Sturgis City Commission restores decorum after several contentious meetings
After several meetings dominated by talk of investigations, censure attempts, and disputes surrounding Mayor Frank Perez and outgoing City Manager Andrew Kuk, the commission spent most of Wednesday’s meeting focused on routine city business.
Vice Mayor Jeff Mullins requested an update during commissioner comments on allegations of embezzlement raised by a former Doyle Community Center employee at a recent meeting.
City Attorney T.J. Reed said the investigation remains ongoing and is being handled by local law enforcement. Once the investigation is complete, Reed said the findings will be forwarded to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
No additional details about the investigation were provided.
The Sturgis City Commission met for its regular meeting Wednesday, June 10, approving final plans for downtown electric vehicle charging stations, holding a series of sidewalk assessment public hearings, and approving funding to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant’s server system.
After several meetings dominated by talk of investigations, censure attempts, and disputes surrounding Mayor Frank Perez and outgoing City Manager Andrew Kuk, the commission spent most of Wednesday’s meeting focused on routine city business.
Regular business
Commissioners unanimously approved final plans for two electric vehicle charging stations that were first presented to the commission during its February 25 meeting. The funding comes from an already approved but unused portion of a Revitalization and Placemaking grant. The project must be completed by June 30 in order to qualify for the funding. The chargers will be installed at 116 N. Monroe St., adjacent to the city’s food truck court. The total project budget is $92,137.
“The electric city now has electric chargers,” Commissioner Cathi Abbs said.
Commissioners also held four public hearings on sidewalk assessments related to projects on Congress and St. Joseph streets. Sidewalk repair costs are split evenly between property owners and the city.
One resident shared photos of a sidewalk repaired through the city’s cost-sharing program and said it was already beginning to deteriorate just three years after the work was completed. The projects are split 50/50 between the owner of the property and the city.
Wednesday’s meeting was City Engineer Barry Cox’s final commission meeting before retirement. Cox presented the sidewalk assessments and received thanks from commissioners during closing comments for his years of service and extensive knowledge of the city.
Commissioners also unanimously approved $55,000 for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant’s SCADA server system, including a $50,000 contract and a $5,000 contingency.
Update on city manager search
After the regular meeting, commissioners received an update on the search for an interim city manager.
City Clerk Ken Rhodes told commissioners that three of the four candidates they identified at the previous meeting already have prior commitments and will not be interviewing for the position.
Rhodes said the remaining candidate, along with another former city manager from a nearby community, will be contacted for interviews that will likely take place at the commission’s next meeting.
Update on Doyle embezzlement investigation
Vice Mayor Jeff Mullins requested an update during commissioner comments on allegations of embezzlement raised by a former Doyle Community Center employee at a recent meeting.
City Attorney T.J. Reed said the investigation remains ongoing and is being handled by local law enforcement. Once the investigation is complete, Reed said the findings will be forwarded to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
Reed also said it is not unusual for a local police department to investigate allegations involving employees of another city department.
No additional details about the investigation were provided.
Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.
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Local meeting primer: Sturgis City Commission
The Sturgis City Commission will meet Wednesday, June 10, for a regular business meeting. Commissioners have a relatively light agenda Wednesday, however, in recent months, much of the commission’s controversy has unfolded during commissioner comments rather than through scheduled agenda items.
Commissioner Aaron Miller recently introduced a resolution calling for an external investigation into alleged wrongdoing by members of the commission, the scope of which will include Mayor Frank Perez, Miller, Vice Mayor Jeff Mullins, Commissioners Richard Bir and Cathi Abbs, and former Commissioner Linda Harrington.
Miller later added both his own name and Mullins’ after they said residents questioned why they were not including themselves in the investigation.
Watershed Voice reached out to Miller to ask whether he will continue introducing resolutions to censure and remove Perez despite the opening of an investigation. Miller said he will no longer introduce those resolutions but remains of the opinion that “change is badly needed” in the City of Sturgis.
Reservoir upstream of Sturgis dam to be lowered by 3 feet
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) notified the city May 5 that the drawdown must be completed by July 15. The action follows the agency’s latest evaluation of the dam’s left embankment, an area that has been monitored for several years through the city’s regular dam safety reporting process.
City officials said the required drawdown is being implemented as an Interim Risk Reduction Measure while plans continue to move forward for long-term repairs and improvements to the embankment.
Sturgis commissioners unanimously approve outside investigation as tensions over Mayor Perez continue
The investigation follows multiple failed attempts by Vice Mayor Jeff Mullins and Commissioner Aaron Miller to censure Mayor Frank Perez or remove him from his mayoral duties during previous meetings. Those efforts stem from allegations by some commissioners that Perez and others violated Michigan law, commission procedures, and the city charter — accusations that have largely remained shielded from public discussion because they were raised during closed session meetings.
Tuesday’s vote represented a significant shift after two previous investigation resolutions failed on 4-3 votes.
Mayor Perez was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
