City Council Recap: Budget Amendments, Public Art Master Plan

Lowell City Council met for nearly an hour last night to discuss four pieces of business. Mayor Mike DeVore was absent so the meeting was run by Mayor Pro Tem Marty Chambers. All other councilmembers were present.

Public Comments: Budget, Housing

There were two public comments made during the meeting. The first occurred during the initial public comment period of the night, which is reserved for comments about items on the agenda.

Resident Tyler Kent commented on the budget amendments which showed a $250,000 transfer from the Downtown Development Authority to the trails. He said that he wondered whether that was from tax money captured by the DDA or from a transfer from the general fund. If it were the latter, he said he would prefer that general fund dollars be used elsewhere, such as reducing the need for water and sewer rate increases.

Later during the meeting, City Manager Mike Burns said that the transfer from the DDA was money that had been allocated for the trails many years ago and was being held by the authority. He said there were “no general fund dollars used.”

At the end of the meeting, during public comments on items not on the agenda, Wendie Priess offered an update on Flat River Outreach Ministries’ Main Street housing project. The non-profit’s executive director shared that building permits had been received, and “dirt is moving.” She will be back before the council in August to discuss a brownfield tax incremental financing proposal.

2024-25 Budget Amendments

As the city nears the end of its fiscal year on June 30, it’s customary for budget amendments to be made to reflect additional expenditures. Burns said that there were line items which came in under budget last year, but Lowell City Council is generally provided only the overruns for approval in June.

On the revenue side, the city received nearly $93,000 more than expected from the state for personal property tax and $80,000 more than budgeted for interest.

On the expenditure side, line items that required additional general fund dollars included the following, among other expenses:

• City Council: $8,600 for conferences, meeting with consultant Lew Bender and membership dues
• Attorney: $15,000 in unanticipated fees
• Lowell Police Department: $37,570 for salary “step increases” and $19,000 for temporary and overtime pay
• Englehardt Library building: $7,000 for HVAC expenses
• Parks: $8,000 for equipment used at Creekside Park

The amendments also included a transfer of $170,000 for remediation work at the former city landfill on Ware Road and an additional $25,000 to a fund for future fire department capital expenses.

Burns noted that the city also received $62,000 from Franklin Partners and $45,000 from The Right Place. Of this amount, $50,000 was deposited in the general fund and the rest went to the water and sewer funds.

This money was apparently a reimbursement to the city and related to negotiations for the 425 Agreement for the Covenant Business Park in Lowell Charter Township.

“Right Place said they would be more than happy to cover our expenses,” Chambers said.

It does not appear the expenses were ever discussed in an open session of a regular council meeting so it is unclear what they entailed.

Councilmembers voted unanimously to approve the budget amendments as presented.

Public Arts Master Plan Approved

Earlier this year, Lowell City Council unanimously approved a proposal from the nonprofit Lions & Rabbits to undertake a public arts policy and placemaking plan for the community. The cost of the proposal was $150,000 with the city budgeting $50,000 and $25,000 expected to be paid by the DDA. It was hoped the rest would be raised through fundraising.

However, the DDA balked at the request and said they would prefer to work with a local organization. Last night, Lowell Arts Executive Director Janet Teunis proposed that her organization take over the project, at a cost of $50,000. Of that expense, $20,000 would pay for community engagement activities such as surveys and interactive maps while $30,000 would cover the cost of analyzing the data and drafting a plan.

“(It will be) community driven, professionally managed and built to last,” Teunis said.

Burns noted that a public art program was a priority identified by councilmembers during their sessions with consultant Lew Bender. Earlier in June, the DDA approved moving forward and funding the Lowell Arts proposal, contingent on receiving Lowell City Council’s approval.

“I’m thrilled by this being led by Lowell Arts,” said Councilmember Eric Bartkus.

“Well, I’m glad we weren’t using rabbits and whatever,” added Councilmember Mark Ritzema in his comments.

Councilmember Jim Salzwedel said he hoped that many community members – “not just the same 20 or 25 people” – would be involved in crafting the plan and identifying potential public arts projects. He thought it should be opened up to township residents for feedback as well.

Chambers said that he first became interested in a public arts project after a panel discussion at a Michigan Municipal League conference. He noted one example provided was a community that had stenciled their sidewalks in such a way that after it rained, images of lily pads and frogs would appear.

“That’s what’s been motivating me to make sure we’re moving forward,” he said.

Councilmembers voted unanimously to direct the DDA to work with Lowell Arts to create a public art master plan at a cost not to exceed $50,000.

Other meeting items

Councilmembers also voted unanimously to approve a new paid time off policy for city workers that would meet the requirements of Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act and also be in line with what is offered to employees of Lowell Light & Power.

The final vote of the night was unanimous approval to extend a 5-year contract to Veolia to continue managing the city’s wastewater plant. The company, under different names, has managed the plant for about 40 years.

“If it’s not broke, I don’t see any reason to fix it,” Burns said.

During his manager’s report, Burns said the 2025 road projects were going out for bid, and four monitoring wells being placed at the former Ware Road landfill site. He added that the city has been getting many calls about long grass and noted that residents are given 10 days after notification to rectify the situation. After that, the city will send workers to mow the lawn and add the cost to the property’s tax bill.

For their final comments of the night, Ritzema noted that he had a new neighbor who was a little concerned about noise from the Showboat Stage during the Thursday concert and last Saturday’s Pride Festival.

Chambers said he thought this year’s Pride Festival went smoothly, and he commented on the “No Kings” march that occurred recently. He appreciated that community members were generally respectful during these events. “Whatever your viewpoint, I like that you can come and have your say,” he said.

The meeting adjourned at 7:52pm. The next regular meeting will take place on Monday, July 7, at 7pm in Lowell City Hall. Prior to the regular meeting, there will be a special meeting regarding lead lines at 5:30pm.