Council Agenda item 14A
Staff Report: City Manager
City Council, Tuesday, May 26, 2026
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City Manager Report May 25, 2026
Construction Update • With the exception of the watermain valves on Water Street, the downtown work is largely complete. • Work has begun on Maple Street. o Tree removal is nearly complete. As a reminder, significant effort was made to preserve trees along the route. During the design process, Public Works and the engineering team walked the entire corridor to identify the best sidewalk alignment and minimize tree removal as much as possible. One of the older trees that had to be removed was found to have rot in the trunk and would have eventually been an issue. o The west lane of Maple Street is being pulverized into gravel. o Water main installation has started from the south (moving north) and will continue this week and into next week. o Local traffic will still be able to access their homes and businesses along Maple Street. o If your constituents have questions, please have them contact the following: Public Works - Michelle Gibson, Project Coordinator - (269) 224-9504 Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering • Jon Moxey, P.E., Project Manager – (616) 588-1925 • Peter Tierney, P.E., Project Manager – (616) 914-8621 o Our first progress meeting was on Tuesday and will continue every two weeks. o Michelle will continue to provide updates to those who signed up. Public Hearing on Proposed Budget • A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for the regular meeting on June 8 at 6:30p. • Notice is being published in the newspaper. I have also shared the information in my community report along with some quick facts around tax rates and our net position. • The draft budget presentation can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/__BQbLST6_o?si=2iplO0PMOd8CxeUn&t=582 • Slides and draft budget details: https://www.saugatuckcity.com/ Parking Improvements Task Force • The Task Force continues to meet to review data and consultant findings. • The most recent meeting included a review of:
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Future Growth and Parking Impacts Parking Enforcement, Ambassador Program, and Revenue Options Remote Parking, The Interurban, and Shared Parking Agreements Parking Yield Analysis: Converting Butler Street to One-Way Traffic from Lucy Street to Culver Street Each of the reports can be viewed here: https://www.saugatuckcity.com/parkingimprovements-task-force.html
New Director of Public Works • A reminder that the new Director of Public Works, Mark Ondersma, starts on May 26. • We will have Mark attend a future City Council meeting to introduce himself and meet all of you. Plastic Pellet Spill Cleanup • EGLE continues to provide weekly updates to the managers of the tri-community as well as the tribal nations. • EGLE’s latest report advised cleanup continues. Krazy for the Kazoo • The Kalamazoo River Greenway is bringing you a weekend-long river stewardship celebration! Build and renew your connection to our watershed by joining us for Krazy for the Kazoo, where we will recognize the ongoing restoration efforts, recreational opportunities, and beauty that the watershed provides to our region. • The weekend will kick off on Friday, May 29, with an interactive reading of a newly published picture book all about the Kalamazoo River Watershed! Kids and families will dive into the story, then take part in a fun, hands-on activity and a craft that brings the river to life. Along the way, participants will learn how water moves through our watershed and discover simple ways we can all help keep it clean and healthy. Each participant will also receive a Kalamazoo River Watershed sticker sheet and workbook to take home and continue the learning and fun!
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Miscellaneous • Held meetings with DPW Supervisor and Administrative/Project Coordinator. • Held one on one with Director of Planning and Zoning. • Attended quarterly Kalamazoo River Greenway meeting. • Attended local government millages webinar. • Held Department Head team meeting. • Prepared for and attended Parking Improvements Task Force meeting. • Held one on one with City Treasurer/Finance Officer. • Prepared for and attended joint utility groups meeting. • Attended Fire Department budget presentation. • Held one on one with City Clerk. • Spoke to middle school students helping Garden Club with plantings.