Local meeting primer: Sturgis City Commission

The Sturgis City Commission will meet Wednesday, April 8 for its regular business meeting, with a largely routine agenda that includes contract approvals, infrastructure work, and an update on staffing. 

Commissioners will consider awarding contracts for mowing, trimming, and leaf removal at city-owned properties for the next three years. The contracts would cover the 2026-2028 seasons and be split among several contractors, with awards based on the lowest bids submitted for individual sites. 

City staff are recommending awarding work to multiple vendors, including Cutters Edge Lawn Care and Maintenance, New Creations Landscape, Rickett Lawn Care, Finish Line Property Solutions, and Craven Lawn-Snow. Some leaf pickup bids came in significantly higher than in past years, and staff are not recommending awarding all of those at this time.  

Commissioners will weigh whether to apply the city’s local purchasing preference policy in cases where a Sturgis-based bidder came within 5% of the lowest bid. 

The commission will also consider approving a $134K contract to replace windows and doors at the city’s public safety building. The project is part of the city’s capital improvement plan and came in under its $300K budget. 

Staff are recommending rejecting the lowest bid after determining it did not meet project specifications. 

Another item on the agenda involves a proposed water main loop at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The project would address reliability issues tied to a long dead-end water main that has experienced breaks in the past. 

The estimated cost is about $367K and commissioners are being asked to authorize using remaining bond funds from other completed projects to move forward. Final design and construction contracts would come back to the commission at a later date. 

Commissioners will be asked to consider granting an easement for an ADA access ramp at a commercial property on Prairie Avenue. The ramp currently encroaches into the public right-of-way, and the easement would allow a redesigned version that meets accessibility requirements. 

The agenda also includes a brief update on efforts to fill the city’s vacant engineer position.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.