City of Sturgis

A week after release of the findings of an independent investigation of Sturgis City Commission, mayor Frank Perez expressed an apology regarding his actions and affirmed commitment to recommendations made in the report. On Sept. 23, the city commission agreed…

Sturgis City Commission on Sept. 23 agreed to release findings of an independent probe, prompted by a resolution for “investigation of wrongdoing,” presented to the board in a resolution at the May 27 meeting of the commission.  According to a…

Brush pickup in the city of Sturgis begins Oct. 5.  Crews from Department of Public Services will begin the collection process on the north side of the city and work southward.   Only one pass will be made through the…

Andrew Kuk exited his role as city manager on July 24, finalizing a transition for interim manager Douglas Terry.  Kuk served as city manager since April 2023, following a brief stint as interim. Prior to that, he worked for almost…

It was the final city commission meeting July 22 for outgoing city manager Andrew Kuk, whose resignation is effective July 24.  Douglas Terry will assume the role of interim manager.  During staff and board comments near the conclusion of the meeting,…

Sturgis City Commission could make a decision this week regarding an agreement with Douglas Terry to serve as interim city manager. The commission plans to discuss a draft agreement at its July 8 meeting, said city clerk/treasurer Ken Rhodes.  City…

City of Sturgis electric department received a formal extension of time for the drawdown of its dam on the St. Joseph River near Covered Bridge in Centreville.   The drawdown of the reservoir area of the river upstream of the dam…

Three weeks after a storm socked St. Joseph County, work continues to clear trees and limbs in Sturgis.  Beginning July 6, city crews will begin an organized brush pickup throughout the city.  Collection will take place in quadrants, roughly in…

Investigation continues into a body found June 27 on South Centerville Road in Sturgis.  Ryan Banaszak, director of public safety, said foul play is not suspected.  No additional details have been released by authorities. 

Sturgis city electric crews are expecting to restore power to all customers, other than those with service repair needs, by the end of the day June 16.   Remaining outages will be related to reconnecting homes that had damage to customer…

By Dennis Volkert Sturgis City Commission on June 10 received updates regarding the search for an interim city manager, the independent probe of the commission and a brief discussion regarding accusations of embezzlement at Doyle Community Center.  City attorney TJ…

Deb Capman and Barry Lindblom have been named 2026 “Citizens of the Year” in Sturgis.  The selections were announced by Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce. Capman moved to Sturgis in the mid-1960s and graduated from Sturgis Public Schools in 1974.…

On May 5, the city of Sturgis City received notice from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the need to “draw down” the reservoir upstream of the city’s hydroelectric dam, no later than July 15, 2026.  According to city manager Andrew…

Sturgis City Commission on May 27 approved a resolution, presented by commissioner Aaron Miller, to direct an independent investigation by outside counsel into any potential violations against specific parts of Michigan law, associated case law, procedure of the commission and…

On May 13, Sturgis City Commission held a work session, prior to its regular meeting, to explore next steps in organizational structure.  The primary focus was the process of finding a successor for outgoing city manager Andrew Kuk. In April,…

Tension surrounding mayor Frank Perez, Sturgis City Commission and uncertainty about the resignation of city manager Andrew Kuk continued on May 13, at a regular meeting of the board.  Aaron Miller, commissioner at-large, brought two separate resolutions, each of which…

Sturgis Mayer Frank Perez took part in a podcast interview with 500 Grand Studios, broadcast earlier this week on YouTube.  During the conversation, Perez makes comments regarding an April 22 city commission motion to censure him and another to remove…

At the April 22 meeting of Sturgis City Commission, Jordan Smith of accounting firm Maner Costerisan presented the audit report of the city’s financial performance for the period ending Sept. 30, 2025.  The city received a “clean” opinion, which is…

After a closed session discussion April 22, Sturgis City Commission and city manager Andrew Kuk agreed to a mutual separation.  His resignation becomes effective July 24. In the interim, he will continue in the role.  The motion for resignation was…

Sturgis City Commission will consider several proposals at its Feb. 25 meeting. Here is a roundup. South Lakeview Avenue design plan. Commissioners will assess approval of a service agreement amendment for Fleis and VandenBrink for reconstruction on South Lake Avenue. The…