TRAVERSE CITY — 9&10 News has a few updates from the latest Traverse City commission meeting, including the approval of a pilot program and a purchasing agreement for new police cruisers.
This was the first official meeting to feature Councilman Kenneth Funk and Mayor Pro Tem Laura Ness; Councilman Lance Bohmer was not in attendance.
At the meeting, commissioners voted in favor of a series of tax breaks for the housing project at East Bay Flats, which is being done by Goodwill Northern Michigan to help suport people transitioning out of homelessness.
The tax breaks would add up to more than $2 million over the course of 15 years and would help Goodwill secure additional state support that would eventually offer 64 housing vouchers.
“East Bay Flats is for people who have experienced homelessness or are chronically homeless, are facing violence, or have special needs,” said Nora Dunlop, interim director of housing & homeless services at Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan. “Everyone who’s at flats now, or will be there in the future. had to sign a lease, they had to apply. They had to do a background check, and they have worked really hard for it with our outreach.”
There was some debate among new councilmembers, like Keneth Funk, about the lost tax revenue becoming a drag on city resources, especially because the property sees more police and fire calls than your standard apartment building.
But councilmembers eventually voted in favor of honoring the commitments made by previous council votes.
The commission also voted in favor of purchasing four new hybrid police vehicles to help suport the city’s goal of fully electrifying the vehicle fleet.
Hybrid Ford cruisers were chosen in the initial batch of cars because fully electric vehicles have suffered from range issues as their batteries get less effective in winter temperatures.
City leaders say recent events show why police need to be able to respond across long distances.
“Tragedies can happen even where they didn’t happen before,” Interim City Manager Benjamin Marentette said. “And so I think it’s very important that we have a fleet that is equipped to go a long distance if needed, without any complications. This is a matter of public safety.”
There was also a status update on the fishpass project.
This is a brand new scientific installation that will help scientists from all over the world figure out ways to help native fish move from upstream locations to the Great Lakes without letting in invasive species.
So far, the project has been going swimmingly, and city officials say it’s on track for completion.
“There are approximately 220 different fish species that have micro movements within rivers and are found between rivers and in the Great Lakes, said Daniel Zielinski, Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “So this is not just focused on a solution for the river, but one that can be broadly applied to other rivers throughout the Great Lakes and around the world.”