The City of Sturgis suffered very little damage from the storms. City staff reported during Monday’s meeting that minor damage occurred at the city’s hydroelectric facility, where a unit was knocked offline. “It went right over the dam,” one city staff member said during the meeting. Sturgis’ most significant involvement following the storm came through the aid and resources it provided to neighboring communities.
Commissioners agreed to direct city staff to move forward with an electric vehicle charging station using leftover funds from a 2024 Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant. The city completed its downtown improvements under budget, leaving approximately $151,207 in remaining funds. According to staff, electric vehicle charging infrastructure was the only remaining eligible use for the excess funds. The proposal includes installation of up to two dual-port Level 2 ChargePoint stations in Parking Lot 11 across from City Hall and the Sturges-Young Center for the Arts. Commissioners said the location is intended to encourage visitors to charge their vehicles while supporting downtown businesses within walking distance of the lot.
The most contentious item on the agenda was the Burning Ordinance First Reading, a proposed update to the city’s Fire Prevention and Protection chapter that, according to the city manager’s report, has not been revised since 1969.
A local laundromat owner, Alvie Wall, told commissioners he has dealt with repeated vandalism and theft and said he feels the city has failed to address the issue. “I know you’re sympathetic to the homeless. You feel bad because they’re homeless,” Wall said. “They choose to be homeless. Big deal. That’s their deal. Be homeless all you want, but stop vandalizing my stuff.”
To start off new business, commissioners unanimously approved a fundraiser in partnership with Gest Pro Tree Services and United Way. For a minimum $25 donation to United Way, Gest Pro Tree Services will pick up Christmas trees from a participating resident’s curbside, chip the tree, and compost the chippings. Donations must be made in advance, and the deadline to sign up is January 4.
The ordinance converts curbside recycling from an add-on service to a full city utility, billed as a mandatory fee on utility bills for eligible residential properties. The commission’s approval of the second reading triggers a 20-day waiting period before the ordinance can go into effect. The measure is designed as an alternative to letting the city’s existing recycling contract with Borden expire at year’s end. Previously, the commission had moved toward ending curbside service at the end of the current contract because of rising costs and a roughly $150,000 funding shortfall, even at the maximum allowed fee under state law.
Wednesday’s meeting will feature the second reading of the ordinance. If approved, the city would enter a 20-day waiting period before the measure becomes law. The commission will also need to decide the length of its next contract with Borden — likely between one year, which allows flexibility if prices change or the commission later discontinues recycling, and three years, which would reduce per-household costs through volume pricing.
The commission updated its general shut off rules, bringing them into compliance with new state law and allowing utilities to disconnect service for nonpayment during the "heating season." Mayor Frank Perez expressed concern about what the policy shift means in practice. “Now we’re going to be shutting people off?”
City Manager Andrew Kuk presented the budget in detail, noting $11.74 million in total revenue and transfers against $12.31 million in expenditures and transfers. The general fund's largest spending areas include police and fire services at $5.75 million, general government at $1.88 million, and recreation and culture at $808,488.
Tonight's agenda includes the second readings of proposed amendments to the city's zoning ordinance.
A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR
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