Sturgis approves Summit Polymers tax break; WBET offer raised during SYCA contract discussion

The Sturgis City Commission met Wednesday, September 9, for a regular meeting, unanimously approving all agenda items in about half an hour.

Business items

Commissioners held a public hearing and unanimously approved a resolution supporting an Industrial Facilities Exemption Certificate (IFEC) for Summit Polymers, a plastic injection molding company for the automotive industry. Commissioner Dan Boring was absent. The certificate would reduce the tax liability on the company’s new addition by approximately 50%. The IFEC is expected to save Summit Polymers approximately $110,000 annually in taxes. The exemption was approved for 12 years.

City Clerk Ken Rhodes said during the meeting that the addition is expected to create 45 new jobs. However, Summit Polymers’ application for the tax exemption states the expansion is expected to create 80 new jobs within two years of completion. 

Commissioners then unanimously approved three contracts for the city’s tree and right-of-way maintenance programs. Electric Department Superintendent Chris McArthur said he was asked to bring three-year contracts to the commission rather than returning for annual renewals. 

One contract is with Plant Growth Management Systems (PGMS) for right-of-way management. The forestry field manager’s hourly rate will increase from the current $75.81 to $79.60 in 2027, $82.78 in 2028, and $85.27 in 2029. PGMS has worked on the city’s right-of-way program for the past seven years, according to the agenda packet. 

Commissioners also approved a three-year line clearance contract with Treecore LLC. First-year rates include $134.50 to trim a tree, $133 to remove a tree, and $150 per hour for a two-person crew with a truck and chipper. Rates will increase over the following two years. 

Commissioners approved a third contract with Asplundh Tree Experts LLC for public tree maintenance from 2027 through 2029. First-year rates are $144 per hour for a two-person crew and $195 per hour for a three-person crew. The agenda packet states that time-and-material rates will increase 2.5% each year, while the stump-grinding rate will remain at $15.50 per diameter inch. 

The final order of business was the renewal of the Sturges-Young Center for the Arts’ marketing and branding contract with FocalPoint. The contract runs from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, with a $5,000 monthly retainer, totaling $60,000. The full expense was previously approved through the city’s fiscal year 2026-27 budgeting process. 

During discussion, Mayor Frank Perez circulated an offer he said he received from WBET for $6,600. Perez apologized for presenting the information informally saying he had thought City Manager Doug Terry was still on vacation and therefore had not sent it to him beforehand. Commissioners discussed the offer, and WBET host and reporter Mike Stiles, who attended the meeting, provided additional details. 

“A lot of the stuff that FocalPoint does do, we can do in terms of Facebook ads, banner ads, things of that nature,” Stiles said. 

The city did not issue a request for proposals for the contract, and WBET’s offer was not submitted through a formal bidding process. Terry asked whether WBET and FocalPoint could share services. City Attorney T.J. Reed said nothing in the contract required FocalPoint to be the exclusive provider. The commission ultimately approved the FocalPoint contract unanimously.

“The goal would be, as we’re transitioning directors, to keep a consistent group that helps our current team continue on in the marketing aspect and then can definitely be revisited through a formal RFP process going forward,” City Controller Sadie Griffin said. 

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.