Lowell City Council met for about an hour and a half on Monday night for their second regular meeting of July. All councilmembers were present, and a large contingent of residents filled the audience.
At the start of the meeting, the council passed the consent agenda, which included the current meeting agenda, past meeting minutes and authorization for the payment of invoices in the amount of $976,763. Then, councilmembers opened the floor for public comments before moving to business items.
Wide-Ranging Public Comments
During public comments, Wendie Priess, the executive director of Flat Reach Outreach Ministries, invited councilmembers to an event showcasing work done at the non-profit’s Main Street Housing project.
Craig Fonger, president of the Fallasburg Historical Society, also had an invite for councilmembers as well as members of the public. He noted that the annual Fallasburg Village Celebration would take place on Saturday, July 27. Many favorite activities will return, and new this year is a beer tent.
Kara Wood addressed the council on behalf of the Destination Kent ballot proposal, which would increase the county’s lodging tax by $3 per night. She noted that the tax would be largely paid by people residing outside the county and could have a $1 billion positive impact on economic growth in the area.
However, some councilmembers seemed skeptical of the proposal since the initial projects targeted for completion with tax revenues – an amphitheater, soccer stadium and aquarium – would be located in Grand Rapids.
“When I looked at it, it looked like Grand Rapids is getting (the money),” Councilmember Marty Chambers said.
Wood replied that the initial projects planned for the funding were in Grand Rapids, but the City of Lowell could talk to the Kent County Administrator about the possibility of receiving funds for local projects in the future.
Resident Diane Smith addressed the council to thank them for looking into the issue of vegetation in the Flat River.
Resident Perry Beachum expressed concern that the city would not be completing utility work along the 900 block of Riverside Drive when it repaves the road. City Manager Mike Burns previously said that the utility work was contingent on the city being approved for a grant, which it did not receive.
“Our water comes from Hudson Street which is not an issue for me at the moment,” Beachum said. But he was concerned that since his water line crosses a neighbor’s property, it could be an issue in the future. Another neighbor does not get enough water pressure to irrigate their lawn, and a private septic company informed neighbors there may be a sewer line break in the area, according to Beachum.
“I just think it’s short-sighted to just do a grind and repave (when there are utility concerns),” Beachum said in closing his comments.
The City of Lowell website notes on its paving and underground utility project webpage:
“It was imperative to review the utilities underground, as one of the worst things a municipality can do is replace a street, only to have to replace it again a few years later due to the need to replace the underground utilities.”
Resident and business owner Beryl Bartkus thanked the Department of Public Works staff for getting the crosswalks on Main Street repainted. She noted that they were out early in the morning working and had to use a leaf blower to dry the paint in the rain. She hoped crosswalks could also be added on side streets.
Resident and business owner Kimball Dlouhy asked about whether water had been turned back on for local property owners near the Washington and Main Street intersection. Burns said the water was on, and affected customers would be notified later than week once a boil advisory was lifted.
Flat River Discussion
The business item that garnered the most discussion was a report on the Flat River by Solitude Lake Management. Lowell resident Rich Perry works for the company and arranged to have an analysis of the river completed free-of-charge.
Perry presented the findings of the report which found that invasive milfoil and curly leaf are the vegetation choking the river’s channels. A combination of three herbicides were recommended to kill the invasive species while not harming the native species or animal life in the river.
Because of state rules, Perry recommended that any treatment that occurs this year be limited to the shoreline area that is within 100 feet of the riverbank, with an emphasis on opening the east channel. The cost for shoreline treatment of 19.5 acres would be $13,668.
Despite having a $1.4 million fund balance in the budget, Burns has recommended against the city funding any portion of the treatment. That confused some in the audience, and at various times during the conversation, Burns provided different explanations for his opposition. He said maintaining the river is not a core function of the city and that a movement to eliminate property tax in Michigan could significantly impact the city’s ability to pay for services in the future.
“The problem is that we’re going to get blamed when we can’t do it anymore,” Burns said, noting that once the city started treatment, it would need to continue every year.
However, Perry said that wasn’t necessarily the case. He said the goal would be to do a big clean up initially so only spot spraying was needed in the future.
After the meeting, Lowell’s First Look asked Burns what he considered to be the city’s core functions. He mentioned police, public safety, water, sewer, streets, library and parks. When asked what differentiated the river from parks, he replied that the city did not own the river.
Last year, councilmembers voted to commit up to $24,000 toward the creation of a splash pad in a park owned by Lowell Charter Township. At that time, Chambers said he thought it was a small price to pay for something that would benefit the entire community.
To cover the expense, Perry recommended creating a non-profit or working with an established non-profit, such as the Flat River Watershed Council, to collect money and pay for the treatment. Approximately 45 people will be needed to donate about $300 each to cover the initial cost.
The residents in attendance seemed to think this would be achievable, and Perry said he would follow up with additional information after the meeting.
Chambers thought residents should wait until next year to do the treatment because by the time the state reviewed and approved their application, the summer would be practically over.
Other concerns raised by residents during the discussion included the effect of herbicides on native plants and animals, how the herbicides would work and whether it would create a mass of dead vegetation that would clog up the dam.
Perry said it was recommended that everyone stay out of the water for 48 hours after treatment, not because the chemicals are dangerous, but rather to avoid moving them in the water too much. One of the recommended herbicides is weighted, and a permit is required by the state to ensure that the chemicals used will not negatively impact native plants and animals.
While it is possible that some vegetation could be uprooted and move down the river, the goal is to kill plants where they are and have them turn to dust.
Other Meeting Items
Other agenda and discussion items from the meeting included the following:
- MERS Actuarial: A representative from the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System was present to discuss the latest analysis of the city’s retirement plan, which is currently 67% fully funded. The data-dense presentation apparently did not hold the attention of everyone present, leading Mayor Mike DeVore to at one point admonish people in the audience who were talking amongst themselves.
- Riverside Drive Update: Although not in place by Monday’s meeting, a barricade will be placed at the intersection of Elm and Riverside to divert traffic away from the road. Burns noted that about 15% of vehicles traveling the road exceed the posted 25mph speed limit, although it had been suggested to him that some of the 6.500 vehicles clocked at 1-19mph by a speed sign might actually be walkers or cyclists.
- Budget Amendment: Burns said he had underestimated payroll by about $50,000 in the latest budget amendments so that was being corrected in a resolution before the council on Monday night. Councilmember Eric Bartkus, who had questions about the last budget amendment, said all his concerns had been addressed and the new resolution passed unanimously.
- Tentative 425 Agreement: In his manager’s report, Burns shared that the city and township have come to a tentative 425 agreement for property near the I-96 interchange. This would allow the city to collect taxes from the property there, and Burns had previously said an agreement would be necessary before the City of Lowell would commit to extending utility services to the area. A community forum to discuss the agreement is expected to be held in August.
The meeting adjourned at 8:33pm, and the next regular meeting of Lowell City Council will be on Monday, August 5, at 7pm in Lowell City Hall.
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