Sturgis City Commission finalizes recycling contract, approves fire truck purchase amid heated public comment on homelessness

The Sturgis City Commission met Wednesday, December 17, for a second consecutive week, finalizing a recycling contract with Borden Waste-Away Service LLC, approving the purchase of a new fire truck, and hearing public frustration from residents and business owners about homelessness in the city.

Recycling contract approved

Commissioners approved a three-year recycling contract with Borden, automatically opting in all residential units as defined in the agreement.

The contract sets the cost at $6 per month per residential unit and includes annual price increases of 3%. Borden originally proposed a 3% escalation rate in July before increasing it to 3.5% after the city initially moved to discontinue recycling services. The company later agreed to return to the 3% increase as part of the finalized contract.

Recycling service is scheduled to begin in January. Pickups will occur on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month in January, with service transitioning to every other Thursday thereafter, for a total of 26 collections per year.

The commission approved the contract on a 7–2 vote. Commissioners Linda Harrington, Cathi Abbs, Dan Boring, Justin Wickey, Richard Bir, Aaron Miller, and Vice Mayor Jeff Mullins voted in favor, while Mayor Frank Perez and Commissioner Marvin Smith voted against.

Fire truck purchase approved

Commissioners also approved the purchase of a new fire truck to replace a 2008 KME pumper that city officials say has become increasingly unreliable.

Sturgis Director of Public Safety Ryan Banaszak told commissioners the existing pumper has been taken in and out of service more than 70 times over the past decade. The new apparatus — a 2027 Rosenbauer pumper/tanker with an 1,800-gallon tank — will become the fire department’s primary response vehicle for structural fires.

The commission approved the purchase from Emergency Vehicles Plus in the amount of $1,383,903, to be funded through the city’s general fund.

Discussion focused on the price, which came $133,903 over the $1.25 million originally budgeted for the truck.

“So first off, you said $1.25 million was just an estimate. No, it was a budget,” Commissioner Richard Bir said during the discussion.

Banaszak attributed the higher cost to national price increases, a larger engine and transmission, and the inclusion of a $37,000 SAM system that automates pump operations, including pressure management and transitions between tank and hydrant use.

“It will allow us to be more efficient than we’ve ever been before,” Banaszak said.

The purchase was approved on a 7–2 vote, with Commissioners Bir and Smith opposed.

Public comment raises concerns about homelessness

During public comment, several residents and business owners raised concerns about how homelessness is affecting their properties and customers, urging the commission to take stronger action.

A local laundromat owner, Alvie Wall, told commissioners he has dealt with repeated vandalism and theft and said he feels the city has failed to address the issue.

“I know you’re sympathetic to the homeless. You feel bad because they’re homeless,” Wall said. “They choose to be homeless. Big deal. That’s their deal. Be homeless all you want, but stop vandalizing my stuff.”

Wall said he has experienced ongoing problems at his business and expressed frustration with what he views as a lack of enforcement.

“You guys aren’t doing anything about it because they’re homeless,” he said. “They choose to be homeless — that’s on them. That doesn’t give them the right to break the law.”

Wall also raised concerns about theft, saying the nature of the items taken should not affect how crimes are treated.

“If they’re pushing a shopping cart down the road, that’s felony theft,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a shopping cart or something out of your garage. It’s the same thing.”

Wall ended his remarks by asking commissioners what he might be overlooking.

“What am I missing here?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Commissioner Harrington replied.

Megan Rodriguez, owner of Creative Gymnastics Center in Sturgis, said an encampment near her business has had a significant impact on daily operations.

“The encampment located next door to our facility is about 30 feet from our front door,” Rodriguez said. “Since it’s been established, we’ve had to call police frequently for trespassing and people jumping our fence. We work with children regularly.”

Other business owners echoed similar concerns, asking commissioners to do more to address the issue.

Commissioners agreed to hold a future work session to discuss potential responses, though no date was set.

Vice Mayor Mullins cautioned that a similar work session held several years ago did not result in lasting solutions.

Mayor Perez closed the discussion by sharing his personal experience growing up on the verge of homelessness, emphasizing that children and families often have little control over their circumstances.

“I didn’t choose that life, and my parents didn’t choose it either,” Perez said. “We can’t continue to turn a blind eye when there are children involved.”

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.