Meeting primer: Three Rivers City Commission

This evening at 6 p.m., the Three Rivers City Commission will meet to discuss a proposed zoning ordinance for veterans housing, a purchase contract for an aerial ladder fire truck, and funding to sponsor a new police cadet.

The commission is considering a zoning ordinance amendment that creates definitions for “veterans family homes” and group housing, setting the framework for where such homes can be built and under what conditions. If accepted on first reading, the ordinance will proceed to a public hearing. The measure is part of the Planning Commission’s effort to expand housing options for veterans, with input from the St. Joseph County Department of Veterans Affairs.

The commission will also weigh approval of a purchase contract for an aerial ladder fire truck totaling $2.2 million over 10 years. The new truck would replace the department’s 27-year-old ladder truck and would be financed under Michigan’s Act 99. Payments would be secured through a pledge of city property taxes. The city issued a request for proposals to investors and is expected to select the lowest responsible bid.

Commissioners will also decide whether to allocate $10,000 from the city’s general fund to cover the sponsorship of a police cadet, after a recent officer vacancy. The funding would support the cadet through academy training.

In other business, the commission will consider delinquent utility and accounts receivable rolls, accept a $14,999 donation from the Three Rivers Area Community Foundation, and review several routine board and commission appointments.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice