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WEST MICHIGAN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
December 9, 2005
10:30 a.m.
1. Call to Order. C. Mulholland, Board Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:35 a.m.
Roll Call:
Steve McNeal – Allegan County
Thomas Hogenson – City of Big Rapids
Jerry Homminga – City of Cedar Springs
Joe Marhofer – Ionia County
John Todd – Mecosta County
Ray Steinke – Mecosta County
John Johansen – Montcalm County
Marcia Walker – Montcalm County
Paul Thibodeau – Osceola County
Carol Sheets – City of Wyoming
Tim Cochran, Vice-Chair – City of Wyoming
L. Charles Mulholland, Chair – At large
Tammy Holt – At large
Tom Lindeman – Montcalm County (alternate)
Staff:
David Bee – Director
Steven Stepek – Planner
Nancy Murphy – Administrative Assistant
Guests:
George Heartwell, Mayor, City of Grand Rapids
Brian Waters, State of Michigan
Mark Rambo, Village of Howard City
Steve Redmond, MDOT
Larry “Casey” Jones, Allegan County, CEDS Committee
John Drury, MDOT
Chuck Birr, CEDS Committee
Dorothy Ravell, Growth Finance Corp., CEDS Committee
Jim Peek, City of Big Rapids
Larry Morlock, Osceola Economic Alliance, CEDS Committee
Gayle Morlock
Cindy Plautz, City of Big Rapids, CEDS Committee
Spencer Bertram, City of Wyoming
Don Smucker, Montcalm County, CEDS Committee
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Public Comments
There were no public comments.
4. Guest Speaker – George Heartwell, Mayor, City of Grand Rapids
Mayor Heartwell talked about the significance of Grand Rapids as the core urban center of the region and about opportunities and challenges the City faces. There has been a demographic shift in the City’s population. In 2000, the ethnic breakdown was 2/3 white and 1/3 people of color, compared to 1990 when the population was 25% minority residents. City residents are poorer than surrounding townships and communities. Ten percent of people living in the City were born outside the United States and 25% of students in the public schools speak non-English as their primary language. There are also two mosques in Grand Rapids, symptomatic of changes in religious diversity.
Dyer-Ives funded a study called “New Neighbors”. Traditionally, people thought it was a Christian responsibility to welcome immigrants to the country. The study showed that new immigrants are more likely to own their homes, invest in a business, and be involved in neighborhood and civic organizations.
Unemployment is higher in the City compared to the county, and lower compared to the State. The average income is lower and child poverty higher: 25% of children live in families who are below the poverty line; one in two African Americans live below the poverty line – compared to neighboring communities.
Grand Rapids / Wyoming / Kentwood is still a significant employment center in the region. They continue to receive applications for property development (brownfields and others). There is some evidence of rejuvenation in the economy but the new jobs require higher skills and levels of education. There is a large group of underemployed people, low skilled manufacturing workers whose former jobs are gone – it will be a challenge to retrain these workers. Medical research is an emerging sector but die makers can’t become medical research scientists. The greater Grand Rapids area has become a major health center; Wyoming also has more hospitals. Before, Steelcase was the area’s largest employer but now Spectrum Health has the most employees. Research at the VanAndel Institute is turning discoveries and technologies into production.
Grand Rapids is also the education center of West Michigan. In the metropolitan area there are 13 colleges or universities, eight of which have a downtown campus. There are 5,300 people employed in downtown education, in addition to tens of thousands of students. The nation’s economy is knowledge based and knowledge is a commodity, with value. A community with a base in education is strong for the future. The London Times said that in the “World Knowledge Competitiveness Index”, the greater Grand Rapids area ranked third in the world.
Mayor Heartwell outlined some of the challenges facing Grand Rapids. Investment in infrastructure is a challenge. A road survey showed that at the current level of investment, there is a 70 year backlog of road reconstruction projects. The “relative tax effort” is high – it takes a higher tax rate to raise the same amount of taxes; millage rates are higher; Grand Rapids and Walker are the only communities in West Michigan with a city income tax.
Another challenge is the public schools which are generally not doing well although there are some bright spots. There is a campaign to put new libraries in all public schools. Test scores are coming up. There is a focus on fundamental reading. There is a long way to go.
There are also environmental concerns. There is a MDEQ mandate related to dumping in the Grand River. There has been a $200 million investment in combined storm sewers in the west side, with an additional $150 million in the east side. Air quality is another concern. There is an initiative for 20% of the City’s energy from renewable resources by 2008. In the future, solutions for air and water quality will be local, not from the federal government.
Chuck Birr said that in Portland, Oregon, the old town historic district was renovated and they did a good job of integrating the old and new residents. In the Heartside neighborhood, there has been good integration when implementing the Grand Action Plan. He asked if there is a trend to move people to the outer ring? Mayor Heartwell replied that the intent of the focus and efforts is to produce an integrated neighborhood. You can’t displace existing residents in a residential neighborhood. It’s different because the dwelling units go up rather than spreading out. The existing units are older and more poor. The non-profit ownership of residential buildings enables lower income housing.
Steve Redmond said that with all the new activities along Michigan Hill, parking will increasingly become a problem and asked what the City is doing to address that demand. Mayor Heartwell said that it’s a continuing issue. So far, supply has been able to meet the demand. They are looking at more ramp and surface parking opportunities although it’s not good to use valuable land for vehicle storage. We also need to improve public transit. He said that the “parking problem” is partly a perception problem. Some people also still think that downtown is a dangerous place to go at night and that’s no longer true. The Rapid is the best in its class in the country.
5. Administrative Matters
Financial Statement
D. Bee said that the auditor would be at the January 2006 Board meeting to present the audit report. He then reviewed the Board Financial Statement for the Fiscal Year 2005: October 2004 through September 2005. Revenues exceeded Expenditures. We are now concerned with the end of the EDA funding year, which is a calendar year ending December 2005. At the end of November, we were at 80% of EDA spending. We are trying to spend the regular annual grant plus the additional $8,000 that they awarded three-fourths through our fiscal year. We will be buying a new color printer for the office to replace the existing printer that is ten years old.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY J. Johansen to accept and place on file the Financial Statement for the period of October 1, 2004 through October 31, 2005. SUPPORTED BY C. Sheets. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Report from Nominating Committee
R. Steinke presented the Nominating Committee report and said that the Committee recommends the following officers for 2006 –
Chair – Charles Mulholland, At-large
Vice-Chair – Tim Cochran, City of Wyoming
Treasurer – Ed Berghorst, Ottawa County
Elections will be held at the January 20, 2006 Board Meeting. The Chairperson appoints the other two members of the Executive Committee. C. Mulholland said that he is seeking volunteers for those two positions before he has to draft people.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY J. Todd to accept the recommendations of the Nominating Committee. SUPPORTED BY T. Hogenson. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Board Meeting Schedule for 2006
The 2006 meeting schedule was in the board packet and includes the meeting schedules for the Board, CEDS Committee, and Executive Committee as well as WMRPC Office holidays.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY J. Marhofer to approve the 2006 Meeting Schedule. SUPPORTED BY R. Steinke. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
2006 Focus Areas
D. Bee briefly reviewed the WMRPC Focus Areas that were included with the meeting packet. First he reviewed progress towards 2005 Focus Areas and then summarized the Focus Areas for 2006.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY T. Hogenson to accept the WMRPC 2006 Focus Areas. SUPPORTED BY J. Johansen. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
CEDS Update
D. Bee said that the CEDS Committee held its first meeting October 5th. We mailed the annual Request for Projects the first week in December. Communities and organizations have until the end of February to submit their projects for the 2006 CEDS. There will be two speakers at the January CEDS meeting. We are working on the EDA grant application for 2006.
WMPRC Personnel Policies
D. Bee said the updated personnel policies had been reviewed and revised and approved by the Executive Committee at their November meeting and he went through the policies for the Board members. Highlights included the following:
page 1 – The Introduction was updated and Definitions added.
page 3 – The Internet Policy had been adopted by the Board previously and now has been formally added to the Personnel Policies document.
page 4 – The Categories of Personnel was not changed. Job Descriptions will be updated later. Updated sections include the General Employment Agreement, Separation, and Compensation.
page 6 – The Expenses section was updated. Working Conditions was updated, including Work Hours. Sections on Compensatory Time and Work Space were added. Also added were Inclement Weather/Unsafe Working Conditions and Dress Standards.
page 8 – Leaves of Absence was updated. Annual Leave was expanded to be more in line with other regions and WMRPC members. Sick Time was amended to include time off for a sick family member.
page 10 – Civic Obligations and Military Obligations were added.
page 11 – Fringe Benefit Program: Group Insurance coverage was amended to provide the option of additional vacation time for employees who don’t need group insurance through the WMRPC. Dental and Optical Benefits were added. A small organization doesn’t qualify for group insurance for this coverage so we will offer this option for employees to be reimbursed up to $750 per year for dental and optical expenses.
page 12 – The Tuition Reimbursement section was updated to add a per term and annual maximum number of credits.
Spencer Bertram said we should add a provision that employees must turn in their timesheets by 4:00 pm on the Monday following the end of each two-week pay period.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY J. Todd to approve the new WMRPC Personnel Policies. SUPPORTED BY J. Marhofer. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
6. Staff Updates
D. Bee distributed a “Staff Update” handout that listed work activities in the categories of Economic Development, Transportation Planning, Hazard Mitigation Planning, Member Projects/Initiatives, and Other (a copy of the summary is attached to these minutes). He said that the last newsletter provided information for communities about the required process they need to carry out when they update a plan.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY J. Johansen to accept and place on file the Staff Update. SUPPORTED BY R. Steinke. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
7. Round Table / Regional Issues
R. Steinke – Mecosta County. The transit millage was defeated.
T. Hogenson – City of Big Rapids. Visit beautiful Big Rapids.
C. Plautz – CEDS Committee / City of Big Rapids. There has been a lot of housing development and interest in subsidized housing.
J. Homminga – City of Cedar Springs. The City will make façade improvements in the downtown area, to be implemented in the spring to summer. There will be a municipal complex downtown. First will be the library. Road and sewer construction will be included.
C. Sheets – City of Wyoming. Growth at the Metro Health Plaza continues. Economic development is continuing.
D. Smucker – CEDS Committee / Montcalm County. The first draft of their county plan will be completed in January.
J. Peek – City of Big Rapids. The proposed amphitheater went south (and is now being considered in Ionia County).
P. Thibodeau – Osceola County. There had been rumors that Cabela’s would build a store in Reed City but they will not be coming after all; they are still looking at communities.
D. Ravell – CEDS Committee / Growth Finance Corp. They moved their offices to Fremont in the Michigan Bank building. They work with 504 loans. The USDA grant was extended to June 2006.
C. Birr – CEDS Committee. His contract with the City of Fennville as their Economic Development Director expired. No Main Street designation going for economic development. The Infrastructure Capacity program doesn’t require new industry or infrastructure.
J. Drury – MDOT. He is new at MDOT’s Grand Region.
C. Jones – CEDS Committee / Allegan County. They continue to work on the tire pile along US-131. If you go north or south, you can’t see it. 3.5 million tires are gone, with 300,000 left. They applied for two more grants for the remaining tires.
J. Marhofer – Ionia County. Things are great in Ionia County. The amphitheater is coming there because there is no county-wide zoning since the proposal was defeated by a four to one margin. There is an eleven-page ordinance that details requirements for the amphitheater.
S. Redmond – MDOT. He distributed handouts that provide information about MDOT’s 2006–2010 Five Year Transportation Program. The information includes a list of accomplishments during 2005. The focus is on “I & E” – improvement and expansion. There will be additional funds available in the reauthorization of transportation plan.
M. Rambo – Village of Howard City. They have a grant out for streetscape improvements for the downtown area and hope to get it next summer. The work will link to the White Pine Trail facilities.
B. Waters – Michigan Department of Labor and Information. They are revamping the critical occupations list and projections.
J. Johansen – Montcalm County. Unemployment by March 2006 could be 15%. The issue of transportation is critical. The County has an ad hoc committee to look at county-wide transportation issues. Some proposals could require changes in legislation; such as a change that would permit use of school and Kent Cap buses.
M. Walker – Montcalm County. The Economic Development Committee is meeting today at Michigan Works! offices. There are millions of dollars available for projects; the Governor will decide which projects are funded. The Greenville area has had large job losses.
T. Lindeman – Montcalm County. The hospital is expanding. The County is maintaining an upbeat attitude. The National Guard unit returned to Greenville last night.
8. Other Business
9. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 a.m.
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