Local meeting primer: Three Rivers City Commission

The Three Rivers City Commission will meet for a regular business meeting this evening at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Commissioners will consider Rural Heritage Partnership grant applications, the transfer of 124 Middle St., hold the second and final hearing on the city’s user fee schedule, and make appointments to various city boards. City documents currently list 23 board vacancies.

Rural Heritage Partnership Grant applications

Commissioners will consider resolutions authorizing the City of Three Rivers to apply for two Rural Heritage Partnership grants through the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office on behalf of a downtown property owner.

The applications seek $100,000 each for two historic rehabilitation projects owned by BMCG, LLC. One project would replace the facade at 46 N. Main St., while the second would replace the HVAC system at the Riviera Theatre, located at 48 and 50 N. Main St.

According to city documents, the facade project is estimated to cost $256,000, while the HVAC project is estimated at $400,000. The property owner would provide the required local match and would be responsible for all project costs not covered by the grants.

City officials say approval of the resolutions would not commit any city funding to either project. Instead, the city would serve as the grant applicant and administrator if the applications are approved by the state.

If awarded, the grants would reimburse eligible expenses after they are incurred and would require the property owner to record a historic preservation easement on the properties.

124 Middle St.

Commissioners will consider the transfer of a city-owned property at 124 Middle St. to the Three Rivers Housing Development Corporation, a city-created entity focused on housing development and neighborhood revitalization.

The city purchased the property from Christopher Newell Pierce in January for about $28,000 and placed the transfer resolution on file for 30 days at its January 20 meeting. During that period, city staff received no competing offers. If approved, ownership would be transferred to TRHDC for neighborhood rehabilitation purposes.

User Fee hearing

Commissioners will hold the second and final hearing on an ordinance updating the city’s user fee schedule, which is typically reviewed annually and contains a comprehensive list of fees for city services and code violations.

During the first hearing, the only change recommended by commissioners was keeping the fine for parking on sidewalks at $50. The proposed schedule would have reduced the fine to $25.

The schedule also includes modest increases to water and sewer commodity rates beginning July 1. The water commodity rate would increase from $2.69 to $2.84 per 100 cubic feet, while the sewer commodity rate would increase from $3.75 to $3.79 per 100 cubic feet.

Board appointments

Commissioners will also consider appointments to vacant positions on city boards and commissions, which are currently listed at 23 openings.

While appointments are technically made by the mayor, applicants must first apply for a position. Board appointments have generated lengthy and sometimes heated discussions in recent months, including a debate during the commission’s first meeting following the November election over former Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry’s request to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals. More recently, commissioners debated Anthony Mayer’s request for reappointment to the Three Rivers Housing Development Corporation.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.