City Council Recap: Officer Retirement, Fire Department Budget

Jim and Nancy Reamstra will members of the Lowell Police Department

Lowell City Council met for a little more than an hour on Monday night for their first regular meeting of February. Councilmember Mark Ritzema was absent as was City Manager Mike Burns.

Officer Jim Reamstra Honored

Photo courtesy of the Lowell Police Department

At the start of the meeting, the floor was turned over to Police Chief Chris Hurst for a presentation. He shared that Officer Jim Reamstra had retired after six years with the Lowell Police Department and 48 “solid years” of law enforcement service overall.

Reamstra began his career in 1977 in Otsego and went on to work with a number of departments over the years, including a stretch as the Chief of Police for Sand Lake. He first met Hurst when the two were working part time for the Sheriff’s Office in the Kent County Parks, and Reamstra joined the force in Lowell in 2019.

“Behind every good man is a good woman,” Hurst said as he first presented Reamstra’s wife Nancy with a plaque acknowledging the sacrifices that must be made by spouses of law enforcement officers.

Then, Hurst presented Reamstra with a Personal Excellence Award and pin. “He has always done the right thing for the right reasons at the right time,” Hurst said.

A final call was made to dispatch to register Reamstra’s end of duty. “Godspeed and enjoy your retirement,” the dispatcher said in reply. “We’ll take it from here.”

Public Comments: Stop Signs on Monroe

During the public comments portion of the meeting, resident Jody Horton spoke on the topic of stop signs on Monroe Street. She reiterated concerns raised in a previous meeting that Michigan does not allow stop signs to be used for speed control.

She also referenced an engineer’s report regarding the stop signs placed on Monroe Street at the intersections with Avery and Marsac. She said the report did not mention slowing traffic as a reason to place the signs although it did state the signs could be used to improve traffic safety and efficiency.

While Horton did not have a problem with the stop signs placed at the Avery intersection, she took issue with the one located at Marsac. She said the engineering report referred to Marsac as being “similar in design to N. Monroe.”

“Have any of you seen Marsac?” Horton asked. In her opinion, saying Marsac is similar to Monroe is “either a typo or a joke.”

She felt Lowell City Council had insufficient information when they approved the stop signs on Monroe and that with further review, they would change their decision.

Fire Department Budget

Fire Chief Cory Velzen presented the proposed budget for the department for fiscal year 2025-26. The current operating budget is $751,140 and that is estimated to increase to $800,554 for next year.

Salaries represent “the lion’s share” of the budget increase, according to Velzen. He noted that paid on-call firefighters had not received a raise in 18 months so they received a $1 per hour raise at the start of the year and a second raise is scheduled for July. Paid on-call workers now receive $21 an hour.

The chief’s salary is slated to increase as well, going from $95,000 to $102,600. Health insurance costs will rise from $20,000 to $24,000, and deferred compensation will rise to $14,312 from $12,000.

The $800,554 budget doesn’t include capital expenses, and Velzen said the department was asking for an additional $65,000 to purchase more air packs. The Lowell Area Fire Department currently has 18 air packs, but more than 30 firefighters. Velzen said air packs – which are breathing apparatus – cost anywhere from $10,000-$15,000 each.

Based on a formula developed upon the creation of the Lowell Area Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the City of Lowell is responsible for paying $237,229 of the 2025-26 operating expenses. The city will also need to pay a portion of the cost of the air packs, if purchased.

There was some discussion about the cost of trucks and capital improvements, and Velzen said the department did not hold money in reserve for those purchases. Instead, municipalities – the city along with Lowell and Vergennes Townships – would be asked to split those costs.

“It’s important for us to know far in advance the future of our fire department needs,” said Councilmember Marty Chambers. He mentioned the possibility of the department looking to expand its fleet or maybe renovating the fire station.

Velzen replied that it was difficult to make those predictions although the department is working on long-range planning. He added that the department’s budget has increased significantly in the past 5-6 years primarily because of staffing costs. The Lowell Area Fire Department now has a full-time chief, and its paid on-call roster has increased from 24 to more than 30 firefighters.

At the same time, “the call increases have demanded change,” Velzen said. He shared that call volume for the department has increased from 800 per year to 1,200 per year.

Other Meeting Items

Other votes and updates from the meeting included the following:

  • Councilmembers voted unanimously to approve a 10-year lease for the office in the Reath Barn at Recreation Park. King Milling will pay $500 annually – adjusted for inflation – to use the space for 30 days during the harvest season. The remainder of the barn can be leased out for other reasons during this period so long as the use isn’t deemed to pose a safety hazard given the truck traffic at that time. This lease can be terminated by either party for any reason.
  • Councilmembers unanimously approved a resolution accepting the terms of a project to connect portions of the River Valley Rail-Trail. The council previously approved this resolution in October 2024, but the resolution was missing some information required by the state and needed to be re-approved.
  • Councilmembers unanimously approved a request by the city assessor to allow the Board of Review to meet on a Wednesday instead of a Tuesday in March.
  • Councilmember Jim Salzwedel reminded people that grant applications for the LCTV Fund are due this Thursday.
  • Councilmember Eric Bartkus noted that Coffee with Council – now held on the fourth Monday evening of the month – was well attended and one person volunteered their goats to help clear out poison ivy on the island just south of the Main Street bridge.

The meeting adjourned at 8:14pm. While Monday, Feb. 17, is Presidents Day, the council will still meet that night at 7pm for their next regularly scheduled meeting.

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