2026-10-06 - Committee on Appointments

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23:50>> Good morning everyone. The time is now

23:518:30 and we can go ahead and call our

23:52fiscal committee meeting to order.

23:55First up is a resolution approving an

23:57agreement with the Michigan Green

23:59Building Collaboration Collaborative to

24:01accept $210,99

24:03in funding for the Office of

24:05Sustainability to hire a full-time staff

24:07member. [snorts]

24:08Do

24:08>> you have a motion?

24:09>> So moved.

24:10>> Support.

24:10>> Moved and supported. Miss Wilkinson.

24:12>> Thank you. Good morning, commissioners.

24:14>> Good morning. It's a resolution

24:15approving agreement with the Michigan

24:16Green Building Collaborative, formerly

24:18known as the US Green Building Council

24:19of West Michigan, to accept funding for

24:21the Office of Sustainability to hire a

24:23staff person. The Michigan Green

24:25Building Collaborative accepted grant

24:27dollars from the WGI Foundation on

24:28behalf of our EH0 initiative, equitable,

24:31healthy, and zero-carbon buildings, uh

24:33joint partnership with the Michigan

24:34Green Building Collaborative, and the

24:36Urban Core Collective to address

24:37decarbonization of both our commercial

24:39and our residential building sector.

24:42This staff person, a commercial

24:43sustainability specialist, will help

24:44support our business community as well

24:46as help us increase capacity to address

24:49our buildings and industry chapter of

24:50our climate action and adaptation plan.

24:53>> Thank you so much for the overview

24:54questions, Commissioner.

24:57>> Well, just a comment. Thank you, Miss

24:59Miss Wilkinson, uh, for your work on

25:00this. I really appreciate it. I think

25:02it's uh an awesome opportunity for the

25:05community to see that this is not a city

25:07investment uh that we are getting uh

25:09outside investments for this work and

25:11working with community partners with no

25:14undue stress on homeowners, business

25:16owners uh versus you know it's uh

25:20funding an outside funding source. So

25:22very happy to see that and further shows

25:24that you know there's no penalties for

25:27the climate action adaptation plan and

25:29our office is finding very innovative

25:31ways to do this work. So thank you for

25:34that.

25:34>> Thank you commissioner.

25:36>> Yes, commissioner.

25:37>> I just want to say thank you for your

25:39hard work. I'm really excited to see

25:40that we're adding to our staff. I agree

25:42with my colleague on the funding

25:44mechanisms and all that, but I think

25:46that your department is incredibly vital

25:48for what we're doing as a city and as a

25:50community and so any time we can be, you

25:53know, supporting the work of our climate

25:55action plan or our sustainability work

25:58or all these things, I really appreciate

25:59it. So, thank you. Thank you,

26:01Commissioner.

26:02>> Thank you so much. And I'll just say I

26:04echo my those comments. All those in

26:06favor?

26:07>> I I

26:07>> Any opposed? Item carries. Thanks so

26:09much. Um, item number two is a

26:11resolution executing a $70,000 agreement

26:14with Seaffort PR and carbon stories to

26:16create a colleges possible PR marketing

26:18and community engagement campaign for um

26:21OC's two college through college

26:23initiative and accepting a dumination by

26:25Matt Richenhal. Do you have a motion?

26:28>> So moved.

26:28>> Support and supported. Miss Harris,

26:30>> good morning. Good morning. So, as you

26:32mentioned, our community's children

26:33manages the two college leadership

26:36council as well as the T2C studio Grand

26:38Rapid Center for College Success. And

26:40we've never had a project quite like

26:41this before. Uh with this project, we

26:44will partner with Seafford PR who will

26:45also subcontract with uh Carbon Stories

26:47to produce a colleges possible PR

26:50marketing and scholar engagement

26:52campaign. And so, our target audience is

26:54GRPS scholars and families. And we want

26:56to drive home the absolute fact that

26:59college degree attainment is still

27:01relevant and achievable with a village

27:03which can include our TOC studio. And so

27:05we'll be leaning on storytelling uh

27:08leaving a digital footprint uh

27:10affordability

27:11uh and really talking about the return

27:13on uh investment and so this is our

27:16project and we're excited to get

27:18started.

27:20>> Great. Congratulations. Thank you for

27:22overview. Colleagues questions

27:23commissioner.

27:24>> Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh thank

27:26you, Miss Harris, uh for your work on

27:27this. Um I agree it is very uh important

27:30in today's times to continue uh

27:33highlighting different avenues of

27:35education. I'm also very thankful to I

27:38believe I don't know if they call them

27:39trustees, but I know Mr. Richenth uh

27:42Hall is a part of the East Grand Rapids

27:44School Board. Uh so I'm really thankful

27:46once again for the community showing

27:48support. I think we are quite

27:50resourcerich in this county and is

27:52wonderful to see such collaboration. So

27:54very happy to support this as well.

27:56>> Thanks.

27:59>> All right. Um hearing no uh no nobody

28:01else. All those in favor?

28:03>> I.

28:03>> Any opposed? Item carries. Thanks so

28:06much. Next is a resolution authorizing a

28:08budget substitution of $115,000 for

28:11Cesar Chavez Hall to 10 half

28:13construction. Uh Miss Irving is uh you

28:16can take this one, Molly.

28:18>> I guess I can. Okay. [laughter]

28:19>> Oh, I'm sorry.

28:21>> Yes.

28:23No, I'm happy to happy to pinch hit. Um,

28:25this is simply just moving. Um, you'll

28:28see you'll see in the I believe it's uh

28:31the second page of the document, you'll

28:33see the movement of the funds. Um,

28:35closing closing down a few capital

28:38projects to shift funding over over to

28:40this one. So, fairly simple budget

28:42substitution.

28:44>> Yes, I would agree with that. Um,

28:47any questions, colleagues? Okay. All

28:49those in favor?

28:50>> I. Any opposed?

28:52>> Thank you. Item carries. Thanks so much.

28:54Um, next is our item number four is our

28:57bid list resolution for October 6, 2026.

28:59Do you have a motion?

29:00>> So moved.

29:01>> Support.

29:02>> Miss Claren.

29:03>> Uh, just seven items today. All fairly

29:05routine. A couple extensions like route

29:08wear and image trend. But if there are

29:10any questions, myself or the departments

29:12here can answer.

29:14>> Thank you so much. Yep. Just a reminder

29:16that typically um this list has always

29:18been one that's larger and and and

29:21sometimes larger, sometimes not. Uh but

29:23that we don't necessarily go through

29:25each one, but certainly can overview

29:27anyone's colleagues that you have in

29:28full and as Miss Clarence said, can uh

29:30do an overview with department heads as

29:32well.

29:34Um sir, I see you're raising your hand,

29:36but right now is not a time for public

29:37comment, but we can connect after the

29:39meeting. Thank you so much. Um all

29:41right, so I'm going to call the

29:42question. All those in favor? I.

29:44>> Any opposed? Item carries. So that takes

29:48care of our business and we're going to

29:49move on to our comprollers warrant

29:51report for the period of September 8th,

29:522026 through September 21st, 2026 in the

29:56amount of 37,60,65757

30:01and our monthly travel report. Miss

30:03Kirkland.

30:04>> Good morning.

30:05>> Good morning.

30:05>> Um, as Oh, I'm sorry.

30:09>> Sorry about that.

30:10>> Hi. Um, as stated, as stated, the cash

30:14payments issued total 37 million

30:16including 6.2 million in payroll, 380

30:20for income tax warrants, [snorts] which

30:22included 42029

30:25income tax refunds and 1,241 accounts

30:28payable checks were issued. It's the

30:30warrant report for the time period.

30:32>> Thank you so much for that report.

30:33>> Thank you,

30:34>> madame deputy comproller. Um, any

30:36questions? That report is received and

30:39filed. And next and our last item for

30:41today is our treasures report for the

30:43period of September 9, 2026 through

30:45September 22nd, 2026. Mr. Treasurer,

30:48>> good morning, commissioners. With our

30:50report today, we did see again the 25

30:53basis point rate hike. Um what's

30:55happened since then though is the jobs

30:57reports come in has been very favorable

30:59to where it's actually pushing um

31:02general thought that we're going to hold

31:03those rates probably in October. We

31:05probably won't see an adjustment until

31:07maybe the last meeting of the year.

31:10The problem is though, every every week

31:12we get more data. Every week we get more

31:15global issues popping up. We get more

31:16local issues popping up. So, you know,

31:18it it's it's like I feel like a flag

31:21blowing in the wind. With each gust it

31:24changes and so that's what's really

31:26happening with the economics going on

31:28right now. Um, we still have a lot of

31:30unstable items. However, Grand Rapids is

31:32stable. We are stable. Our investment

31:35program is stable. We have $714 million

31:38invested at 3.44%.

31:41Um, where we see rates go up, that

31:43benefits our office because we just

31:45invested some of our reserve portfolio

31:47about $90 million. We're getting over 5%

31:50on that money. So, pushing it out um

31:53anywhere from 12 to 36 to 60 months is

31:58giving us a better return on our money.

32:00But then again, those are reserve funds

32:02that we know we don't need right now for

32:04liquid operations that have to be used

32:06right away. So, we're going to continue

32:08to analyze those different opportunities

32:10that happen as we have maturities come

32:12due and place that out on the yield

32:14curve so that we're setting ourselves up

32:16to have continued interest earnings for

32:19a good five years out. That's our policy

32:21as a average weighted return of or

32:23average weighted maturity of around five

32:25years. And so, we're going to actively

32:28look to do that. Um when we look at our

32:30other things that are there, you know,

32:33we have uh federal government is funded

32:35through December 11th. Um that might be

32:38something that becomes more

32:39controversial after we have our

32:40election. So just even though they're

32:43not in power yet or whoever the new

32:45elected officials are, that could come

32:47into play in after the new year. So

32:51really want to make sure that we're

32:53keeping our eyes and ears open for that

32:54because we are an entity that needs

32:58federal and state dollars to fund the

33:00programs that we have that are working.

33:01So we're looking at it just to make sure

33:04that there's no interruption in in any

33:06of those funding sources and then bring

33:08it to executives attention if we're

33:10seeing those things happen.

33:12>> Um we continue to see the fuel prices go

33:14down. This morning it was reported at

33:16$453 on average nationwide. So obviously

33:20it's for it's 46 cents lower than our

33:22high point. So hopefully we're going to

33:25continue to see that come down, but

33:26again it's tied to global issues or

33:29issues beyond our control. Um I did put

33:32a table into our our report today just

33:34to show you some of the things that we

33:36look at. Um for example, we've got a

33:38positive outlook on interest earnings

33:40because we're able to invest higher. the

33:43value of our investments is stable

33:44because we're invested in very um very

33:48secure US treasuries, US agencies,

33:50municipal bonds, things that have very

33:52very high ratings. Um we've got plenty

33:55of cash for daily operations. We're

33:57funding out into 2028 to cover payroll

34:00and debt service right now. So we're

34:02we're going out 18 months to make sure

34:04our normal large payments are funded. We

34:08the concern obviously is going to be

34:09fuel for our vehicles, construction

34:11projects, borrowing for major projects.

34:13Um we just have to really pay attention

34:15to to city revenue in case anything is

34:18impacted especially uh jobs. When we

34:21look at the national average

34:23unemployment is 5% but in West Michigan

34:27we're at 4 4.3

34:30our state is 4.3. We're around 4.1. We

34:33we have people that are employed and

34:35there are plenty of jobs out there right

34:36now. It's just I think what we battle

34:38with is finding people to fill those

34:40jobs and we see it as a as a

34:42municipality and we see it with the

34:44signs up as we're driving down the road.

34:46Um Gil staffing had 60 jobs immediate

34:50hire. I don't know if that's to draw

34:51people in or if that's you really have

34:53people there that you need to have fill

34:55roles, but um we always had that

34:58conversation since co about what's full

35:00employment look like. And we have a lot

35:02more people that are are accepting

35:03part-time employment. Uh and so a lot of

35:07two wagers and family might have one

35:08that's working full-time, one that's

35:10working part. So really focused on what

35:13the dynamic that's really going to

35:15happen in Grand Rapids and and when it's

35:18going to maybe feel like we're on a a

35:21more level secure area. I mean, our city

35:24is growing. It keeps growing. It's it's

35:27fabulous what we're doing. Um, again, I

35:30just think that as a as a region, we do

35:35an outstanding job and we focus on the

35:38issues that impact us and that that's

35:41critical for our operation and what we

35:42do. So, that's my report for today.

35:45>> Thank you so much. Questions for our

35:47treasur commissioner?

35:49>> Yeah, thank you for this. And um

35:51normally we don't have a lot of

35:53questions for you, but I do feel like,

35:56you know, with this overview that you've

35:58given um and we're looking at increased

36:00costs, pressures on our families, even

36:02with people moving here, there's housing

36:04pressure, things like that, and I'm

36:06thinking about the consumer price index

36:08and how that's already been going up. I

36:10wondered if you had any reflections um

36:12as you've been doing your forecasting. I

36:14know I I appreciate that you're thinking

36:15about payroll to 2028. Um but as we're

36:18thinking about costs increasing costs

36:21for city services and the increasing

36:23cost that uh and burdens that our um

36:26constituents are having um what what

36:29kinds of thoughts or process you know

36:31reflections do you have there?

36:32>> When I when I look at just simply the

36:35producer price index and also the

36:37manufacturers they're still growing

36:38right now. Their input costs are going

36:41up. So, their input costs are going to

36:43cascade down to us. Just like the

36:45cascading cost of transporting goods

36:48across the ocean, needing oil and diesel

36:51to move those products, the diesel for

36:53our trucks, you know, you look at the

36:55Myers truck driving down the highway

36:57with the blueberry sign on the side, it

36:59it's costing them much more to get that

37:02to us. And grocerers are extremely

37:05costconscious because their margins are

37:07so small. So, that's where we're going

37:09to see that. So, as as we see the

37:12consumer price index continue to stay

37:14elevated,

37:16obviously the Fed wants to see that

37:18ratchet down to around 2%. Again, you're

37:21you're over a full percentage point

37:23higher. So, the only way that they're

37:25going to try to ratchet that down is

37:27going to be to turn up the federal funds

37:30rate. So, to increase it from 3.75 to

37:324.0 and go beyond that to try to push

37:36that down. The jobs reports aren't

37:38helping them. So the the question is

37:40going to be what they only have they

37:42only have one tool. The Fed only has one

37:44tool in their toolbox to use and that's

37:46the screwdriver to turn up and turn down

37:48interest rates.

37:51>> Thank you. All right. With that, that

37:53report is received and filed and we're

37:55adjourned at 8:44. Thank you.

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39:56>> Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,

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55:41Hey. Hey. Hey.

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55:59>> Heat. Heat.

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1:08:40>> Morning everyone. We are going to get

1:08:41the community development committee

1:08:43meeting started.

1:08:46Oh, we're missing one.

1:08:48>> We're not going to get started yet.

1:08:50>> I'll go get her.

1:08:51>> She's here somewhere.

1:09:03>> Apologies. I was one second on the dot.

1:09:07Okay. Hey, item number one this morning

1:09:09is a resolution approving a fireworks

1:09:11discharge permit for er laser products

1:09:13for special effects at Van Andal Arena

1:09:15in connection with the Bring Me the

1:09:17Horizon Tour 2026 on October 8, 2026.

1:09:21Motion

1:09:21>> support.

1:09:22>> Thank you. Good morning.

1:09:24>> Morning.

1:09:25>> Anything [clears throat] to add?

1:09:27>> Uh not really. It's standard. I got some

1:09:29handheld stuff and more flames than

1:09:32normal.

1:09:34>> Right. Seeing no questions. All in

1:09:36favor? I.

1:09:38>> Any oppose? Motion carries.

1:09:40>> Have a good day.

1:09:40>> Thank you. Enjoy the concert.

1:09:43>> Item number two is a resolution setting

1:09:45October 27th, 2026 as the date to

1:09:48consider an ordinance reszoning a

1:09:50portion of 834 Livingston Avenue

1:09:53Northeast from special district open

1:09:55space zone district to the to the

1:09:58traditional neighborhood lowdensity

1:10:00residential zone district.

1:10:02>> Supported.

1:10:04Who is that? Would be me.

1:10:06>> Good morning. Good morning. Um, so this

1:10:09should seem somewhat familiar in that a

1:10:11couple of meetings ago, the city

1:10:13commission was asked to consider the

1:10:15sale of a portion of formal what what is

1:10:18currently 836.

1:10:21Yep. 836 uh Livingston Avenue. Um, and

1:10:24the uh sale included the split of the

1:10:27southern portion of that. Um, the

1:10:30southern portion is now uh addressed as

1:10:32834 Livingston. Hence the memo

1:10:35references 834. Um that southern uh

1:10:38parcel would actually currently be in a

1:10:41what's we call a split zoning meaning it

1:10:42has two different zoning designations.

1:10:44Uh LDR on the southern half of the

1:10:47portion of 834 and NOS excuse me OS um

1:10:52on the northern portion of the 834. Um

1:10:56so this uh request is to reszone that

1:10:59northern half of 834. Um that will then

1:11:03allow for the 834 parcel to be combined

1:11:06with the quite avenue parcels. Um that

1:11:09then would then that then would

1:11:11facilitate a 12-unit multifamily

1:11:13development that would be up for

1:11:15consideration by the uh city planning

1:11:17commission. Uh Greg Mets is here from

1:11:19the development team. If there's any

1:11:21additional questions that um I can't

1:11:23answer um and if there's any questions

1:11:25for me, please let me know. me.

1:11:28Commissioner Belshack,

1:11:29>> I'm just curious and with your planning

1:11:31expertise, um the move from low from

1:11:35open space to low density, why are we

1:11:37not considering a higher density or is

1:11:40that just not needed in this

1:11:41neighborhood?

1:11:41>> Um in this particular case, the LDR is

1:11:44what is immediately surrounding. So,

1:11:46it's consistent with the existing

1:11:48pattern of development for the

1:11:49neighborhood. Uh the proposed zone

1:11:51district does facilitate uh the project

1:11:54as it's currently proposed. And so, um,

1:11:57having a zone district that would be

1:12:00different than what is surrounding it

1:12:02would be a little bit more challenging,

1:12:04um, in terms of, uh, comporting with

1:12:06the, uh, community master plan. So,

1:12:08there was a variety of reasons that went

1:12:10into that recommendation, um, and

1:12:12ultimately the lowdensity residential

1:12:15facilitated the project and made easy

1:12:18sense for what's happening around it.

1:12:20That's helpful because I think for some

1:12:21people in a neighborhood, especially if

1:12:23they're used to single family homes, uh,

1:12:25a 12-unit development doesn't feel like

1:12:27low density. It feels like a higher

1:12:28density. So, it's it's good to know that

1:12:30this project is still fits within that

1:12:32definition for you.

1:12:33>> Yeah, we've we've worked really hard to

1:12:35try to communicate that low density

1:12:37residential is not the same thing as

1:12:39single family residential. So all of our

1:12:41residential zone districts since 2008

1:12:44have facilitated all types of housing,

1:12:47not necessarily uh every density, but

1:12:49all housing types in each neighborhood.

1:12:52And so 12 units um you're right, some I

1:12:55think that that's a uh perspective of

1:12:57whether or not you'd consider 12 units

1:12:59to be low density. Um per the ordinance

1:13:02in the community master plan, it is.

1:13:05>> Thank you.

1:13:07See nothing further. I'll call the

1:13:09question. All in favor? I. Any opposed?

1:13:11Motion carries. Item three is a

1:13:13resolution setting October 27th, 2026 as

1:13:16a date to consider an ordinance

1:13:18reszoning 1951 Fuller Avenue Northeast

1:13:21from the mid 20th century neighborhood

1:13:24commercial and mid 20th century

1:13:25neighborhood lowdensity residential zone

1:13:27districts to the mid 20th century

1:13:29neighborhood mixed density residential

1:13:31zone district.

1:13:32>> So move

1:13:33>> support. Thank you.

1:13:35Thank you. So if it's okay, I will

1:13:37combine my comments and presentation for

1:13:39the next two items as they are uh

1:13:42related. Uh the first item is focused on

1:13:45the uh privately controlled parcel at

1:13:471951 Fuller and as stated it would

1:13:50request uh reszone the property uh from

1:13:53LD uh from mid-century uh commercial uh

1:13:57to the mixed density residential which

1:14:00is a higher residential density. Um,

1:14:03also as part of this request, the second

1:14:06item uh should look familiar. Again,

1:14:08previous uh commission item was to

1:14:10consider the sale of the cityowned

1:14:12property or portion of the city-owned

1:14:14property, which is 1911 Fuller Avenue,

1:14:17uh, which is the, uh, water tower

1:14:19property. Um, and so, uh, city

1:14:22commission agreed to the sale of the

1:14:24northern portion of 1911. So, the

1:14:27proposed items reszone though the city

1:14:31controlled or previously what was city

1:14:32controlled property and the 1951

1:14:36fuller um and allowed for would allow

1:14:39for it to be in a single unified zone

1:14:41district which is mixed density

1:14:43residential ultimately facilitating a

1:14:46multifamily development at that

1:14:47location. Um I will note that I've met

1:14:50with um various development teams over

1:14:53the past few years um and it has been an

1:14:56inherently challenging site um to be

1:14:58able to zone it or excuse me develop it

1:15:00under either the current dimensions or

1:15:02the current zoning designation. And so

1:15:05having that mixed density residential

1:15:07zone district classification gives us a

1:15:09lot more flexibility in terms of uh the

1:15:11density making the development work from

1:15:14a site design perspective. Um, and so

1:15:16this for me has been years in the

1:15:18making. Um, and so it's it's nice to see

1:15:21the developments come to fruition. Uh,

1:15:23Jeff Edwards is here from the

1:15:24development team. Uh, if there's any

1:15:26additional uh, questions from the

1:15:28commission that you'd like to direct uh,

1:15:30towards the development team. Otherwise,

1:15:31I'm happy to answer and I failed to

1:15:33mention that the planning commission did

1:15:35recommend uh, approval of the reszone.

1:15:37Sorry about that.

1:15:38>> Thank you. No questions. Uh,

1:15:40Commissioner Knight,

1:15:42>> it's great to see all this development

1:15:44happening. Huh?

1:15:48It's great to see all of this happening

1:15:50over in the second ward where we're uh

1:15:52creating more opportunities for housing.

1:15:54Um just wondering if if there's because

1:15:58this is just residential, is there any

1:16:00opportunities for there to be um

1:16:03business mixed in there because I know

1:16:05that that's right almost by nap correct

1:16:09if I'm um

1:16:11>> thinking correctly. Yes, it is just um a

1:16:15parcel south of NAP. You're correct.

1:16:18>> Um

1:16:19>> so I know that you have the gas station

1:16:20right there on the corner and then

1:16:22there's a couple of um small businesses

1:16:24in that space right there, but just just

1:16:26thinking about and then right around the

1:16:28corner there's more businesses over

1:16:29there.

1:16:30>> Yeah.

1:16:30>> So just

1:16:31>> so the proposed zoning designation would

1:16:33not facilitate a uh mixeduse development

1:16:36or commercial development. I will note

1:16:38that the majority of 1951

1:16:42uh Fuller, which is that large northern

1:16:45swath, has been in the commercial zone

1:16:47designation since probably 2008. Um, and

1:16:52nothing has come to fruition. What that

1:16:54would suggest to me at least is um it's

1:16:57a little bit challenging with the

1:16:58topography and the size of the parcel.

1:17:00Um, and the market isn't there to

1:17:02support a commercial development at that

1:17:05location. Um certainly I'm sure Jeff

1:17:07Edwards could further comment on that

1:17:10but um I think that they've made an

1:17:12intentional decision to look at mixed

1:17:15dens excuse me multif family residential

1:17:17because of what the market is supporting

1:17:19um and in this particular case not

1:17:22commercial.

1:17:24>> Thank you.

1:17:24>> Thank you.

1:17:25>> Seeing no further questions I will call

1:17:27the question. All in favor?

1:17:29>> I. Any oppose? Motion carries. Item

1:17:32number four is a resolution setting

1:17:35October 27th, 2026 as the date to

1:17:37consider an ordinance reszoning a

1:17:39portion of 1911 Fuller Avenue Northeast

1:17:41from mid-century

1:17:43neighborhood lowdensity residential to

1:17:45the mid-century

1:17:47mid 20th century neighborhood mixed

1:17:50density residential zone district.

1:17:52>> So move

1:17:52>> support.

1:17:53>> And I think we you touched a little bit

1:17:55on this already. Any additional

1:17:57questions, colleagues? Okay, I'll call

1:17:59the question. All in favor?

1:18:00>> I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Item

1:18:04number five is a resolution authorizing

1:18:07execution of a user agreement with fans

1:18:09of Valley Field for use and

1:18:10collaborative stewardship of Sullivan

1:18:12Field.

1:18:14>> So moved to support.

1:18:15>> Thank you. All right. Good morning.

1:18:17Laura Clay with the parks department. So

1:18:19this resolution would authorize a user

1:18:21agreement um between the city and fans

1:18:23valley field. Um this follows a

1:18:26multi-year um considerable investment in

1:18:29the Sullivan space, Sullivan Park space.

1:18:31Um and the agreement just uh outlines

1:18:34the coordination and responsibility for

1:18:36activation operations and long-term

1:18:38maintenance. So under this agreement

1:18:40there would be um a very clear uh

1:18:43delineation of the maintenance and care

1:18:46for the facility responsibility with the

1:18:48city as well as giving the fans of

1:18:50valley field an opportunity to operate

1:18:52the concessions as well as the museum

1:18:55and this will just help us ensure that

1:18:57the long-term um historic nature that

1:18:59has been preserved through this

1:19:01construction pro um project is respected

1:19:04well out into the future. So, uh, it's a

1:19:06three-year term, uh, with a one-year

1:19:09renewal, and we are very excited that

1:19:11this project is coming to completion

1:19:13over the next six months. So,

1:19:15>> this feels like a big milestone.

1:19:16>> It is a very big milestone for all your

1:19:19work and uh, the work of Friends of

1:19:21Valleyfield. Um, Commissioner,

1:19:24>> yes, thank you. This is a big thing over

1:19:26on the west side and in the first ward

1:19:28and has been going on for a long time

1:19:29and I'm very excited. I know that the

1:19:32friends of Valley Field have been uh

1:19:34pretty great to work with and um that

1:19:36three years is a reasonable amount of

1:19:38time, but but I would like to hear if

1:19:40there is um you know any budgetary

1:19:43considerations that we'll need to keep

1:19:45in mind [snorts] as we move forward

1:19:46since the city will be taking some

1:19:49responsibility for the maintenance up

1:19:50until now. It's you know been largely

1:19:53the fundraising and everything that the

1:19:54Valley Field Friends of Valley Field

1:19:56have been doing. So if you could just

1:19:58touch on that that would be great.

1:19:59>> Sure. Sure. Uh so the parks department

1:20:01does already have the internal skill set

1:20:03to be able to maintain a high level of

1:20:05standard for the athletic field. So the

1:20:07maintenance side will just be covered by

1:20:08a regular park operations and then

1:20:10long-term sustainability of the of the

1:20:12space will be built into our um

1:20:14long-term capital plan. So um we do very

1:20:17much recognize uh the the long-term need

1:20:20for the space to be preserved um as it

1:20:23was intended. So

1:20:24>> yes, thank you very much. I'm it's going

1:20:25to be exciting to be there when it

1:20:26finally opens. Opens.

1:20:28>> Yeah. Thank you, Commissioner.

1:20:30>> You want to add?

1:20:30>> Yes.

1:20:31>> For once, I'm gonna add one thing on.

1:20:32>> All right. Yes.

1:20:33>> So, so I'm gonna throw on my Rotary hat

1:20:36a minute. So, as president of the Grand

1:20:38Rapids Rotary Club, we've been um doing

1:20:40some collaborative things with fans of

1:20:41Valleyfield, too. And so, I see a util

1:20:44utilization of this space. So, it's it's

1:20:46kind of not just Fans of Valley Field,

1:20:48but it's these other community

1:20:49organizations that are going to come

1:20:50alongside and um ma basically do lots of

1:20:54different fun things at this at this

1:20:56facility as well. And so, we've This has

1:20:59been a nice collaborative thing of the

1:21:01fans of Valleyfield and in Grand Rapids

1:21:02Rotary doing some things together to um

1:21:05to go um above and beyond to as we see

1:21:08go forth. So, it's I think seeing those

1:21:10collaborations has been great amongst

1:21:12nonprofits that are out there as well.

1:21:14So,

1:21:14>> and I can piggyback on what the clerk

1:21:16said just to recognize that fans of

1:21:18Valley Field through some very generous

1:21:20philanthropic donors, they've raised $2

1:21:22million in private donations to put

1:21:25towards this project. So, um, and they

1:21:27also helped secure an a RAB 2.0 grant.

1:21:30So, they have been incredible partners,

1:21:33not just in, um, thinking through the

1:21:36long-term care and development of the

1:21:38space, but also in coming to the table

1:21:40in a very significant way for capital

1:21:42investment.

1:21:43>> Wonderful. Seeing nothing further, I'll

1:21:46call the question. All in favor?

1:21:47>> I.

1:21:48>> Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you.

1:21:50>> Thank you.

1:21:51Item six is a resolution awarding a

1:21:53contract with Kentwood Escavating Inc.

1:21:56for storm sewer relocation in Port Lane

1:21:58Southeast 40T west of Portman Drive

1:22:00Southeast Culac in the amount of

1:22:03$138,115

1:22:06with total amount not to exceed

1:22:08$250,000.

1:22:09>> So moved.

1:22:10>> Support.

1:22:12>> Thank you. Good morning, Mr. McCall.

1:22:13Would you like to tell us about this

1:22:14item?

1:22:15>> Sure. Good morning, commissioners. Um

1:22:17filling in for Cindy who wasn't feeling

1:22:18well this morning. Um, we received three

1:22:20bids for this project. The low bid was

1:22:22approximately $8,500 under the

1:22:24engineers's estimate. The project will

1:22:26be replacing the storm water outfall

1:22:29that um failed this spring with some

1:22:31heavy rains. There was a big wash out in

1:22:32the neighborhood. The project will

1:22:34relocate it um to a more stable area

1:22:36which will be easier for us to maintain

1:22:38in the future. Um the the work will take

1:22:41place still this fall. Um so we'll be

1:22:44ready for spring rains next year. Um the

1:22:46project's funded by the capital

1:22:47improvement fund. um for funds allocated

1:22:50to the stormwater group.

1:22:52>> Thank you. All in favor?

1:22:56>> I. Any opposed? Motion carries. The last

1:22:59item this morning is item seven, a

1:23:02resolution awarding a contract with

1:23:03Basin Electric Company for water

1:23:05resource recovery facility North Primary

1:23:08Substation Replacement in the amount of

1:23:111,748,800

1:23:14with total amount not to exceed

1:23:162,141,755.

1:23:19>> So move

1:23:20>> support.

1:23:22>> Uh yes, this project is at the water

1:23:24resource recovery facility. um that will

1:23:26be replace an existing substation um in

1:23:29the north primary control building that

1:23:31um that building was built in the 1970s

1:23:33and a lot of the equipment there in the

1:23:35substation um has kind of reached its

1:23:37useful life. This will modernize um the

1:23:39electrical infrastructure and ensure

1:23:41reliable power um to the north primary

1:23:43treatment operation for years to come.

1:23:45Um we did receive two bids. The low bid

1:23:47was approximately $5,000 under the

1:23:49engineers estimate. Um, this will be

1:23:51funded by the sewer system fund and work

1:23:53will uh be completed by next fall.

1:23:58>> I'll call the question. All in favor?

1:24:00>> I.

1:24:00>> Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you

1:24:03all. We are adjourned.

1:24:12Heat. Heat.

1:24:33Heat. Heat.

1:24:53Heat.

1:25:07Heat.

1:25:15Heat. Heat. [music]

1:25:28[music]

1:26:06>> [music]

1:26:17[music]

1:26:25[music]

1:26:25>> Heat. Heat.

1:26:31Heat. Heat.

1:26:57Heat up

1:26:59>> [music]

1:27:23>> here.

1:27:25Heat. Heat. [music]

1:27:33[music]

1:27:48>> [music]

1:27:56>> Heat. Heat.

1:27:58[music]

1:28:09>> [music]

1:28:15[music]

1:28:24[music]

1:28:35>> Heat.

1:28:36>> [music]

1:28:45[music]

1:28:52>> Heat

1:28:55up here. [music]

1:29:00Heat.

1:29:10[music]

1:29:15Heat.

1:29:22Heat up

1:29:35here.

1:29:51>> [music]

1:29:59[music]

1:30:16[music]

1:30:24[music]

1:30:29[music]

1:30:32>> Heat. Heat. N.

1:30:37[music]

1:30:43>> [music]

1:30:49[music]

1:30:56[music]

1:31:01[music]

1:31:04>> Heat. Heat.

1:31:07>> [music]

1:31:37[music]

1:31:50[music]

1:32:24>> Heat. Heat.

1:33:12>> [music]

1:33:39[music]

1:33:42>> Heat. Heat.

1:34:00[music]

1:35:58>> [music]

1:36:14>> Heat. Hey, Heat.

1:36:38Heat. Heat.

1:36:59[music]

1:37:02Heat. Heat.

1:37:18[music]

1:37:51behind.

1:37:54Heat. Heat.

1:38:02[music]

1:38:20[music]

1:38:21Heat.

1:38:34Heat. [music]

1:38:53Heat. Heat. [music]

1:39:02[music]

1:39:03Heat.

1:39:14Heat.

1:39:24>> [music]

1:40:12[music]

1:40:50>> Heat.

1:41:03[music]

1:41:05Heat.

1:41:17>> [music]

1:41:25[music]

1:41:30[music]

1:41:31>> Heat. Heat.

1:41:49>> [music]

1:42:14[music]

1:42:14>> Heat.

1:42:21Heat.

1:42:26Heat. Heat. N.

1:42:33[music]

1:43:00Heat. Heat.

1:43:18>> [music]

1:43:19>> Heat. Heat.

1:43:44Heat. Heat.

1:43:47[music]

1:44:01>> [music]

1:44:04>> Heat. Heat.

1:44:24>> [music]

1:44:40[music]

1:44:48>> Heat. Heat. [music]

1:44:54[music]

1:44:59>> [music]

1:45:07[music]

1:45:12>> Heat. Heat.

1:45:16[music]

1:45:20Heat. Heat.

1:45:24[music]

1:45:29[music]

1:45:54>> [music]

1:46:00[music]

1:46:08>> Heat. [music]

1:46:18[music]

1:46:23Heat.

1:46:30[music]

1:46:40>> [music]

1:46:45[music]

1:46:46>> Heat. Heat.

1:47:28>> [music]

1:47:32>> Heat.

1:47:38[music]

1:47:43Hey. Hey. Hey.

1:47:57>> [music]

1:48:15>> Heat.

1:48:39[music] Hey, heat. Hey, heat.

1:48:46>> [music]

1:48:53[music]

1:49:02[music]

1:49:06>> Heat. Heat. [music]

1:49:09Heat. Heat.

1:49:15[music]

1:49:40Heat. Heat.

1:50:00Heat. Heat.

1:50:10Heat. Heat.

1:50:13[music]

1:50:32[music] Heat. Heat.

1:50:42[music]

1:50:53[music]

1:50:58Heat.

1:51:02[music]

1:51:07[music]

1:51:13[music] Heat.

1:51:21Heat. [music]

1:51:30[music]

1:51:32Heat.

1:51:52Heat. Heat.

1:52:29Heat. [music]

1:52:37[music]

1:52:44[music]

1:52:50Heat.

1:52:54Heat.

1:52:58[music]

1:53:06[music]

1:53:11Heat.

1:53:14[music]

1:53:20>> [music]

1:53:27[music]

1:53:37>> Okay. Uh, thank you everyone. I'm going

1:53:39to call this meeting to committee the

1:53:40whole to order. And I have a little, we

1:53:43all have a little flyer on our desk from

1:53:44the ELO network, which in my brain

1:53:47always means electric light orchestra.

1:53:49Um, and appropriately enough, it's uh

1:53:51talking about keeping the lights on. So,

1:53:53I'm going to come up and read a

1:53:55proclamation.

1:54:09So, I should have said that Miss Harris

1:54:10from the um Eolo is going to join me up

1:54:12the podium here. So whereas research

1:54:16shows that children who regularly attend

1:54:18after school programs improve their

1:54:20self-confidence in school attendance and

1:54:22whereas half of the youth participating

1:54:24in local out of school time programs

1:54:26improve their math and reading

1:54:27performance and whereas afterchool

1:54:30programs inspire career and skill skill

1:54:32development programming as well as

1:54:34physical and mental wellness that

1:54:36support learning. And whereas these

1:54:38programs ensure ongoing investment from

1:54:40public and private stakeholders to

1:54:42ensure quality after school for all

1:54:44young people is sustained. Whereas the

1:54:46city of Grand Rapids is committed to

1:54:48supporting quality afterchool programs

1:54:50for young people where they can learn,

1:54:52thrive, and be safe. Therefore, I, David

1:54:54Lrand, mayor of the city of Grand

1:54:56Rapids, declare October 22, 2026 as

1:55:00lights on after school day in Grand

1:55:01Rapids. and celebrate this day and shine

1:55:03the brightest of lights on programs that

1:55:05provide enriching opportunities for

1:55:07young people before school, after

1:55:09school, in the evenings, on weekends,

1:55:10and in the summer. So, um I'm Yeah,

1:55:14right on. So, uh, you know, this is

1:55:18having having been on the school board

1:55:19myself, uh, at GRPS, uh, it's really,

1:55:24uh, urgent that we focus on things that,

1:55:27um, summer learning loss, for example,

1:55:28is an endemic problem that every

1:55:30community has to has to struggle with.

1:55:33And it's also true that um making sure

1:55:36particularly postcoid um that we

1:55:39reinforce the message for um the

1:55:41children and the parents as often as

1:55:43possible in as many ways as possible um

1:55:45that it's really really important to

1:55:47show up at school. Um but these

1:55:49wraparound programs are off are perhaps

1:55:52the most important way that we as a city

1:55:55can lean into doing that uh support for

1:55:57the educational system in in in town. Uh

1:56:00at the end of the day, we don't run the

1:56:01school systems. we don't pay for them.

1:56:03Um, but this is a way that we can

1:56:05meaningfully help uh lean into making

1:56:07sure our kids succeed in school. So,

1:56:09Miss Harris, I don't know if you want to

1:56:10say anything.

1:56:11>> Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Uh, so good

1:56:13morning, mayor and uh, city

1:56:14commissioner, city manager, and other

1:56:16appointed officials and staff. Grand

1:56:18Rapids is one of 8,000 communities

1:56:21around the nation celebrating the impact

1:56:23of OST programs, so out of schooltime

1:56:25programs. and our community's children

1:56:27manages an out of schooltime system

1:56:30building effort called the expanded

1:56:31learning opportunities network. We do

1:56:33have some members in the audience. Uh

1:56:34we've got some members from uh hopefully

1:56:38here Boys and Girls Clubs, GRPS, GR

1:56:41Symphony, Parks and Wreck, STEM

1:56:43Greenhouse, MASP, OCC, Refuge, Refugee

1:56:46Education Center, Granville Avenue Arts

1:56:48and Humanities, First T, Positive Impact

1:56:50for Life, others. If you are part of the

1:56:52ELO network, please stand. Thank you so

1:56:55much for being here.

1:56:57[applause]

1:57:00I also want to shout out our ELO

1:57:02coordinator uh our new coordinator

1:57:04Sattorii Spicer and our partners at the

1:57:05Michigan uh afterchool partnership. Now

1:57:08I want to uh introduce you to uh Tiffany

1:57:10Young who is the vice chair of the ELO

1:57:13network to say a few words.

1:57:16>> Good morning commissioners, mayor, and

1:57:18the city manager. First, thank you for

1:57:20continuing to invest in out of school

1:57:22time and in the young people of Grand

1:57:23Rapids. This annual proclamation is

1:57:25evidence of that support and celebration

1:57:27of our success in the field of OST in

1:57:29Grand Rapids. One thing I hope we

1:57:31continue to remember is that OST is much

1:57:33more than childare. And even more than

1:57:35an antiviolent strategy, it's a portal

1:57:37to opportunity. It's where young people

1:57:39find trusted adults, discover what

1:57:42they're good at, develop skills and

1:57:43confidence, and lay the building blocks

1:57:45for their future. O OST is essential to

1:57:47the fabric of our community and Michigan

1:57:50is recognizing that value in a

1:57:51significant way with a $135 million

1:57:54investment and out of schooltime

1:57:55programming this year. Grand Rapids has

1:57:57an incredible opportunity to build on

1:57:59that momentum and the ELO network is the

1:58:01connective tissue bringing together the

1:58:03city, schools, nonprofits, philanthropy,

1:58:05and community partners so that our

1:58:06investments work together because

1:58:09ultimately our goal is simple easy.

1:58:11Every young person in Grand Rapids

1:58:12should have access to a place where they

1:58:14can belong, discover, and thrive. Thank

1:58:16you for continuing to help make that

1:58:18possible as we invest in in and

1:58:20celebrate Lights On after school.

1:58:24>> Just really quick, we have a a quick

1:58:26video, a one minute video from our

1:58:27partners at Grand Rapids uh public

1:58:29schools. Uh these are uh scholars that

1:58:33are part of the Loop after school

1:58:35program.

1:58:39>> [music]

1:58:41>> Hi, my name is Diego and after school

1:58:44program is important because we get to

1:58:48learn and do some projects.

1:58:54>> My name is Jaden and I is important to

1:58:59me because I can make new friends and

1:59:03learn more.

1:59:07Hi, my name is Shada and Loop is

1:59:09important to me because I get to learn

1:59:12more and um have fun.

1:59:19>> Hi, my name is Ava and Loop is important

1:59:22to me because I get my homework done

1:59:25faster and I when I go home I get to

1:59:28have fun and and chill with my um

1:59:31friends and family.

1:59:34>> All right. And one quick plug, the ELO

1:59:36network is hosting our annual Lights on

1:59:38After School pre-bash at the new MLK

1:59:41community center on Wednesday, October

1:59:4321st from 4:30 to 7:30. There will be

1:59:46free admission, a DJ food, talent show,

1:59:48prizes, and more. So, please spread the

1:59:50word.

1:59:52>> Okay, everyone want to come up for a

1:59:53picture?

1:59:54>> Do we have a photographer?

1:59:56>> Um,

1:59:59we have a photographer.

2:00:00>> Maybe not.

2:00:12How are you doing, sir? Good to see you.

2:00:14>> Thanks for being here.

2:00:18[clears throat]

2:00:20>> Okay,

2:00:23good to see you.

2:00:40There you go.

2:01:01>> [applause]

2:01:02>> Thank you.

2:01:26Okay, this brings us to our next item of

2:01:28business. This is a resolution

2:01:29authorizing publication of and setting a

2:01:31date to consider an ordinance amending

2:01:33section 9.66, chapter 151, the nuisances

2:01:36of the city code to clarify uh

2:01:39application of the sound uh ordinance to

2:01:41the amphitheater. And um um

2:01:44>> support.

2:01:46All right, Miss Barren.

2:01:47>> Thank you. Uh, so, uh, I will introduce

2:01:50the item and then we also have, uh, with

2:01:52us Rich McKean, the executive director

2:01:55of the, uh, Kent County Grand Rapids

2:01:57Convention and Arena Authority to give

2:01:59us a little information about the first

2:02:00season of Acer Amphitheater. Uh but just

2:02:03to introduce the item, the in 2023, the

2:02:07city commission approved an amendment to

2:02:09the city's noise code that exempted

2:02:11sounds coming from uh performance venues

2:02:14operated by the CA

2:02:16uh between certain hours, so between 7

2:02:19a.m. and 11:00 p.m. with an opportunity

2:02:21to extend that 11:00 p.m. uh under

2:02:23certain circumstances. that was placed

2:02:25in a section of the noise code that

2:02:27already included a number of noise

2:02:29generators that were considered exempt

2:02:32from the noise code uh including

2:02:34lawnmowers, snowblowers, etc. Uh at that

2:02:37time I presented the amendment as

2:02:39something that we were supporting and

2:02:41that actually the noise generated by the

2:02:43amphitheater would be governed by the

2:02:45special land use permit that was uh

2:02:48under consideration at the planning

2:02:50commission. Uh we recently had a

2:02:52decision from a court uh based on some

2:02:57litigation that's ongoing about noise uh

2:02:59at the amphitheater and that uh court

2:03:02decision threw the intent of that

2:03:05original amendment into question uh and

2:03:08uh led to a way that the code could

2:03:11potentially be interpreted as needing to

2:03:12be enforced that is really not uh easily

2:03:15administered and impacts a number of

2:03:17those noise generators that I just

2:03:19referenced as well would apply to all of

2:03:21those noise generators in a way that we

2:03:23did not intend. Uh therefore, we are

2:03:25bringing to you an amendment that simply

2:03:28clarifies our intent, modifies that

2:03:30section to ensure that it's understood

2:03:33that all of those noise generators are

2:03:36uh exempt from application of the noise

2:03:38code. Uh for the AC acure amphitheater

2:03:41in particular, it is uh governed by the

2:03:44special land use permit which includes

2:03:46some um considerations of decibel

2:03:49limitations at certain spots on the uh

2:03:52amphitheater property and has a noise

2:03:54monitoring system that the city has

2:03:56access to. Uh so with that, I will

2:03:58invite up uh Mr. McKean to share a few

2:04:01highlights of the season with you.

2:04:06>> Good morning. uh appreciate the

2:04:09opportunity to talk about uh what ended

2:04:11up being a pretty good season for the

2:04:14Akasher Amphitheater.

2:04:17Um ended up having 49 public events. You

2:04:20might recall in the planning stages we

2:04:22were hoping for 30 maybe 35. So to see

2:04:25roughly a 50% plus growth. Uh really

2:04:28pleased about that. Attendance-wise we

2:04:31were hoping for about 300,000. We're

2:04:33probably going to end up over 400,000.

2:04:36Uh we also had a number of private or

2:04:38community events. In fact, have another

2:04:39one November 12th. Uh that'll be our

2:04:42last one before we get everything packed

2:04:43up. Um about 800 new employees. Um

2:04:48experienced Grand Rapids did some work

2:04:50to see what if there is any correlation

2:04:53between events at the amphitheater and

2:04:55hotel occupancy and found that there

2:04:57definitely is. Uh unlike a convention

2:05:00where uh hotel rooms are contracted so

2:05:03it's very very obvious. This is more

2:05:05anecdotal, but I would argue uh that the

2:05:08correlation, the correlatory evidence

2:05:11demonstrates that it's more than

2:05:12anecdotal. Uh it has a positive impact

2:05:14on the uh the businesses including the

2:05:17hotels, restaurants downtown.

2:05:20Um the Lionel Richie concert uh was

2:05:22something I hope the community uh will

2:05:25continue to uh remember fondly for uh

2:05:28decades to come. It was pretty cool. Um

2:05:31we were intentional with the

2:05:32programming. uh had Detroit natives war

2:05:34and treaty open and then Grand Rapids

2:05:37own Brian Vanderarch. Uh so it was very

2:05:39much a connection to the local

2:05:41community. Uh we also had a community

2:05:43openhouse the next day uh about 10,000

2:05:46folks through the building. Um it went

2:05:48so well we're probably looking to do

2:05:49that next year as well. It's a chance

2:05:51for us selfishly to get some of the

2:05:54kinks worked out operationally and to

2:05:56get people back into the building. uh it

2:05:58may not have as many bells and whistles

2:06:00as we had uh on May 16th. Uh but that's

2:06:03going to be our plan uh as an one of our

2:06:06openings for uh the foreseeable future.

2:06:09Um had a number of uh big deal events

2:06:13throughout the year. Um I think many of

2:06:15you may know I'm Canadian, so to have

2:06:16the Guess Who, a Canadian band on Canada

2:06:19Day in Grand Rapids was really cool for

2:06:22me. uh our marketing team put together a

2:06:24little poster uh with me welcoming them.

2:06:28Uh so I had a number of the crew saying,

2:06:30"You're the guy on the big ass poster,

2:06:32aren't you?" I said, "Yeah, yeah, that's

2:06:34me." So it was nice. Uh Dave Matthews

2:06:36Band, we had a lot of people in the

2:06:38music industry. Uh really impressed with

2:06:40the fact we got two DMV shows. Uh and

2:06:44the Midwest was uh throughout the

2:06:47Midwest, we had people coming from all

2:06:48over the place. Um, Symphony, uh, had

2:06:52two picnic pops as well as an event with

2:06:54Josh Groin. Uh, again, very happy to

2:06:56have them as users of the building. Um,

2:07:00we also commissioned a composer to

2:07:02compose a signature song for the

2:07:04amphitheater. So, when you're walking in

2:07:06and you're hearing that uh uh,

2:07:10hearing the verbiage about uh,

2:07:11restricted items, have your tickets out

2:07:13and available, the sound bed underneath

2:07:15that. Um, we had uh that composed uh and

2:07:20we had GVSU students uh actually play

2:07:23the music, record the music. Then the

2:07:26composer and his team took it back to

2:07:28their uh facility in LA uh remixed it

2:07:31because they couldn't get the entire uh

2:07:33orchestra together in one sitting. Uh

2:07:36and that I continue to be very proud of

2:07:39another great connection uh between the

2:07:41venue, the community, GVSU, one of our

2:07:44neighbors obviously. Um and the success

2:07:46there ended up turning into uh we will

2:07:49be having the a similar song uh for the

2:07:53soccer stadium opening up in March. Um

2:07:56we continue to be very very active

2:07:58relative to artist donations and

2:08:00donating tickets for the community. Uh

2:08:02that is something that we'veii that

2:08:04we've uh established at the arena and

2:08:06DVOS performance hall and will continue

2:08:09uh with the amphitheater as well.

2:08:12Um, our marketing team does a really

2:08:14good job of identifying backstage

2:08:16experiences for the touring artists as

2:08:20well as an almost maybe even more

2:08:23importantly the crew that work with

2:08:24them. Uh, cultivating something that

2:08:27makes them feel welcomed but also

2:08:29illustrates uh the sense of place.

2:08:32You're in Grand Rapids. Uh, so a all of

2:08:34these um setups are with local vendors,

2:08:38local providers. Uh we continue to be

2:08:41really active in that space. Again,

2:08:43something that we've been doing at the

2:08:44arena that we've continued on at the

2:08:45amphitheater.

2:08:48Um happy to answer any questions. Um and

2:08:51I guess the only thing I would say is uh

2:08:54greatly appreciate everything you folks

2:08:55do. I think you know I've been here 28

2:08:57years and working very closely uh with

2:09:00city commissions and mayors over uh

2:09:02those over that time. It's not lost on

2:09:05me. Uh the job that you guys have uh and

2:09:08the arrows that you take uh it is

2:09:11appreciated genuinely by me.

2:09:13>> Thanks. Well, a couple things that

2:09:15aren't really in your uh wheelhouse um

2:09:17Rich, but there are certainly things the

2:09:19community were concerned about that are

2:09:20worth pointing out, I guess, for the

2:09:22audience, and that is um the night of

2:09:24the Lannel Richie concert, we had the

2:09:27trifecta. We had a soldout DeVos, we had

2:09:29a soldout Vanandal, uh we had the

2:09:32amphitheater sold out and we and all of

2:09:35the parking happened fine. As a matter

2:09:37of fact, we didn't even have uh

2:09:39completely filled ramps. Um the So that

2:09:43was great. And I will just say speaking

2:09:44personally, the thing I love uh at least

2:09:47equally to the amphitheater activity,

2:09:49the activity inside is the activity

2:09:51outside. Um it is just great fun to see

2:09:55streams of people walking in. uh

2:09:57sherpalike with their with their chairs

2:09:59on their backs. Uh it's a very it's a

2:10:02it's great to have that have that

2:10:03positive energy all around the

2:10:06amphitheater before events. Um and it's

2:10:08it's sort of like sort of feels like a

2:10:10farmers market like you see people

2:10:11meeting each other and bumping into each

2:10:13other and everybody's in a good mood and

2:10:15so um you know at some point you got to

2:10:17be quiet during the you got to listen to

2:10:19the performance but outside there's lots

2:10:21of great community activity going on. So

2:10:23I really that's something that surprised

2:10:25me. I didn't expect to see to have so to

2:10:27have it be so much fun to be near the

2:10:30amphitheater um when events are going

2:10:32on.

2:10:34So, thanks. Um yeah, great. I think we

2:10:37can move on to the ordinance. Oh,

2:10:38Commissioner,

2:10:40thank you. Um I'd echo those sentiments.

2:10:43Uh husband rode his bike and had no

2:10:46problem parking a number on the couple

2:10:48of days that I was able to go to

2:10:49different things. I did want to ask a

2:10:52question about um some of the just

2:10:54because small business and um

2:10:56entrepreneurship is really near and dear

2:10:57to my heart both here at commission but

2:10:59also in my day job. um what is the

2:11:03process for individuals to be able to be

2:11:05considered for um you know these

2:11:08promotions, fan activations, the things

2:11:09that you have listed here and then also

2:11:12so this is something that you all are

2:11:13doing but this is not part of the um

2:11:18um the different sites where people

2:11:19would actually go and like purchase

2:11:21alcohol or food. So this is all

2:11:22something that you're doing separately.

2:11:24So, can you talk to me about the

2:11:26difference in those two processes and

2:11:27how individuals are able to tap into

2:11:30that customer base? Thanks. Thanks,

2:11:32Rich.

2:11:32>> Not at all. Um, the I'll call it the

2:11:35backstage experience and then the

2:11:37concession experience and they are two

2:11:39different things. Um, so with [snorts]

2:11:42the backstage experience, um, we've

2:11:44worked for a long time with the downtown

2:11:45market and their incubator kitchen to

2:11:47identify different potential

2:11:49opportunities and bring them into the

2:11:52fold. uh if that turns into a concession

2:11:55opportunity, we're very open to that. Um

2:11:58but we've got two different groups

2:12:00working on these two different efforts.

2:12:03Um we are always on the lookout for

2:12:07different providers. Uh and again, local

2:12:10especially on that backstage side is

2:12:12important to us. So if there's someone

2:12:14else who has not had an opportunity that

2:12:17feels they could be, we'd be delighted.

2:12:19We're always on the lookout. uh they can

2:12:21get a hold of me directly and then our

2:12:23marketing team primarily does the

2:12:24backstage activations. Um we're looking

2:12:27for and it's not a large scale but we're

2:12:30looking for reliability uh

2:12:32repeatability. Um so for example uh

2:12:36coffee uh activation backstage has been

2:12:39a regular favorite. Uh and we work with

2:12:43a couple of different providers that

2:12:44have that setup. They've got a barista

2:12:47there. So we're looking for turnkey. Uh,

2:12:50so that's the hope.

2:12:51>> Okay. [snorts]

2:12:52>> Um, on the concession side, um, I guess

2:12:55I'd specifically look at Mosby's

2:12:57Popcorn, uh, as well as, uh, Loves Ice

2:13:00Cream. Uh, two local providers, locally

2:13:02owned. Um, they they've been Mosby's has

2:13:06been involved, man. Uh, I bet you five

2:13:10or six years. We do Christmas gifting

2:13:12with him as well as uh we've had them at

2:13:17the arena in a stand for a number of

2:13:20years at the ar excuse me at the

2:13:23amphitheater as well. Uh and they've

2:13:25continued to be a great partner. Uh

2:13:27Loves it was new at the um uh

2:13:31amphitheater and again obvious reasons

2:13:34summer venue ice cream. So, uh, that has

2:13:37done fairly well. Um, [snorts]

2:13:39relative to moving forward, I think the

2:13:41soccer stadium provides us, and I

2:13:43realize that isn't a direct answer to

2:13:45your question. However, I think it gets

2:13:47even more of an answer to your question.

2:13:49Um, the soccer stadium, I think,

2:13:51provides even more connectivity to the

2:13:54community. Um, and we've put out an RFP

2:13:57to the community uh for food and

2:13:59beverage providers to uh to respond to

2:14:04to see if there could be a fit for them

2:14:06to have some type of presence at the

2:14:08soccer stadium. Our food uh we've uh

2:14:10worked closely so far with the Hispanic

2:14:12Chamber of Commerce uh to make sure that

2:14:15some of that word is getting out that

2:14:17perhaps we don't have access to the

2:14:19channel uh of dist information

2:14:22distribution that perhaps they would.

2:14:24Uh, and I know we've got a first tour of

2:14:26potential you uh

2:14:29potential providers to that RFP uh

2:14:32through the soccer stadium tomorrow. So,

2:14:34we'd be more than open willing uh to

2:14:37have all those conversations. Um, I'm

2:14:40betting uh myself and uh our FNB team at

2:14:45a senior level, a management level, have

2:14:47probably had two dozen meetings over the

2:14:49last year or two, not just about the new

2:14:51buildings, but about existing buildings,

2:14:53all with locallyowned uh purveyors. Uh

2:14:56so we we do not shy away from that. Um I

2:15:00do think there is um there are elements

2:15:03of it relative to scale, relative to

2:15:06timeliness, relative to deliveries and

2:15:08relative to health code that need to be

2:15:10kept in mind. Uh so uh provided provided

2:15:15the rules can be maintained primarily

2:15:18from uh health code perspective uh then

2:15:21we're able to we're able to work with

2:15:23about anybody.

2:15:24>> Okay.

2:15:25>> Thank you. That's helpful.

2:15:26>> Thank you, Mayor.

2:15:27>> Thanks. Uh yeah, city measure.

2:15:30>> Thank you, mayor, and [clears throat] uh

2:15:31thank you Rich and Kate for the update.

2:15:34Uh I would like to um acknowledge a

2:15:38couple of things. One, uh how much of a

2:15:40game changer the amphitheater is for our

2:15:43city and not just downtown. The mayor

2:15:45and I uh along with members from the

2:15:47right place went to talk to other

2:15:50potential investors and the opening of

2:15:52the amphitheater signal for them that uh

2:15:56investment in Grand Rapids is a good

2:15:57thing and not just downtown and we

2:16:00specifically talked about the need for

2:16:02more housing and they were very

2:16:04interested in providing housing at

2:16:07various affordability points and so this

2:16:08this is what we anticipated. It would

2:16:10not just be an entertainment venue, but

2:16:12it would be the kickoff of other

2:16:13opportunities to invest in our

2:16:15community. I do want to go back and uh

2:16:18certainly thank this commission. It's

2:16:19hard to believe we're at the end of the

2:16:20first season, but uh prior to getting

2:16:23here, there was a lot of effort from a

2:16:25lot of city staff and other partners uh

2:16:27to include Grand Action and others to

2:16:30really help us think about how to

2:16:31materialize what we had envisioned and

2:16:34move our old public works uh site off of

2:16:372011 market to scrimm. So I want to

2:16:39thank all the city employees who were

2:16:40involved in that. And then once built uh

2:16:43those 49 activations uh take a lot of uh

2:16:47city resources on the public safety and

2:16:49mobility side. So I want to specifically

2:16:51thank uh our public safety departments

2:16:54both police and fire uh mobile GR refues

2:16:58uh special events and specifically out

2:17:00of my executive office Miss Barren for

2:17:03coordinating uh on behalf of the city.

2:17:07>> Great. Thanks.

2:17:08>> And and let me also add one other one

2:17:11other comment. I I do know that early on

2:17:13in the season, we've learned a lot as

2:17:15the mayor said, we learned a lot about

2:17:16mobility. We've learned a bit lot about

2:17:19um ingress and egress into the venue as

2:17:22well as uh we have heard concerns around

2:17:25sound, but I think what we've

2:17:27experienced towards the end of the

2:17:28amphitheater were very uh season was

2:17:31were very few complaints relative to

2:17:34what we experienced early on. And so I

2:17:36want to thank uh Rich and his team for

2:17:38being able to uh take that feedback in

2:17:40consideration and uh make sure that uh

2:17:43they're listening to uh some of the

2:17:45feedback that was provided.

2:17:48>> Thanks. And uh bringing it home then we

2:17:50actually have a resolution not on

2:17:52concession but on uh modifying our noise

2:17:54ordinance. So um seeing no further

2:17:58comments, thank you Mr. McCain.

2:17:59>> Appreciate the opportunity.

2:18:00>> Yep. Yep. Uh so motion's on the table.

2:18:04Um any further discussion on the

2:18:06ordinance uh proposal? Okay. All in

2:18:09favor of the resolution say I.

2:18:11>> I.

2:18:11>> I.

2:18:12>> All opposed. Motion carries.

2:18:20That brings us to item three, which is a

2:18:23class C resort license uh for SMG County

2:18:28uh convention Arena Authority.

2:18:31>> So moved.

2:18:34And who do we have to explain this one

2:18:36to us?

2:18:38>> Yep. So going all So the um the Amway

2:18:42Stadium is inside of the downtown

2:18:44district. So this would be a district um

2:18:46license. Um so just like we've done for

2:18:49any other licenses that have been

2:18:51inside. This is not part of the quota

2:18:53system. It's part of the downtown

2:18:54downtown development district for their

2:18:56liquor license in order to get them

2:18:57ready to go for for March to get through

2:18:59this process. That's why it's coming to

2:19:01us now. Great. Okay. Um, any discussion,

2:19:05colleagues? All in favor say I. I. All

2:19:08opposed. That was easy. Uh, moving us on

2:19:11to our next item, which is an Oprah, the

2:19:13which, uh, when it's at home is the

2:19:16obsolete property rehabilitation

2:19:18district. Uh, for a project at 2130

2:19:22Planefield. Uh and I'll if we'll discuss

2:19:26uh items four and five together since

2:19:27the second is approving a tenure um

2:19:30exemption certificate um for that

2:19:33district support.

2:19:35>> Thank you mayor. Good morning

2:19:36commission. I want to just flag that um

2:19:39as a reminder the OPRA act so the

2:19:41abatement that we're talking about with

2:19:43this uh project is expiring 1231 of

2:19:472026. And so our the economic

2:19:49development office back in June uh did a

2:19:52call for projects that were interested

2:19:54in pursuing this tool uh and took

2:19:56applications at the end of July. Um the

2:19:59three items that you see on the agenda

2:20:01today were a result of that pursuit and

2:20:04subsequent to today's commission

2:20:06meeting, we would make a recommendation

2:20:08to the state tax commission uh for next

2:20:11steps. So I just want to flag the

2:20:12overall process there. Uh this project

2:20:15at 2130 Planefield is activating a 3,000

2:20:18square foot structure uh with four

2:20:20one-bedroom apartments at 100% area

2:20:23median income and um 1,600 square ft uh

2:20:27of commercial space. This is the highest

2:20:30uh aspirational goals that I've seen for

2:20:32our inclusion plan. So, I just want to

2:20:34call attention to 82% uh equating to

2:20:37900,000 of the 1.1 million in

2:20:39construction costs dedicated to

2:20:40microloccal uh minority owned and

2:20:43womenowned enterprises. And this

2:20:45qualifies for the base OPRA uh 10-year

2:20:49uh term. I'm happy to answer any

2:20:51questions,

2:20:53>> colleagues.

2:20:55Seeing no questions, um all in favor say

2:20:57I.

2:20:58>> I. Uh and then the resolution for the uh

2:21:01district itself. All in favor, pardon

2:21:03me. I can have a motion.

2:21:04>> So moved.

2:21:05>> Support.

2:21:06>> All in favor say I.

2:21:07>> I.

2:21:07>> I.

2:21:08>> Motion carries. Uh that brings us to

2:21:10items uh to our next project which is

2:21:131024 MLK. Um same thing uh uh two items

2:21:18that will consolidate. M RO.

2:21:20>> Yes. And I meant to mention

2:21:21>> Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. Motion in support.

2:21:23>> M.

2:21:24>> Yes. And I meant to mention on the last

2:21:26project they did receive an emerging

2:21:27developer who want a grant. I want to

2:21:29flag that on this one as well. In

2:21:30addition to the corridor improvement

2:21:32authority contributing a facade grant.

2:21:34So this project is activating a 5,300

2:21:37foot structure uh for our child care

2:21:39facility along with flex areas for after

2:21:42school programming and community uses.

2:21:44Um investments a little over a million

2:21:46dollars

2:21:47and again this project qualifies for the

2:21:49base 10-year term.

2:21:51>> Great. Any questions or discussion,

2:21:54colleague? Okay. Seeing none, all in

2:21:56favor say I.

2:21:57>> I. I all opposed. Motion carries. Um I

2:22:01get a request from staff that we um uh

2:22:04remove uh items uh the next two items uh

2:22:09from the uh from this meeting um for

2:22:13discussion at our 2:00 meeting and uh uh

2:22:18following a um discussion and close

2:22:20session of some legal implications. So,

2:22:23if I could have a motion to

2:22:24>> motion to postpone items number eight

2:22:26and nine.

2:22:27>> Yep. Great. All in favor of postponing

2:22:30those items, say I.

2:22:31>> I. I.

2:22:32>> Uh opposed. Motion carries. That brings

2:22:35us to

2:22:37uh resolution on our uh well essentially

2:22:40on our 911 system. Um our dispatch.

2:22:43>> So move support.

2:22:46>> Good morning, mayor, commissioners. Matt

2:22:48Wyel, chief of staff at the police

2:22:49department. Um, this resolution allows

2:22:53the city to enter into a new agreement

2:22:55with the county for public safety

2:22:56answering points. You'll hear PAP. Uh,

2:22:59that's our dispatch operations.

2:23:01Primarily, we're talking about funding.

2:23:04Um, I have Reed Wakeman with me. He's

2:23:06the manager of our dispatch center. He's

2:23:08going to give you a presentation on the

2:23:10current governing structure through the

2:23:12Kent County Dispatch Authority. Uh, he's

2:23:14going to explain why it's not efficient

2:23:15and why we need to go in a new

2:23:17direction. That's what this agreement

2:23:19does. Uh, I want to thank uh the law

2:23:21department, city attorney, and our

2:23:23partners at the county for getting us to

2:23:25this point. A lot of work has gone into

2:23:26it. Um, but the highlight here is

2:23:29efficiency and more funding for the

2:23:30city, both in terms of 911 operations

2:23:33and in uh capital projects. Uh, with

2:23:36that, I'll turn it over to Reed and

2:23:37we'll be happy to take any questions you

2:23:39have afterwards.

2:23:44>> Morning.

2:23:46Uh thanks for the chance to brief you

2:23:48today on this proposed intergovernmental

2:23:49agreement. Uh I've got four slides and

2:23:51with just a few minutes of your time,

2:23:52I'm going to try to summarize the last

2:23:5420 years of 911 services uh and then

2:23:56explain the updated intergovernment

2:23:58agreement uh the GRPD and the 911 center

2:24:00staff have been planning and developing

2:24:02and working on for several years. Um

2:24:06so first off, uh we're going to talk

2:24:07about uh I want you to look at mostly at

2:24:08the right side of this uh this slide

2:24:10kind of shows the current KCDA

2:24:12structure. Uh but before I start that

2:24:14just some brief introductory financial

2:24:15information. Uh by state statute uh 911

2:24:19funds are delivered first to the county.

2:24:22Uh and then in his current state they

2:24:23are passed on from the county to the

2:24:25dispatch authority for management and

2:24:27distribution to the paps. So that's the

2:24:28kind of the current state. Uh discussion

2:24:31began in 2004 but in 2006 the dispatch

2:24:34authority structure was actually

2:24:35created. At that time there were many as

2:24:38six separate dispatch centers in Kent

2:24:39County. each were managed independently

2:24:41by a different entity. This led to, as

2:24:44you can imagine, challenges with

2:24:45misouted calls, lack of interoperable

2:24:47communications between first responders,

2:24:49and a host of other problems. The

2:24:51authority set out to set out to address

2:24:53these challenges by establish

2:24:54establishing shared technology for the

2:24:57big four applications that 911 centers

2:24:59use and utilize increased funding from a

2:25:0120-year search charge that was uh that

2:25:03was approved in 2016 to provide funding

2:25:05for unified CAD computer dispatch um

2:25:09radio systems 911 call handling systems

2:25:11and then recording systems. Those are

2:25:12the big four at the key of what 911

2:25:14does. Those four those objectives have

2:25:16all been accomplished. uh that board

2:25:18that bond is scheduled for payoff this

2:25:20year, 10 years ahead of schedule. Uh but

2:25:22if we fast forward 20 years from the

2:25:24founding of KCDA, uh 911 dispatch

2:25:26services are now provided by two high

2:25:28functioning dispatch centers. One at the

2:25:31city of Grand Rapids Police Department

2:25:32and the second at the Kent County

2:25:33Sheriff's Office. These two centers work

2:25:36smoothly together. We have full

2:25:37interoperability. We provide critical

2:25:39backup and overflow capabilities for

2:25:41each other to make sure that 911 is

2:25:43always there and always on for all city

2:25:45county city and county residents and

2:25:46visitors. and that we are responsive and

2:25:49supportive of the needs of the Grand

2:25:50Rapids Police Department and the Grand

2:25:51Rapids Fire Department.

2:25:54So, while the makeup of the 911

2:25:55environment has been kind of completely

2:25:57rewritten over the last 20 years, the

2:25:59structure of the KCDA has been frozen in

2:26:01time. If you look at the makeup of the

2:26:03admin policy board on the lower right,

2:26:06with the exception of the Grand Rapids

2:26:07Police Chief, uh the Kent County

2:26:09Sheriff, and the Grand Rapids fire

2:26:10chief, it is made up of members who no

2:26:12longer have awareness of or involvement

2:26:14as direct stakeholders in the operation

2:26:15of their own dispatch centers. They are

2:26:18still voting, however, on issues and

2:26:19budgets that impact the city 911 center.

2:26:22I also want to call to your attention

2:26:24the communication flow that you'll see

2:26:25in the arrows on the organization chart.

2:26:27All information currently flows through

2:26:29the KCDA director, which is a position,

2:26:32there's a recurring theme here, held by

2:26:34someone who has no direct stake, no

2:26:35knowledge or involvement in dispatch

2:26:37center operations. This setup has been a

2:26:39pain point, which has slowed progress

2:26:41and created a lot of unnecessary work

2:26:42for both 911 centers over the last

2:26:44several years.

2:26:46A couple of things to point out to you.

2:26:47Um, in the in the 23 years that I've

2:26:49been in 911, the technology landscape,

2:26:51as you can imagine, has changed

2:26:52dramatically. Uh advanced technology is

2:26:54now a critical part of what 911 does. In

2:26:57the current organization, the

2:26:58technological experts from the two 911

2:27:00centers serve on the technical advisory

2:27:02committee. Uh they are severely limited

2:27:04in communications with the majority of

2:27:06the voting board members. Furthermore,

2:27:08you'll notice the technical advisory

2:27:10committee has absolutely no

2:27:11communication or relationship with the

2:27:12finance committee, which again is made

2:27:14up of parties with no direct stake in or

2:27:17experience with 911. In my experience,

2:27:20this isolation from the subject matter

2:27:22experts has led to tech techn

2:27:24technological debt with significant

2:27:26related risks to the stability and

2:27:27sustainability of 911 and dispatch

2:27:29services. KCDA financial planning and

2:27:32resource management has neglected and

2:27:34delayed addressing critical cyber

2:27:35security and technical needs in favor of

2:27:37early payoff of the fire and radio

2:27:39system bond.

2:27:44The next slide. Uh, in light of

2:27:46accomplishing all these objectives,

2:27:47including the bond payoff, KCDA agreed

2:27:48in early 2026 to pursue dissolution

2:27:51pending an alternate intergovernmental

2:27:53agreement between the city and the

2:27:54county, which brings us here today. This

2:27:56slide provides an overview of the

2:27:58proposed intergovernmental agreement.

2:27:59Uh, this agreement was developed by the

2:28:01291 centers and reviewed and updated by

2:28:03legal to remove the roadblocks to

2:28:05strengthening and equipping the dispatch

2:28:06centers. The agreement consists of four

2:28:08parts. the IG body which is the main

2:28:11substance of the contractual agreement

2:28:12between the city and the county but also

2:28:14contains three appendices. One of these

2:28:16establishes an inter inventory of shared

2:28:18technology systems that the parties uh

2:28:20are jointly responsible for.

2:28:22Establishing this is crucial to

2:28:24effective future management of our

2:28:25resources. Uh it also establishes two

2:28:28committees, one related to finance and

2:28:29one related to IT.

2:28:32This revised dispatch, this revised

2:28:33structure you see in front of you

2:28:34includes dispatch center leadership on

2:28:36both committees, which is key to

2:28:38effectively managing existing 911

2:28:39contracts. The finance committee

2:28:42includes a representative from the city

2:28:43and the county as well as dispatch

2:28:45center management. This will promote

2:28:47joint 911 planning.

2:28:49As mentioned previously, the dispatch

2:28:51center's reliance on advanced software

2:28:52and hardware to coordinate emergency

2:28:54services at the level expected by our

2:28:56law enforcement, fire department, and

2:28:58emergency responders

2:29:00and the public are all increasing. The

2:29:03IT committee or the information

2:29:04technology committee established in the

2:29:06IG includes a representative from the

2:29:08city IT department and from county IT.

2:29:11When 911 services rely on connecting two

2:29:14separate municipalities, having city and

2:29:16county IT in the loop on IT decisions

2:29:18will improve cyber security, efficiency,

2:29:20and resilience of the 911 system.

2:29:24In another important improvement, both

2:29:26IT and finance matters will run through

2:29:27the GRPD chief and the Kent County

2:29:29Sheriff. State statute requires that

2:29:32state distribute 911 funding directly to

2:29:33counties. But this IGA contract

2:29:35establishes how state funds for 911 will

2:29:37be allocated between the PAPs and

2:29:39requires that two public safety

2:29:41executives who are most directly

2:29:42responsible for management and delivery

2:29:43of emergency services are directly

2:29:45involved in the development of future

2:29:47budgets for the dispatch center.

2:29:49And finally, the organizational

2:29:51structure established in the IGA

2:29:52contract simplifies communication. This

2:29:55will improve overall coordination and

2:29:57responsiveness to the financial and

2:29:59technology needs of the 911 centers.

2:30:04Want to touch briefly on some budget

2:30:06highlights. Uh this slide compares the

2:30:07current FY27 KCDA budget with a proposed

2:30:10FY27 budget jointly developed for the

2:30:12IGA. The immediate benefits are in terms

2:30:15of the dispersement to the Grand Rapids

2:30:16Dispatch Center. Uh the budget this

2:30:18budget reinstates $400,000 between the

2:30:20two PAPs that was removed by KCDA in the

2:30:22last fiscal year in order to facilitate

2:30:24early bond payoff. It removes KCDA admin

2:30:27costs from having another layer of

2:30:28administration, legal, and finance. And

2:30:31it finally utilizes the additional

2:30:32capital that will be available

2:30:34subsequent to the bond payoff to

2:30:36appropriately fund the capital projects

2:30:37and address the technology debt that

2:30:39I've mentioned before.

2:30:42I will point out the budget for the

2:30:43first year was designed to be

2:30:44conservative uh while KCDA assets are

2:30:47transferred and adjustments are made,

2:30:49but the long-term goal is to further

2:30:50increase 901 center funding and to allow

2:30:53the technology purchases we need to meet

2:30:55the growing needs of the public as well

2:30:56as police and fire first responders.

2:31:01Wrapping things up here, this slide

2:31:03summarizes the key improvements the city

2:31:04will will benefit from with the adoption

2:31:06of this intergovernmental agreement. It

2:31:09has been pointed out in GRPD

2:31:10accreditation studies, the Grand Rapids

2:31:12Fire Department's accreditation studies,

2:31:14KCDA consultant reports, and the Grand

2:31:16Rapids Fire Department's recent ISO

2:31:17study that the system we have is an

2:31:19exemplary model of a system designed for

2:31:22efficiency, interoperability, and backup

2:31:24and failover capabilities between the

2:31:26two 911 centers.

2:31:28This agreement appropriately establishes

2:31:30the city of Grand Rapids as one of the

2:31:31two key players in a wellplanned

2:31:33countywide 901 technology ecosystem.

2:31:37This IGA accurately reflects the city of

2:31:38Grand Rapids as an equal part equal

2:31:40partner with a strong voice in budget

2:31:42development and planning. It redirects

2:31:44KCDA admin costs to where they can

2:31:46directly impact dispatch operations and

2:31:48technology funding and support the

2:31:50service we deliver.

2:31:52The technology committee included in the

2:31:53IGA contract integrates IT and 901

2:31:56experts from both parties into this into

2:31:58the process of planning and budgeting.

2:32:00This should improve cooperation and may

2:32:02result in technology efficiencies. And

2:32:05finally, the J contract promotes

2:32:07prioritization of dispatch center

2:32:08technology planning and maintenance

2:32:10using the funds that will be made

2:32:11available after the KCDA bond is paid

2:32:13off.

2:32:16That is my presentation. Um, glad to

2:32:18answer any questions you have that uh

2:32:20would help help you understand this

2:32:21better.

2:32:23>> Yeah, if you could roll back a slide to

2:32:25the to the budget and and also then

2:32:26explain. I don't see there the when the

2:32:29bonds paid, how much are we currently

2:32:30paying a year for the bond? The current

2:32:32bond pay minimum bond payment is

2:32:34$1,650,000 a year.

2:32:36>> Okay. So that goes away when the bond is

2:32:38paid off. So we're going to get we're

2:32:40going to be 1.6 positive.

2:32:41>> Correct.

2:32:42>> In terms of cash flow after that. Um

2:32:44comparing uh the two budgets there, it

2:32:46looks like the proposed IGA budget net

2:32:49is is a net increase substantial net

2:32:52increase and some of that really it

2:32:53really is two line items. So what is

2:32:56when it says estimated revenue

2:32:58estimated searchcharge revenue is that

2:33:01total budget and then you broke it down

2:33:03underneath that or what does that mean?

2:33:05>> That is the total revenue uh the the

2:33:08items underneath that other than the

2:33:0910.9 million are 10 10.9 million are the

2:33:12dispersements or the expenses in

2:33:13essence.

2:33:14>> Okay.

2:33:14>> So the revenue is what comes to us from

2:33:16the state or comes to the authority from

2:33:18the state.

2:33:20>> Oh I see. I see. Um okay. And and so

2:33:23you're proposing um substantially more

2:33:26for uh capital expenditure. Can you you

2:33:28want to can you elaborate on that a

2:33:30little bit?

2:33:30>> Sure. Uh as I mentioned, there's there's

2:33:32some technology debt has that has

2:33:33occurred. Uh we are currently operating

2:33:35CAT on a CAD system, a computerated

2:33:36dispatch system uh whose service

2:33:38contract ends at the end of 2028.

2:33:41Um and we're in the process of planning

2:33:43for that replacement. Uh we are also in

2:33:45our our current phone system, our call

2:33:47handling equipment is outdated and needs

2:33:49to be updated and replaced and uh that

2:33:51is currently not uh not I would I would

2:33:54say appropriate funds are not allocated

2:33:56for that in the current KCDA budget. And

2:33:58then in addition as I said there is some

2:34:00critical cyber security needs that we

2:34:01have been attempting to address with the

2:34:03KCD attempting to get approval for and

2:34:05they have been very slow to to to uh to

2:34:08grant funding for those and that funding

2:34:09has only been granted in part. So,

2:34:11there's some cyber security issues that

2:34:13we need to address to make sure that our

2:34:14system is secure and stable and that we

2:34:16have appropriate backup systems both

2:34:18on-site, off-site, and at the county

2:34:20center in place. So,

2:34:22>> great.

2:34:22>> That would be the the additional

2:34:23expenses we would plan on in terms of

2:34:25capital.

2:34:25>> Great. Thanks, colleagues. Any other

2:34:28questions?

2:34:29>> City measure.

2:34:30>> Thank Thank you Reed and Matt and um

2:34:33police department for your work on this.

2:34:35We highlighted for you the response uh

2:34:38time for dispatch and even with the

2:34:41amount of technical debt as I said we we

2:34:44still have outstanding performance over

2:34:4699% of our uh calls are dispatched

2:34:50within receiving a dispatch in the

2:34:51appropriate time and that's that's very

2:34:53outstanding. There are very many cities

2:34:55and dispatch centers that are struggling

2:34:57with staffing as well as with technology

2:34:59and uh getting a lot of complaints from

2:35:02the local community. I just want to

2:35:03thank you and pass on my thanks to your

2:35:06employees who work 24/7 365 to ensure

2:35:09that we are there when emergencies

2:35:11happen and people call in. Thank you.

2:35:14>> Thank you, sir.

2:35:16>> Well, thanks for the presentation. Um,

2:35:21>> yep. Did we Did we get a motion already?

2:35:23Yeah, we had a motion. Okay. Uh, so all

2:35:26in favor of the resolution, please say

2:35:29I.

2:35:29>> I.

2:35:30>> I. All opposed. Uh that brings us to a

2:35:34request from our city attorney that we

2:35:36uh move into close session. Uh we have a

2:35:38briefing uh happening, but before we

2:35:40move on to the briefing. Um can I have a

2:35:42motion to move us into closed session to

2:35:44discuss legal opinion?

2:35:45>> So moved. Support.

2:35:46>> Okay. All in favor say I. Oh, sorry.

2:35:48Roll call.

2:35:49>> Commissioner Kilgore,

2:35:50>> yes.

2:35:51>> Commissioner Knight,

2:35:51>> yes.

2:35:52>> Commissioner Sassi,

2:35:52>> yes.

2:35:53>> Commissioner Purdue,

2:35:54>> yes.

2:35:54>> Commissioner Belch,

2:35:55>> yes.

2:35:55>> Mayor Lrand,

2:35:56>> yes. Okay. Okay. And that brings us to

2:35:58our final presentation and that is a

2:36:00briefing on our national community

2:36:02survey results.

2:36:06>> Good morning, commissioners. Um, good

2:36:09morning. Um, you might recall that uh

2:36:11for the fourth uh this is the fourth

2:36:13iteration of the national community

2:36:14survey that we conducted. It was

2:36:16conducted back in the spring and I have

2:36:18here with me uh Nick Mastani Astroni,

2:36:21sorry. Um to uh to go over the results

2:36:24with you. He's with PCON NCS which is

2:36:26the vendor that we hired to conduct the

2:36:27the study for us.

2:36:30>> Thank you.

2:36:33>> City of Grand Rapids. It's uh my

2:36:35pleasure to present to you the results

2:36:36of the 2026 National Community Survey.

2:36:39Before I do, uh I want to give credit

2:36:40where credit is due as a member of my

2:36:42team, Angelica Frato, and she uh did all

2:36:45the heavy lifting through the process

2:36:46with your team uh here. And so um yeah,

2:36:50just a momentous occasion. Excited to

2:36:52share with you the results of the survey

2:36:53today.

2:36:54Uh just a brief introduction again my

2:36:56name is Nick Mashardi uh I work with our

2:36:59team is PCO in 2019 we merged with a

2:37:02firm national research center who had

2:37:04been a survey and consulting company for

2:37:06local governments for 20 years and we

2:37:08helped bring some technology to bear uh

2:37:10with them and then over the surveys that

2:37:12you see here uh the very first one the

2:37:14national community survey is our

2:37:15flagship survey fielded to residents to

2:37:17assess the importance of public services

2:37:19and their satisfaction with those public

2:37:21services which we'll go through today.

2:37:23Um it's very important as we run through

2:37:25these results uh there is no

2:37:27organization that has a Dow Jones

2:37:30Industrial Average of local governments

2:37:31in the United States. We are fortunately

2:37:33or unfortunately the closest thing that

2:37:35there is uh and the communities that are

2:37:38in this national benchmark which

2:37:40contextualizing with with benchmarks is

2:37:42important are very high performing

2:37:43cities. So when I share with you your

2:37:45results relative to benchmarks know that

2:37:47these benchmarks are extremely high

2:37:49performing cities uh throughout the

2:37:51throughout the country. So you're going

2:37:53up against uh many of the best. Uh these

2:37:56surveys have been fielded I think uh

2:37:58over the years with about 2,000 surveys.

2:38:00The benchmarking the national

2:38:01benchmarking comparison group consists

2:38:03of about 400 surveys. And then we you

2:38:05will also see a custom benchmarking

2:38:08comparison group. I think it's about 32

2:38:10cities that have similar demographics

2:38:12and um uh socioeconomics to to Grand

2:38:15Rapids. So just please keep that in mind

2:38:18as we're looking at comparisons. These

2:38:19are extremely high performing local

2:38:21governments. Um and then uh just how all

2:38:24this fits in uh just at a very high

2:38:26level we think of the annual governance

2:38:28cycle as gathering data and strategic

2:38:30planning and then execute a lot of

2:38:32programs. And this kind of the goal of

2:38:33the national community surveys to give

2:38:35you a very high level look that can

2:38:37inform uh strategic priorities and

2:38:39strategic planning processes.

2:38:43Overall not not every local government

2:38:45doing this benchmarking is organized the

2:38:47same. So these generalized

2:38:48organizational structure that I'll go

2:38:50through today breaks down city services

2:38:53according to 10 domains which are kind

2:38:55of like departments and then you you see

2:38:57those 10 here and I'll just run through

2:38:59them basically one slide each. Feel free

2:39:02to interrupt if you have questions as we

2:39:04go along.

2:39:06Uh and then before we dive into those

2:39:08results just uh about methodology. Uh

2:39:10one thing that's unique is we do help

2:39:13field a statistically significant and

2:39:16representative uh voice of the

2:39:18community. uh we do that through

2:39:21sampling uh method A and then at the end

2:39:24of that process we also do make it

2:39:26available to general residents of the

2:39:28community so everybody has the

2:39:30opportunity to have a voice but in such

2:39:32a way that that doesn't bias the

2:39:34representivity of the uh probability

2:39:38based random sample at the outset. The

2:39:40results that you guys achieved um 381

2:39:44completed surveys on the probability

2:39:46based random sample may sound low. does

2:39:48comprise uh a statistically significant

2:39:51set of results at a 95% confidence level

2:39:54and a 5% margin of error. So when you

2:39:56see results such as a 70 78% that means

2:40:01plus and minus five so between 73 and 83

2:40:05you can have confidence that the actual

2:40:06community voice resides in that range

2:40:09with 95% confidence.

2:40:12Um and then in addition on the open

2:40:14participation component there was

2:40:16another 393

2:40:18responses. Um so all right uh so getting

2:40:22into the results and you'll see trends

2:40:24and you'll see benchmarks uh and you'll

2:40:26see custom benchmarks and I'll just help

2:40:28you kind of walk through uh each of

2:40:29those and so this is overall sets of

2:40:32results for those 10 different domains

2:40:34colorcoded. So you'll see most of them

2:40:36are light green. That indicates uh

2:40:39compared to this extremely high

2:40:40performing group of cities. You guys

2:40:42were similar to the national benchmark.

2:40:44Uh not significantly higher, not

2:40:46significantly lower, right? Kind of in

2:40:48on par with the benchmark of this high

2:40:50performing group. There was one area in

2:40:53safety uh where you were uh 10 points um

2:40:56lower uh than the the national average,

2:40:58but again it's a high performing group.

2:41:00And then according to your custom

2:41:02benchmarking group, it's worth pointing

2:41:04out you guys are an extremely high

2:41:05performer in education, arts, and

2:41:07culture. Um, so this is a very high

2:41:10level result. We'll go into a little bit

2:41:11uh more detail as we go on.

2:41:14Um, and sorry that was in quality. Uh

2:41:17but it's also nice to look at these

2:41:18results in comparison to where residents

2:41:21are deeming the importance and the

2:41:23deemed importance from your resident

2:41:26constituents uh are in very very much in

2:41:29alignment with the deemed importance

2:41:31from uh the benchmarking cities that

2:41:33that uh that we survey with. So you can

2:41:36see even your custom benchmarking groups

2:41:38and your others, there's nothing really

2:41:40out of line about what's deemed

2:41:41important from your residents relative

2:41:43to others. So we like to put the two of

2:41:45those together and that's where this

2:41:46slide is just you can kind of take a

2:41:48look at the rated quality versus the

2:41:50rated importance and on this slide

2:41:53you're generally looking for larger gaps

2:41:56um are the areas that might be worth

2:41:58spending some attention towards. And so

2:42:01at the very top uh only a pretty small

2:42:04gap between health and wellness the

2:42:06deemed importance and the deemed quality

2:42:08are pretty close. And then as you move

2:42:10down towards the bottom, the ones in

2:42:12bold there, safety, utility, utilities,

2:42:15community connectivity, and mobility

2:42:18have slightly higher gaps uh where the

2:42:20importance relative to the quality might

2:42:22be something as you're thinking through

2:42:23prioritizing initiatives worthy of some

2:42:26attention.

2:42:28Um so again at a very high level to

2:42:31these national benchmarks, uh there are

2:42:34and the survey has a ton of questions in

2:42:37it. uh you can see about 123 uh

2:42:40questions if you take each question in

2:42:42each subcomponent in two areas uh you

2:42:44were higher than the national

2:42:46benchmarking group 111 were similar and

2:42:48there were 10 that received lower

2:42:50ratings and according to your custom

2:42:52benchmarking group there was 14 with

2:42:54higher ratings three with lower ratings

2:42:57uh and 106 with similar

2:43:00so uh and then this is just one more at

2:43:02a high level that's worth paying some

2:43:04attention to uh there are some areas

2:43:06this is kind of your trends and your

2:43:08changes uh relative to the the trends

2:43:10and the changes nationally. So

2:43:12nationally no real train uh no real

2:43:15change in recreation or residents

2:43:18connectivity uh across the nation but

2:43:22you guys did experience a jump in those

2:43:24two areas. So things recently over the

2:43:26last two years uh impacted an elevation

2:43:30whereas nationally there there really

2:43:31wasn't one. And similarly in in the

2:43:35decrease area there wasn't really

2:43:36national trend but there were some areas

2:43:38where you saw a decline. Some of this is

2:43:40a result of things that are going on

2:43:42coincident with when the survey is in

2:43:44the field. Uh and I think the team will

2:43:46speak to some of the things that were

2:43:47going on coincident. So I do know uh I

2:43:50think it was the spring and there was

2:43:51some storm water. So I think that could

2:43:53be something impacting uh the decrease

2:43:55in the rating and the storm water uh

2:43:57management. But also there there were

2:44:00decreases in utility bill um billing,

2:44:03attracting diverse backgrounds, traffic

2:44:04flow, employment uh and a sense of civic

2:44:07pride. Um there are some areas

2:44:10nationally where there were declines but

2:44:11you guys held steady and uh that is

2:44:14overall transit ease of travel and um uh

2:44:19and buser bus or transit uh services.

2:44:23Okay. So key findings uh one slide here

2:44:26for each of those domains. Those were

2:44:27the results at a very high level. Um so

2:44:30key finding one residents view Grand

2:44:31Rapids is a great place to live uh and

2:44:34committed to community. So again you'll

2:44:36see these results are similar to the

2:44:39national benchmarks and similar to your

2:44:41custom benchmarks. Again that that

2:44:42speaks speaks well. And then one area uh

2:44:45that you are higher than custom is uh

2:44:47residents rating of Grand uh with with a

2:44:50recommend living in Grand Rapids.

2:44:54most measures related to Grand Rapids

2:44:56parks and recreation in line with

2:44:58comparison groups. Um so you see pretty

2:45:00stable trends here for the most part

2:45:02except a nice increase occurred in

2:45:04recreation centers uh and facilities and

2:45:06then relative to your custom

2:45:08benchmarking groups and national these

2:45:09are on par and again interrupt me if

2:45:11there's specific questions on it but uh

2:45:13so education culture and arts this is a

2:45:15strong area for you guys with several

2:45:17results above benchmarks

2:45:20and uh you can see pretty stable trends

2:45:23scored higher specifically in

2:45:24opportunities to attend cultural arts

2:45:26music activities make sense uh with some

2:45:28of the earlier presentation today and

2:45:31community support for the arts is high

2:45:32and then relative to your custom peer

2:45:34benchmarking group uh you guys pretty

2:45:36much dominated them uh in in these

2:45:38areas.

2:45:40Some safety and emergency readiness

2:45:42measures indicate some uh opportunity

2:45:44for growth. Um so again

2:45:47relatively stable trends here relative

2:45:50to the national benchmark the overall

2:45:52feeling of safety uh is is lower which

2:45:54we mentioned on the onset. Everything

2:45:56else is comparable uh to national and

2:45:58custom benchmarks.

2:46:01Safety services in in Grand Rapids uh in

2:46:03the police sheriff services uh national

2:46:06benchmark uh was lower. I think this was

2:46:08also around the time that there was the

2:46:10police chief uh search was going on. Uh

2:46:13crime crime prevention rate relative to

2:46:15national benchmark was a little lower.

2:46:16And then relative to your custom

2:46:18benchmarking group, the police sheriff

2:46:20services was also lower.

2:46:23Key finding five, economic confidence in

2:46:25Grand Rapids, strong but shows uh

2:46:28possible declines

2:46:29and uh you'll see just to jump to the

2:46:32decrease specifically was in the uh

2:46:35feeling around employment opportunities.

2:46:38So again, remember these are perception.

2:46:40I uh I was actually trying to dig up

2:46:42some of the overall employment

2:46:43opportunities uh in Grand Rapids and it

2:46:46strikes me that the overall employment

2:46:48opportunities really aren't that far off

2:46:49base. So just keep in mind this is a a

2:46:51local perception. um and worthy of uh

2:46:54further investigation if you like and

2:46:56happy to jump and share some of the data

2:46:58sources that I saw. And then uh on this

2:47:00on the economy is also worth pointing

2:47:02out is Grand Rapids is a place to visit

2:47:05uh relative to your peers. Uh you scored

2:47:07very high in that area.

2:47:10Residents give lower marks to mobility

2:47:12services compared to the 2023 survey. Uh

2:47:15so a decrease in particular on traffic

2:47:18flow on major streets. Again, maybe that

2:47:20has to do with all the education arts uh

2:47:22activities. I'll I'll leave that to you.

2:47:24This is uh just where the perception

2:47:26came in. And only one area lower than

2:47:29national benchmark that was on ease of

2:47:30public parking. Um and then on your

2:47:33compared to your custom benchmarks,

2:47:35there was the ease of uh public parking

2:47:37was also lower, but your performance was

2:47:39high on ease of travel by public

2:47:42transportation and ease of walking uh in

2:47:44your town.

2:47:46And then on the street and transit

2:47:48services, uh you can see snow removal,

2:47:51street cleaning, and street repair, uh

2:47:53were a little lower. Again, this can be

2:47:55due if there was heavy snow. I don't

2:47:57remember exactly uh what's going on

2:47:59there. And then according to your custom

2:48:02benchmark, street repair was a little

2:48:04lower, but your bus and transit services

2:48:06rated higher.

2:48:08There are there's a little room in the

2:48:10survey for some additional special

2:48:12topics. We like to do the benchmarking,

2:48:14but also if there's uh something going

2:48:16on that you'd like to learn about, we

2:48:18have a little bit of room in that survey

2:48:20uh for these custom questions. And so

2:48:22we'll run through uh some of these

2:48:24custom questions. So remember these for

2:48:26these we don't have benchmarks. These

2:48:27are just questions that pertain um to

2:48:30Grand Rapids. So construction and

2:48:32roadwork communication. So the on the

2:48:34left you're looking at the quality of

2:48:36the information provided to you. I

2:48:39pretty pretty much centered around good

2:48:41nothing excellent, not nothing um you

2:48:44know just pretty even distribution

2:48:46around um good satisfaction with the

2:48:48quality of the information and then

2:48:50higher um deemed effectiveness of that

2:48:53communication um around the construction

2:48:56impacts

2:48:58and then uh the other questions were

2:49:00around preferred ways to hear about

2:49:02construction. So direct mail or flyers

2:49:05achieve the highest that may be one of

2:49:06the highest costs. So just what's the

2:49:08highest ROI? I leave that to you guys.

2:49:10Emails and e- newswsletters uh also

2:49:12received higher scores with texting in

2:49:14in third.

2:49:17And then project interest and

2:49:18invitations uh to participate. So on the

2:49:21right you'll see which types of projects

2:49:22are the most interested in knowing about

2:49:25and on the left is have you received an

2:49:27invitation uh to participate or provide

2:49:29feedback uh on a project in your

2:49:31neighborhood. So 69% said no. 31% said

2:49:34yes.

2:49:36And then this last slide is a uh city

2:49:39communication performance uh and broken

2:49:42down by different events worth notifying

2:49:45on. So snow emergencies and then police

2:49:47updates um received the lower

2:49:50performance. Weather related were also

2:49:52uh the highest.

2:49:54>> Yes.

2:49:55>> Um you're missing a number.

2:49:57>> You're missing a number on the traffic

2:49:59reports for the excellent category on

2:50:02that slide.

2:50:07the one we were just on city

2:50:09communications.

2:50:12>> Um,

2:50:12>> can you get that to us later?

2:50:13>> I can. Uh, but I'm I'm struggling to see

2:50:16it here right now. My

2:50:17>> It's nine.

2:50:19>> Yeah. Traffic reports the blue.

2:50:21>> Excellent. Excellent.

2:50:22>> Oh. Oh, okay. Now,

2:50:24>> I mean, I could do math, but

2:50:25>> Okay. Yes. [laughter] Sorry, it just

2:50:27took me a while to see it. I see it.

2:50:29I'll get back to you for sure. Yeah. And

2:50:31if it's

2:50:31>> The answer is nine. You don't have to

2:50:32get back to

2:50:33>> Quit. Thank you for we'll still

2:50:35corroborate but uh thank you. Okay. And

2:50:39then uh just a quick summary of the

2:50:41findings. Uh place to live uh 81% uh

2:50:45rated but similar to benchmarks uh parks

2:50:48and wrecks uh 67%

2:50:52safety 64% economy mobility and then

2:50:55your highest performing area uh relative

2:50:57to the benchmarks was 71% on education

2:50:59and culture.

2:51:01Uh so again um it was great working with

2:51:05your team helping kind of take these

2:51:06results and then bake them in as you're

2:51:08reviewing strategic priorities and

2:51:10follow-up engagement. One other thing

2:51:12just to keep note of all the digital

2:51:14respondents become part of a digital

2:51:16standing panel. It's able to kind of

2:51:18re-en re-engage them. So uh just know

2:51:21that that's available for follow-up

2:51:23engagement. It's our team is happy to

2:51:24help you uh reconnect with those uh

2:51:27respondents. And then um oh I'll leave

2:51:30that up here. And then just one thing to

2:51:31keep in mind is uh when residents

2:51:34respond to the survey, it's it's a long

2:51:36survey. It's about 20 questions, four or

2:51:37five parts each. Um and so just uh I

2:51:41think you guys are generally pretty good

2:51:42about sharing your survey results, but

2:51:43it's nice to close the loop back to the

2:51:45residents and that helps ensure in the

2:51:47future you you continue to h have good

2:51:50um response rates. But thank you. Again,

2:51:52I want to give credit to Angelica from

2:51:53our team who kind of shephered the

2:51:55process along the way. and it was a

2:51:56pleasure uh of mine to be able to share

2:51:58these uh results uh with you and the

2:52:00team.

2:52:01>> And and so quickly before we move on to

2:52:03any further questions, we thought we'd

2:52:05just go ahead and let you know um before

2:52:07the results even came back, we obviously

2:52:09are already aware of what's happening in

2:52:10our community. We had already identified

2:52:11a few things to work on and they

2:52:13actually this validated in some ways

2:52:15what we knew we needed to to do. Um just

2:52:18to give you an idea, you might remember

2:52:19that slide back a little bit earlier

2:52:20that showed you the double digit decline

2:52:22areas. Um first of all what we're going

2:52:23to do with it closing the loop obviously

2:52:25we're going to you know we're going to

2:52:26close the loop those reports should be

2:52:28live on our website now we're sending

2:52:29out a press release it'll be in our

2:52:30newsletters we RGR u but then addition

2:52:33to that we've also shared it internally

2:52:34with staff so they can start doing

2:52:35analysis on their particular uh subject

2:52:37areas and then there's a few things

2:52:39where we're going to look for what

2:52:40future opportunities do we have to

2:52:41engage and dig in a little deeper

2:52:43because this can only tell us so much.

2:52:46Um to give you just a quick overview

2:52:48though of those double-digit declines

2:52:49and some of the things we've done. As

2:52:50Nick mentioned, we believe the storm

2:52:52water management may be related to the

2:52:53spring flooding that occurred. There was

2:52:54localized flooding. You might even

2:52:56recall that street cleaning was one of

2:52:57the items on there where we ranked

2:52:58pretty low. Um those corresponded from

2:53:01our our research and analysis. And so

2:53:03we're already developing and we're

2:53:04already developing before the results

2:53:05came back a comprehensive sweeping and

2:53:07green infrastructure maintenance basin

2:53:09cleaning program. Um utility building.

2:53:12We're going to be passing this

2:53:12information on to consumers energy and

2:53:14DTE because one thing to note about the

2:53:15survey is it doesn't distinguish between

2:53:17what jurisdiction of government is

2:53:19responsible for something. It just asks

2:53:20how people are feeling about it. And so

2:53:22we'll make sure that that gets to

2:53:23consumer and DTE. And then at your

2:53:25November 17th meeting, you're going to

2:53:26get an update on uh our our utility rate

2:53:29study uh information. Um attracting

2:53:31people from diverse backgrounds. We do

2:53:33believe that this is related in part to

2:53:35ongoing federal actions, but we do

2:53:36continue to support the uh the welcome

2:53:38plan. And then we uh we're going to

2:53:40continue to reinforce, you know, our

2:53:42outreach and engagement activities are

2:53:43inclusive to all communities and all

2:53:44populations. Um the traffic flow on

2:53:46major streets again doesn't distinguish

2:53:48between jurisdictions. So it doesn't

2:53:50distinguish between who's responsible

2:53:51and who's doing the construction. And

2:53:52the state this particular year um had

2:53:55substantially increased activity along

2:53:57131, the belt line, uh I 96. So that in

2:54:01con in conjunction with our planned

2:54:03stuff probably made it seem a little

2:54:05heavier than normal um in the past year

2:54:07or so. Um, but we do have the mobility

2:54:09blueprint underway and we also have the

2:54:11right ofway working group that is

2:54:12addressing some of those uh those

2:54:14construction communication uh uh um uh

2:54:17feedback that we got. [snorts] Um

2:54:19employment opportunities, we'll be

2:54:20sharing that with all the local

2:54:21workforce development entities. We do

2:54:22want to point out that as an employer,

2:54:24uh the city has a turnover rate of less

2:54:26than 8% in FY26. Um and so we'll be

2:54:30probably doing a little bit more

2:54:31conversation around what exactly is

2:54:32going on with that given all the

2:54:34economic trends in other areas being so

2:54:36positive. And then finally, um the one

2:54:38that we're definitely going to have to

2:54:39do some more reach, uh some more

2:54:40research on is a sense of civic and

2:54:43community pride. Given so many people

2:54:45recommend this as a place to live, given

2:54:47so many people are happy to live here,

2:54:48given so many people gave us such high

2:54:50overall ratings, that one will probably

2:54:52require us to do a little more outreach

2:54:54and engagement to to get a better sense

2:54:55of what's caused that. So with that, we

2:54:58had any questions you might have. Nick

2:54:59and myself are available.

2:55:02Um, so I I get that these are all

2:55:05national um comparables and so it's not

2:55:08quite as easy um to explain some of them

2:55:12perhaps. I mean in terms of when I see

2:55:15when I see the question about civic

2:55:16pride um you know I think about what's

2:55:19going on at the federal level. Um, and

2:55:23you know, I I I said from the dis, the

2:55:25fact that we've got a uh US Supreme

2:55:28Court that now says it's okay to detain

2:55:30people based on skin color uh and accent

2:55:33does not make me proud to be an

2:55:34American. Uh, I find that incredibly

2:55:36distressing. Now, maybe that's something

2:55:39maybe that those numbers are byproduct

2:55:41of the fact that our community is

2:55:44reading loud and clear and and and and

2:55:47expressing real dissatisfaction with

2:55:48federal policies. in which case I'm kind

2:55:50of proud of our of our community for not

2:55:52being so civically prideful. Um if if

2:55:55that's what we're reading. Um but I

2:55:57don't know. Um I guess one of the

2:55:59questions I would have is you're

2:56:00comparing us to other people and you

2:56:02presumably don't drop the surveys in

2:56:06synchron in in synchronous uh method,

2:56:08right? Like these are presumably

2:56:10stepped. Um so you know and again I'm

2:56:13thinking about like the Alex Prey

2:56:14killing, right? that happened fairly

2:56:17close to when our prior to our survey

2:56:19going out and maybe uh you know the

2:56:22those act those those national there

2:56:24there's a real I mean and we continue to

2:56:27have an ongoing accounting for uh

2:56:30federal immigration enforcement tactics

2:56:32activities all that kind of thing and

2:56:34that if so if if th if that wasn't

2:56:36forefront in some communities minds are

2:56:38we seeing in a sense some effect of like

2:56:40when the time of your polling was

2:56:43>> yeah that very well may be a byproduct

2:56:45to that you are right. Uh the surveys

2:56:47that we're fielding with cities across

2:56:48the country are rolling throughout the

2:56:50year. So some of them uh could could

2:56:53have been u very well were not at that

2:56:56same time and there may other things

2:56:57that may have been inducing a the

2:56:59variation in the sense of civic pride.

2:57:01Um, with that said, I'm something we're

2:57:03always willing to do and uh willing to

2:57:05kind of follow up as an after item is

2:57:07city maybe cities who were fielding the

2:57:10survey around the same time uh but had

2:57:12higher scores just and if there are best

2:57:14practices to learn uh to maybe even

2:57:16counteract things like that, we're happy

2:57:18to dig in and uh do some connectivity

2:57:20sharing with that.

2:57:21>> Great. And obviously that that national

2:57:24moment of I mean fear among other things

2:57:27would certainly seem to me contribute to

2:57:29questions of overall feeling of safety

2:57:31in the community. Um if that's not you

2:57:34know safety worrying about like can I go

2:57:37for a walk at night but a question of

2:57:38like are my neighbors going to be

2:57:41stuffed into the back of a bus um when I

2:57:44you know some afternoon. Um, I I know

2:57:46we've had a lot of people very very

2:57:48clearly and emphatically coming in and

2:57:50telling us that they do not feel safe in

2:57:52this national federal environment. So, I

2:57:55just wanted to flag that as a

2:57:56hypothesis.

2:57:57>> Sure, Mayor. And it's worth noting that

2:57:59we do there are some things that are

2:58:01easy to explain what what we might think

2:58:03of as recency bias in in the results.

2:58:05So, for instance, the uh public works

2:58:07team would love it if I was only rating

2:58:10uh if we did it in the fall because by

2:58:11then all the streets are clear and all

2:58:12the potholes are full. Um, unfortunately

2:58:14this usually we tend to put it out right

2:58:16after the snow. So something like that

2:58:18we can make a reasonable assumption.

2:58:19That's why we noted that the civic pride

2:58:21thing we probably are going to have to

2:58:22go out and do some deeper have some

2:58:24deeper conversations to really

2:58:25understand it because it it it may

2:58:27correls things. It may be something in

2:58:30the community that we're just even not

2:58:31aware of a sentiment that we need to you

2:58:33know we need to track on. And so we'll

2:58:34be working uh with you know my team

2:58:36engagement um OPA OE and and trying to

2:58:39and trying to feed what the next step of

2:58:40engagement will be for that.

2:58:42>> Yeah. Thank you. Uh, Commissioner Yasi,

2:58:44did I see your hand up?

2:58:45>> Oh, I was gonna say

2:58:47>> and then Commissioner uh

2:58:48>> Yeah, I think Commissioner Knight did

2:58:49too, but I think she walked out. Uh,

2:58:51thank you for this overview. Thanks for

2:58:53highlighting this. Um, I wanted to just

2:58:56add a couple of things on the employment

2:58:59opportunities. I think, you know,

2:59:01appreciate sharing with the local

2:59:02workforce development entities. I also

2:59:04think about, you know, those parties

2:59:06that are receiving CDBG funding through

2:59:09um, you know, our departments, but also

2:59:11just some of the nuances. I think, you

2:59:13know, those that are, uh, returning from

2:59:16incarceration, those that have different

2:59:19physical or cognitive abilities. Um, you

2:59:23know, I think that's what we're also

2:59:24seeing quite a bit as I I think about

2:59:26some of the other bodies I sit on. Um

2:59:30I agree too on the utility piece. You

2:59:33know that's oftentimes is kind of taking

2:59:35it from you know it's coming to the city

2:59:37but who is the the consideration and so

2:59:40I appreciate these items and where the

2:59:42trends are and obviously the ones that

2:59:44are really obvious to us. What's the

2:59:46what's the strategy? So sort of this is

2:59:48like the response, right? But what is

2:59:49the strategy or how do um municipalities

2:59:52say if we see like slight changes or you

2:59:55know, hey, we see some slight changes

2:59:57and also to your point uh Mr. Green, we

3:00:00know some other things that are going

3:00:01on. So a lot of these things are not

3:00:02surprising to us, right? And so how do

3:00:04we have sort of the response and then

3:00:06the proactive PE? I mean, I believe

3:00:08we're always being proactive, but how do

3:00:10we categorize that or how do you how do

3:00:13you sort of rank that and make sure

3:00:15you're not just focusing on, oh my gosh,

3:00:16this number is so much lower and so we

3:00:19want to put our energy and time there.

3:00:20Thanks.

3:00:23>> I would just say so I do several of

3:00:25these presentations uh and our team does

3:00:27around the country. I think um the the

3:00:30first thing they look at is a perception

3:00:31versus reality issue and so other data

3:00:33that can corroborate uh if there

3:00:35actually has been a decline or is it

3:00:36just something that we can do to

3:00:37communicate differently and then similar

3:00:39to what I alluded to of sharing of best

3:00:42practices. So again these are as I

3:00:44mentioned extremely high performing

3:00:45cities and sometimes even a small dip

3:00:47down they really uh really go after it

3:00:49to try to try to get ahead of it. Um I

3:00:52was just in Neapville, same thing. I

3:00:54mean their their scores are you guys are

3:00:56great scores and their scores are really

3:00:57high and but if any dip down they just

3:00:59get up and and I'm happy to kind of

3:01:01share other communities and uh maybe

3:01:03where the declines weren't happening. So

3:01:05yeah, just something we're happy to do.

3:01:07>> Thank you,

3:01:08>> Commissioner. It it's it's also worth

3:01:10noting too that even in some of the

3:01:12areas and and I can I can highlight for

3:01:14you um going back to

3:01:17uh where did it go? Going back to the

3:01:19safety, you might even see, for

3:01:21instance, we are lower in an overall

3:01:23feeling of safety against the national

3:01:24benchmark, but we're still going up. And

3:01:26so this also in some ways validates some

3:01:29of the programs we have in place and and

3:01:30it so it becomes a question of through

3:01:32your strategy, through the budgetary

3:01:34process, what do we change? What do we

3:01:35evaluate? What do we keep doing? So

3:01:37we're also looking for that

3:01:38reinforcement as well. Like some of

3:01:39these numbers, you know, safety in your

3:01:41neighborhood during the day, it's the

3:01:42highest it's been since we've started

3:01:43since we've started tracking it. And so

3:01:45in some cases, this also validates the

3:01:46things we are doing. And and so we can

3:01:48also instead of looking at what we can

3:01:49do to fix certain things, we can say,

3:01:51hey, this is being successful and we can

3:01:52and we can continue to reinforce it.

3:01:55Well, and and again to to keep on that

3:01:57slide for a minute, um if you look at

3:01:59the fire, flood or natural disaster, um

3:02:02if this is a spring thing and people are

3:02:04I mean I know that there was some

3:02:05concern about flooding and it's

3:02:07interesting because you know I'm trying

3:02:09to think back to what event would have

3:02:11caused that but but if that number then

3:02:14that you know

3:02:168% decline is lumped in and the and you

3:02:19ask them at the end of it what's your

3:02:21overall feeling of safety and they've

3:02:22just said I mean this wasn't this was

3:02:25before our our wildfire uh excitement

3:02:29this summer. So it wasn't it's not like

3:02:31we're tracking oh my gosh I can't

3:02:32breathe the air. Um but it is you know

3:02:35if if there were concerns about flooding

3:02:36and that just um filters down into the

3:02:39answer. I'm I'm assuming these question

3:02:41I'm assuming I'm guessing these

3:02:42questions are asked sequentially like at

3:02:44least logically you were going to ask

3:02:46the overall thing after you ask the uh

3:02:48the disagregated questions. So we may be

3:02:52tracking a flood effect there too for

3:02:53some to some extent. Who knows?

3:02:55>> Um just one of the factors we're

3:02:57discussing. I these are all all right

3:02:59factors and uh we we we take a lot of

3:03:02pride in trying to field this process as

3:03:03well as we can and there's just some act

3:03:05uh and then just always keep in mind

3:03:07these are population inferences from a

3:03:10sample. So don't forget there is the the

3:03:11plus and minus range there too.

3:03:13>> Thanks Commissioner Belure.

3:03:15>> Thank you. Um so to contribute to the

3:03:17conversation we were having I also noted

3:03:19in as we were going through this that

3:03:21with the ease of parking public parking

3:03:23on slide 25 um I believe this survey was

3:03:27well as we were approaching the launch

3:03:29for the amphitheater. So there was a lot

3:03:31of discussion in in that and we just had

3:03:33a nice discussion about the amphitheater

3:03:35and and how parking in our most busy day

3:03:38still seemed to be manageable and as

3:03:40noted we have our mobility

3:03:42blueprint going on. Um we also have

3:03:45since the dis distinguishing between

3:03:47which governmental entity or body is um

3:03:50in in charge of something we have a lot

3:03:52of um

3:03:55like just diverse decision-making

3:03:57bodies. So we have like the convention

3:03:59of arena authority. We have the rapid

3:04:01which is not run by the city. So that's

3:04:03a big impact on what transit is. Um you

3:04:06know we do have the dash that we pay the

3:04:08rapid to do. So there were changes there

3:04:10too. Um, so I think, you know, as we

3:04:13think about what's happening in our

3:04:14streets and and what's going on there,

3:04:16that's just a continuing conversation.

3:04:18Um, I do know that snow removal this

3:04:21past year has been a big issue. So, I

3:04:23think we can continue thinking about

3:04:24that. We have a lot of, um, elderly and

3:04:28disabled folks that just need extra

3:04:31help. And there's been a lot of, at

3:04:32least in some of my neighborhoods that I

3:04:34represent, discussion about why can't we

3:04:37have the city services like they do in

3:04:39such and such part of town. And so, um,

3:04:41I think those are paid for by the

3:04:43corridor improvement authorities. So,

3:04:45just additional opportunities that we

3:04:46need to think about. And then overall,

3:04:51I'm curious because I know this is

3:04:52mostly focused on like city services and

3:04:55feeling of the n the what it's like to

3:04:58live here. But I noticed that we no

3:05:00questions about housing were

3:05:02specifically asked or how like a big

3:05:05part of our city services is the

3:05:06planning department and how that works.

3:05:08So, if you could just talk a little bit

3:05:10about that or if there's anything in the

3:05:12future we could be looking at.

3:05:15>> Um,

3:05:16I if it is really a big part of the city

3:05:19operations. Um, I mean, you do have this

3:05:21standing panel you could kind of go back

3:05:22to if you wanted to do something

3:05:24additional. We do have this data set I

3:05:26was sharing that we've been compiling to

3:05:28take a look at non-resident sentiment

3:05:29but overall uh housing data. Um, and so

3:05:33yeah, happy to kind of dig into that

3:05:34data with the with the team as a

3:05:36follow-up. I guess that would be a

3:05:37question for the rest of the commission

3:05:39if that's something we wanted to learn

3:05:40more about as well.

3:05:44>> Yeah. Well, city manager, I think you

3:05:46can keep that in mind for um maybe next

3:05:48year's survey. That's because you do

3:05:50have the ability to focus in, but I

3:05:51think it's a good point. Commissioner uh

3:05:53Commissioner Purdue,

3:05:54>> thank you for the presentation. Thank

3:05:56you for the effort on this. Um two

3:05:59things. So you just mentioned residency

3:06:02and I know that in the survey for

3:06:05demographic drop down there is a length

3:06:07of res residency. So just confirming

3:06:09that everyone who completed the survey

3:06:11is a verified resident or are folks who

3:06:14might who work in Grand Rapids but might

3:06:16not live here. Are they also included in

3:06:18this?

3:06:18>> Um yes. So first I don't know if Doug's

3:06:20track but I'm going to double check just

3:06:22there to see if there were housing

3:06:24questions uh in there. I don't remember.

3:06:27I just want to come back to that. to

3:06:28your question on the uh so remember

3:06:31there was two waves. There's a

3:06:32probability based random sample. Uh all

3:06:35of those respondents absolutely should

3:06:37be uh official city residents. I believe

3:06:41the sampling frame that we used was from

3:06:44the USPS

3:06:46uh property list uh address. So uh yes,

3:06:50those should all be verified residents

3:06:52of the community. We do take some steps

3:06:55also uh to help ensure that in the open

3:06:58participation component they are also

3:07:01verified residents but it's more

3:07:03possible to sock puppet uh those uh

3:07:06results in

3:07:07>> okay I think you know this report

3:07:10obviously focused on averages I think

3:07:13the most value is when you a as you

3:07:16spoke to kind of understand what's

3:07:18behind each of these numbers but also

3:07:20look beyond averages to see how

3:07:21different communities are experiencing

3:07:23each of these domains. So the online

3:07:27report is in kind of table format and

3:07:30allows you to drop down pretty um for

3:07:33for every question drop down and and uh

3:07:35disagregate um in some really

3:07:37interesting ways everything from housing

3:07:39type to length of residency to presence

3:07:41of children. So I'm curious if you found

3:07:44any interesting trends when you broke it

3:07:46down in any particular area. Um that's a

3:07:50great qu that's a that's a great point.

3:07:52I there's already so much data in this

3:07:55survey as is when you look at benchmarks

3:07:58custom benchmarks and trends. Uh and

3:08:00then we do the benchmarks on the trends

3:08:02too. Um so one thing that we are doing

3:08:05right now and I hope to have for you for

3:08:07the next implementation if we want to

3:08:08dive and you you can explore it there.

3:08:10>> Uh the the thing that we're working on

3:08:12right now is we call those our disparity

3:08:14reports. uh is to be able to do

3:08:17benchmarks and trends within the

3:08:19disparity reports as well. So you can

3:08:20see how this uh combination kind of

3:08:23explodes a little bit.

3:08:24>> Um the short answer though was off the

3:08:27cuff through looking at all those

3:08:28combinations there was nothing that

3:08:30really you know struck us but that is a

3:08:33very large space to kind of review and

3:08:36we're working to make that easier to

3:08:38identify those points.

3:08:39>> Okay, great. I think I really appreciate

3:08:42this this point and um would be

3:08:44interested in kind of that sort of

3:08:45reporting and I know a big part of your

3:08:48model is benchmarking against similar

3:08:50cities. Um I think I'm probably more

3:08:52interested in how different parts of the

3:08:54city benchmarks across each other,

3:08:56right? And I think my goal is par

3:08:58throughout the city. um whether that

3:09:00were better or worse in another city is

3:09:02not as much of my priority as saying how

3:09:04is everyone experiencing our city in a

3:09:06positive way and uh where might we need

3:09:09to target efforts um and where are we

3:09:11doing excellent

3:09:13>> thank you

3:09:14>> yeah ju just to follow up very quickly

3:09:16on the on the housing question there

3:09:18were two questions about housing one

3:09:19about variety of housing type and one

3:09:21about affordability um all anything not

3:09:24covered on today's presentation as the

3:09:26commissioners pointed out is available

3:09:28via our website on uh on something

3:09:30called Tableau where you can go and you

3:09:32can cross tab and sort through all of

3:09:33the results.

3:09:35>> Great.

3:09:35>> Yeah. Yeah. We we we'll see and we we

3:09:37will send you the full report. It's

3:09:38it'll be posted on on the website, too.

3:09:40>> Okay. Thanks. Um any additional

3:09:43questions?

3:09:44>> Okay. Well, thanks so much for the

3:09:46presentation and thanks for doing the

3:09:47work. And that will adjourn our meeting,

3:09:49I believe. And we'll move in Well, not

3:09:51adjourn.

3:09:52>> Yes, we're moving to 601 for close

3:09:54session.

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