TRAVERSE CITY — Nov. 4 is Election Day, and Nine and Ten News wants to make sure you’re prepared to cast your vote.
Traverse City has three different proposals on the ballot this year — and the language can get a little confusing.
9&10 News spoke with Traverse City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht to break down a proposed ethics ordinance requirement.
“An ethics ordinance really just covers multiple issues that can come up during the course of business, like conflicts,” Trible-Laucht said. “That’s probably the most general thing that comes up.”
The ordinance applies to city employees. The commission has already adopted its own ethical standards, but putting the issue in front of voters will enshrine it in law.
“It’s good for business,” said City Manager Benjamin Marentette. “It helps build public trust, and I could see no good reason to ever object to ethical standards for conduct of public employees.”
The city is also looking to transfer money from the Brown Bridge Trust Fund to other park projects.
The Brown Bridge Quiet Area makes money for the city through taxes on oil and gas extraction from wells on the property.
“So that fund just continues to build from oil and gas royalties until and unless the voters say it’s okay to spend from it,” Trible-Laucht said.
Administrators say the first proposal would help free up $3 million for several other projects, like beach access on West Grand Traverse Bay, new playground equipment for city parks, and reconstruction of the pickleball courts at Slabtown Corners.
The second Brown Bridge proposal would allow the city to use another $5 million from the trust fund for various financing projects.
“If it were cheaper for the city to use those funds to loan itself money than to get some other sort of source of funding that will cost more, for interest and so forth, then the city would be allowed to do that,” Trible-Laucht said.
This isn’t the first time the city has pulled from the Brown Bridge coffers; similar ballot proposals over the last 15 years have helped fund several projects around Traverse City.
“Some examples of projects that have been used are Hickory Hills,” Trible-Laucht said. “There are a number of smaller neighborhood-type parks that were, were included in that.”