The Sturgis City Commission will meet on Wednesday, December 13 at 6 p.m. at Sturgis City Hall (130 N. Ottawa St.) for a regularly scheduled meeting. Here is a preview of Wednesday’s agenda.
Sturgis City Commission
In a 6-3 vote at a special meeting Monday, the commission appointed Frank Perez as mayor for the next year. Incumbent mayor Jeff Mullins, who served for two years, received three votes after nominations closed.
The Sturgis City Commission welcomed its newest member Wednesday with a swearing-in ceremony, and two change order requests related to the Sturgis hydro-electric dam near Centreville and the city’s public utilities station were approved.
Sturgis Hospital, Inc. was able to finalize the terms of its acquisition by Asker Corporation, including a management agreement and financial support of the hospital. That agreement will be in place until the acquisition can be approved by the Michigan Attorney General’s office.
The Sturgis City Commission appointed a new member to its ranks, and were updated on the potential sale of Sturgis Hospital during its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday.
The Sturgis City Commission had a full plate of agenda items Wednesday, hearing a report on underground contamination cleanup progress and reopening the door on a proposed affordable housing apartment complex.
A series of meetings were held Monday in Sturgis, starting with a special Sturgis Commission meeting at 10 a.m., to guide the city through the initial process of authorize a letter of agreement between the Asker Corporation, the city and the hospital, with a $3 million purchase offer.
A Sturgis city commissioner plans to step down next month, and the next step in the process to open an extreme weather center was greenlit Wednesday by the Sturgis City Commission.
The Sturgis City Commission will hold a second reading for the Extreme Weather Center (EWC) on Wednesday evening during a regularly scheduled meeting. For eight months a local Sturgis group has worked to organize and assemble a location for individuals in need during extreme temperatures, and have faced challenges with zoning, building, and fire codes.
On Wednesday evening Sturgis city commissioners adopted the budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024 in an 8-1 vote, with Commissioner Richard Bir as the lone dissenting vote.
The Sturgis City Commission will meet Wednesday evening at city hall (130 N. Ottawa St.) for a regularly scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. Items on the agenda for the evening will include an approval of an electric rate plan for utility rates, as well as an adoption of the 2023-2024 fiscal year budget.
Sturgis City Commissioners heard a presentation regarding the potential construction of a “tiny home village” during a regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday evening. The Sturgis Housing Commission has been in discussions with city staff on this project, and are proposing a development of clustered single-family housing at 208 N. Prospect St. The location is currently a vacant parcel owned by the Sturgis Housing Development Corporation.
The Sturgis City Commission Wednesday voted to have city staff develop a proposed ordinance and corresponding ballot language concerning urban chickens within city limits. The decision of whether to allow urban chickens in Sturgis will likely be placed in the hands of city residents in August 2024.
The Sturgis City Commission will meet Wednesday evening at city hall (130 N. Ottawa St.) for a regularly scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. One of the topics to be discussed will be the first reading of a proposed urban chickens ordinance.
The Sturgis City Commission provided “forward momentum” Wednesday by voting to approve the development of an agreement between Sturgis Hospital and a potential buyer. The current outstanding debt service on bonds issued by the City of Sturgis for improvements to the hospital stands at $8,567,631.25, which is being considered in any deal the hospital might make. The hospital has had extensive negotiations with Asker Corp. and “minimal” discussions with a second, unnamed potential purchaser.
Following weeks of financial struggles, Sturgis Hospital Interim CEO Jeremy Gump spoke to the Sturgis City Commission Wednesday to provide an update on hospital operations, as well as the process of finding an organization to acquire the hospital. Though the hospital continues to function tenuously day-to-day, Gump indicated time is running out for the facility.
In a tense 5—4 vote Wednesday evening, Sturgis City Commissioners voted to raise the 2023 millage rate to 11.6818, which is the maximum allowed by the State of Michigan without a vote of the electorate.
In a report to commissioners earlier this month, Sturgis Hospital Interim CEO Jeremy Gump said the hospital was in danger of being depleted of funds by the end of June. Now there is no “drop dead” date for the hospital’s closure thanks to a deposit of funds which will allow the facility to continue to operate — at least for a few more weeks.