THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BUCHANAN, in compliance with Michigan’s Open Meetings Act, hereby gives notice of a regular meeting of the Buchanan City Commission to be held in the Chamber of City Hall.
* Requests to be added to the agenda as a “Scheduled Matter from the Floor” should be submitted in writing to the City Clerk at least 5 business days prior to the scheduled meeting during which the speaker wishes to appear, and the approval of such requests remain within the discretion of the Mayor. If denied, the speaker may nonetheless speak during the “non-agenda items only” public comments section of the agenda.
* Those who are unable to appear during a meeting but who still wish to share public comment may submit such comments in written form to the City Clerk at least 4 hours in advance of the meeting.
* Individuals with disabilities may request necessary reasonable accommodations by submitting requests to the City Clerk, preferably at least 24 hours in advance.
* Written requests and comments may be submitted to the City Clerk either in person or via mail to Buchanan City Hall, 302 N. Redbud Trail, Buchanan, MI 49107, or via email to clerk@cityofbuchanan.com
Recognition #1- On behalf of the City of Buchanan, City Manager Heather Grace hereby recognizes and thanks our City Clerk Kalla Langston, along with her Team of dedicated Election Workers. Their hard work work is appreciated, and I hope that you will all join me in congratulating them on a well-run election.
-City Clerk Kalla Langston will now administer your Oaths of Office:
Oaths of Office
(A) Currently Existing Boards:
(1) Mayor (1 seat)
(2) Mayor Pro Tem (1 seat)
(3) Planning Commission (1 seat)
[as per Act 33 of 2008, state statute dictates that members of the Planning Commission must be appointed by the Mayor, subject to approval of a majority vote of the City Commission. Also, one member of the Planning Commission shall be the Mayor, or the Mayor's designee, who may be another City Commissioner].
(4) Zoning Board of Appeals (1 seat, with alternate- or five seats--see below)
[Pursuant to Public Act 110 of 2006, state statute dictates that members of a Zoning Board of Appeals must be approved by a majority vote of the City Commission - OR - the entire City Commission may choose to serve as the Zoning Board of Appeals].
(5) Joint Water/Sewer Board (2 seats)
(6) Buchanan Area Recreation Board (1 seat)
(7) Landfill Board (1 seat)
(8) One Buchanan (1 seat)
(9) Buchanan Area Fine Arts Committee (1 seat)
(10) Common Committee (1 seat)
(11) Board of Review (1 seat)
(12) Election Board/Commission (1 seat) [should include Mayor, as per Buchanan City Charter Sect. 3.13]
(13) Cemetery Committee (1 seat)
--OPTIONAL, BUT RECOMMENDED:
-City Manager Heather Grace recommends the formation of the following Boards/Commissions/Committees/Task Forces:
[Note that Manager Grace recommends that at least one, but no more than two, Commissioners serve on each of the following Committees. Also note that the following recommended committees are not intended to be "standing committees" in violation of Charter Sect. 6.7 because they are intended to only meet 'as needed' and also not be permanent, and only exist as long as is deemed necessary--and shall cease operations once their assigned task is completed].
(B) Recommended to Be Created Boards:
(1) Compensation Commission (2 seats)
-As noted in the Buchanan City Charter, at Sec. 4.4, the Home Rule City Act, Public Act 279 of 1909, allows for the creation of a Compensation Commission by ordinance. Manager Grace strongly recommends creating this Commission to assess the compensation given to members of City Boards/Commissions/Committees to ensure that we are continuing to attract the talent necessary to have well-functioning boards and committees, which is vital for the City's operations. This Committee shall meet as needed and case operations once the City Commission has voted upon any recommendations related to committee compensation created by said committee.
(2) Finance Committee- In conjunction with the City's Auditor, Manager Grace also strongly recommends the creation of a Finance Committee. While not required by statute, a Finance Committee would be an ideal way to further improve the City's financial oversight, as well as provide an additional mechanism for enhanced transparency. This committee shall only meet as needed, and will cease operations once the committee is comfortable with the City's financial oversight processes, as presented to the entire City Commission during regular meetings.
(3) Board of Public Works- Pursuant to Buchanan City Charter, Manager Grace also strongly recommends the creation of a Board of Public Works, to include one to two members from the City Commission, plus three other members (five members total), with the three other members being "freeholders and electors of the City" [aka, a registered voter who owns property in the City], as per the Charter--in addition to seeking out members with experience in construction or related fields. The Charter also indicates that the Board of Public Works, if created, shall be charged and entrusted with the following duties, powers and responsibilities subject to the direction of the Commission:(1) The construction, management, supervision, and control of the City water works. (2) The construction, management, supervision, and control of any municipal electric system [doesn't apply in our situation]. (3) The construction, management, supervision, and control of such other public improvements or works as are designated by ordinance. This Board would only meet as needed, and would cease operation upon a vote of the City Commission, once the City Commission believes that the City has completed the majority of its needs related to construction and capital improvements.
-It is worth noting that if a Board of Public Works is created, such Board would still need approval from the City Commission to make expenditures--So, in essence, the Board of Public Works would review issues related to Public Works and then make recommendations to the full City Commission for review and requested approval. Manager Grace thinks that this would be a great benefit, given the many large construction projects in the City's near future.
(4) Community Development Implementation Committee- Manager Grace also recommends the creation of a Committee to help guide and oversee our Community Development Department's implementation of the the City's stated goals and visions related to community development, including certification in the Redevelopment Ready Communities Program, creation of a successful Main Street program, creation of an updated zoning code, and implementation of the Andrew's University 'Vision for Buchanan' plan. This committee would meet as needed and would cease after it achieves the above stated goals, as decided by either the Committee itself, or by the City Commission.
(5) Economic Development Committee- Manager Grace also recommends the creation of an Economic Development Committee to help guide City staff regarding items pertaining to economic development, such as façade grant programs, tax incentive programs, the sale of City-owned property, marihuana permit-related matters, and other issues relating to economic development.
(6) Compliance Committee- Manager Grace also recommends the creation of a Compliance Committee, which would be charged with providing additional oversight in the areas of legal and ethical compliance. Manager Grace believes that this Committee will be important to help ensure that all City officials, including members of staff and all members of City boards and committees, are meeting all legal and ethical compliance standards. This committee would be charged with creating recommendations for best practices, would meet as needed, and would cease to exist once it has accomplished its stated goals, as decided by either the Committee itself, of the City Commission.
(7) Public Safety Committee- Manager Grace also strongly recommends the creation of a Public Safety Committee, which would be charged with all matters related to Public Safety, including the creation and implementation of a new blight remediation and code enforcement program--to include rental inspections, etc. The Committee would meet as needed and would cease to exist once it achieves its stated goals, as determined by either the Committee itself or the City Commission.
(8) Governance & Administration Committee- Manager Grace also recommends the creation of a Governance & Administration Committee, which would be charged with the development of best practices related to matters pertaining to governance and administration, including things such as elections, public communications, interactions with the public, social media policies, and much more. This Committee would meet as needed, and would cease to exist once it achieves its goals, as decided by the Committee itself or the City Commission.
--NOTE--City staff is not yet in possession of the finalized audit, just the draft that is attached. Paper copies of the finalized audit will be provided by Kruggel Lawton during the meeting, and subsequent opportunities for questions related to the audit will be available.
A) Resolution #2022.11/432- Consider approving a Resolution to approve the Spark Grant Application for the St. Joseph River Access Project.
B) Façade Grant for 101-103 Days- Consider approving a Façade Grant Application from Rowland Property Group for 101-103 Days Ave.
C) Restaurant Improvement Grant- Consider approving a Restaurant Improvement Grant Application from Rowland Property Group for 101-103 Days Ave.
D) City-Owned Properties- Murphy will provide an update on where we stand regarding the potential sale of City-Owned Properties.
E) Zoning Ordinance Project- Murphy will provide an update regarding our Zoning Ordinance project.
F) Grants Update- Murphy will provide a general status update regarding some of the many grant opportunities the City is currently exploring.