Regular City Council Meeting Minutes, April 13, 2026

CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING April 13, 2026 The City Council met to have a Regular Council Meeting at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. 102 Butler St., Saugatuck, MI 49453. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Mayor Anderson at 6:30 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Attendance: Present: Mayor Anderson, Mayor Pro-Tem Clark and Councilmembers Dean, Gardner, Muncey and Stanton. Motion by Muncey, second by Stanton to excuse councilmember Peterson. Via voice vote, motion carried 6-0. Others Present: City Manager Cummins, Attorney Witte, DPW Superintendent Herbert, Zoning Director Moore, Treasurer Bredeweg and Clerk Wolters. Mayor’s Comments: Mayor Holly Anderson recognized staff and the city manager at that time for their “phenomenal” work over the first three quarters in advancing the council’s established priorities. She praised both staff and council for staying focused on agreed priorities, noting that staff cannot do their jobs well if goals keep shifting. Mayor Anderson then issued a specific apology for adding the Oval Beach parking passes item to that night’s agenda, explaining that while it is a worthy topic, it was not identified as a priority for the current fiscal year and her decision forced staff to scramble to assemble data, contrary to the discipline she has been advocating. Using that as a transition, she reminded council of the proper process for adding or removing items from agendas. She explained that the “council comments” portion of meetings is strictly for comments—not for discussion or Q&A—then returned to thanking staff for “an awesome three quarters”. City Manager Comments: City Manager Ryan Cummins highlighted several key items from his written report. First, a two-page report from the Parking Improvements Task Force, prepared with Walker Consultants, explaining that it contains initial data and analysis—such as rough cost estimates for a potential parking structure— that will help frame upcoming community conversations on parking. He encouraged council and the public to review this material and noted that staff will begin sharing it more broadly as the task force 102 Butler St. ★ PO Box 86

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and Walker refine their recommendations. Cummins noted he will present the budget in detail at the Wednesday workshop, inviting anyone interested in next year’s projects and needs to attend; he also committed to providing a public meeting link and a copy of the presentation. He reported that planning work on Elizabeth Street is progressing, with engineers exploring various pre-design options, and announced an open-house-style community session on April 28 with two drop-in windows (3:00– 4:30 p.m. and 5:30–7:30 p.m.). Finally, he recognized Deputy City Clerk Sara Williams for completing year three of her training and achieving the Level 1 Michigan Professional Municipal Clerk designation, noting that both Jamie and Sara now hold this certification and emphasizing staff’s ongoing commitment to training and professional development. Agenda Changes: None. Guest Speakers: None. Public Comment on Agenda Item Only: Mark LaChey provided comments. Consent Agenda: A. Approval of City Council Workshop Minutes – April 8, 2026. B. Resolution No. 260413-A - Local Government Approval for On-Premises Tasting Room Permit for Blue Star Partners LLC at 118 Hoffman Street. C. Resolution No. 260413-B - Authorizing Elizabeth Street to be Added to the City’s Act 51 Map. D. Resolution No. 260413-C - Authorizing Lakeview to be Added to the City’s Act 51 Map. E. Proposal from Abre Croche Cultural Resources, LLC for a Phase I Archaeological Site Identification Survey and Memorandum of Understanding. F. Proposal from Diversified Welding & Fabrication to Reconstruct and Install the Chain Ferry Landings. G. Proposal from Outdoor Discovery Center to Conduct City-Wide Invasive Species Survey and Management Recommendations. H. Village Square Park Donation Agreement. I. Updates to Wick’s Park Boat Slip Leasing Policy. J. Letter of Support – Ox-Bow House Project. K. Arbor Day Proclamation. Motion by Clark, second by Stanton to approve the consent agendas presented in the agenda packet. Via roll call vote, motion carried 6-0. Approval of Accounts Payable: Motion by Stanton, second by Dean, to approve the accounts payable in the amount of $116,126.69. Via roll call, motion carried 6-0. Public Hearing: None. Unfinished Business: None. New Business: License Agreement for Oval Beach Concessions Stand: Motion by Stanton, second by Muncey to approve the approve the agreement for grow estate LLC, 102 Butler St. ★ PO Box 86

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doing business as saga taco, to operate the oval beach concession from the city of Saugatuck for the 2026 season. Via roll call vote, motion carried 6-0. Review of Oval Beach Reduced Rate Season Parking Permit Policy: Motion by Gardner, second by Muncey to authorize the issuance of one complimentary oval beach pass per calendar year to each real property owner within the city of Saugatuck. This initiative will be reviewed by city staff at the end of the 2026 season, to assess the impact of the policy. This initiative aims to recognize the contributions of property owners to the community and enhance their access to local recreational amenities. Via roll call vote, motion failed 4-2. Yes – Gardner, Muncey. No – Anderson, Clark, Dean, Stanton. Request for Temporary Signage within the Public Right-of-Way: Motion by Stanton, second by Gardner motion to approve the request for four temporary ground signs and two sandwich board signs to be placed within the public right of way on April 25 2026 as presented in the submitted application, based on a finding that the request meets the waiver criteria set forth in §150.30(H). Staff Reports, Boards, Commissions & Committees: Monthly department activity reports were provided by City Staff. Public Comment: Christopher E. Burnett provided public comments. Correspondence: Rakesh Madhava, Craig Baldwin, Bobbie Gaunt, Kimberly Bagierek, James Bouck, CJ Bagierek, and Jim Dryer provided correspondence. Council Comments: Councilmember Russ Gardner closed by noting it had been a good meeting and then focused on future growth and transportation. He highlighted that significant development is occurring outside the City of Saugatuck—in the township and in Douglas—which will likely increase the number of visitors coming downtown. Anticipating more people in the core commercial area, he expressed concern about relying solely on cars and said he plans to raise the topic of multimodal transportation planning at the upcoming Planning Commission meeting. He wants the city to start planning now for better options such as walking and biking connections so that increased visitation does not simply translate into more vehicular congestion, and so it remains comfortable and practical for people to come into town without relying exclusively on cars. Mayor Pro Tem Joe Clark said it was a good meeting and wished everyone a happy spring, then thanked staff broadly for everything they do. He gave special recognition to DPW staff, describing how they responded quickly and effectively when a neighbor’s house was threatened by flooding due to backed-up storm sewers. Joe detailed that DPW Superintendent Scott Herbert and the crew arrived promptly, stayed on site for much of the day, and coordinated with Kalamazoo Lake Sewer & Water Authority to address the problem. He noted this work was noticed and appreciated in the neighborhood, and that the affected homeowner was extremely grateful. He closed by mentioning that there would be a Kal Lake board meeting the following Monday. 102 Butler St. ★ PO Box 86

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Councilmember Scott Dean used his closing comments to align with Councilmember Gardner’s concerns about planning for increased visitors and safer non-automotive access to downtown. He reiterated his support for creating safer routes for people to walk and bike. He acknowledged staff’s workload but encouraged continued planning in this direction, tying it to broader efforts like completing the Blue Star Trail link across the river and improving cooperation with Douglas. Dean also stressed that everyone already has free access to Oval Beach by foot or bike, and that it is primarily parking and cars that create cost and pressure. He offered strong personal thanks to Scott Herbert, praising his professionalism, community engagement, and service to Saugatuck, saying he considers him a friend and that the city is losing a major asset at DPW even as Kal Lake gains one. He is happy that he will remain engaged with our tri community area. Councilmember Gregory Muncey closed by first reiterating his appreciation for DPW Superintendent Scott Herbert, noting how much Scott’s service has meant to the city; he joked that he was “so mad” Scott is leaving but added he is genuinely happy Scott is staying in the area and moving into a role that makes him happy. Muncey reported that the next Interurban board meeting will be held on Thursday the 16th at Douglas City Hall. He also highlighted important public safety work by Tony Shippa and the Saugatuck-Douglas Heart Safe Community group, explaining that they have purchased their first 10 AEDs for the tri-community and are seeking help from business owners and community leaders to identify the best locations, including options for indoor and 24/7 outdoor units. He provided Tony’s contact number, encouraged businesses, HOAs, and others to consider hosting an AED, and promoted upcoming CPR/AED training classes, including a session on April 20 from 6–7 p.m. at Riverside Church of Saugatuck. He stressed the importance of AEDs and CPR knowledge, reminded everyone that Michigan law protects people who perform CPR in good faith, and closed by thanking the Heart Safe Community group for addressing heart disease and heart attacks, which he noted are the nation’s number one killer. Mayor Holly thanked members for a good meeting and specifically encouraged people to watch or review the recent Parking Improvements Task Force meeting, praising the quality of the data and analysis being produced. She urged council and the public to catch up on that work now so that when recommendations and decisions eventually come to council, they are not starting from scratch. She spoke to Scott Herbert, calling back to a favorite memory of riding in a snowplow with him and joking about almost taking out the then-mayor’s mailbox. She praised his “customer-facing” skills, saying he made residents feel that the city truly cares, and thanked him for setting that example. Anderson said Scott will be deeply missed, but she is glad he will stay nearby and continue helping inform the city’s work as people inevitably call him with questions. She closed by congratulating him on the new opportunity at Kal Lake, wishing that it be everything he wants and more. Adjournment: Motion by Muncey, second by Dean to adjourn the meeting. Upon voice vote, motion carried 60. Mayor Anderson adjourned at 7:33 p.m. Respectfully Submitted ___________________ Jamie Wolters, City Clerk 102 Butler St. ★ PO Box 86

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