Last Wednesday morning, Aug. 16, members of the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce gathered at City Hall to hear the latest news from local government leaders. Dubbed the “State of the State, County & City,” the event was part of the Chamber’s series of Rise & Shine Breakfast Club meetings.
State of the State: Sen. Thomas Albert and Rep. Gina Johnsen
Council Chambers was filled for the event which began with some remarks from Shannon Kennedy, executive director for the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. She was followed by Senator Thomas Albert who provided an update from the Michigan State Senate.
Albert, who previously represented Lowell in the Michigan House of Representatives, said this year had been a different experience for him. Not only was he in a different legislative chamber, but the Republican senator noted he was also in the minority party for the first time.
Some of the most notable news out of Lansing was the passage of the budget. Albert said the state had a $9.2 billion surplus and 97% of that was spent in the budget.
“Personally, I thought it was too much too soon,” he said. “It’s irresponsible. (Some) should have been used for debt.”
Albert said he proposed an alternative School Aid Budget that would have provided funding for $14,000 per child for the Great Start Readiness Program. He thought that would have been preferable to universal school breakfasts and lunches which was included in the budget.
Changes to the tax code, economic development spending and the elimination of the right-to-work law were also opposed by Albert. “It puts a ‘closed for business’ sign on the State of Michigan,” he said about the latter.
Representative Gina Johnsen is currently in her first term in the Michigan House of Representatives. Like Albert, she is in the minority party, and she said that has posed a challenge when it comes to being heard. She said it seemed as though she needed to “eat dirt, grovel and beg” when advocating for local projects such as funding for a wastewater treatment plant in Portland.
However, Johnsen added that she felt as though she had developed a working relationship with many of her colleagues and was optimistic that funding for a wastewater treatment plant for Lowell would be coming through next.
Addressing regulations for meat packers, making changes to Michigan’s history curriculum and putting more emphasis on skilled trades in schools are among Johnsen’s priorities. She mentioned being disappointed that more attention was not given to mental health as part of a discussion on gun laws. “You can’t put a whole bunch of new gun laws in place and think we have safety,” she said.
Overall, Johnsen said she was surprised by the sheer number of bills passed during her first few months in office. In many cases, she did not feel enough time was given to properly discuss proposals. “I voted not on a lot of things simply because there wasn’t enough discussion,” she said.
State of the County: Dave Hildenbrand
County Commissioner Dave Hildenbrand is no stranger to government office and represented Lowell in the Michigan Legislature for 14 years. Now, he is in his first term on the Kent County Board of Commissioners, where he represents the City of Lowell.
Hildenbrand noted there is a significant partisan divide at the state level, but that isn’t something he sees as much on the county board. “For the most part, we all get along pretty well,” he said. “That’s refreshing.”
The county operates on a $500 million annual budget which is funded by taxes, state and federal grants and service charges such as license and park fees. Hildenbrand ran through the various millages that are in place for county services and shared that Kent County employs about 2,000 people across its many departments. About a third of those workers are with the Sheriff’s Office.
State of the City: Mike Burns
Lowell City Manager Mike Burns provided the update on behalf of the city and shared that infrastructure, pension liabilities and police staffing are top issues for the municipality.
He noted that 18 streets have been paved in the city and another 14 roads are slated for next year. “I’ll be honest,” Burns said. “If it wasn’t for the marijuana excise tax, these roads wouldn’t get finished.”
As for pension liabilities, Burns said the city had made great strides in boosting its pension fund, bringing it from 60% funded in 2020 to 68% funded today. The city’s pension fund has been closed to new employees who now have access to a defined contribution retirement plan instead.
Finally, police staffing continues to be a challenge as the Lowell Police Department has had difficulty filling part-time positions. Adding a full-time position to cover shifts typically taken by part-timers is one option being considered. Burns added that it costs about $150,000 per year to pay, equip and train a full-time officer.
State of the Townships: Jerry Hale and Tim Wittenbach
Lowell Charter Township Supervisor Jerry Hale said repairs to the township’s pickleball courts were almost complete and a disc golf course was almost done as well.
“The YMCA wants to put a pool at our park,” Hale said, adding that the township didn’t have the space available so there have been talks with Impact Church about using a portion of their land. A splashpad is also being built in the township and that project has gone out for bid.
Meanwhile, Vergennes Township Supervisor Tim Wittenbach said his community was “the sleeper up there to the north.” He shared that the township’s industrial parks are now all full with mainly service businesses but also a few manufacturers. The township is enjoying its new township hall on Lincoln Lake Ave. which Wittenbach described as a “whale of a deal.”
State of the Schools: Nate Fowler
Lowell Area Schools Superintendent Nate Fowler was on hand to offer an update from the local public school district. He said it was a “frantic week” as everyone was preparing for students to return on Aug. 22.
“What we’re seeing in our schools is that we’ve weathered the pandemic quite well,” according to Fowler. He shared that high school SAT scores have rebounded.
While some districts have struggled to find teachers, that hasn’t been the case at LAS. “Lowell remains a place where teachers want to work,” Fowler said. One looming concern, however, is the loss of federal funding related to the pandemic.
The Lowell Middle School has been completely renovated, and Fowler said the next building priority is addressing issues at Cherry Creek Elementary School. The building was previously used for a middle school and has never been fully updated since then.
State of the Police and Fire Departments: Chris Hurst and Shannon Witherell
Wrapping up the breakfast were Police Chief Chris Hurst and Fire Chief Shannon Witherell.
Hurst reiterated what Burns said about staffing being a challenge. “No one wants to be a cop,” he said, noting that fewer people are entering the profession and police academy graduates are quickly hired by larger departments.
The Lowell Police Department has received about 3,000 calls for service so far this year, and traffic remains the biggest complaint from residents. However, with only one officer on patrol, it is difficult to cover calls plus monitor for speeding, Hurst said.
In response to a question about how the community could better support police officers, Hurst replied: “In this community, we get a lot of support. We are very supported.”
Witherell shared that the Lowell Area Fire Department is the largest non-staffed department in the county. The Lowell department has 33 paid, on-call firefighters as well as two full-time and one part-time position. “We are in a very odd situation [where] we’re one of the only fire departments in the area that is not struggling to find firefighters,” according to Witherell.
To learn more about upcoming Chamber events and how to become a member, visit the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce website.
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