Local meeting primer: Three Rivers City Commission

The Three Rivers City Commission will meet this Tuesday, September 15 at 6 p.m. in city hall. Commissioners will work through a long agenda containing four public hearings and seven new business items. 

Commissioners will consider the next steps for a property transfer to Habitat for Humanity, the 2027 Parks and Recreation department plan — which includes a splash pad, a second attempt at the sale of 810 S. Constantine St., and an annual review of city commission and administration guidelines.

Regular business

Commissioners will consider a transfer of a Madison Place lot to Habitat for Humanity to allow them to build a new single-family home on the property. Commissioners initially considered the transfer during their August 3 meeting and approved the initial steps. Now, commissioners will consider approving the resolution. If approved, Habitat for Humanity will begin construction soon after. In February or March, Habitat for Humanity will begin their process to select a family to move into the home once construction is finished, a representative previously told Watershed Voice. 

Next, commissioners will consider approving the Three Rivers Parks and Recreation Department’s 2027 plan, which they are required to complete at least every five years in order to be eligible for Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant opportunities. This year’s plan and processes were allocated $21,000 and came in under budget at $13,267. 

In the same agenda item, commissioners are being asked to consider the addition of a splash pad conceptual plan and visualization which is expected to cost $11,236, bringing the total $3,503 over the budgeted amount, requiring commissioners to also approve $3,503 from the general fund balance. 

Commissioners will also consider a second attempt at the sale of 810 S. Constantine St., currently owned by the city. The proposed transaction, which was previously approved by the commission, was not completed and is no longer proceeding. Commissioners are being asked to authorize city staff to begin the disposition process again from the beginning. Commissioners are also being asked to place a new resolution regarding the proposed sale on file with the city clerk to “ensure any future disposition is completed in accordance with the requirements of the city charter.” 

The property is currently listed for sale through Heather Martell, who also serves as a member of the Three Rivers Housing Development Corporation. The city notes this in the agenda packet, and states this relationship does not “constitute a determination that a prohibited conflict of interest exists.”

Commissioners will also consider an annual review of City Commission and administration guidelines, outlining how to act, speak, and respect one another on the dais and beyond. Since this commission has been sworn in, residents and former commissioner Chris Abel have commented on their disappointment with the decorum of commissioners during meetings. Residents have noted that commissioners have talked to each other disrespectfully, and asked them to restore normalcy in their meetings.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.