What’s Happening
- Thank you to the more than 300 folks who showed up to clean downtown last week! The weather wasn’t perfect but many of you chipped in to help out!
- The Amway River Bank Run is tomorrow and the Amphitheater grand opening is only a week away!
- If you are worried about parking – you can reserve a space ahead of time. The new DASH route runs every 8 minutes past almost 20,000 parking spaces. A lot of folks are chipping in to provide a great experience.
- If it’s me you are looking for 👀 next Friday (or this email), I will be at the show… All Night Long!
- The City of Grand Rapids held its first work session for the FY 2027 City budget, covering the Safe Community, Mobility, Engaged and Connected Community, and Government Excellence sections of the budget. Key Takeaways:
- $1.3 million in state public safety funding to support the Grand Rapids Police Department, including funding for the 10 additional officers added earlier this year. $400,000 dedicated to crime prevention programming. GRPD comes in at 36.5% of the General Fund and Fire is 23.4%.
- Through the DASH re-route, the City will avoid approximately $7 million in bus replacement costs and an additional $1.6 million in operating expenses.
- City Manager Washington also stated the City remains in a strong fiscal position and is recommending a $7 million allocation to the Budget Stabilization Fund.
- This year’s budget revised forecast is $255K in the black, but spending is projected to continue to exceed revenue over the next several years bringing the fund balance down to closer to the policy level of 15% in 2031. This has been explained as largely driven by inflationary pressures on costs and increases in wages/benefits in labor agreements.
- The budget sets aside $357,000 for Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP) priorities.Implementation cost estimates are still unknown and unexpected to be identified until this fall creating uncertainty regarding future financial obligations and potential budget impacts.
- The budget currently only includes $100k of the $200k/annual cost of the contracted personal storage at Mel Trotter.
- The Commission also discussed the First Ward appointment again, but did not have the votes to reconsider.
- Next Tuesday will cover Economic Prosperity and Affordability and as Health and Environment. The Commission will vote on the passage of the budget on May 19.
- The Chamber will host a GR Commission Candidate Forum on Monday, May 18. Most of the candidates who filed are expected to attend. This is a great opportunity to engage with those who want to lead our city.
- First Ward:
- Steve Tibbe – Fans of Valley Field, self-employed
- Lindsey Perez-Plescher, a mental health therapist at Pine Rest
- Jordoun Eatman – VP of Engagement at Experience GR
- Second Ward:
- Bryan Cody – Owner, Cody & Co.
- Commissioner Lisa Knight – Executive Director at Girls Choral Academy
- Third Ward:
- Commissioner Kelsey Perdue (unopposed)
- First Ward:
- The City of Walker Fire Chief Rusty Shoultz passed away unexpectedly after a medical emergency last week.
- Chief Shoultz was approaching his one-year anniversary and is credited with having a major impact within the City of Walker, the Fire Department and across his 30-year career. Mayor Carey shared that he provided transformative leadership despite his brief time in West Michigan.
- In Walker, Current-Mayor Pro-Tem Elaina Huizenga Chase, daughter of former Mayor and current Senator Mark Huizenga was the only person to file to run for Mayor.
- Mayor Gary Carey is termed from office due to Walker’s term limits that were adopted shortly after the City of Grand Rapids voters also passed two-term maximums.
- In Wyoming, current At-Large Council Member Sheldon DeKryger is also running unopposed for Mayor.
- The current Mayor Kent Vanderwood is not seeking re-election, and four candidates are running for two at-large (or citywide) seats on the Council.
- The GRPS Board of Education’s Ad Hoc Facilities Committee will consider proposals on at least two of their for-sale buildings next week.
- The Alexander & Stocking Schools are on the agenda as part of the 10 schools that were voted to be closed after the $305M bond was approved in 2023.
- The City of Grand Rapids also announced Cindy Irving as the new City Engineer, and that it will contract with Rich App for continued retail attraction and retention support.
This Week in Local Government is your insider update on what’s happening behind the scenes in the City of Grand Rapids. Explore the full archive: Local Government, or subscribe to receive it in your inbox every Friday by emailing josh@grandrapids.org