutes from previous City Commission meetings clearly shows that the intent of this MOU was for “affordable and workforce housing” to be a “significant component” of this project.

At the public input sessions hosted by the NMU Foundation on May 3, housing was clearly the top priority for City residents and neighbors and the most desired future reuse of this property, and we all know that residents weren’t just talking about housing at any price point, but primarily about affordable housing or moderately priced “Missing Middle” housing. Higher-priced housing will certainly be a significant part of this development, but so will workforce housing, senior housing, and “Missing Middle” housing that may not technically be “affordable” for everyone, but which is certainly far more affordable than the $600,000 condos that have been developed in Marquette using Brownfield TIF in recent years.

In their response to the NMU Foundation’s Request for Qualifications, Veridea Group includes a preliminary site plan, and states that they will build “177 multi-family apartments … [at] a mix of price points and unit types [that] will … appeal to a wide income range and support University goals related to housing for students, faculty and staff.” Common sense dictates that you can’t sell $600,000 condos or rent luxury apartments to NMU students, faculty, and staff – even if these apartments are not in the “affordable” or “workforce” housing price range, they will still provide a much-needed increase in rental housing supply, and many of them will certainly be available at mid-range price points.

Veridea’s RFQ response further states that they will build approximately 70 townhomes and bungalows for “households earning up to 120 percent the Area Median Income, and are willing to commit to selling a percentage of these units at a price point attainable by those income earners.” This is literally the definition of workforce housing. Mr. Mahaney stated at the meeting on May 16 that, “We strongly support the City’s desire and the community’s desire to include an attainable housing component … and I will commit here on behalf of Veridea that we will work collaboratively with the City, with the Foundation, and with other stakeholders to achieve the goal of attainable housing on this site … we will commit some of our capital towards achieving that.”

I understand that many folks don’t like seeing any additional high-end or high-density housing construction – many others, myself included, wanted to see more commitments on affordable housing for this project. But the reality is that today we are faced with two alternatives: One in which hundreds of new housing units are built, dozens of them in the workforce housing price range and many more likely at still-attainable mid-range prices, including badly needed senior housing, multi-family apartments, and smaller single-family homes. In fact, the workforce housing units and other small single-family homes will likely be the first part of this project to be built. And by the way, the City will get $4.25 million to fix up College Ave. and improve other City infrastructure in the neighborhood that we otherwise wouldn’t get, and in 15 years we will receive $1.5-2 million in additional tax revenue from this site every single year. That would be enough to fill the City’s current budget deficit all on its own. This would allow us to maintain and improve City services, cut taxes for all City residents, or both. Duke LifePoint will also be contributing $10 million to this project, accepting at least a portion of their moral responsibility for the future of this site.

The other alternative is that nothing is built at this site, most likely for many years. Duke LifePoint could sit on it indefinitely, and likely reduce their tax liability on the site to near zero, and the City couldn’t legally to do anything about it. Marquette County will not acquire this property.

I grew up in a working-class family – my dad was a cop and my mom was a secretary – and when I was growing up in Marquette my family was forced to move several times to find housing we could afford. When I got a job in Marquette after college, I called every low-income housing complex in town and was told that their waitlists for studio and one-bedroom units were up to a year long, and I searched for over 6 months before finding a simple one-bedroom apartment that I could afford. I am a low-income individual, I’m the only renter on the City Commission (even though 51% of City of Marquette residents are renters), I spend nearly half of my income on housing, and my rent just went up this year, too. So as someone who understands the urgency of Marquette’s affordable housing crisis first-hand, while I wish we could somehow have 300 affordable housing units built at this site, I think we all know that’s not realistic, and I will happily take, say, 30 affordable units over zero affordable units. Voting “No” on this Brownfield Plan would do absolutely nothing to address Marquette’s housing needs, but voting “Yes” at least does something.

Over the past couple months, I have knocked on every door in every neighborhood surrounding this property – I’ve talked about the future of this property with dozens of people who can literally see it from their backyard or their front porch, many of whom have lived near the hospital for most of their lives. Most of them were curious and cautiously optimistic, but not one of them told me that they were against this project – almost universally, their top priority was seeing the building redeveloped as soon as possible. Indeed, while dozens of Marquette residents (mostly working-class people in their 20s and 30s like me) either showed up to speak at the meeting or wrote powerful and eloquent comments to the City Commission regarding affordable housing on May 31, many of them explicitly stated that they were not opposed to the redevelopment of the former hospital property or this Brownfield Plan – rather, they were demanding fast and meaningful action from the City on affordable housing, be it at this property or elsewhere in Marquette. I share those same priorities, and I can personally relate to many of the experiences, frustrations, and anxieties they shared. Veridea Group has clearly stated that this project will include a significant amount of workforce housing, and the City is taking action right now on affordable and “Missing Middle” housing in other areas as well – see below for the zoning reforms approved on May 31 and the designation of City-owned property at 600 W Spring St. for low-income/workforce housing development on June 15. Are we doing enough? No. But we are doing everything we can.

People who follow Marquette politics will know that I have never hesitated to vote against development proposals that I felt were a bad deal for the City and for Marquette residents and taxpayers. I voted against the Brownfield Plan for the Saving Bank project and against the Gaines Rock Townhomes (which were supposed to be “affordable for the average household in Marquette” and ended up selling for over $450,000). However, contrary to common belief, Veridea has had nothing to do with any of the controversial developments near Founders Landing. I also recently voted against an actual Veridea Group project in south Marquette, in which the City bonded for $2 million for infrastructure costs for a market-rate housing subdivision development with no affordable units.

I voted “Yes” on this Brownfield Plan because I believe that it is clearly a massive win for Marquette. The City, the NMU Foundation, and Veridea Group have all made various commitments regarding this project, and it our responsibility to pull our own weight and hold them accountable. By that, I don’t just mean the City Commission – I also mean everyone in this community. Over the next few years, if we work together, resist cynicism, and continue to have strong public engagement and commitment from the City Commission, the NMU Foundation, and Veridea Group, this project will bring huge benefits to Marquette, including new senior housing, workforce housing, and “Missing Middle” housing, all of which we desperately need right now. It’s on all of us to make that happen.

Pro-“Missing Middle Housing” Zoning Reforms: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote on the latest set of amendments to the City of Marquette Land Development Code (i.e., the City zoning code). These zoning reforms, which were approved unanimously by the Planning Commission in April, were primarily focused on making it easier to build “Missing Middle” housing in Marquette and encouraging incremental increases in residential housing density, all of which will help address Marquette’s housing crisis.

“Missing Middle housing” has a double meaning – it not only denotes housing that is moderate in price and affordable for middle-class households, but a specific kind of housing that will naturally be more affordable – according to the Ad Hoc Housing Committee Final Report, it “’Missing Middle Housing’ falls between single family lots and urban high density, and is defined as ‘a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units – compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes – located in a walkable neighborhood.’” Marquette needs to significantly increase its supply of Missing Middle Housing if it is to address its current housing crisis, as Missing Middle Housing not only allows for more units to exist within existing neighborhoods without decreasing anyone’s property values or quality of life, but it also produces smaller housing units that will naturally be more moderately priced. The walkability component is important, too, allowing people to live near where they work, shop, and spend their free time, and reducing transportation costs and carbon emissions.

I will share a post on affordable housing very soon which will review these zoning reforms in greater detail, but essentially they legalized Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs, a.k.a. “granny flats” or “garage-top/backyard apartments”) City-wide, made it easier to develop smaller single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes where they are already allowed by reducing lot size and setback requirements, streamlined the City’s excessively lengthy and costly Site Plan Review process, and allowed permanent supportive housing as a special land use in certain zoning districts for the first time to help address chronic homelessness in Marquette. These pro-Missing Middle Housing zoning reforms were all recommended by the Ad Hoc Housing Committee and the Planning Commission. I would have liked to see duplexes legalized City-wide as well, but the Planning Commission needs more time to consider that Ad Hoc Housing Committee recommendation – I hope to see that zoning reform included in next year’s Land Development Code amendments.

Other zoning changes included easing up on City regulations on outdoor food and beverage service and off-street parking requirements, supporting Marquette’s small businesses and allowing the various innovations that they brought to our downtown district during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue. I was strongly in favor of all of these zoning reforms, and I proudly voted Yes. It will likely take years to see their full effect, but I am confident that they will have a great positive effect on the community, and especially on the availability and affordability of housing in Marquette.

Rezone City-Owned Property on N McClellan Ave. to Conservation/Recreation: YES (Passed 6-1)

This was a vote to rezone a roughly 10-acre City-owned property along N McClellan Ave. from “Municipal” to “Conservation/Recreation.” Dozens of nearby residents had petitioned the City to rezone the property for Conservation/Recreation after the City began considering selling the property for sale and development last year. This property consists of forestlands and wetlands which have historically been used exclusively for recreational purposes, with the bike path passing through the east side of the property and many residents of the surrounding neighborhoods using it as a de facto park because there are not any City parks nearby. The City’s Community Master Plan also designates this property for Conservation/Recreation, although like many vacant City-owned properties it was zoned “Municipal.” Years ago, former Mayor John Kivela and several former City Commissioners had publicly pledged that, when N McClellan Ave. was extended north to link Fair Ave. with Wright St., the surrounding City-owned property would continue to be preserved as undeveloped green space. After careful consideration, the Planning Commission voted 5-3 to recommend rezoning this property to Conservation/Recreation, and a review of the minutes shows that the Planning Commissioners who voted “No” did so primarily due to concerns with the timing of the rezoning so soon before the creation of a new Community Master Plan, rather than out of opposition to the rezoning itself. As a result, I felt that rezoning the property was appropriate, and voted Yes to rezone the property and preserve it for conservation and recreation.

Notice of Intent to Issue $6 Million in Capital Improvement Bonds: YES (Passed 7-0)

This is a vote that the City Commission takes each year to issue Capital Improvement Bonds to finance major infrastructure projects that cannot be cash-funded up front from the City’s General Fund budget. The City’s usual practice has been to limit Capital Improvement Bonds (i.e., debt used to pay for City infrastructure) to roughly $5-6 million each year, as we retire about $5-6 million in City debt each year. This allows us to finance expensive infrastructure projects each year without increasing the City’s overall debt load. In that sense, this year’s Capital Improvement Bonds are nothing out of the ordinary. However, in addition to funding normal street maintenance and improvements, this year’s Capital Improvement Bonds will also fund the Shoreline Restoration Project and infrastructure for a new subdivision in south Marquette, on former Parcel 12 of the Heartwood Forest. The final phase of the Lakeshore Blvd. relocation project, the Shoreline Restoration Project will see Marquette’s northern shoreline east of the new Lakeshore Blvd. restored to natural dunes, swales, coastal vegetation, and pebble and sand beach – this will dramatically reduce out-of-control erosion of our public lakeshore, reduce the risk of damaging coastal flooding, and help restore our public beaches in the long run. I am strongly in favor of this project, and I think most Marquette residents feel the same way. I am much less supportive of issuing $2 million in City bonds to pay for roads and water infrastructure for the new subdivision being built by Veridea Group in south Marquette – I might feel differently if a portion of these units were affordable for working-class families, but this is a market-rate development consisting almost entirely of $300,000+ houses which I do not feel will do much to meet Marquette’s housing needs. Essentially, the City is subsidizing unaffordable housing, and I voted No on this deal when it was proposed, but it passed 4-3. We were also voting on the entire Capital Improvement Bond issue for FY 2022 – we couldn’t pick and choose which projects we liked and which ones we didn’t. As a result, I voted Yes to issue up to $6 million in Capital Improvement Bonds for FY2022.

Select Smith Construction as Shoreline Restoration Project Contractor: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to select a contractor for the Shoreline Restoration Project mentioned above. This is a large, multi-million dollar project, and Smith Construction came in significantly lower than all other bidders. There was some concern expressed that Smith Construction was possibly cutting corners in their bid, but the City’s contract with Smith Construction is legally binding – they must complete the project to the City’s satisfaction for the agreed-upon price of $4.3 million, or they must obtain an amendment to the contract. They must also follow all local and state regulations regarding paying prevailing wage, safety, and environmental due diligence, and the City will be monitoring this project especially closely due to its unique size and importance to the community. I voted Yes.

Reject UPPCO Utility Franchise Agreement in City of Marquette: YES (Passed 6-1)

This was a common-sense vote in my opinion. The City of Marquette is extraordinarily lucky to have a publicly owned and operated electric utility, the Marquette Board of Light & Power (BLP). The BLP is the only electric utility in the City of Marquette, and provides electricity to the City and some surrounding areas. As a publicly-owned utility, the BLP is governed by an elected board that is accountable directly to the people of Marquette, and is able to keep rates lower than in the rest of the U.P. because they can provide electrical service at cost rather than maximizing profits or satisfying corporate shareholders. Indeed, as everything (including electricity) was getting more expensive virtually everywhere in the country, the BLP was able to cut electric rates last year. UPPCO (a private company) provides electricity to most of the U.P., and they had been supplying power to Marquette Range Coal Services Co. at the Upper Harbor for many years without a legally required City franchise agreement and without the City’s knowledge. In 2019, the City became aware of this, and UPPCO formally asked the City to approve a limited franchise agreement to allow them to continue offering this service. However, this would have gone against the principal that the BLP should be the sole provider of electricity in the City of Marquette, and would have set a dangerous precedent that could have threatened the future viability of the BLP as a publicly owned electric utility. I was also bothered by the fact that we would essentially be overlooking, and indeed rewarding, decades of breaking the rules on UPPCO’s part. As a result, I voted to reject the proposed franchise agreement with UPPCO.

June 13, 2022 Vote Explanations

Confirm Appointment of Dulcee Ranta as City Assessor: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a common-sense vote to appoint Dulcee Ranta as the new City Assessor. Our previous City Assessor resigned several months ago, and this is a critically important role, as the City Assessor determines the taxable value of all property in the City of Marquette (and thus plays a crucial role in determining how much property tax revenue the City will receive). Cities without fair, accurate, and up-to-date assessments are essentially shooting themselves (and their residents) in the foot. Thankfully, the City Manager appointed an extremely qualified candidate to fill this position – Dulcee Ranta has worked as an assessor for 18 years and in local government for 23 years, and is actually a State Tax Commission instructor who trains other assessors. We couldn’t ask for a better City Assessor, and I’m sure she will do a fantastic job.

Vacate Dead-End Portion of Center Street: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was another common-sense vote, in this case to vacate a dead-end block of Center St. next to the Superior Dome. NMU owns all of the adjacent properties, and would become responsible for the street and the former City right-of-way, potentially taking ownership of the property in the future as dictated by state law. There was no public opposition expressed at the meeting (a neighbor actually spoke in favor of the vacation), the Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Commission approve NMU’s vacation request, and this would save the City of Marquette a small amount of money by avoiding future maintenance costs for this portion of Center St. I voted Yes as a result.

June 15, 2022 Special Meeting Vote Explanations

Request Proposals for Low-Income/Workforce Housing Development at 600 W Spring Street: YES (Passed 5-1)

Amdt. to Require That Future Development Be Affordable Housing: YES (Passed 4-2)

The City received an unsolicited offer from the Beacon House to purchase a roughly 1-acre City-owned property located next to the new Beacon House facility, on the corner of Spring St. & 7^th St. The plans for the property were quite vague, but it seemed likely that the property would be primarily used for additional parking for the Beacon House facility. The property has been appraised at $128,000, which would likely be the negotiated sale price – if owned by the Beacon House (a tax-exempt nonprofit) it would have no taxable value. While the Beacon House is a wonderful charitable organization that provides an incredibly valuable service to our community, I did not feel that this was a desirable future use for this property, which is essentially an undeveloped sandlot with a few trees on it located along the bike path only one block from downtown Marquette, the new hospital, a grocery store, and a park.

The City Commission determined that this surplus City-owned property should be sold for future development, and Commissioner Stonehouse made a motion to deny the Beacon House’s purchase request and direct City staff to develop and publicize a Request for Proposals (RFP) to attract developers for the property. Given Marquette’s great need for both additional affordable housing and additional tax revenue, the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Housing Committee Final Report and the Community Master Plan that the City designate surplus City-owned properties for future affordable housing development, the fact that the property is in an extremely walkable location and adjacent to properties that are zoned for Multi-Family and Medium-Density Residential, and the recommendation of City staff that “from a planning perspective [600 W Spring St.] is a good location for a higher density workforce housing,” I offered an amendment to Commissioner Stonehouse’s motion that the RFP for this property should specifically require that it be used exclusively for “higher-density Low-Income or Workforce Housing as defined in the Community Master Plan and the Ad Hoc Housing Committee Final Report.” The AHHC Final Report and Community Master Plan define “low-income housing” as housing that is affordable for households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income (i.e., less than $35,000 per year) and “workforce housing” as housing that is affordable for households earning 80-120% of the Area Median Income (i.e., ~$35-55,000 per year).

Designating surplus municipal properties specifically for affordable housing development is a strategy used by many other communities facing housing affordability challenges, including peer communities like Traverse City, Midland, etc. – in fact, the Marquette County Land Bank has been involved in several affordable housing projects in the West End of Marquette County. Realistically, higher-density development could yield anywhere from 8 to 25 units even on a one-acre parcel like this one. With the hospital, the Beacon House, Snowberry Heights, and the Grandview Marquette low-income housing complex all located within a couple blocks of this property, this would not at all be inconsistent with existing land uses in this neighborhood. My amendment passed 4-2, with Commissioners Stonehouse and Davis opposed, although the motion as amended passed 5-1, with Commissioner Davis joining in support. I hope that the City will receive some promising offers to our RFP, and that this will be the first of several affordable housing developments on City-owned land in the coming years.

Deny Request to Sell City Property in Heartwood Forest: YES (Passed 6-0)

The City received another unsolicited offer from Curran & Company to purchase a large amount of property in the City-owned Heartwood Forest in south Marquette, with much of this property (and all of the property that Curran & Co. planned to develop) actually located south of the city line in Sands Twp. The entire property in question was located west of M-553, Marquette Mountain, the NTN South Trailhead, and Mr. Curran’s existing Rippling River Campground. The proposal was for an unspecified development on 20 acres at the south end of the Heartwood, with the remainder of the property (several dozen additional acres) to be placed into a permanent conservation easement. This area is undeveloped forestland which includes Morgan Falls and many miles of NTN non-motorized trails. The purchase offer was $100,000, and although no appraisal has been conducted for this property, that is certainly far less than the property is actually worth. Additionally, this portion of the Heartwood Forest has been designated for many years exclusively for conservation and recreation – only Heartwood Parcel 35 (i.e., Rippling River Campground) and the northernmost portions of the Heartwood were ever designated for future sale and development. The president of the NTN and other City residents who I spoke with also expressed valid concerns about the potential impact of this land sale on NTN trails, which are regularly used by thousands of Marquette residents and contribute to our local economy and quality of life. As a result, I voted to deny the sale request.

Deny Request to Sell City Property at Founders Landing for Hotel Development: YES (Passed 6-0)

The City received a request to purchase a roughly 4-acre City-owned property at Founders Landing which, like those mentioned above, was an unsolicited offer from a private buyer. The offer (for a price to be determined) was from Marquette Opportunity, LLC, the same firm which just developed the new Fairfield Inn at Founders Landing near the intersection of Lakeshore Blvd and S Front St. – their proposal was to build another hotel on the property. The request to purchase it and build another hotel on that property was denied on a 6-0 vote. The City needs to plan for the future of that property and get the best long-term future use out of it, and yet another lakefront hotel at Founders Landing does not meet a pressing community need. The total investment proposed by Marquette Opportunity, LLC was $12-14 million with no Brownfield Plan requested – assuming that the taxable value of the property would be similar to the total investment, this would likely equate to less than $200,000 in new tax revenue for the City. This is certainly not a small amount of revenue, but it is a small fraction of the City’s current $1.9 million budget deficit and roughly $20 million General Fund budget, and it is likely that a different form of development (for instance, medium-density housing or mixed residential and commercial) would yield a significantly higher property value per acre, and thus more tax revenue. Especially when we’re talking about our public lakeshore, we need to be proactive and thoughtful rather than reactive and short-sighted, and I am also certain that most Marquette residents would not have been in favor of accepting this offer. As a result, I voted to deny the sale request.

These are my vote explanations from the Monday, April 25, 2022 Marquette City Commission meeting. As always, please reach out to me with any questions at (906) 236-0247, [email protected], or on Facebook. You can watch the meeting HERE.

Switch to Mandatory Universal Recycling Cart System: NO (Passed 4-3)

This was a vote to accept two grants from EGLE and the Recycling Partnership (totaling $355,200) to fund a significant change to the City’s residential curbside recycling collection system. Under this new system, all residents will be required to use 64-gallon recycling carts (rather than their own smaller recycling bins), which will be provided for free to each household using grant funds. About half of City residents have already switched to the recycling carts, and they will no longer have to pay the small fee (less than $2/month) to use the carts. Several neighboring townships have already switched to a mandatory free recycling cart system, the grants did not require matching funds from the City, and this change is projected to significantly increase the City’s recycling rate and the total volume of recyclables produced by Marquette.

However, although I understood these potential benefits, I voted “No” for several reasons. First, many residents contacted me to express legitimate concerns about accessibility. For many seniors and people with disabilities who are able to bring a small recycling bin to the curb, it will likely be difficult or impossible to do the same with a heavy, cumbersome 64-gallon cart. It is possible for City residents with disabilities to call the Dept. of Public Works (DPW) to be placed on an “accessibility list” – people on this list may have their trash and recyclables collected from their door, garage, backyard, etc. However, based on the discussion in the meeting on Monday night, it was clear to me that it will likely not be possible for the City to provide this accommodation to everyone who needs it. On a related note, part of the justification for switching to a universal recycling cart system is that it will make curbside recycling collection much more efficient, but these efficiency gains will likely be partially negated by a large influx of residents signing up for the accessibility list, as it will take Waste Management employees much longer to collect recyclables from seniors and people with disabilities on this list (and again, there is a logistical limit to how many people can be on this list, regardless of the actual need for accessibility accommodations).

Second, I felt that the proposed universal recycling cart program was very inflexible – in order to comply with grant requirements, all City residents will be required to use 64-gallon carts regardless of actual need and with no option to use a smaller cart; there is no clear plan to make accommodations or exceptions for residents who genuinely do not have space to store a 64-gallon cart or who live in condo associations and HOAs that prohibit outdoor storage of refuse containers; and there is no way for City residents to decline to accept the cart and simply opt out of the curbside recycling program if they choose.

Finally, every single household living on every residential property containing 1-4 residential units will receive their own recycling cart, but this doesn’t really make any sense and seems to me to be an egregious waste of resources. For instance, I live in a fourplex with 8 other people, and in the more than 3 years that I have lived there, we have never once even come close to filling our two 64-gallon recycling carts in a week – in fact, we usually don’t even fill one. Yet under this new system, we will be required to accept four 64-gallon carts. This might make more sense if, as is the case in most communities with mandatory recycling cart systems, the City only collected recyclables once per month or every two weeks, but it doesn’t make any sense with weekly curbside recycling collection. Sure, these grants technically don’t cost the City anything directly, but that doesn’t make this new system any less wasteful.

All that being said, I certainly hope that I’m wrong, and that the new universal recycling cart program proves to be extremely successful. I’m not opposed to this policy in principle, and without all of the onerous requirements imposed by EGLE and the Recycling Partnership, I might have voted Yes. The new recycling carts will be delivered to Marquette residences in September or October.

Purchase Replacement Fire Truck: YES (Passed 6-1)

On Monday night I also voted to purchase a new Pierce fire truck to replace one of our two aging 2004 Pierce fire truck units. These trucks have served us well for many years, but they are nearing the end of their useful lives, and frankly the City has already delayed purchasing replacements for these trucks for years longer than it should have. As you can see in the images above, these trucks are not in good condition – they are experiencing severe frame corrosion issues (in many places the frame on these trucks is now thinner than the frame for a half-ton pickup truck), and many other components are also deteriorating and in need of repair or replacement. Our Motor Pool and Fire Dept. staff estimate that the risk of catastrophic failure of these trucks is now “very high,” and they expressed that it is a constant challenge just to keep them running. To make matters worse, there is a 22-month waiting list for new trucks, and the cost of new fire trucks is rising exponentially – if we did not order a new truck before May 1, the price would have gone up 7%, with a similar price increase later this year. At a time when the City is facing a structural budget deficit, a massive capital expense like a new fire truck is very difficult to bear. However, by ordering at least one new truck now, we can save hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, and we can also use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for the new truck. In total, the new fire truck will cost $829,000 – ARPA funds will cover 100% of this cost, avoiding any impact to the City budget and leaving over $1 million in remaining ARPA funds for the City to use in the future. The City will save up to $150,000 by ordering the truck before May 1, and another $40,000 by paying upon order rather than upon delivery. The new fire truck will also have significantly greater capabilities than the 2004 model it is replacing, and will have a 25-year expected lifespan (with a 25-year frame warranty) vs. 15 years for the 2004 model. Given the high risk of catastrophic failure and the human and financial risks that come with that, I did not feel that it would be responsible to delay the purchase of at least one new truck even further – after all, maintaining public safety needs to be our top priority as City Commissioners, the trucks have already outlasted their expected 15-year lifespans by several years (each truck has about 450,000 miles on it) and in the likely event that one of our fire trucks were to break down in the next two years we would be forced to order a new truck anyway, and at a much higher cost and in a position even further down the waiting list. That is why I voted Yes.

Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Week Proclamation: YES (Passed 7-0)

I voted in favor of a City proclamation recognizing April 29-May 5 as Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Week in the City of Marquette. Marquette is located on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabe Three Fires Confederacy and is home to hundreds of Indigenous women, and Indigenous women are murdered at a rate nearly 10 times the national average and are far more likely to be victims of violence, sexual assault, kidnapping, and human trafficking. It is incredibly important that we shed light on this often-overlooked crisis, and while this proclamation is admittedly a very small step, it will hopefully at least raise awareness of the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the U.P. and the rest of North America, and encourage further study and concrete action to address the systemic root causes of widespread violence against Indigenous women and girls.

Marquette Symphony Orchestra 25^th Anniversary Proclamation: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a proclamation recognizing the 25^th anniversary of the Marquette Symphony Orchestra and acknowledged the MSO’s incredibly valuable contributions to the Marquette community. I feel that the MSO is a wonderful community asset which I hope we can all enjoy for another 25 years and more, and I happily voted Yes.

Here are my explanations for all of the substantive votes I took on the City Commission in the month of March 2022, and the one vote I took at the City Commission meeting on April 11, 2022. My apologies for taking several weeks to upload the March vote explanations – I normally try to post public vote explanations online within one week of the City Commission meeting in question, but sometimes life, school, and work get in the way, and the past several weeks have been very busy for me in all three of those departments. I hope you understand, and I will post my vote explanations for the April 25 City Commission meeting in the normal timely fashion. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns – you can call/text me at (906) 236-0247 or email me at [email protected]. Here are the video recordings of both City Commission meetings:

March 14, 2022 Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPTRgu0mRbw

March 28, 2022 Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6KSnywb53U

April 11, 2022 Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVXC46eVkhs

March 14, 2022 Vote Explanations

Create City Commission Fmr. Hospital Redevelopment Subcommittee: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a motion authorizing the Mayor to appoint 3 City Commissioners to a subcommittee which will act as observers while the NMU Foundation reviews proposals and selects a master developer for the former hospital property in central Marquette. The subcommittee will serve in a non-voting, advisory capacity to both the NMU Foundation and City Commission throughout this process, although it is important to reiterate that the NMU Foundation will need majority support from the full City Commission to obtain a Brownfield Plan, which will be necessary to make any redevelopment of the former hospital property financially viable. I voted Yes to provide City Commission oversight over this process, and Mayor Smith appointed herself, Mayor Pro Tem Mayer, and Commissioner Davis to the subcommittee.

Kids Cove Playground Budget Amdt.: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a minor amendment to the current City budget. First, it is important to note that this budget amendment did NOT increase the City of Marquette’s spending on the new Kids Cove playground at Lower Harbor Park – in fact, the new universally accessible playground will still be completed without spending any City taxpayer dollars. Essentially, due to design revisions and cost increases, the City Commission was asked to raise the budget for the Kids Cove Playground to $1.5 million, up from $1 million. Marquette Playgrounds for All, a local nonprofit, has already raised the $300,000 match for the $300,000 grant the City obtained to fund this project, and they are well on their way to raising the remaining funds from private donors. We are still planning to begin construction this summer. This budget amendment was necessary to achieve our vision for this amazing new playground, and it has essentially zero actual impact on the City budget, so I voted Yes.

MiNextCities Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): YES (Passed 7-0)

This is an agreement between the City of Marquette and the MiNextCities Program. MiNextCities is working on a roadmap for small to mid-size cities like Marquette to help make Michigan a leader in the deployment of “smart city” policies, capturing the benefits of next-generation smart energy and mobility solutions. This does not cost the City anything, and over the next 3 years MiNextCities will identify local energy solutions backed by research, policy, and urban planning to benefit Marquette residents. Marquette has been selected to serve as a test case to help create a roadmap for other small cities in Michigan, and there is no cost for us to participate. This will also help us achieve our goal of reducing the City’s carbon emissions to zero by 2050, and yield other benefits like helping our government operate more efficiently. This is a very low-risk, high-reward opportunity which doesn’t cost a single taxpayer dollar, and I felt this was a common-sense Yes vote.

March 28, 2022 Vote Explanations

Appoint New Chief of Police & Harbor Master: YES (Passed 7-0)

Our former Police Chief Blake Reiboldt retired after a lifetime of service to the City of Marquette, and after honoring his impressive service and achievements, we appointed Ryan Grim as Marquette’s next Chief of Police & Harbor Master. Chief Grim has 20 years of experience in law enforcement, and is a truly exemplary officer and leader in Marquette Police Department. I am extremely happy for him and his family, and I gladly voted to confirm his appointment.

Amend WM Solid Waste Collection Contract, Switch to Garbage Tag System: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was an amendment to our contract with Waste Management (WM) which will allow us to switch to a tag/sticker system for trash collection, discontinuing the green City garbage bags. Now City residents can use their own trash bags, and must purchase tags or stickers at the same location where green City garbage bags were previously sold. The tag/sticker system is already used by most other municipalities in Marquette County, will be more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable than the bag system, will resolve major supply chain issues that have led to repeated City garbage bag shortages, and will also save residents money, with the tags/stickers costing $1.35 each versus $1.50 for each green City garbage bag. This is a very sensible change and an elegant solution to the City garbage bag shortage issue, and I voted Yes as a result.

Adopt New Fire Safety Ordinances: Tabled (7-0)

This was a vote to consider ordinance amendments which would have adopted new versions of the NFPA Life Safety Code and NFPA Fire Code, known as “NFPA 1.” However, these changes were extremely complex, and my fellow City Commissioners and I did not feel that we had received enough information on the details and potential effects of these changes to cast an educated vote. We tabled the motion, and asked City staff to gather further information and report back to the City Commission in the near future with additional analysis and alternatives. I am confident that we will be able to adopt new codes which make much-needed updates to our City codes and keep all City residents safe no matter where they live and work, while also avoiding any excessive regulatory burdens that could further increase housing costs and discourage future development in Marquette.

Tourist Park Grant Application: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to apply for a grant to build a day use access road and parking area at Tourist Park. The grant would provide $250,000 in funding, and require $250,000 in matching funds – however, the entire match would be provided from the Tourist Park Enterprise Fund (which is intended solely to fund capital projects like this at Tourist Park), and would not require a single dollar from the City General Fund. The total cost of the project would be $500,000, and it would be completed in 2023. I felt that this was a very important and fiscally responsible project for Tourist Park, and I voted Yes.

Lions Lakeside Park Grant Application: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to apply for a grant on behalf of the Marquette Lions Club, who have adopted Lions Lakeside Park on South Front Street. Grant funds would be used to make accessibility improvements, enhance the view of Lake Superior, and interpret both the natural and cultural assets of the park. The grant would provide $110,000 in funding, with a $35,000 match provided by the Marquette Lions Club. As with the Kids Cove Playground, zero City funds will be used. As a result, I felt this was a great opportunity and a common-sense idea for our community, and I voted Yes. 

April 11, 2022 Vote Explanations

Amend Eagle Mine Trucking Corridor Agreement: YES (Passed 7-0)

In 2014, the City of Marquette negotiated a first-of-its-kind Trucking Corridor Agreement with Eagle Mine, LLC. This agreement established firm requirements that Eagle Mine compensate the City on an annual basis for the wear and tear on City infrastructure and other costs imposed by their large mine trucks which operate along a route that runs through the City from Hawley to Sugarloaf to Wright. This was a vote to amend the original Trucking Corridor Agreement to restructure the Eagle Mine’s payment schedule – now, the City will receive a $2.7 million up-front payment this year, with no annual payments from Eagle Mine in the 2022-23 & 2023-24 years as a result. Eagle Mine will then pay approximately $134,000 per year, or up to $621,000 in additional compensation, from 2025 to 2028. This is not reducing Eagle Mine’s obligations to the City – it is merely a restructuring of the payment schedule. It is important to reiterate that this agreement truly was one of the first of its kind, was the result of long, hard negotiations with Eagle Mine, and has served as a model for other communities looking to hold mining companies accountable for their disproportionate impacts on municipal infrastructure. These funds must actually be used for the repair and maintenance of City infrastructure along the Eagle Mine Trucking Corridor, but of course this does offset expenses that would otherwise have to come out of the regular City Budget. I felt that this was a fair agreement for the City, and I voted Yes.

Here are my vote explanations from the Monday, February 28, 2022 City Commission meeting. A detailed explanation of my vote on the proposed redevelopment of the former Marquette General Hospital property in central Marquette follows. As always, please reach out to me with any questions at (906) 236-0247, [email protected], or on Facebook. You can also watch the meeting video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjZ1Tiwc3nc

MOU w/ NMU Foundation on Fmr. Hospital Property Redevelopment: YES (Passed 7-0)

Amdt. to Require Employment of Local Trades Program Apprentices: YES (Passed 6-1)

This was a vote on a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, between the City and the NMU Foundation, which is a nonprofit entity that is NOT the same thing as Northern Michigan University. This MOU is a non-binding agreement which is the first step in the redevelopment of the former hospital property in central Marquette, which is currently owned by Duke LifePoint. Contrary to what some have claimed, this MOU did not include Duke LifePoint as a party, and NMU is not buying the former hospital property. The NMU Foundation is temporarily acquiring the property, assuming significant risk, so that they can work with the City to facilitate its future private redevelopment and return it to the tax rolls – it is NOT being purchased by NMU as many people seem to believe.

Again, this MOU is not a binding contract, and it does not commit the City Commission to approving a future Brownfield Plan. The City Commission and the public will be presented with a detailed, legally binding Brownfield Plan for this site in the next few weeks or months, and we will work with the NMU Foundation as they go through the process of public engagement and selecting a developer for the property. However, as the MOU explicitly states on page 3, “Any future binding contract between the parties [i.e., a Brownfield Plan] will require the approval by resolution of the Marquette City Commission and the City of Marquette Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.” This future Brownfield Plan will also include many more concrete details and firm commitments than this preliminary MOU.

This MOU does commit the NMU Foundation to ensuring that, at a minimum, the future master developer of the property builds a significant amount of “affordable and workforce housing as described in the City’s Ad Hoc Housing Committee Final Report.” That Final Report and its definitions of affordable and workforce housing were unanimously approved by the Housing Committee and the City Commission in 2021. I am 100% certain that myself and many of my fellow Commissioners will require more specific, firm affordable housing commitments from the developers and the Foundation before approving any future Brownfield Plan for this project. Thanks to an amendment offered by Mayor Pro Tem Mayer, the future master developer of the property will also have to employ apprentices in licensed local trades programs to help redevelop the site. I also hope that a provision can be included in the Brownfield Plan which requires that the developer pay prevailing wages to workers on this entire project – at the very least, the City has already committed to paying prevailing wages for all City components of the project.

I’ve heard some residents asking why a Brownfield Plan is necessary to redevelop this property; why the developer or the City can’t just pay for the demolition, renovation, and clean-up costs; or why the City can’t simply apply for some grants to cover those costs.

In fact, there are potentially millions of state and federal grant dollars that were partially dependent on the City approving this MOU last night. Duke LifePoint has also offered up $10 million to help with the redevelopment of the property once they transfer it to the NMU Foundation for a nominal price of $1.00. However, the reality is that the City could never hope to obtain enough funding from grants alone to cover the massive costs involved in revitalizing the former hospital property.

There is severe lead and asbestos contamination on the property, and it is also “functionally obsolete,” which qualifies it as a Brownfield site under state law. Most buildings on the property are in poor condition and would be extremely expensive to renovate – that is why the hospital relocated to a new location back in 2015, rather than renovate the existing facility. The demolition, renovation, & clean-up costs alone would exceed the entire annual City budget of around $20 million. For the same reason, no private developer could ever profitably redevelop this property without Brownfield Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to reimburse them for eligible expenses like clean-up, demolition, and infrastructure. In addition, grant funding will also probably be needed to help cover the huge costs involved.

The honest truth is that if we ever want to see the former hospital property redeveloped, private investment and a Brownfield Plan are going to be necessary – there is no getting around that fact, the numbers speak for themselves.

I have also heard other legitimate questions from City residents. Isn’t the City facing a budget deficit right now? Isn’t the City currently getting tax revenue from the old hospital property? Aren’t Brownfield Plans partially responsible for the City’s current budget deficit? The simple answer to all of these questions is yes, but we need to look at the details behind these simple answers before coming to premature and incorrect conclusions.

By delaying the point at which Brownfield redevelopments start paying property taxes into the City general fund, Brownfield Plans do play a role in the City’s structural budget deficit. Any observers of City politics in the past 2 years will know that I have voted against recent Brownfield Plans that I did not feel were in the best interests of City taxpayers and regular Marquette residents, and I have not been the only City Commissioner to do so.

However, the real problem is that the City hasn’t raised taxes in over a decade, while at the same time losing millions in tax revenue from the Presque Isle Power Plant closure and Tax Tribunal and “dark store loophole” appeals. The City Commission has not yet decided how to fill the $1.9 million hole that still remains in our budget even after last year’s budget cuts, and we do need more public input before making any final decisions. But the can has been kicked down the road long enough, and has landed in the current Commission’s lap. The choice we now face is between finding some form of new revenue until these Brownfield projects start paying taxes into the general fund, or making deep cuts to City services for the next decade or more. It is not legally possible for the City to just go back on past Brownfield Plans, as some residents have suggested – that would be an illegal violation of legally binding contracts.

And yes, the old hospital property currently generates about $150,000 in tax revenue for the City each year, but even ignoring other community benefits like affordable housing, new public spaces, and the huge long-term increase in tax revenue from redeveloping the property, the reality is that a Brownfield Plan would give the City over $4 million in new revenue to upgrade City infrastructure in that neighborhood, which is far more than the roughly $2.25 million we would otherwise get from that property over the next 15 years. We also need to consider that, if this property is not redeveloped soon, Duke LifePoint could (and probably would) simply cut their losses, relocate their on-site staff, and claim a property tax exemption, depriving the City of even the minimal tax revenue we currently receive from the former hospital property. Finally, after 15 years, the taxes generated from this property would be far, far greater than they are now – the total private investment in this property will be $160 million (NOT $650 million, as was inaccurately reported by local news media today). This investment is equal to about 12% of the entire City tax base (the total value of all private property in the City of Marquette was about $1.366 billion in 2020). That means taxes for all City residents could potentially be lowered in the future, while still providing enough revenue to balance the City budget, provide better City services, and maintain our City parks & infrastructure.

During public comment, some residents claimed that this MOU would potentially create additional legal liability for the City. These concerns stemmed from a clause in the MOU which states that the City could potentially acquire parts of the property from the NMU Foundation. However, this clause was referring to the potential (though certainly not guaranteed) use of the City of Marquette as a very short-term “pass-through” entity for parts of the former hospital property, in order to unlock potential benefits which require property to be publicly owned, like down payment assistance for low-income homeowners or certain grant funds for affordable housing or public spaces. This would NOT occur until after clean-up, demolition, and development was 100% complete, and would thus create zero liability for the City or City taxpayers. In any case, it is likely that the Marquette County Land Bank would be used as a “pass-through” entity for these purposes if necessary, rather than the City of Marquette itself.

There were also some concerns raised about a City commitment in the MOU to fund an environmental assessment of the site at a cost of $52,900 – money which one resident claimed “the City doesn’t have right now” due to the City’s budgetary issues. However, that $52,900 environmental assessment has actually already been completed, and was funded entirely by the Local Brownfield Revolving Fund, a separate, relatively small fund which is directly controlled by the Marquette Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, not the City Commission. The Brownfield Revolving Fund is intended to be used specifically for expenses like this environmental assessment, and it cannot simply be “raided” by the City Commission to subsidize the City budget. No general City taxpayer dollars were spent on that environmental assessment.

As I mentioned before, I have voted against Brownfield Plans that I felt were not in the best interest of our community. However, when looking at all the facts, I have found no convincing argument that this project, as currently proposed, would not be fiscally responsible or that it would not benefit the local neighborhood and regular Marquette residents & taxpayers. To summarize:

– This project would dramatically increase City tax revenue in the long run, potentially enabling future tax cuts & improvements to City services, facilities, and infrastructure, and in the short run it would also provide millions of dollars for City infrastructure improvements in the vicinity of the former hospital property.

– It would, at a minimum, produce a significant amount of affordable and workforce housing, which is an urgent community need in Marquette, and would also potentially include other community benefits like new public spaces, senior housing, childcare, and new economic opportunities.

– Rather than “ruining the community” or negatively impacting the local neighborhood, this project would do the opposite – it would meet numerous community needs and improve local property values. Passing up this unique opportunity, and instead letting the old hospital continue to sit vacant and crumble into a blighted eyesore in the heart of Marquette, would actually ruin our community and actually reduce property values in the surrounding neighborhood.

We still need to gather more public input and hold the NMU Foundation and the future developers of the property accountable to their commitments. And as was stated multiple times at the meeting last night, this MOU is just the first step in the process and doesn’t commit the City to anything. But if done correctly, it is clear that this project would be a truly once-in-a-generation opportunity that benefits all Marquette residents, and I see no reason why the City Commission should oppose it if the commitments in this MOU are genuinely met. That is why I voted Yes on this MOU, and why I’m committed to making sure this project is done correctly and with plenty of public input.

If you have questions, concerns, or ideas about the former hospital redevelopment, please come to a future City Commission meeting or one of the future public input sessions that will be hosted by the NMU Foundation, or reach out to me directly at (906) 236-0247 or [email protected]. I want to hear from you so I can make the best decisions possible for Marquette.

Place Iron Ore Heritage Trail Millage Renewal on August 2022 Ballot: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a common-sense Yes vote for me, in which the Commission merely voted to renew the existing Iron Ore Heritage Trail millage, and place that millage renewal on the August 2022 ballot for the approval of City voters. This is a millage renewal, so it will not raise anyone’s taxes, and it will support the incredible regional recreational asset that is the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. I would urge all City residents to join me in voting Yes on this millage in August!

February 14, 2022 Vote Explanations

First, it’s worth mentioning that this meeting was preceded by a special City Commission meeting on the potential redevelopment of the old hospital property in central Marquette – no votes were taken at that special meeting, it was merely a public informational session and discussion by the City Commission. I will make another post soon with a much more detailed discussion of the future of the old hospital property, but in short, the City is working with the NMU Foundation to craft a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) soliciting a master developer for the property and a City Commission resolution in support of the NMU Foundation’s efforts to facilitate the redevelopment of this 23-acre vacant site. This will almost certainly require a sizeable Brownfield Plan from the City, which would be paid off over a period of about 15 years. However, I am optimistic and excited about this proposed project. While many more details still need to be worked out and we need a lot more public input before voting on a Brownfield Plan, at this early stage it seems that the redevelopment of the old hospital would not only grow the City tax base and revitalize a large abandoned property which will otherwise become a blighted eyesore in the heart of Marquette, it would also meet urgent community needs for more affordable housing, lead to the creation of new public spaces, grow the local economy, and provide more than $4 million for much-needed City infrastructure repairs in that neighborhood (much more than the total of $2.5 million in cumulative tax revenue that the City would lose over the 15-year lifetime of the Brownfield Plan). More details and opportunities for public input will be coming soon, and please reach out to me at (906) 236-0247 or [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns in the meantime.

Support Marquette County Collaborative for Recovery & Homelessness: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote on a letter of support from the City Commission for the Marquette County Collaborative for Recovery and Homelessness. The Collaborative is a newly formed coalition of the Great Lakes Recovery Centers (GLRC), Room at the Inn (RATI), and the Janzen House. They are applying for a major state grant to complete three large projects that would meet urgent community needs: 1) Consolidate and expand GLRC recovery and rehabilitation services at a single county-wide facility, 2) Relocate the RATI homeless shelter to a larger facility to meet the growing needs of people experiencing homelessness in Marquette, and 3) Renovate the Janzen House (a 120 year-old building in need of repairs) and expand its capacity by 3-5 beds. Homelessness and substance use are serious and growing problems in Marquette, the U.P., and the rest of the United States, and while none of these projects will solve these problems entirely or meet the needs of every single person struggling with homelessness or addiction in Marquette, receiving this state funding would truly be a game changer for the most vulnerable members of our community. Moreover, none of these projects would cost the City a dime. I wholeheartedly support the Collaborative’s efforts, and I happily voted Yes along with my colleagues.

Ore Dock Brewing Co. Brownfield Plan: YES (Passed 7-0)

Amendment to Remove 5-Year Revolving Fund Tax Capture: YES (Passed 6-1)

This was a vote on a small Brownfield Plan to help revitalize two blighted properties in downtown Marquette and facilitate the expansion of a local small business, the Ore Dock Brewing Company. The owners of the Ore Dock purchased a blighted building next door to their place of business last year, and bought a small adjacent property from the City in August 2021. The vacant building has been an eyesore in the heart of our downtown for many years, and in addition to being unable to be developed or reused for conceivably any other purpose, the former City-owned parcel (the former site of a railroad track) is heavily contaminated with mercury and lead. The owners of the Ore Dock want to demolish the blighted building, clean up the contamination on the property, and use the land to develop a beer garden and expand their current building footprint and brewing capacity. Their total private investment will be $1.5 million, and they will continue paying their current level of taxes on the property. Of this $1.5 million investment, this Brownfield Plan will allow the Ore Dock to be reimbursed for up to $871,000 in “eligible activities” that they would otherwise be unable to complete profitably – these include demolition of the blighted building, environmental assessment and clean-up, lead and asbestos abatement, and infrastructure improvements. The amount to be reimbursed (and the length of the Brownfield Plan) could be reduced considerably if the Ore Dock receives one or more grants that they have applied for to assist with this project. An extension of the City bike path will also be funded through the Brownfield Plan, connecting the Iron Ore Heritage Trail (which currently ends at Marquette Commons) with the Rosewood Walkway and the Lake Superior waterfront.

The funds for this reimbursement will come from the marginal increase in property taxes paid on this property. This Brownfield Plan will have zero budgetary impact on the City (all new property tax revenue in the downtown district is captured by the DDA anyway) and has also been approved by the State of Michigan, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), and the Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA). Before voting, the City Commission approved an amendment that cut out 5 years of tax capture for the Local Brownfield Revolving Fund, thereby shortening the length of the Brownfield Plan from 26 years to 21 years and reducing the total tax capture to less than $1 million – I voted Yes, and only Commissioner Hill voted No. The City Commission then unanimously approved the Brownfield Plan as amended, and despite some initial concerns, in the end I happily voted Yes. I am confident that this will prove to be a positive, impactful, and fiscally responsible move for the City of Marquette and our beautiful downtown district.

Rezone City Property on N McClellan Ave. to Conservation/Recreation: YES (Passed 7-0)

In response to a desire (and two signed petitions) from neighboring residents that the City follow through on promises made by a previous City Commission to preserve the City-owned properties on North McClellan Avenue for conservation and public recreation, the City Commission considered a motion to begin the process of rezoning this property from its current zoning status of “Municipal” to “Conservation/Recreation.” This is the same zoning designation that applies to City parks and several other green spaces in the City limits, and the property is currently a mix of wetlands and woodlands which contains several unofficial trails and is used by residents for recreational purposes, as well as being home to several large, old trees and a wide range of wildlife. Some residents had expressed a desire for a permanent conservation easement on this property, but while that is a possibility in the future, it would take considerable time and require careful planning and consideration – the creation of a conservation and recreation easement for 578 acres of the Heartwood Forest, for example, followed the rezoning of that property for Conservation/Recreation and years of discussions and planning. This rezoning in no way prevents a future conservation/recreation easement, and it is a simple step that is in line with our current Master Plan and which we can take right now to protect this land for future generations of City residents.

Create DDA Citizens Council: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to create a Downtown Development Area Citizens Council to discuss and plan for the potential creation of a new DDA Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district for the Third Street Corridor. Although Third Street is officially part of the DDA district, when the DDA expanded there in 2011, it did not extend its existing downtown TIF district to cover Third Street. The DDA, which relies mostly on local TIF revenue to support its budget, currently provides many services to Third Street. However, this essentially amounts to a subsidization of the Third Street Corridor by businesses in the rest of downtown which already pay taxes to support the DDA – all marginal increases in local property tax revenue in the existing DDA TIF district have gone to the DDA since 1992, with City general fund tax revenue from this downtown district essentially frozen at 1992 levels. This is not true of the Third Street Corridor, which pays property taxes to the City general fund at the same rate as any other part of town, and does not pay to support the DDA. This is obviously a problem for the DDA, which needs to complete several major capital projects and continue to provide numerous services to downtown Marquette in the coming years. However, the creation of a DDA TIF district on Third Street, while having little fiscal impact at first, could potentially deprive the City of hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual tax revenue within a decade by essentially freezing the amount of local property tax revenue from Third Street going to the City general fund – any marginal increase in tax revenue would instead go to the DDA. That being said, the DDA Citizens Council will merely be a group of residents of the downtown district who will be tasked with studying the idea of a Third Street DDA TIF district and planning for how such an idea would work. Because this doesn’t commit the City to anything and public input is always valuable, I voted Yes to create this Citizens Council. However, I am very reluctant to limit future City tax revenue at a time when our Third Street Corridor is growing and the City is facing a major budget deficit – moving forward, I will eagerly await more detailed proposals from the DDA and the Citizens Council, and make the best financial decision for the City as a whole.

January 31, 2022 Vote Explanations

Approve Fire Truck Maintenance Agreement with Powell Twp: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a common-sense Yes vote to approve an agreement with Powell Township to use City personnel and equipment to help maintain their fire response vehicles. This actually makes the City money, and because our DPW has specialized equipment and skills that many small local governments lack, we already have virtually identical agreements in place with Marquette and Chocolay Townships.

Purchase New Municipal Tractor: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was a vote to purchase a new specialized tractor for the City DPW. Some other City Commissioners and I were initially skeptical of this purchase due to its high price tag of $170,000, given that the City has already implemented significant cuts in the current FY 2022 budget and is still looking at a nearly $2 million structural deficit for FY 2023. However, City staff explained that this was the lowest bid that the City had received which met our specifications (which included various technical capabilities and the ability to operate in all weather conditions), and that it made sense to purchase this particular tractor for two additional reasons: 1) The old tractor that it would be replacing was no longer being serviced by its manufacturer, and it had become impossible to find replacement parts for this older model, and 2) the City already owned an identical tractor (the DPW maintains two municipal tractors in its motor pool), making maintenance much easier and more cost-effective because both tractors would now have interchangeable parts. It still pained me to spend this much on a tractor, but upon further review I learned that it had come in $30,000 under budget, and I found the arguments of our DPW staff to be convincing enough that I was willing to vote Yes.

Schedule Public Hearing for Ore Dock Brewing Co. Brownfield Plan: YES (Passed 7-0)

This was simply a routine vote to schedule a public hearing for the February 14, 2022 City Commission meeting on the Brownfield Plan discussed above.