By Maggie LaNoue, Contributing Writer
Under an extreme heat warning that kept attendance light, the Albion City Council spent more than an hour and a half Monday evening reviewing and refining a list of priorities for City Manager Dr. Sheryl Theriot’s second administration, sorting each into short-term, mid-term or long-term timeframes that will guide her future performance evaluation.
The priorities themselves originated from written questionnaires council members completed in advance, identifying their own top three priorities for the city. City staff combined those into a summary document and a formal priorities plan, which Monday’s session was built around. Council members worked through the plan item by item, confirming whether each strategic step reflected their thinking and assigning a timeframe: short-term, within six months; mid-term, within six to 12 months; or long-term, expected to take more than a year.
Theriot returned as Albion’s city manager, Dr. Sheryl L. (Mitchell) Theriot, in March, after previously serving in the position from 2014 to 2018. Monday’s discussion marked one of the council’s first opportunities to develop measurable expectations for her second tenure leading the city.
The discussion covered infrastructure, financial management, housing, communication, neighborhood revitalization, strategic partnerships, and long-range planning. One theme connected nearly every topic.
“Well, I think the funding gap was the stickler,” Mayor Victoria Garcia-Snyder said as council members discussed the cost of improving roads, utilities, housing and other community priorities. Council Member Andy French added that improving efficiencies throughout city government would also help stretch available resources.
Council Member Donivan Williams noted that engineering firm Wightman has helped secure grants and financing for many of Albion’s recent infrastructure projects, while Theriot reminded the council that many grants also require local matching funds. “It’s wonderful to have grants, but we also have to have a way to make that grant match dollars available,” she said. Sidewalks repeatedly came up as a known funding gap, with the council ultimately classifying a citywide replacement plan as a long-term goal.
Neighborhood conditions and code enforcement generated another lengthy discussion. Police Chief Aaron Phipps said the city’s focus is on serious property maintenance issues — boarded-up windows, damaged roofs, unsafe living conditions – rather than minor violations. City Attorney Cullen Harkness, who attended remotely by Zoom, noted that enforcement cases take time to resolve. “The wheels of justice turn slowly,” he said, adding that the city is holding property owners more accountable than in years past.
Council members also reviewed this year’s citywide cleanup program. Because Granger was unable to provide curbside collection due to workforce shortages, residents instead delivered unwanted items to three collection sites, collecting about 54 tons of material — more than expected, and at a higher cost than budgeted. Former Interim City Manager Doug Terry noted that previous curbside collections generated less material because reusable items were often picked up by neighbors before crews arrived. “What is one person’s junk is another man’s treasure,” he said.
Communication, partnerships and housing redevelopment also received attention, with council members discussing an online city dashboard, expanded town halls, stronger ties with Albion College and major employers, and continued support for redevelopment at sites including the former Austin School, Washington Gardner School and the Watson Street area.
As the discussion concluded, Terry, attending his final council meeting as a city employee, reminded council members of the broader purpose of local government. “We are responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens,” he said.
During her City Manager’s Report, Theriot announced that Albion’s Rx Kids program officially launches Wednesday, July 1. Any pregnant Albion resident at least 16 weeks along is eligible for a one-time $1,500 payment, plus $500 a month for six months after the baby is born, up to $4,500 total per family, regardless of household income. A similar pilot program has run in Flint since 2024, where it’s been credited with healthier births and fewer infant deaths. Residents who want to learn more should plan to attend the City Council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, July 6, when Rx Kids representatives are scheduled to speak, or contact the Calhoun County Public Health Department’s Albion office at the Dr. Ralph and Mary Cram Medical Center, 115 Market Place.
