MAKE SOME NOISE
The Grand Rapids City Commission will make the clarifying changes to the noise ordinance related to the amphitheater.
- It is your last chance to send a quick note to the Commissioners about the positive impact the Amphitheater has brought to GR. Please consider sending a note to the Commission.– it can be brief!
- I ‘get’ to go make comments on Tuesday night, and your support does matter!
The City Commission will also:
- Have a discussion on budget items, totaling $556K annually, only funded through the end of the year and consider whether to approve the funding of these positions indefinitely, approve for six months and consider the spending under the next budget cycle or remove the positions.
- Grant funded positions:
- Office of Equity and Engagement – 1 FTE – $156K/annually
- Executive Office-Sustainability – 1 FTE – $126K/annually
- Temporarily-funded positions:
- Enhanced communications support for City Commissioners – $100K annually
- Our Community’s Children – fill loss of support from GRPS – $183K/annually
- Grant funded positions:
- Accept $12,000 from Voters Not Politicians Education Fund for elections communications. This fund is part of the advocacy group that pushed for the Constitutional Amendment that started around changing how Michigan’s legislative maps are drawn. VNP has previously endorsed candidates and publishes score cards for elected officials.
- Authorize the Mayor to enter an MOU with the United Way for the “Grand Rapids United Response Fund.” The UW will be the fiduciary for an effort for activating assistance following qualifying emergencies such as floods, fires, outages and more. The City Commission has already approved $100K for the fund and the UW will receive 10% for administration.
- Increase the salaries for two 911 call center operators following a voluntary mediation to resolve a grievance filed by the union. The change would increase the annual salaries from ~$80K to ~$84K.
- Schedule a December 1 Public Hearing for the 2027-2032 Parks & Recreation Strategic Master Plan. The draft plan will be available next week.
- Amend the Grand River Overlay District to prohibit self-storage facilities.
The Kent County Policy and Operations Committee will continue recent work of eliminating outdated policies and bodies to promote better governance and clarity. Next week they will consider the dissolution of:
- The Human Services Committee which was created in 1974 in response to statewide discussions and has been amended over time. The memo states that the County has since implemented numerous other administrative and governance structures that provide the coordination and oversight of human services functions.
- The Office of the Public Defender Independence Council that was created in 2024 as part of the shift from an independent nonprofit-model following the recommendations by the National Association of Public Defense. The memo states that only one complaint was received for the council to consider and the operation is no longer necessary.
The Walker City Commission will appoint David Moore to be its next fire chief.
- Walker’s former fire chief Rusty Shoultz passed away unexpectedly in May and the City recently interviewed three finalists for the position.
The GRPS Board of Education will have a Special Meeting/Work Session to act on disposal of the closed Beckwith School, and have a policy update and data point discussion on their “Ends” policy.
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