By Sylvia Benavidez
At Monday’s Albion City Council meeting Interim City Manager Doug Terry produced a list of firms to choose from to conduct the search for a new city manager.
“Winter is a notoriously bad time of year for a professional search due to the holidays,” said Terry. Continuity is lost because of the interruption.
Out of the six firms looked at, Amy Cell, LLC and Pivot Group offered the lowest proposals at $18, 500 and $10, 300 respectively. The Pivot proposal did not include advertising, backgrounds checks, and travel costs. The other companies ranged in costs from $20,400 to 20% of the annual salary for the position.
Terry said he was familiar with the work of the Pivot Group and felt that they did a good job when they found the city manager for Charlotte and Portland, Michigan where he was interim city manager. He felt one of the many important aspects to look for in Albion’s new city manager was someone “who would stay and reside in Albion.”
While the council was discussing the companies, Precinct 1 Councilperson Donivan Williams raised concerns that the Pivot Group would end up costing more than Amy Cell, LLC because their bid did not include advertising, background checks, etc.
Albion City Attorney Cullen Harkness said that they could control that by putting in the contract a limit as to how much they could spend on those services.
Precinct 6 Councilman Andrew French’s issue was the timetable for hiring the next city manager, believing that late January was too early to accomplish the search, backgrounds checks, and other procedures needed to find a good candidate and emphasized spring, such as March, being a better time to present candidates to the community.
The council voted unanimously to hire the Pivot Group with a limitation on expenses on advertising etc.
Downtown Development Chair Emily Verbeke gave her report to the council on their progress. She listed the current members: Vice Chair Jim Stuart, and members Dave Atchison, Betty Chlystek, Nora Jackson, and Victoria Snyder. Verbeke highlighted the need for individuals to fill vacant board seats. Then, she spoke of their recent successes as a group including an increase in 2024 of the number applications for the façade grants. All three projects totaled “a little under $15,000” and are completed.
The DDA will continue to financially support the Albion Ambassador position and is creating a formal process to support creating events in the downtown district. They are relaunching DowntownAlbion.com, and have provided enhancements for downtown visitors with print material boxes and QR codes signs.
Other money going toward improvements downtown went to the Albion Community Foundation Grants to install rapid flashing beacon devices for pedestrian safety. Verbke also shared that research has shown that banners on flagpoles slow down traffic, so the DDA purchased and installed banners for downtown.
Pointing to the future, Verbke said, “We on providing citizens with more avenues to commemorate loved ones besides benches.” She gave bridge street planters as an example. They are working for a commemorative Project for Robert Hal inside the Collaboration Corner.
In another major project they used Albion’s 2017-18 Wayfinding plan. The DDA received five proposals for signage in and around Superior Street. The report stated, “In 2025, 10 wayfinding signs will be installed in the Downtown District and in several locations immediately adjacent to the district. Some of the areas mentioned were between Erie and Cass cross streets.
Also on their radar is the Stoffer Project. “Stoffer Plaza continues to be a priority; especially with what the work in the city has revealed. We are consulting with Wightman and will be asking for community input and will be seeking out grant opportunities to fund its redesign. We are also looking for a temporary location for the farmer’s market for 2025,” said Verbeke. Areas of the Stoffer Plaza parking lot are collapsing due to water damage from leaks in piping and other issues.
Possible opportunities in the future for the DDA includes possibly finding a part-time director, furthering active Brownfield & TIF (Tax increment Financing) plans, and using funds for small projects that can create newer larger projects or be a part of existing bigger projects.
The council continued to be agreeable helping to move the city’s business forward. For the last three meetings, they have voted unanimously on agenda items. Monday was no different with them approving:
-$60,194.00 for the Albion Department of Public Safety to purchase a new brush truck. Deputy Public Safety Chief Jason Kern explained that the 2024 firetruck would come with a warranty and that they would sell the 1988 truck sometime in the next year or so.
-the meeting dates for the city council in 2025.
-the exemption from the Michigan Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act with resolution #2024-41. Harkness said, “The Act has an 80/20 split. The city does better with a 90/10 split.”
-the 1st reading of several ordinances involving zoning. Former Interim City Manager and former Public Safety Chief Scott Kipp attended the city council meeting to answer any questions on the circumstances for the rezoning. As new businesses opened up in those area in downtown such as Gordon’s, the area was not rezoned. Kipp stated it should have been done back in 2019 and he didn’t know why it wasn’t. From what he could tell, he said, “There was no reason that it shouldn’t have been changed.” By adding the permitted use of auto body painting/interior & glass, auto repairs and oil change, tire sales, and Automobile Service Station seven Albion businesses will fall under the allowable and proper Mixed Used category.
Ordinance #2024-12 rezones 707 N. Eaton St. from Multiple Family Residential District (R-2) to Mixed Use. “There was an error in the rewrite…,” said Kipp. For example, Zick’s Towing should have been Multiple Use. Ordinance #2024-13 concerns rezoning in which Belmont Manor resides. The college is selling the property and requests that the area is rezoned from a Campus Development District to Mixed Use allowing operations like bakeries, ice cream shops, banquet halls/wedding venues, catering etc. Kipp said that there is a interest in developers turning it into a banquet/wedding venue.
Another conversation involving Terry was the continued complaints to council members from the public about the condition of the city’s sidewalks. Terry said that was one of his concerns too. “We want to be a walkable community,” he said. He explained that 10% of the street fund has to go non-motorized projects.
Councilwomen Vivian Davis and Lenn Reid said bumps in the sidewalks were common concerns. The council agreed this would be a priority at future meetings and more research would be done working the Dept. of Public Works to determine the priorities for repair.
For information on the beginning budget talks, visit The Recorder’s Facebook post on the night’s study session or the city’s YouTube channel.Cut 3854 Former interim City Manager and Public Safety Chief Scott Kipp gave a courtesy visit to Monday’s City council meeting answering the council’s questions on zoning issues before they voted on approving the three ordinances.Cut 2847 New Interim City Manager Doug Terry updated the council on the results of the proposals for companies who will be doing the search for the new city manager. He also addressed a possible solution for replacing the code enforcement officers among other issues.Cut 0707 Downtown Development Chair Emily Verbeke gave an extensive report on their successes and challenges. She also revealed plans for new signage for the downtown area in 2025 and continued work with the city and community on the future of Stoffer Plaza and the farmers market.Cut 0959 Precinct 4 Councilwoman Marcola Lawler took a moment to thank Chief Scott Kipp for his service to the community since she was absent from the previous council meeting and then offered thanks for the autistic sign erected in her precinct to ensure safety for all citizens in her area.
