By Dennis Volkert
Frank Perez retained his position as mayor of Sturgis, Rick Bir was appointed vice mayor and three new members formally joined Sturgis City Commission on Wednesday, at the board’s annual organizational meeting.
In the Nov. 5 election, Rodger Moyer and Dan Boring were chosen by voters in Precinct 2, Cathi Abbs in Precinct 4. Boring’s seat is a two-year term.
Maintaining seats on the commission were Rick Bir (Precinct 1), Marvin Smith (Precinct 3) and Aaron Miller (at-large).
An official swear-in was conducted for new members and returnees by clerk/treasurer Ken Rhodes.
Commission members approved Perez and Bir each by a 6-3 margin. Miller had held the vice mayor seat since 2021.
Perez was nominated for mayor by Smith. Miller was nominated by Jeff Mullins, who held the seat 2021-23.
Perez got the nod, with votes from himself, Abbs, Bir, Boring, Linda Harrington and Smith. Voting for Mullins were Moyer, Miller and himself.
Smith nominated Bir for the vice mayor seat, with Mullins nominating Miller. Votes in favor of Bir were himself, Abbs, Boring, Harrington, Moyer, Smith and Perez.
The organizational session had been scheduled for Nov. 11, but was postponed due to a change in deadline for the county’s board of canvassers to certify election results. It was held Wednesday prior to the commission’s regular meeting.
During that segment, commissioners conducted a second reading of the “urban chickens” ordinance amendments. The proposal was on the ballot for Sturgis residents at the Nov. 5 election, and received voter approval.
Initial review occurred April 24, with eventual approval of details to be placed on the ballot.
The second reading in the process involved approval of changes to the zoning ordinance; fees for permit application and renewal); and fines for violations.
The rates had been suggested by Sturgis Planning Commission and presented to city commissioners at prior meetings. Some debate ensued Wednesday regarding the rates.
As he had stated during previous board discussions, Smith insisted registration cost was set far too high. Abbs agreed, and said fees for violations should be higher than those recommended.
“It’s an undue burden to people who do the right thing,” she said. “Have the permit (fee) low, have the offense high.”
Perez also considered the permit cost extreme.
Following discussion, the board decided to establish an initial permit application fee of $75 (half of what had been outlined) with no additional cost for renewal. For violations, first, second and third offense cost was set at $150, $300 and $500, respectively.
