[1. Proclamation for Lights On Afterschool! - October 22, 2026]
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GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO COMMITTEE THE WHOLE TO ORDER. AND I HAVE A LITTLE WE ALL HAVE A LITTLE FLIER ON OUR DESK FROM THE ELO NETWORK, WHICH IN MY BRAIN ALWAYS MEANS ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA. AND APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH, IT'S TALKING ABOUT KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON. SO I'M GOING TO COME UP AND READ A PROCLAMATION. SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT MISS HARRIS FROM THE E IS GOING TO JOIN ME AT THE PODIUM HERE. SO WHEREAS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT CHILDREN WHO REGULARLY ATTEND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS IMPROVE THEIR SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, AND WHEREAS HALF OF THE YOUTH PARTICIPATING IN LOCAL OUT OF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS IMPROVE THEIR MATH AND READING PERFORMANCE. AND WHEREAS, AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS INSPIRE CAREER AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMING AS WELL AS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLNESS THAT SUPPORT LEARNING. AND WHEREAS THESE PROGRAMS ENSURE ONGOING INVESTMENT FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE QUALITY AFTER SCHOOL FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE SUSTAINED.
WHEREAS, THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING QUALITY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHERE THEY CAN LEARN, THRIVE AND BE SAFE. THEREFORE, I. DAVID LEGRAND, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, DECLARE OCTOBER 22ND, 2026, AS LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL DAY IN GRAND RAPIDS. CELEBRATE THIS DAY AND SHINE THE BRIGHTEST OF LIGHTS ON PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE ENRICHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BEFORE SCHOOL, AFTER SCHOOL, IN THE EVENINGS, ON WEEKENDS, AND IN THE SUMMER. SO I'M YEAH. RIGHT ON. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HAVING HAVING BEEN ON THE SCHOOL BOARD MYSELF, GRPS IT'S REALLY URGENT THAT WE FOCUS ON THINGS THAT SUMMER. LEARNING LOSS, FOR EXAMPLE, IS AN ENDEMIC PROBLEM THAT EVERY COMMUNITY HAS TO HAS TO STRUGGLE WITH. AND IT'S ALSO TRUE THAT MAKING SURE, PARTICULARLY POST-COVID, THAT WE REINFORCE THE MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN AND THE PARENTS AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE, IN AS MANY WAYS AS POSSIBLE, THAT IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO SHOW UP AT SCHOOL. BUT THESE WRAPAROUND PROGRAMS ARE, ARE PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY THAT WE AS A CITY CAN LEAN INTO DOING THAT. SUPPORT FOR THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN, IN TOWN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DON'T RUN THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, WE DON'T PAY FOR THEM. BUT THIS IS A WAY THAT WE CAN MEANINGFULLY HELP LEAN INTO MAKING SURE OUR KIDS SUCCEED IN SCHOOL. SO, MISS HARRIS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSIONER, CITY MANAGER AND OTHER APPOINTED OFFICIALS AND STAFF. GRAND RAPIDS IS ONE OF 8000 COMMUNITIES AROUND THE NATION CELEBRATING THE IMPACT OF OST PROGRAM. SO OUT OF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS AND OUR COMMUNITIES, CHILDREN MANAGES AN OUT OF SCHOOL TIME SYSTEM BUILDING EFFORT CALLED THE EXPANDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES NETWORK. WE DO HAVE SOME MEMBERS IN THE AUDIENCE. WE'VE GOT SOME MEMBERS FROM HOPEFULLY HERE, BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS, GR, GR SYMPHONY, PARKS AND REC, STEM, GREENHOUSE, MASS, OAK, REFUGEE REFUGEE EDUCATION CENTER, GRANDVILLE AVENUE, ARTS AND HUMANITIES, FIRST T POSITIVE IMPACT FOR LIFE. OTHERS. IF YOU ARE PART OF THE L O NETWORK, PLEASE STAND.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. I ALSO WANT TO SHOUT OUT OUR COORDINATOR, OUR NEW COORDINATOR, TORI SPICER, AND OUR PARTNERS AT THE MICHIGAN AFTER SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP. NOW I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO TIFFANY YOUNG, WHO IS THE VICE CHAIR OF THE L NETWORK, TO SAY A FEW WORDS. GOOD MORNING. COMMISSIONERS, MAYOR AND THE CITY MANAGER. FIRST, THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO INVEST IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME AND IN THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF GRAND RAPIDS.
THIS ANNUAL PROCLAMATION IS EVIDENCE OF THAT SUPPORT AND CELEBRATION OF OUR SUCCESS IN THE FIELD OF OST IN GRAND RAPIDS. ONE THING I HOPE WE CONTINUE TO REMEMBER IS THAT OST IS MUCH MORE THAN CHILDCARE AND EVEN MORE THAN AN ANTI-VIOLENCE STRATEGY. IT'S A PORTAL TO OPPORTUNITY. IT'S WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE FIND TRUSTED ADULTS, DISCOVER WHAT THEY'RE GOOD AT, DEVELOP SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE, AND LAY THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR THEIR FUTURE. OS OST IS ESSENTIAL TO THE FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND MICHIGAN IS RECOGNIZING THAT VALUE IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY, WITH A $135 MILLION INVESTMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMING THIS YEAR, GRAND RAPIDS HAS AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD ON THAT MOMENTUM, AND THE YELLOW NETWORK IS THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE BRINGING TOGETHER THE CITY, SCHOOLS, NONPROFITS, PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS SO THAT OUR INVESTMENTS WORK TOGETHER. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, OUR GOAL IS SIMPLE, EASY. EVERY YOUNG PERSON IN GRAND RAPIDS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN BELONG, DISCOVER, AND THRIVE. THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO HELP MAKE THAT POSSIBLE AS WE INVEST IN AND CELEBRATE LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL. JUST REALLY QUICK. WE HAVE A QUICK VIDEO, A ONE MINUTE VIDEO FROM OUR PARTNERS AT GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THESE ARE SCHOLARS THAT ARE A
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PART OF THE LOOP AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. HI, MY NAME IS DIEGO AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE GET TO LEARN AND DO SOME PROJECTS. MY NAME IS JADEN AND OUR LOOP IS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I CAN MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND LEARN MORE. HI, MY NAME IS JADA AND LUPUS.ACCORDING TO ME BECAUSE I GET TO LEARN MORE AND HAVE FUN. HI, MY NAME IS EMMA AND LOOP IS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I GET MY HOMEWORK DONE FASTER AND I. WHEN I GO HOME, I GET TO HAVE FUN AND AND CHILL WITH MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY. ALL RIGHT. AND ONE QUICK PLUG. THE YELLOW NETWORK IS HOSTING OUR ANNUAL LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL PRE BASH AT THE NEW MLK COMMUNITY CENTER ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST FROM 430 TO 730. THERE WILL BE FREE ADMISSION, A DJ, FOOD, TALENT SHOW, PRIZES AND MORE. SO PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. THANK YOU. OKAY EVERYONE, WANT TO COME UP FOR A PICTURE? DO WE HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHER? WE HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHER. OH MAYBE NOT. HOW ARE YOU DOING, SIR? THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OKAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. THERE WE GO. THERE YOU GO.
[2. Resolution authorizing publication of and setting a date to consider an ordinance amending Section 9.66 of Chapter 151 “Nuisances“ of the City Code to clarify the application of an exemption from noise code limitations for certain uses, activities and sounds]
OKAY. THIS BRINGS US TO OUR NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS. THIS IS A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PUBLICATION OF AND SETTING A DATE TO CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 9.66, CHAPTER 151 THE NUISANCES OF THE CITY CODE TO CLARIFY ON APPLICATION OF THE SOUND ORDINANCE TO THE AMPHITHEATER AND SUPPORT. ALL RIGHT, MR. BURNS, THANK YOU. SO I WILL INTRODUCE THE ITEM. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE WITH US RICH MCKEEGAN, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE KENT COUNTY GRAND RAPIDS CONVENTION ARENA AUTHORITY, TO GIVE US A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIRST SEASON OF ACRISURE AMPHITHEATER. BUT JUST TO INTRODUCE THE ITEM, THE. IN 2023, THE CITY COMMISSION APPROVED AN AMENDMENT TO THE CITY'S NOISE CODE THAT EXEMPTED SOUNDS COMING FROM PERFORMANCE VENUES OPERATED BY THE C A BETWEEN CERTAIN HOURS. SO BETWEEN 7 A.M. AND 11 P.M. WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXTEND THAT 11 P.M. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. THAT WAS PLACED IN A SECTION OF THE NOISE CODE THAT ALREADY INCLUDED A NUMBER OF NOISE GENERATORS THAT WERE CONSIDERED EXEMPT FROM THE NOISE CODE, INCLUDING LAWN MOWERS, SNOW BLOWERS, ETC. AT THAT TIME, I PRESENTED THE AMENDMENT AS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE SUPPORTING AND THAT ACTUALLY THE NOISE GENERATED BY THE AMPHITHEATER WOULD BE GOVERNED BY THE SPECIAL LAND USE PERMIT THAT WAS UNDER CONSIDERATION AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION. WE RECENTLY HAD A DECISION FROM A COURT BASED ON SOME LITIGATION THAT'S ONGOING ABOUT NOISE AT THE AMPHITHEATER, AND THAT COURT DECISION, THROUGH THE INTENT OF THAT ORIGINAL AMENDMENT INTO QUESTION, AND LED TO A WAY THAT THE CODE COULD POTENTIALLY BE INTERPRETED AS NEEDING TO BE ENFORCED THAT IS REALLY NOT EASILY ADMINISTERED AND IMPACTS A NUMBER OF THOSE NOISE GENERATORS THAT I JUST REFERENCED AS WELL WOULD APPLY TO ALL OF THOSE NOISE GENERATORS IN A WAY THAT WE DID NOT INTEND. THEREFORE, WE ARE BRINGING TO YOU AN AMENDMENT THAT SIMPLY CLARIFIES OUR INTENT, MODIFIES THAT SECTION TO ENSURE THAT IT'S UNDERSTOOD THAT ALL OF THOSE NOISE GENERATORS ARE EXEMPT FROM[00:10:07]
APPLICATION OF THE NOISE CODE FOR THE ACRISURE AMPHITHEATER. IN PARTICULAR, IT IS GOVERNED BY THE SPECIAL LAND USE PERMIT, WHICH INCLUDES SOME CONSIDERATIONS OF DECIBEL LIMITATIONS AT CERTAIN SPOTS ON THE AMPHITHEATER PROPERTY AND HAS A NOISE MONITORING SYSTEM THAT THE CITY HAS ACCESS TO. SO WITH THAT, I WILL INVITE UP MR. MCKEEGAN TO SHARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON WITH YOU. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT ENDED UP BEING A PRETTY GOOD SEASON FOR THE AMPHITHEATER. ENDED UP HAVING 49 PUBLIC EVENTS. YOU MIGHT RECALL IN THE PLANNING STAGES, WE WERE HOPING FOR 30, MAYBE 35.SO TO SEE ROUGHLY A 50% PLUS GROWTH. REALLY PLEASED ABOUT THAT. ATTENDANCE WISE, WE WERE HOPING FOR ABOUT 300,000. WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO END UP OVER 400,000. WE ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF PRIVATE OR COMMUNITY EVENTS AND IN FACT HAVE ANOTHER 1ST NOVEMBER 12TH. THAT'LL BE OUR LAST ONE BEFORE WE GET EVERYTHING PACKED UP. ABOUT 800 NEW EMPLOYEES EXPERIENCED.
GRAND RAPIDS DID SOME WORK TO SEE WHAT. IF THERE IS ANY CORRELATION BETWEEN EVENTS AT THE AMPHITHEATER AND HOTEL OCCUPANCY AND FOUND THAT THERE DEFINITELY IS. UNLIKE A CONVENTION WHERE HOTEL ROOMS ARE CONTRACTED. SO IT'S VERY, VERY OBVIOUS. THIS IS MORE ANECDOTAL, BUT I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE CORRELATION, THE COROLLARY EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT IT'S MORE THAN ANECDOTAL. IT HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE. THE BUSINESSES, INCLUDING THE HOTELS, RESTAURANTS DOWNTOWN, THE LIONEL RICHIE CONCERT WAS SOMETHING. I HOPE THE COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO REMEMBER FONDLY FOR DECADES TO COME. IT WAS PRETTY COOL. WE WERE INTENTIONAL WITH THE PROGRAMING. HAD DETROIT NATIVES WARREN TREATY OPEN AND THEN GRAND RAPIDS OWN BRIAN VANDER ARK. SO IT WAS VERY MUCH A CONNECTION TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. WE ALSO HAD A COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE THE NEXT DAY, ABOUT 10,000 FOLKS THROUGH THE BUILDING. IT WENT SO WELL. WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING TO DO THAT NEXT YEAR AS WELL. IT'S A CHANCE FOR US SELFISHLY, TO GET SOME OF THE KINKS WORKED OUT OPERATIONALLY AND TO GET PEOPLE BACK INTO THE BUILDING.
IT MAY NOT HAVE AS MANY BELLS AND WHISTLES AS WE HAD ON MAY 16TH, BUT THAT'S GOING TO BE OUR PLAN AS ONE OF OUR OPENINGS FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE HAD A NUMBER OF BIG DEAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. I THINK MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW I'M CANADIAN, SO TO HAVE THE GUESS WHO, A CANADIAN BAND ON CANADA DAY IN GRAND RAPIDS WAS REALLY COOL FOR ME. OUR MARKETING TEAM PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE POSTER WITH ME WELCOMING THEM, SO I HAD A NUMBER OF THE CREW SAYING, YOU'RE THE GUY ON THE BIG POSTER, AREN'T YOU? I SAID, YEAH, YEAH, THAT'S ME. SO IT WAS NICE. DAVE MATTHEWS BAND. WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE FACT WE GOT TWO DMB SHOWS AND THE MIDWEST WAS THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST. WE HAD PEOPLE COMING FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE. SYMPHONY HAD TWO PICNIC POPS, AS WELL AS AN EVENT WITH JOSH GROBAN. AGAIN, VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THEM AS USERS OF THE BUILDING. WE ALSO COMMISSIONED A COMPOSER TO COMPOSE A SIGNATURE SONG FOR THE AMPHITHEATER. SO WHEN YOU'RE WALKING IN AND YOU'RE HEARING THAT. ARE YOU HEARING THE VERBIAGE ABOUT RESTRICTED ITEMS? HAVE YOUR TICKETS OUT AND AVAILABLE. THE SOUND BED UNDERNEATH THAT, WE HAD THAT COMPOSED AND WE HAD GVSU STUDENTS ACTUALLY PLAY THE MUSIC, RECORD THE MUSIC. THEN THE COMPOSER AND HIS TEAM TOOK IT BACK TO THEIR FACILITY IN LA, REMIXED IT BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET THE ENTIRE ORCHESTRA TOGETHER IN ONE SITTING. AND THAT I CONTINUE TO BE VERY PROUD OF ANOTHER GREAT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE VENUE, THE COMMUNITY, GVSU, ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORS, OBVIOUSLY, AND THE SUCCESS THERE ENDED UP TURNING INTO. WE WILL BE HAVING A A SIMILAR SONG FOR THE SOCCER STADIUM OPENING UP IN MARCH. WE CONTINUE TO BE VERY, VERY ACTIVE RELATIVE TO ARTIST DONATIONS AND DONATING TICKETS FOR THE COMMUNITY. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED AT THE ARENA AND DEVOS PERFORMANCE HALL AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THE AMPHITHEATER AS WELL. OUR MARKETING TEAM DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB OF IDENTIFYING BACKSTAGE EXPERIENCES FOR THE TOURING ARTISTS, AS WELL AS AND ALMOST MAYBE EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE CREW THAT WORK WITH THEM, CULTIVATING SOMETHING THAT MAKES THEM FEEL WELCOMED, BUT ALSO ILLUSTRATES THE SENSE OF PLACE YOU'RE IN GRAND RAPIDS.
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SO A LOT OF THESE SETUPS ARE WITH LOCAL VENDORS, LOCAL PROVIDERS. WE CONTINUE TO BE REALLY ACTIVE IN THAT SPACE. AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AT THE ARENA THAT WE'VE CONTINUED ON AT THE AMPHITHEATER. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. AND I GUESS THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY IS GREATLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU FOLKS DO. I THINK, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN HERE 28 YEARS AND WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH CITY COMMISSIONERS AND MAYORS OVER THOSE OVER THAT TIME. IT'S NOT LOST ON ME THE JOB THAT YOU GUYS HAVE AND THE ARROWS THAT YOU TAKE, IT IS APPRECIATED GENUINELY BY ME. THANKS. WELL, A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT AREN'T REALLY IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE, RICH, BUT THERE ARE CERTAINLY THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT ARE WORTH POINTING OUT, I GUESS, FOR THE AUDIENCE. AND THAT IS THE NIGHT OF THE LIONEL RICHIE CONCERT. WE HAD THE TRIFECTA. WE HAD A SOLD OUT DEVOS. WE HAD A SOLD OUT VAN ANDEL, WE HAD THE AMPHITHEATER SOLD OUT, AND WE END ALL OF THE PARKING HAPPENED FINE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE COMPLETELY FILLED RAMPS. THE. SO THAT WAS GREAT. AND I WILL JUST SAY, SPEAKING PERSONALLY, THE THING I LOVE AT LEAST EQUALLY TO THE AMPHITHEATER ACTIVITY. THE ACTIVITY INSIDE IS THE ACTIVITY OUTSIDE. IT IS JUST GREAT FUN TO SEE STREAMS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN SHERPA LIKE WITH THEIR. WITH THEIR CHAIRS ON THEIR BACKS. IT'S A VERY. IT'S A, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THAT HAVE THAT POSITIVE ENERGY ALL AROUND THE AMPHITHEATER BEFORE EVENTS. AND IT'S, IT'S SORT OF LIKE SORT OF FEELS LIKE A FARMER'S MARKET. LIKE YOU SEE PEOPLE MEETING EACH OTHER AND BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER AND EVERYBODY'S IN A GOOD MOOD. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT YOU'VE GOT TO BE QUIET DURING THE, YOU GOT TO LISTEN TO THE PERFORMANCE. BUT OUTSIDE, THERE'S LOTS OF GREAT COMMUNITY ACTIVITY GOING ON. SO I REALLY, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SURPRISED ME. I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE TO HAVE TO HAVE IT BE SO MUCH FUN TO BE NEAR THE AMPHITHEATER WHEN EVENTS ARE GOING ON. SO THANKS.YEAH, GREAT. I THINK WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE ORDINANCE. OH, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. I WOULD ECHO THOSE SENTIMENTS. HUSBAND RODE HIS BIKE AND HAD NO PROBLEM PARKING A NUMBER ON THE COUPLE OF DAYS THAT I WAS ABLE TO GO TO DIFFERENT THINGS. I DID WANT TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT SOME OF THE JUST BECAUSE SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS REALLY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART, BOTH HERE AT COMMISSION, BUT ALSO IN MY DAY JOB. WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR, YOU KNOW, THESE PROMOTIONS, FAN ACTIVATIONS AND THINGS THAT YOU HAVE LISTED HERE? AND THEN ALSO, SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, BUT THIS IS NOT PART OF THE. THE DIFFERENT SITES WHERE PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY GO AND LIKE PURCHASE ALCOHOL OR FOOD. SO THIS IS ALL SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE DOING SEPARATELY. SO CAN YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN THOSE TWO PROCESSES AND HOW INDIVIDUALS ARE ABLE TO TAP INTO THAT CUSTOMER BASE? THANKS. THANKS, RICH. NOT AT ALL. THE, I'LL CALL IT THE BACKSTAGE EXPERIENCE AND THEN THE CONCESSION EXPERIENCE. AND THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. SO WITH THE BACKSTAGE EXPERIENCE, WE'VE WORKED FOR A LONG TIME WITH THE DOWNTOWN MARKET AND THEIR INCUBATOR KITCHEN TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENT POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND BRING THEM INTO THE FOLD. IF THAT TURNS INTO A CONCESSION OPPORTUNITY.
WE'RE VERY OPEN TO THAT, BUT WE'VE GOT TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS WORKING ON THESE TWO DIFFERENT EFFORTS. WE ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR DIFFERENT PROVIDERS AND AGAIN, LOCAL, ESPECIALLY ON THAT BACKSTAGE SIDE, IS IMPORTANT TO US. SO IF THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE WHO HAS NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY THAT FEELS THEY COULD BE, WE'D BE DELIGHTED. WE'RE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT.
THEY CAN GET AHOLD OF ME DIRECTLY. AND THEN OUR MARKETING TEAM PRIMARILY DOES THE BACKSTAGE ACTIVATIONS WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND IT'S NOT A LARGE SCALE, BUT WE'RE LOOKING FOR RELIABILITY, REPEATABILITY. SO FOR EXAMPLE, COFFEE ACTIVATION BACKSTAGE HAS BEEN A REGULAR FAVORITE, AND WE WORK WITH A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PROVIDERS THAT HAVE THAT SET UP.
THEY'VE GOT A BARISTA THERE. SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR TURNKEY. SO THAT'S THE HOPE. OKAY. ON THE CONCESSION SIDE, I GUESS I'D SPECIFICALLY LOOK AT MOSEBY'S POPCORN AS WELL AS LOVES ICE CREAM. TWO LOCAL PROVIDERS, LOCALLY OWNED. THEY THEY'VE BEEN MOSEBY'S HAS BEEN INVOLVED.
AND I BET YOU 5 OR 6 YEARS. WE DO CHRISTMAS GIFTING WITH HIM AS WELL AS. WE'VE HAD THEM AT THE ARENA IN A STAND FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AT THE ARENA, EXCUSE ME AT THE AMPHITHEATER AS WELL. AND THEY'VE CONTINUED TO BE A GREAT PARTNER, LOVES IT WAS NEW AT THE AMPHITHEATER AND
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AGAIN, OBVIOUS REASONS. SUMMER VENUE, ICE CREAM. SO THAT HAS DONE FAIRLY WELL RELATIVE TO MOVING FORWARD. I THINK THE SOCCER STADIUM PROVIDES US, AND I REALIZE THAT ISN'T A DIRECT ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION. HOWEVER, I THINK IT GETS EVEN MORE OF AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION. THE SOCCER STADIUM, I THINK, PROVIDES EVEN MORE CONNECTIVITY TO THE COMMUNITY, AND WE HAVE PUT OUT AN RFP TO THE COMMUNITY FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROVIDERS TO, TO RESPOND TO, TO SEE IF THERE COULD BE A FIT FOR THEM TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF PRESENCE AT THE SOCCER STADIUM. OUR FOOD. WE'VE WORKED CLOSELY SO FAR WITH THE HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO MAKE SURE THAT SOME OF THAT WORD IS GETTING OUT, THAT PERHAPS WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT CHANNEL OF DISTRIBUTION, INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION, THAT PERHAPS THEY WOULD. AND I KNOW WE'VE GOT A FIRST TOUR OF POTENTIAL POTENTIAL PROVIDERS TO THAT RFP THROUGH THE SOCCER STADIUM TOMORROW. SO WE'D BE MORE THAN OPEN, WILLING TO HAVE ALL THOSE CONVERSATIONS. I'M BETTING MYSELF AND OUR FNB TEAM AT A SENIOR LEVEL, MANAGEMENT LEVEL, HAVE PROBABLY HAD TWO DOZEN MEETINGS OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO, NOT JUST ABOUT THE NEW BUILDINGS, BUT ABOUT EXISTING BUILDINGS, ALL WITH LOCALLY OWNED PURVEYORS. SO WE DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM THAT. I DO THINK THERE IS THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF IT RELATIVE TO SCALE, RELATIVE TO TIMELINESS, RELATIVE TO DELIVERIES, RELATIVE TO HEALTH CODE THAT NEED TO BE KEPT IN MIND. SO PROVIDED, PROVIDED THE RULES CAN BE MAINTAINED PRIMARILY FROM HEALTH CODE PERSPECTIVE, THEN WE'RE ABLE TO WE'RE ABLE TO WORK WITH ABOUT ANYBODY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL.THANK YOU MAYOR. THANKS. YEAH. CITY MANAGER THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, RICH AND KATE FOR THE UPDATE. I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE, HOW MUCH OF A GAME CHANGER THE AMPHITHEATER IS FOR OUR CITY AND NOT JUST DOWNTOWN? THE MAYOR AND I, ALONG WITH MEMBERS FROM THE RIGHT PLACE, WANT TO TALK TO OTHER POTENTIAL INVESTORS IN THE OPENING OF THE AMPHITHEATER SIGNAL. FOR THEM, THAT INVESTMENT IN GRAND RAPIDS IS A GOOD THING, AND NOT JUST DOWNTOWN. AND WITH SPECIFICALLY TALKED ABOUT THE NEED FOR MORE HOUSING. AND THERE WERE VERY INTERESTED IN PROVIDING HOUSING AT VARIOUS AFFORDABILITY POINTS. AND SO THIS IS WHAT WE ANTICIPATED. IT WOULD NOT JUST BE AN ENTERTAINMENT VENUE, BUT IT WOULD BE THE KICKOFF OF OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY. I DO WANT TO GO BACK AND CERTAINLY THANK THIS COMMISSION. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE WE'RE AT THE END OF THE FIRST SEASON, BUT PRIOR TO GETTING HERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF EFFORT FROM A LOT OF CITY STAFF AND OTHER PARTNERS TO INCLUDE GRAND ACTION AND OTHERS TO REALLY HELP US THINK ABOUT HOW TO MATERIALIZE WHAT WE HAD ENVISIONED AND MOVE OUR OLD PUBLIC WORKS SITE OFF OF 201 MARKET TO SCRIBNER. SO I WANT TO THANK ALL THE CITY EMPLOYEES WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THAT. AND THEN ONCE BUILT, THOSE 49 ACTIVATIONS TAKE A LOT OF CITY RESOURCES ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND MOBILITY SIDE. SO I WANT TO SPECIFICALLY THANK OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, BOTH POLICE AND FIRE MOBILE GR, REFUSE SPECIAL EVENTS, AND SPECIFICALLY OUT OF MY EXECUTIVE OFFICE, MISS BEHRENS, FOR COORDINATING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. GREAT. THANKS. AND LET ME ALSO ADD ONE OTHER ONE OTHER COMMENT. I DO KNOW THAT EARLY ON IN THE SEASON, WE'VE LEARNED A LOT. AS THE MAYOR SAID, WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MOBILITY. WE'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT INGRESS AND EGRESS INTO THE VENUE AS WELL AS WE HAVE HEARD CONCERNS AROUND SOUND. BUT I THINK WHAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED TOWARDS THE END OF THE AMPHITHEATER WERE VERY SEASON WAS WERE VERY FEW COMPLAINTS RELATIVE TO WHAT WE EXPERIENCED EARLY ON. AND SO I WANT TO THANK RICH AND HIS TEAM FOR BEING ABLE TO TAKE THAT FEEDBACK INTO CONSIDERATION AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE LISTENING TO SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WAS PROVIDED. THANKS. AND BRINGING IT HOME.
THEN WE ACTUALLY HAVE A RESOLUTION NOT ON CONCESSION, BUT ON MODIFYING OUR NOISE ORDINANCE. SO SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENTS. THANK YOU, MR. MCKEON. APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. YEP, YEP. SO MOTIONS ON THE TABLE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE ORDINANCE PROPOSAL? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION SAY AYE AYE AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THAT BRINGS US
[3. Resolution Approving a new Class C Resort License pursuant to MCL 436.1531(4) for SMG Food & Beverage, LLC and Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (Amway Stadium)]
TO ITEM THREE WHICH IS CLASS C RESORT LICENSE FOR SMG. KENT COUNTY CONVENTION ARENA AUTHORITY. SO MOVED. AND DO WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN THIS ONE TO US? YEAH. SO GOING ON. SO THE THE[00:25:11]
AMWAY STADIUM IS INSIDE OF THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT. SO THIS WOULD BE A DISTRICT LICENSE. SO JUST LIKE WE'VE DONE FOR ANY OTHER LICENSES THAT HAVE BEEN INSIDE, THIS IS NOT PART OF THE QUOTA SYSTEM. IT'S PART OF THE DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT FOR THEIR LIQUOR LICENSE IN ORDER TO GET THEM READY TO GO FOR FOR MARCH TO GET THROUGH THIS PROCESS.THAT'S WHY IT'S COMING TO US NOW. GREAT. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION? COLLEAGUES? ALL IN
[4. Resolution establishing an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation District, pursuant to PA 146 of 2000, for North Quarter Development LLC at 2130 Plainfield Ave NE]
[5. Resolution approving a ten-year Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption Certificate, pursuant to PA 146 of 2000, for North Quarter Development LLC at 2130 Plainfield Ave NE]
FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? THAT WAS EASY. MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS AN OPRAH. THE WHICH WHEN IT'S AT HOME IS THE OBSOLETE PROPERTY REHABILITATION DISTRICT FOR A PROJECT AT 2130 PLAINFIELD. AND I'LL WE'LL DISCUSS ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE TOGETHER SINCE THE SECOND IS APPROVING A TEN YEAR EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE FOR THAT DISTRICT.SO THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. COMMISSION. I WANT TO JUST FLAG THAT AS A REMINDER, THE OPRAH ACT. SO THE ABATEMENT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THIS PROJECT IS EXPIRING 1231 OF 2026. AND SO OUR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE BACK IN JUNE DID A CALL FOR PROJECTS THAT WERE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS TOOL AND TOOK APPLICATIONS AT THE END OF JULY.
THE THREE ITEMS THAT YOU SEE ON THE AGENDA TODAY WERE A RESULT OF THAT PURSUIT. AND SUBSEQUENT TO TODAY'S COMMISSION MEETING, WE WOULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE STATE TAX COMMISSION FOR NEXT STEPS. SO I JUST WANT TO FLAG THE OVERALL PROCESS THERE. THIS PROJECT AT 2130, PLAINFIELD, IS ACTIVATING A 3000 SQUARE FOOT STRUCTURE WITH FOUR ONE BEDROOM APARTMENTS AT 100% AREA MEDIAN INCOME AND 1600 SQUARE FOOT OF COMMERCIAL SPACE. THIS IS THE HIGHEST ASPIRATIONAL GOALS THAT I'VE SEEN FOR OUR INCLUSION PLAN, SO I JUST WANT TO CALL ATTENTION TO 82%, EQUATING TO 900,000 OF THE 1.1 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION COST DEDICATED TO MICRO, LOCAL, MINORITY OWNED AND WOMEN OWNED ENTERPRISES. AND THIS QUALIFIES FOR THE BASE OPRAH TEN YEAR TERM. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, COLLEAGUES SEEING NO QUESTIONS. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE I, I AND THEN THE RESOLUTION FOR THE DISTRICT ITSELF. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY I PARDON ME, I HAVE A MOTION SUPPORT. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THAT
[6. Resolution establishing an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation District, pursuant to PA 146 of 2000, for 1024 MLK LLC at 1024 Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE]
[7. Resolution approving a ten-year Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption Certificate, pursuant to PA 146 of 2000, for 1024 MLK LLC at 1024 Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE]
BRINGS US TO ITEMS TO OUR NEXT PROJECT, WHICH IS 1024 MLK. SAME THING, TWO ITEMS THAT WILL CONSOLIDATE MISS ROMERO. YES. AND I MEANT TO MENTION. OH I'M SORRY. YEAH. MOTION AND SUPPORT, MISS BRUNEL. YES. AND I MEANT TO MENTION ON THE LAST PROJECT THEY DID RECEIVE AN EMERGING DEVELOPER WON A GRANT. I WANT TO FLAG THAT ON THIS ONE AS WELL. IN ADDITION TO THE CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY CONTRIBUTING A FACADE GRANT. SO THIS PROJECT IS ACTIVATING A 5300 SQUARE FOOT STRUCTURE FOR OUR CHILD CARE FACILITY, ALONG WITH FLEX AREAS FOR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMING AND COMMUNITY USES. INVESTMENTS A LITTLE OVER $1 MILLION. AND AGAIN, THIS PROJECT QUALIFIES FOR THE BASE TEN YEAR TERM. GREAT. ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? OKAY.SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. I'VE GOT A
[8. Resolution establishing an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation District, pursuant to PA 146 of 2000, for 1956 Eastern LLC at 1956 Eastern Ave SE]
[9. Resolution approving an eleven-year Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption Certificate, pursuant to PA 146 of 2000, for 1956 Eastern LLC at 1956 Eastern Ave SE]
REQUEST FROM STAFF THAT WE REMOVE ITEMS. THE NEXT TWO ITEMS FROM THE FROM THIS MEETING FOR DISCUSSION AT OUR 2:00 MEETING AND FOLLOWING A DISCUSSION IN CLOSED SESSION OF SOME LEGAL IMPLICATIONS. SO IF I COULD HAVE A MOTION TO MOTION TO POSTPONE ITEMS NUMBER SECOND AND NINE. YEP. GREAT. ALL IN FAVOR OF POSTPONING THOSE ITEMS, SAY I. I OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES.[10. Resolution approving an intergovernmental agreement between Kent County and the City of Grand Rapids for Public Safety Answering Point operations, funding, and structure for a term of three years with the option to renew for up to two successive terms]
THAT BRINGS US TO RESOLUTION ON OUR WELL, ESSENTIALLY ON OUR 911 SYSTEM, OUR DISPATCH. SO MOVED FOR. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. COMMISSIONERS MATT WIBLE, CHIEF OF STAFF AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THIS RESOLUTION ALLOWS THE CITY TO ENTER INTO A NEW AGREEMENT WITH THE COUNTY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. ANSWERING POINTS. YOU'LL HEAR SAP. THAT'S OUR DISPATCH OPERATIONS.PRIMARILY. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FUNDING. I HAVE READ WAKEMAN WITH ME. HE'S THE MANAGER OF OUR DISPATCH CENTER. HE'S GOING TO GIVE YOU A PRESENTATION ON THE CURRENT GOVERNING STRUCTURE THROUGH THE KENT COUNTY DISPATCH AUTHORITY. HE'S GOING TO EXPLAIN WHY IT'S NOT EFFICIENT AND WHY WE NEED TO GO IN A NEW DIRECTION. THAT'S WHAT THIS AGREEMENT DOES. I WANT TO THANK THE LAW DEPARTMENT, CITY ATTORNEY STROM, AND OUR PARTNERS AT THE COUNTY FOR GETTING US TO THIS POINT. A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE INTO IT, BUT THE HIGHLIGHT HERE IS EFFICIENCY AND MORE FUNDING FOR THE CITY, BOTH IN TERMS OF 911 OPERATIONS AND IN CAPITAL
[00:30:04]
PROJECTS. WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO REED, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE AFTERWARDS. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR THE CHANCE TO BRIEF YOU TODAY ON THIS PROPOSED INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT. I'VE GOT FOUR SLIDES, AND WITH JUST A FEW MINUTES OF YOUR TIME, I'M GOING TO TRY TO SUMMARIZE THE LAST 20 YEARS OF 901 SERVICES AND THEN EXPLAIN THE UPDATED INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT. THE GRPD AND THE 901 CENTER STAFF HAVE BEEN PLANNING AND DEVELOPING AND WORKING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS. SO FIRST OFF, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT MOSTLY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS. THIS SLIDE KIND OF SHOWS THE CURRENT CDA STRUCTURE. BUT BEFORE I START THAT, JUST SOME BRIEF INTRODUCTORY FINANCIAL INFORMATION. BY STATE STATUTE 901 FUNDS ARE DELIVERED FIRST TO THE COUNTY AND THEN IN ITS CURRENT STATE. THEY ARE PASSED ON FROM THE COUNTY TO THE DISPATCH AUTHORITY FOR MANAGEMENT AND DISTRIBUTION TO THE SAP. SO THAT'S THE KIND OF THE CURRENT STATE DISCUSSION BEGAN IN 2004, BUT IN 2006, THE DISPATCH AUTHORITY STRUCTURE WAS ACTUALLY CREATED. AT THAT TIME, THERE WERE SIX SEPARATE DISPATCH CENTERS IN KENT COUNTY. EACH WERE MANAGED INDEPENDENTLY BY A DIFFERENT ENTITY. THIS LED TO. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, CHALLENGES WITH MISROUTED CALLS, LACK OF INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN FIRST RESPONDERS, AND A HOST OF OTHER PROBLEMS. THE AUTHORITY SET OUT TO SET OUT TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES BY ESTABLISHING ESTABLISHING SHARED TECHNOLOGY FOR THE BIG FOUR APPLICATIONS AT 901 CENTERS USE AND UTILIZE INCREASED FUNDING FROM A 20 YEAR SURCHARGE THAT WAS THAT WAS APPROVED IN 2016 TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR UNIFIED CAD COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH RADIO SYSTEMS, 901 CALL HANDLING SYSTEMS, AND THEN RECORDING SYSTEMS. THOSE ARE THE BIG FOUR AT THE KEY OF WHAT 911 DOES.THOSE FOUR THOSE PROJECTS HAVE ALL BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THAT BOARD THAT BOND IS SCHEDULED TO PAY OFF THIS YEAR, TEN YEARS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. BUT IF WE FAST FORWARD 20 YEARS FROM THE FOUNDING OF KCDA NINE, ONE DISPATCH SERVICES ARE NOW PROVIDED BY TWO HIGH FUNCTIONING DISPATCH CENTERS ONE AT THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SECOND AT THE KENT COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. THESE TWO CENTERS WORK SMOOTHLY TOGETHER.
WE HAVE FULL INTEROPERABILITY. WE PROVIDE CRITICAL BACKUP AND OVERFLOW CAPABILITIES FOR EACH OTHER TO MAKE SURE THAT 901 IS ALWAYS THERE AND ALWAYS ON FOR ALL CITY, COUNTY, CITY AND COUNTY RESIDENTS AND VISITORS, AND THAT WE ARE RESPONSIVE AND SUPPORTIVE OF THE NEEDS OF THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE GRAND RAPIDS FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO WHILE THE MAKEUP OF THE NINE ONE ENVIRONMENT HAS BEEN KIND OF COMPLETELY REWRITTEN OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, THE STRUCTURE OF THE KCDA HAS BEEN FROZEN IN TIME. IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAKEUP OF THE ADMIN POLICY BOARD ON THE LOWER RIGHT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE CHIEF, THE KENT COUNTY SHERIFF AND THE GRAND RAPIDS FIRE CHIEF, IT IS MADE UP OF MEMBERS WHO NO LONGER HAVE AWARENESS OF, OR INVOLVEMENT AS DIRECT STAKEHOLDERS IN THE OPERATION OF THEIR OWN DISPATCH CENTERS. THEY ARE STILL VOTING, HOWEVER, ON ISSUES AND BUDGETS THAT IMPACT THE CITY. NINE ONE CENTER. I ALSO WANT TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE COMMUNICATION FLOW THAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE ARROWS ON THE ORGANIZATION CHART. ALL INFORMATION CURRENTLY FLOWS THROUGH THE CDA DIRECTOR, WHICH IS A POSITION. THERE'S A RECURRING THEME HERE HELD BY SOMEONE WHO HAS NO DIRECT STAKE, NO KNOWLEDGE OR INVOLVEMENT IN DISPATCH CENTER OPERATIONS. THIS SETUP HAS BEEN A PAIN POINT, WHICH HAS SLOWED PROGRESS AND CREATED A LOT OF UNNECESSARY WORK FOR BOTH NINE ONE CENTERS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS TO POINT OUT TO YOU IN THE IN THE 23 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN IN 901, THE TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IS NOW A CRITICAL PART OF WHAT 901 DOES IN THE CURRENT ORGANIZATION. THE TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTS FROM THE TWO 901 CENTERS SERVE ON THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THEY ARE SEVERELY LIMITED IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE VOTING BOARD MEMBERS. FURTHERMORE, YOU'LL NOTICE THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO COMMUNICATION RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, WHICH AGAIN IS MADE UP OF PARTIES WITH NO DIRECT STAKE IN OR EXPERIENCE WITH 911. IN MY EXPERIENCE, THIS ISOLATION FROM THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS HAS LED TO TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGICAL DEBT WITH SIGNIFICANT RELATED RISKS TO THE STABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF NINE ONE AND DISPATCH SERVICES, CDA FINANCIAL PLANNING AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT HAS NEGLECTED AND DELAYED ADDRESSING CRITICAL CYBERSECURITY AND TECHNICAL NEEDS IN FAVOR OF EARLY PAYOFF OF THE FIRE AND RADIO SYSTEM BOND. THE NEXT SLIDE. IN LIGHT OF ACCOMPLISHING ALL THESE OBJECTIVES, INCLUDING THE BOND PAYOFF, CDA AGREED IN EARLY 2026 TO PURSUE DISSOLUTION PENDING AN ALTERNATE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
WHICH BRINGS US HERE TODAY. THIS SLIDE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT. THIS AGREEMENT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE 291 CENTERS AND REVIEWED AND UPDATED BY LEGAL TO REMOVE THE ROADBLOCKS TO STRENGTHENING AND EQUIPPING THE DISPATCH CENTERS. THE AGREEMENT CONSISTS OF FOUR PARTS THE IGA BODY, WHICH IS THE MAIN SUBSTANCE OF THE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, BUT ALSO CONTAINS THREE APPENDICES. ONE OF THESE ESTABLISHES AN INVENTORY OF SHARED TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS THAT THE PARTIES ARE JOINTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING. THIS IS CRUCIAL TO EFFECTIVE FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF OUR RESOURCES. IT ALSO ESTABLISHES TWO COMMITTEES, ONE RELATED TO FINANCE AND ONE RELATED TO I.T. THIS REVISED DISPATCH, THIS REVISED STRUCTURE YOU SEE IN
[00:35:03]
FRONT OF YOU INCLUDES DISPATCH CENTER LEADERSHIP ON BOTH COMMITTEES, WHICH IS KEY TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGING EXISTING 901 CONTRACTS. THE FINANCE COMMITTEE INCLUDES A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS DISPATCH CENTER MANAGEMENT.THIS WILL PROMOTE JOINT 901 PLANNING. AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, THE DISPATCH CENTERS RELIANCE ON ADVANCED SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE TO COORDINATE EMERGENCY SERVICES AT THE LEVEL EXPECTED BY OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRE DEPARTMENT AND EMERGENCY AND EMERGENCY SERVICE RESPONDERS AND THE PUBLIC ARE ALL INCREASING. THE IT COMMITTEE OR THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, ESTABLISHED IN THE IGA, INCLUDES A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CITY IT DEPARTMENT AND FROM COUNTY I.T. WHEN 911 SERVICES RELY ON CONNECTING TWO SEPARATE MUNICIPALITIES, HAVING CITY AND COUNTY I.T. IN THE LOOP ON IT. DECISIONS WILL IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY EFFICIENCY AND RESILIENCE. OF THE NINE ONE SYSTEM. ANOTHER IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENT BOTH IT AND FINANCE MATTERS, WILL RUN THROUGH THE GRPD CHIEF AND THE KENT COUNTY SHERIFF. STATE STATUTE REQUIRES THAT THE STATE DISTRIBUTE NINE ONE FUNDING DIRECTLY TO COUNTIES, BUT THIS IGA CONTRACT ESTABLISHES HOW STATE FUNDS FOR 901 WILL BE ALLOCATED BETWEEN THE SAPS AND REQUIRES THE TWO PUBLIC SAFETY EXECUTIVES WHO ARE MOST DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY OF EMERGENCY SERVICES, ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE BUDGETS FOR THE DISPATCH CENTER. AND FINALLY, THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ESTABLISHED IN THE IGA CONTRACT SIMPLIFIES COMMUNICATION. THIS WILL IMPROVE OVERALL COORDINATION AND RESPONSIVENESS TO THE FINANCIAL AND TECHNOLOGY NEEDS OF THE NINE ONE CENTERS. I WANT TO TOUCH BRIEFLY ON SOME BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS. THIS SLIDE COMPARES THE CURRENT FY 27KCD BUDGET WITH THE PROPOSED FY 27 BUDGET JOINTLY DEVELOPED FOR THE IGA. THE IMMEDIATE BENEFITS ARE IN TERMS OF THE DISBURSEMENT TO THE GRAND RAPIDS DISPATCH CENTER. THE BUDGET. THIS BUDGET REINSTATES $400,000 BETWEEN THE TWO SAPS THAT WAS REMOVED BY KCDA IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR. IN ORDER TO FACILITATE EARLY BOND PAYOFF, IT REMOVES KCDA ADMIN COSTS FROM HAVING ANOTHER LAYER OF ADMINISTRATION, LEGAL AND FINANCE. AND IT FINALLY UTILIZES THE ADDITIONAL CAPITAL THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE SUBSEQUENT TO THE BOND PAYOFF TO APPROPRIATELY FUND THE CAPITAL PROJECTS AND ADDRESS THE TECHNOLOGY DEBT THAT I MENTIONED BEFORE, I WILL POINT OUT THE BUDGET FOR THE FIRST YEAR WAS DESIGNED TO BE CONSERVATIVE, WHILE K, C, D A ASSETS ARE TRANSFERRED AND ADJUSTMENTS ARE MADE, BUT THE LONG TERM GOAL IS TO FURTHER INCREASE 901 CENTER FUNDING AND TO ALLOW THE TECHNOLOGY PURCHASES, WE NEED TO MEET THE GROWING NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC, AS WELL AS POLICE AND FIRE FIRST RESPONDERS. WRAPPING THINGS UP HERE, THIS SLIDE SUMMARIZES THE KEY IMPROVEMENTS THE CITY WILL WILL BENEFIT FROM WITH THE ADOPTION OF THIS INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT. IT HAS BEEN POINTED OUT IN GRPD ACCREDITATION STUDIES, THE GRAND RAPIDS FIRE DEPARTMENT'S ACCREDITATION STUDIES, KCD, A CONSULTANT REPORTS, AND THE GRAND RAPIDS FIRE DEPARTMENT'S RECENT ISO STUDY THAT THE SYSTEM WE HAVE IS AN EXEMPLARY MODEL OF A SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR EFFICIENCY, INTEROPERABILITY AND BACKUP AND FAILOVER CAPABILITIES BETWEEN THE TWO 901 CENTERS. THIS AGREEMENT APPROPRIATELY ESTABLISHES THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS AS ONE OF THE TWO KEY PLAYERS IN A WELL PLANNED, COUNTYWIDE 901 TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM. THIS IGA ACCURATELY REFLECTS THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS AS AN EQUAL EQUAL PARTNER WITH A STRONG VOICE IN BUDGET DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING. IT REDIRECTS CDA ADMIN COSTS TO WHERE THEY CAN DIRECTLY IMPACT DISPATCH OPERATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY FUNDING AND SUPPORT THE SERVICE. WE DELIVER. THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, INCLUDING THE IGA CONTRACT, INTEGRATES IT AND 901 EXPERTS FROM BOTH PARTIES INTO THIS INTO THE PROCESS OF PLANNING AND BUDGETING. THIS SHOULD IMPROVE COOPERATION AND MAY RESULT IN TECHNOLOGY EFFICIENCIES. AND FINALLY, THE CONTRACT PROMOTES PRIORITIZATION OF DISPATCH CENTER TECHNOLOGY PLANNING AND MAINTENANCE USING THE FUNDS THAT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE AFTER THE K, C, D BOND IS PAID OFF. THAT IS MY PRESENTATION. I'M GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE THAT WOULD HELP HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER. YEAH. IF YOU COULD ROLL BACK A SLIDE TO THE TO THE BUDGET AND ALSO THEN EXPLAIN. I DON'T SEE THERE THAT WHEN THE BONDS PAID, HOW MUCH ARE WE CURRENTLY PAYING A YEAR FOR THE BOND? THE CURRENT BOND PAY MINIMUM BOND PAYMENT IS $1,650,000 A YEAR. OKAY, SO THAT GOES AWAY WHEN THE BOND IS PAID OFF. SO WE'RE GOING TO GET WE'RE GOING TO BE 1.6 POSITIVE. CORRECT. IN TERMS OF CASH FLOW. AFTER THAT, COMPARING THE TWO BUDGETS THERE, IT LOOKS LIKE THE PROPOSED IGA BUDGET NET IS IS A NET INCREASE SUBSTANTIAL NET INCREASE. AND SOME OF THAT REALLY, REALLY IS TWO LINE ITEMS. SO WHAT IS WHEN IT SAYS ESTIMATED REVENUES, ESTIMATED SURCHARGE REVENUE IS THAT TOTAL BUDGET. AND THEN YOU BROKE IT DOWN UNDERNEATH THAT OR WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. THAT IS A TOTAL REVENUE. THE THE ITEMS UNDERNEATH THAT, OTHER THAN THE 10.9 MILLION ARE TEN, 10.9 MILLION ARE THE DISBURSEMENTS OR THE EXPENSES IN ESSENCE. OKAY. SO THE REVENUE IS WHAT COMES TO US FROM THE STATE. IT COMES TO THE AUTHORITY FROM THE STATE. OH, I SEE, I SEE, OKAY. AND SO YOU'RE PROPOSING SUBSTANTIALLY MORE FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURE. CAN YOU WANT TO CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT A LITTLE BIT? SURE. AS I MENTIONED, THERE'S THERE'S SOME TECHNOLOGY DEBT THAT HAS
[00:40:03]
OCCURRED. WE ARE CURRENTLY OPERATING ON A CAD SYSTEM, A COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM WHOSE SERVICE CONTRACT ENDS AT THE END OF 2028. AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF PLANNING FOR THAT REPLACEMENT. WE ARE ALSO IN OUR CURRENT PHONE SYSTEM. OUR CALL HANDLING EQUIPMENT IS OUTDATED AND NEEDS TO BE UPDATED AND REPLACED, AND THAT IS CURRENTLY NOT NOT I WOULD I WOULD SAY APPROPRIATE FUNDS ARE NOT ALLOCATED FOR THAT IN THE CURRENT BUDGET. AND THEN IN ADDITION, AS I SAID, THERE IS SOME CRITICAL CYBERSECURITY NEEDS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO ADDRESS WITH THE K, C, D ATTEMPTING TO GET APPROVAL FOR. AND THEY HAVE BEEN VERY SLOW TO, TO, TO, TO GRANT FUNDING FOR THOSE. AND THAT FUNDING HAS ONLY BEEN GRANTED IN PART. SO THERE'S SOME CYBERSECURITY ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SYSTEM IS SECURE AND STABLE AND THAT WE HAVE APPROPRIATE BACKUP SYSTEMS, BOTH ON SITE, OFF SITE, AND AT THE END, THAT THE KENT COUNTY CENTER IN PLACE. SO THAT WOULD BE THE ADDITIONAL EXPENSES WE WOULD PLAN ON IN TERMS OF CAPITAL. GREAT. THANKS, COLLEAGUES. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CITY MANAGER THANK YOU. REED AND MATT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS. WE HIGHLIGHTED FOR YOU THE RESPONSE TIME FOR DISPATCH. AND EVEN WITH THE AMOUNT OF TECHNICAL DEBT, AS I SAID, WE STILL HAVE OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE. OVER 99% OF OUR CALLS ARE DISPATCHED WITHIN RECEIVING DISPATCH AND APPROPRIATE TIME. AND THAT'S THAT'S VERY OUTSTANDING. THERE ARE VERY MANY CITIES AND DISPATCH CENTERS THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH STAFFING, AS WELL AS WITH TECHNOLOGY, AND GETTING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU AND PASS ON MY THANKS TO YOUR EMPLOYEES WHO WORK 24 OVER 7365 TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE THERE WHEN EMERGENCIES HAPPEN AND PEOPLE CALL IN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. GREAT. WELL, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. YEP. DO WE DID WE GET A MOTION ALREADY? YEAH, WE HAD A MOTION.OKAY. SO ALL IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? THAT BRINGS US TO
[11. Motion to go into closed session.]
A REQUEST FROM OUR CITY ATTORNEY THAT WE MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION. WE HAVE A BRIEFING HAPPENING. BUT BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE BRIEFING, CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO MOVE US INTO CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS LEGAL OPINION? SO MOVED. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. OH, SORRY. ROLL CALL. COMMISSIONER KILGORE. YES. COMMISSIONER. YES. COMMISSIONER. SACHS. YES. COMMISSIONER.[ 2026 National Community Survey (NCS) Results]
PERDUE. YES. COMMISSIONER. YES. MAYOR. LAGRANGE. YES. OKAY. AND THAT BRINGS US TO OUR FINAL PRESENTATION. AND THAT IS A BRIEFING ON OUR NATIONAL COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING. YOU MIGHT RECALL THAT FOR THE FOURTH THIS IS THE FOURTH ITERATION OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY SURVEY THAT WE CONDUCTED. IT WAS CONDUCTED BACK IN THE SPRING. AND I HAVE HERE WITH ME, NICK MASTROIANNI, ASTRONAUT. SORRY TO TO GO OVER THE RESULTS WITH YOU. HE'S WITH POCO, NCIS, WHICH IS THE VENDOR THAT WE HIRED TO CONDUCT THE STUDY FOR US. THANK YOU. CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. IT'S MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE RESULTS OF THE 2026 NATIONAL COMMUNITY SURVEY. BEFORE I DO, I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. AS A MEMBER OF MY TEAM, ANGELICA FRAUSTO, AND SHE DID ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH YOUR TEAM HERE. AND SO, YEAH, JUST A MOMENTOUS OCCASION. EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY TODAY. JUST A BRIEF INTRODUCTION AGAIN, MY NAME IS NICK MASTRONARDI. I WORK WITH OUR TEAM AS POLCO. IN 2019, WE MERGED WITH A FIRM NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER WHO HAD BEEN A SURVEYING CONSULTING COMPANY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR 20 YEARS, AND WE HELPED BRING SOME TECHNOLOGY TO BEAR WITH THEM. AND THEN OVER THE SURVEYS THAT YOU SEE HERE, THE VERY FIRST ONE, THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY SURVEY, IS OUR FLAGSHIP SURVEY FIELDED TO RESIDENTS TO ASSESS THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SERVICES AND THEIR SATISFACTION WITH THOSE PUBLIC SERVICES, WHICH WE'LL GO THROUGH TODAY. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AS WE RUN THROUGH THESE RESULTS. THERE IS NO ORGANIZATION THAT HAS A DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. WE ARE FORTUNATELY OR UNFORTUNATELY, THE CLOSEST THING THAT THERE IS. AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN THIS NATIONAL BENCHMARK, WHICH CONTEXTUALIZING WITH WITH BENCHMARKS IS IMPORTANT, ARE VERY HIGH PERFORMING CITIES. SO WHEN I SHARE WITH YOU YOUR RESULTS RELATIVE TO BENCHMARKS, KNOW THAT THESE BENCHMARKS ARE EXTREMELY HIGH PERFORMING CITIES THROUGHOUT THE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. SO YOU'RE GOING UP AGAINST MANY OF THE BEST. THESE SURVEYS HAVE BEEN FIELDED, I THINK, OVER THE YEARS WITH ABOUT 2000 SURVEYS, THE BENCHMARKING, THE NATIONAL BENCHMARKING COMPARISON GROUP CONSISTS OF ABOUT 400 SURVEYS. AND THEN YOU WILL ALSO SEE A CUSTOM BENCHMARKING COMPARISON GROUP. I THINK IT'S ABOUT 32 CITIES THAT HAVE SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS AND SOCIOECONOMICS TO TO GRAND RAPIDS. SO JUST PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WE'RE LOOKING AT COMPARISONS.THESE ARE EXTREMELY HIGH PERFORMING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. AND THEN JUST HOW ALL THIS FITS IN JUST AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL. WE THINK OF THE ANNUAL GOVERNANCE CYCLE AS GATHERING DATA AND STRATEGIC PLANNING, AND THEN EXECUTE A LOT OF PROGRAMS. AND THIS KIND OF THE
[00:45:03]
GOAL OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY SURVEY IS TO GIVE YOU A VERY HIGH LEVEL LOOK THAT CAN INFORM STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESSES OVERALL, NOT NOT EVERY LOCAL GOVERNMENT DOING THIS. BENCHMARKING IS ORGANIZED THE SAME. SO THESE GENERALIZED ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE THAT I'LL GO THROUGH TODAY BREAKS DOWN CITY SERVICES ACCORDING TO TEN DOMAINS, WHICH ARE KIND OF LIKE DEPARTMENTS. AND THEN YOU, YOU SEE THOSE TEN HERE AND I'LL JUST RUN THROUGH THEM BASICALLY ONE SLIDE EACH. FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AS WE GO ALONG. AND THEN BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THOSE RESULTS, JUST ABOUT METHODOLOGY, ONE THING THAT'S UNIQUE IS WE DO HELP FIELD A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT AND REPRESENTATIVE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY. WE DO THAT THROUGH SAMPLING METHOD A, AND THEN AT THE END OF THAT PROCESS, WE ALSO DO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO GENERAL RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY. SO EVERYBODY HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A VOICE, BUT IN SUCH A WAY THAT THAT DOESN'T BIAS THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PROBABILITY BASED RANDOM SAMPLE AT THE OUTSET, THE RESULTS THAT YOU GUYS ACHIEVED 381 COMPLETED SURVEYS ON THE PROBABILITY BASED RANDOM SAMPLE MAY SOUND LOW. IT DOES COMPRISE A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT SET OF RESULTS AT A 95% CONFIDENCE LEVEL AND A 5% MARGIN OF ERROR. SO WHEN YOU SEE RESULTS SUCH AS A 70% 78%, THAT MEANS PLUS AND MINUS FIVE. SO BETWEEN 73 AND 83, YOU CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THE ACTUAL COMMUNITY VOICE RESIDES IN THAT RANGE WITH 95% CONFIDENCE. AND THEN IN ADDITION, ON THE OPEN PARTICIPATION COMPONENT, THERE WAS ANOTHER 393 RESPONSES. SO ALL RIGHT, SO GETTING INTO THE RESULTS AND YOU'LL SEE TRENDS AND YOU'LL SEE BENCHMARKS AND YOU'LL SEE CUSTOM BENCHMARKS.I'LL JUST HELP YOU KIND OF WALK THROUGH EACH OF THOSE. AND SO THIS IS OVERALL SETS OF RESULTS FOR THOSE TEN DIFFERENT DOMAINS COLOR CODED. SO YOU'LL SEE MOST OF THEM ARE LIGHT GREEN. THAT INDICATES COMPARED TO THIS EXTREMELY HIGH PERFORMING GROUP OF CITIES. YOU GUYS WERE SIMILAR TO THE NATIONAL BENCHMARK. NOT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER, NOT SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER.
RIGHT. KIND OF IN ON PAR WITH THE BENCHMARK OF THIS HIGH PERFORMING GROUP. THERE WAS ONE AREA IN SAFETY WHERE YOU WERE TEN POINTS LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. BUT AGAIN, IT'S A HIGH PERFORMING GROUP. AND THEN ACCORDING TO YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARKING GROUP, IT'S WORTH POINTING OUT YOU GUYS ARE AN EXTREMELY HIGH PERFORMER IN EDUCATION, ARTS AND CULTURE. SO THIS IS A VERY HIGH LEVEL RESULT. AND WE'LL GO IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL AS WE GO ON. AND SORRY, THAT WAS IN QUALITY, BUT IT'S ALSO NICE TO LOOK AT THESE RESULTS IN COMPARISON TO WHERE RESIDENTS ARE DEEMING THE IMPORTANCE AND THE DEEMED IMPORTANCE FROM YOUR RESIDENT CONSTITUENTS ARE IN VERY, VERY MUCH IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE DEEMED IMPORTANCE FROM THE BENCHMARKING CITIES THAT THAT THAT WE SURVEY WITH. SO YOU CAN SEE EVEN YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARKING GROUPS AND YOUR OTHERS, THERE'S NOTHING REALLY OUT OF LINE ABOUT WHAT'S DEEMED IMPORTANT FROM YOUR RESIDENTS RELATIVE TO OTHERS. SO WE LIKE TO PUT THE TWO OF THOSE TOGETHER. AND THAT'S WHERE THIS SLIDE IS, JUST SO YOU CAN KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT THE RATED QUALITY VERSUS THE RATED IMPORTANCE. AND ON THIS SLIDE YOU'RE GENERALLY LOOKING FOR LARGER GAPS ARE THE AREAS THAT MIGHT BE WORTH SPENDING SOME ATTENTION TOWARDS. AND SO AT THE VERY TOP, ONLY A PRETTY SMALL GAP BETWEEN HEALTH AND WELLNESS THAT DEEMED IMPORTANCE AND THE DEEMED QUALITY ARE PRETTY CLOSE. AND THEN AS YOU MOVE DOWN TOWARDS THE BOTTOM, THE ONES IN BOLD THERE SAFETY, UTILITY UTILITIES, COMMUNITY CONNECTIVITY AND MOBILITY HAVE SLIGHTLY HIGHER GAPS WHERE THE IMPORTANCE RELATIVE TO THE QUALITY MIGHT BE SOMETHING. AS YOU'RE THINKING THROUGH PRIORITIZING INITIATIVES WORTHY OF SOME ATTENTION. SO AGAIN, AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL TO THESE NATIONAL BENCHMARKS, THERE ARE AND THE SURVEY HAS A TON OF QUESTIONS IN IT. YOU CAN SEE ABOUT 123 QUESTIONS. IF YOU TAKE EACH QUESTION AND EACH SUBCOMPONENT IN TWO AREAS, YOU ARE HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL BENCHMARKING GROUP. 111 WERE SIMILAR AND THERE WERE TEN THAT RECEIVED LOWER RATINGS. AND ACCORDING TO YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARKING GROUP, THERE WAS 14 WITH HIGHER RATINGS, THREE WITH LOWER RATINGS AND 106 WITH SIMILAR. SO AND THEN THIS IS JUST ONE MORE AT A HIGH LEVEL THAT'S WORTH PAYING SOME ATTENTION TO. THERE ARE SOME AREAS THIS IS KIND OF YOUR TRENDS IN YOUR CHANGES RELATIVE TO THE, THE TRENDS AND THE CHANGES NATIONALLY. SO NATIONALLY, NO REAL TRAIN, NO REAL CHANGE IN RECREATION OR RESIDENTS CONNECTIVITY ACROSS THE NATION. BUT YOU GUYS DID EXPERIENCE A JUMP IN THOSE TWO AREAS. SO THINGS RECENTLY OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS IMPACTED IN ELEVATION, WHEREAS NATIONALLY THERE REALLY WASN'T ONE. AND SIMILARLY, IN, IN THE DECREASE
[00:50:05]
AREA, THERE WASN'T REALLY NATIONAL TREND, BUT THERE WERE SOME AREAS WHERE YOU SAW A DECLINE. SOME OF THIS IS A RESULT OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON COINCIDENT WITH WHEN THE SURVEY IS IN THE FIELD. AND I THINK THE TEAM WILL SPEAK TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON COINCIDENT. SO I DO KNOW I THINK IT WAS THE SPRING AND THERE WAS SOME STORM WATER.SO I THINK THAT COULD BE SOMETHING IMPACTING THE DECREASE IN THE RATING AND THE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT. BUT ALSO THERE THERE WERE DECREASES IN UTILITY BILL BILLING ATTRACTING DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, TRAFFIC FLOW, EMPLOYMENT, AND A SENSE OF CIVIC PRIDE. THERE ARE SOME AREAS NATIONALLY WHERE THERE WERE DECLINES, BUT YOU GUYS HELD STEADY AND THAT IS OVERALL TRANSIT, EASE OF TRAVEL AND AND BUS OR BUS OR TRANSIT SERVICES. OKAY, SO KEY FINDINGS, ONE SLIDE HERE FOR EACH OF THOSE DOMAINS. THOSE WERE THE RESULTS AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.
SO KEY FINDING ONE RESIDENTS OF GRAND RAPIDS IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY. SO AGAIN YOU'LL SEE THESE RESULTS ARE SIMILAR TO THE NATIONAL BENCHMARKS AND SIMILAR TO YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARKS. AGAIN THAT THAT SPEAKS SPEAKS WELL. AND THEN ONE AREA THAT YOU ARE HIGHER THAN CUSTOM IS RESIDENTS RATING OF GRAND. WOULD THEY RECOMMEND LIVING IN GRAND RAPIDS? MOST MEASURES RELATED TO GRAND RAPIDS PARKS AND RECREATION IN LINE WITH COMPARISON GROUPS. SO YOU SEE PRETTY STABLE TRENDS HERE FOR THE MOST PART, EXCEPT A NICE INCREASE OCCURRED IN RECREATION CENTERS AND FACILITIES. AND THEN RELATIVE TO YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARKING GROUPS AND NATIONAL, THESE ARE ON PAR. AND AGAIN, INTERRUPT ME IF THERE'S SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON IT. BUT SO EDUCATION, CULTURE AND ARTS, THIS IS A STRONG AREA FOR YOU GUYS WITH SEVERAL RESULTS ABOVE BENCHMARKS. AND YOU CAN SEE PRETTY STABLE TRENDS SCORED HIGHER, SPECIFICALLY IN OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTEND CULTURAL ARTS. MUSIC ACTIVITIES. MAKE SENSE WITH SOME OF THE EARLIER PRESENTATION TODAY. AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS IS HIGH. AND THEN RELATIVE TO YOUR CUSTOM PEER BENCHMARKING GROUP, YOU GUYS PRETTY MUCH DOMINATED THEM IN THESE AREAS. SOME SAFETY AND EMERGENCY READINESS MEASURES INDICATE SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH. SO AGAIN, RELATIVELY STABLE TRENDS HERE RELATIVE TO THE NATIONAL BENCHMARK. THE OVERALL FEELING OF SAFETY IS LOWER WHICH WE MENTIONED ON THE ONSET. EVERYTHING ELSE IS COMPARABLE TO NATIONAL AND CUSTOM BENCHMARKS. SAFETY SERVICES IN GRAND RAPIDS AND THE POLICE SHERIFF SERVICES NATIONAL BENCHMARK WAS LOWER. I THINK THIS WAS ALSO AROUND THE TIME THAT THERE WAS THE POLICE CHIEF SEARCH WAS GOING ON. CRIME. CRIME PREVENTION RATE RELATIVE TO NATIONAL BENCHMARK WAS A LITTLE LOWER. AND THEN RELATIVE TO YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARKING GROUP, THE POLICE SHERIFF SERVICES WAS ALSO LOWER. KEY. FINDING FIVE ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE IN GRAND RAPIDS STRONG BUT SHOWS POSSIBLE DECLINES. AND YOU'LL SEE JUST A JUMP TO THE DECREASE SPECIFICALLY WAS IN THE FEELING AROUND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. SO AGAIN REMEMBER THESE ARE PERCEPTION. I WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO DIG UP SOME OF THE OVERALL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN GRAND RAPIDS. AND IT STRIKES ME THAT THE OVERALL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES REALLY AREN'T THAT FAR OFF BASE. SO JUST KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A LOCAL PERCEPTION AND WORTHY OF FURTHER INVESTIGATION IF YOU'D LIKE, AND HAPPY TO JUMP IN AND SHARE SOME OF THE DATA SOURCES THAT I SAW. AND THEN ON THIS ON THE ECONOMY IS ALSO WORTH POINTING OUT, IS GRAND RAPIDS IS A PLACE TO VISIT RELATIVE TO YOUR PEERS. YOU SCORED VERY HIGH IN THAT AREA. RESIDENTS GIVE LOWER MARKS TO MOBILITY SERVICES COMPARED TO THE 2023 SURVEY. SO A DECREASE IN PARTICULAR ON TRAFFIC FLOW ON MAJOR STREETS. AGAIN, MAYBE THAT HAS TO DO WITH ALL THE EDUCATION ARTS ACTIVITIES. I'LL LEAVE THAT TO YOU. THIS IS JUST WHERE THE PERCEPTION CAME IN. AND ONLY ONE AREA LOWER THAN NATIONAL BENCHMARK. THAT WAS ON EASE OF PUBLIC PARKING. AND THEN ON YOUR COMPARED TO YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARKS, THERE WAS THE EASE OF PUBLIC PARKING WAS ALSO LOWER, BUT YOUR PERFORMANCE WAS HIGH ON THE EASE OF TRAVEL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND EASE OF WALKING IN YOUR TOWN. AND THEN ON THE STREET AND TRANSIT SERVICES, YOU CAN SEE SNOW REMOVAL, STREET CLEANING AND STREET REPAIR. WE'RE A LITTLE LOWER. AGAIN, THIS CAN BE DUE IF THERE WAS HEAVY SNOW. I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. AND THEN ACCORDING TO YOUR CUSTOM BENCHMARK, STREET REPAIR WAS A LITTLE LOWER. BUT YOUR BUS AND TRANSIT SERVICES RATED HIGHER.
THERE ARE. THERE'S A LITTLE ROOM IN THE SURVEY FOR SOME ADDITIONAL SPECIAL TOPICS. WE LIKE TO DO THE BENCHMARKING, BUT ALSO IF THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON THAT YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF ROOM IN THAT SURVEY FOR THESE CUSTOM QUESTIONS. AND SO WE'LL RUN THROUGH SOME OF THESE CUSTOM QUESTIONS. SO REMEMBER THESE FOR THESE WE DON'T HAVE BENCHMARKS. THESE ARE JUST QUESTIONS THAT PERTAIN TO GRAND RAPIDS. SO CONSTRUCTION AND
[00:55:02]
ROAD WORK COMMUNICATION. SO THE ON THE LEFT YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO YOU PRETTY, PRETTY MUCH CENTERED AROUND GOOD. NOTHING. EXCELLENT. NOTHING, YOU KNOW, JUST PRETTY EVEN DISTRIBUTION AROUND GOOD SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION AND THEN HIRE DEEMED EFFECTIVENESS OF THAT COMMUNICATION AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS. AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTIONS WERE AROUND PREFERRED WAYS TO HEAR ABOUT CONSTRUCTION. SO DIRECT MAIL OR FLIERS ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST. THAT MAY BE ONE OF THE HIGHEST COSTS. SO JUST WHAT'S THE HIGHEST ROI? LEAVE THAT TO YOU GUYS. EMAILS AND E-NEWSLETTERS ALSO RECEIVED HIGHER SCORES WITH TEXTING IN THIRD, AND THEN PROJECT INTEREST AND INVITATIONS TO PARTICIPATE. SO ON THE RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE WHICH TYPES OF PROJECTS ARE THE MOST INTERESTED IN KNOWING ABOUT. AND ON THE LEFT IS HAVE YOU RECEIVED AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE OR PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON A PROJECT IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? SO 69% SAID NO.31% SAID YES. AND THEN THIS LAST SLIDE IS A CITY COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE AND BROKEN DOWN BY DIFFERENT EVENTS WORTH NOTIFYING ON. SO SNOW EMERGENCIES AND THEN POLICE UPDATES RECEIVE THE LOWER PERFORMANCE. WEATHER RELATED WERE ALSO THE HIGHEST. YES, YOU'RE MISSING A NUMBER. YOU'RE MISSING A NUMBER ON THE TRAFFIC REPORTS FOR THE EXCELLENT CATEGORY ON THAT SLIDE. THE ONE WE WERE JUST ON, CITY COMMUNICATIONS. CAN YOU GET THAT TO US LATER? I CAN, BUT I'M I'M STRUGGLING TO SEE IT HERE RIGHT NOW. IT'S NINE. YEAH.
TRAFFIC REPORTS THE BLUE. EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. OH. OH OKAY. I MEAN I COULD DO MATH, BUT OKAY. YES. I SORRY, JUST TOOK ME A WHILE TO SEE IT. I SEE IT. I'LL GET BACK TO YOU FOR SURE. YEAH. AND IF IT'S THE ANSWER IS NINE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET BACK TO HER. THANK YOU WILL STILL CORROBORATE, BUT THANK YOU. OKAY. AND THEN JUST A QUICK SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS.
PLACE TO LIVE 81% RATED, BUT SIMILAR TO BENCHMARKS PARKS AND RECS, 67% SAFETY, 64% ECONOMY, MOBILITY, AND THEN YOUR HIGHEST PERFORMING AREA RELATIVE TO THE BENCHMARKS WAS 71% ON EDUCATION AND CULTURE. SO AGAIN, IT WAS GREAT WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM, HELPING KIND OF TAKE THESE RESULTS AND THEN BAKE THEM IN AS YOU'RE REVIEWING STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND FOLLOW UP ENGAGEMENT. ONE OTHER THING, JUST TO KEEP NOTE OF ALL THE DIGITAL RESPONDENTS BECOME PART OF A DIGITAL STANDING PANEL. IT'S ABLE TO KIND OF REENGAGE, REENGAGE THEM. SO JUST KNOW THAT THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR FOLLOW UP ENGAGEMENT. IT'S OUR TEAM IS HAPPY TO HELP YOU RECONNECT WITH THOSE RESPONDENTS. AND THEN, OH, I'LL LEAVE THAT UP HERE. AND THEN JUST ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS WHEN RESIDENTS RESPOND TO THE SURVEY, IT'S IT'S A LONG SURVEY. IT'S ABOUT 20 QUESTIONS, 4 OR 5 PARTS EACH. AND SO JUST, I THINK YOU GUYS ARE GENERALLY PRETTY GOOD ABOUT SHARING YOUR SURVEY RESULTS, BUT IT'S NICE TO CLOSE THE LOOP BACK TO THE RESIDENTS. AND THAT HELPS ENSURE IN THE FUTURE YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE GOOD RESPONSE RATES. BUT THANK YOU AGAIN. I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO ANGELIKA FROM OUR TEAM, WHO KIND OF SHEPHERDED THE PROCESS ALONG THE WAY, AND IT WAS A PLEASURE OF MINE TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THESE RESULTS WITH YOU AND THE TEAM. AND SO QUICKLY, BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, WE THOUGHT WE'D JUST GO AHEAD AND LET YOU KNOW BEFORE THE RESULTS EVEN CAME BACK. WE OBVIOUSLY ARE ALREADY AWARE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAD ALREADY IDENTIFIED A FEW THINGS TO WORK ON, AND THEY ACTUALLY THIS VALIDATED IN SOME WAYS WHAT WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO DO. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THAT SLIDE BACK A LITTLE BIT EARLIER THAT SHOWED YOU THE DOUBLE DIGIT DECLINE AREAS. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH IT CLOSING THE LOOP, OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THE LOOP. THOSE REPORTS SHOULD BE LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE. NOW WE'RE SENDING OUT A PRESS RELEASE. IT'LL BE IN OUR NEWSLETTERS. WE ARE GR BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE ALSO SHARED IT INTERNALLY WITH STAFF. SO THEY CAN START DOING ANALYSIS ON THEIR PARTICULAR SUBJECT AREAS. AND THEN THERE'S A FEW THINGS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO LOOK FOR WHAT FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES DO WE HAVE TO ENGAGE AND DIG IN A LITTLE DEEPER, BECAUSE THIS CAN ONLY TELL US SO MUCH. TO GIVE YOU. JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW, THOUGH, OF THOSE DOUBLE DIGIT DECLINES IN SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE. AS NICK MENTIONED, WE BELIEVE THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT MAY BE RELATED TO THE SPRING FLOODING THAT OCCURRED. THERE WAS LOCALIZED FLOODING. YOU MIGHT EVEN RECALL THAT STREET CLEANING WAS ONE OF THE ITEMS ON THERE WHERE WE RANKED PRETTY LOW. THOSE CORRESPONDED FROM OUR OUR RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS. AND SO WE'RE ALREADY DEVELOPING AND WE'RE ALREADY DEVELOPING BEFORE THE RESULTS CAME BACK, A COMPREHENSIVE SWEEPING AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE BASIN CLEANING PROGRAM, UTILITY BILLING. WE'RE GOING TO BE PASSING THIS INFORMATION ON TO CONSUMERS ENERGY AND DTE. BECAUSE ONE THING TO NOTE ABOUT THE SURVEY IS IT DOESN'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHAT JURISDICTION A GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING. IT JUST ASKS HOW PEOPLE ARE FEELING ABOUT IT. AND SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT GETS THE CONSUMER AND DTE.
AND THEN IN YOUR NOVEMBER 17TH MEETING, YOU'RE GOING TO GET AN UPDATE ON OUR UTILITY RATE
[01:00:01]
STUDY INFORMATION, ATTRACTING PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. WE DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS RELATED IN PART TO ONGOING FEDERAL ACTIONS, BUT WE DO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE WELCOME PLAN. AND THEN WE WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO REINFORCE OUR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUSIVE TO ALL COMMUNITIES AND ALL POPULATIONS. THE TRAFFIC FLOW ON MAJOR STREETS, AGAIN, DOESN'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN JURISDICTIONS. SO IT DOESN'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHO'S RESPONSIBLE AND WHO'S DOING THE CONSTRUCTION. AND THE STATE.THIS PARTICULAR YEAR HAD SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED ACTIVITY ALONG 131, THE BELTLINE 96. SO THAT IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR PLAN, STUFF PROBABLY MADE IT SEEM A LITTLE HEAVIER THAN NORMAL IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO. BUT WE DO HAVE THE MOBILITY BLUEPRINT UNDERWAY, AND WE'RE ALSO HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY WORKING GROUP THAT IS ADDRESSING SOME OF THOSE, THOSE CONSTRUCTION COMMUNICATION FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
WE'LL BE SHARING THAT WITH ALL THE LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ENTITIES. WE DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT AS AN EMPLOYER, THE CITY HAS A TURNOVER RATE OF LESS THAN 8% IN FY 26. AND SO WE'LL BE PROBABLY DOING A LITTLE BIT MORE CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON WITH THAT, GIVEN ALL THE ECONOMIC TRENDS IN OTHER AREAS BEING SO POSITIVE. AND THEN FINALLY, THE ONE THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOME MORE REACH, SOME MORE RESEARCH ON IS A SENSE OF CIVIC AND COMMUNITY PRIDE, GIVEN SO MANY PEOPLE RECOMMEND THIS AS A PLACE TO LIVE, GIVEN SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO LIVE HERE, GIVEN SO MANY PEOPLE GAVE US SUCH HIGH OVERALL RATINGS, THAT ONE WILL PROBABLY REQUIRE US TO DO A LITTLE MORE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT TO GET A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT'S CAUSED THAT. SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. NICK AND MYSELF ARE AVAILABLE. SO I, I GET THAT THESE ARE ALL NATIONAL COMPARABLES. AND SO IT'S NOT QUITE AS EASY TO EXPLAIN SOME OF THEM PERHAPS. I MEAN, IN TERMS OF WHEN I SEE THAT WHEN I SEE THE QUESTION ABOUT CIVIC PRIDE, YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. AND, YOU KNOW, I, I SAID FROM THE DAIS, THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT A U.S. SUPREME COURT THAT NOW SAYS IT'S OKAY TO DETAIN PEOPLE BASED ON SKIN COLOR AND ACCENT DOES NOT MAKE ME PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. I FIND THAT INCREDIBLY DISTRESSING. NOW, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING, MAYBE THAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE A BYPRODUCT OF THE FACT THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS READING LOUD AND CLEAR AND AND EXPRESSING REAL DISSATISFACTION WITH FEDERAL POLICIES, IN WHICH CASE I'M KIND OF PROUD OF OUR OUR OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR NOT BEING SO CIVICALLY PRIDEFUL, IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE READING. BUT I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I WOULD HAVE IS YOU'RE COMPARING US TO OTHER PEOPLE, AND YOU PRESUMABLY DON'T DROP THE SURVEYS IN SYNCHRONIZATION IN SYNCHRONOUS METHOD, RIGHT? LIKE THESE ARE PRESUMABLY STEPPED. SO, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, I'M THINKING ABOUT LIKE THE ALEX PRETTY KILLING, RIGHT? THAT HAPPENED FAIRLY CLOSE TO WHEN OUR PRIOR TO OUR SURVEY GOING OUT. AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, THE, THOSE, THOSE NATIONAL, THERE WAS A REAL, I MEAN, AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE AN ONGOING ACCOUNTING FOR FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT TACTICS, ACTIVITIES, ALL THAT KIND OF THING. AND THAT IF SO, IF IF THAT WASN'T FOREFRONT IN SOME COMMUNITIES MINDS, ARE WE SEEING IN A SENSE, SOME EFFECT OF LIKE WHEN THE TIME OF YOUR POLLING WAS. YEAH, THAT VERY WELL MAY BE A BYPRODUCT OF THAT. YOU ARE RIGHT. THE SURVEYS THAT WE'RE FIELDING WITH CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE ROLLING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO SOME OF THEM COULD COULD HAVE BEEN VERY WELL WERE NOT AT THAT SAME TIME. AND THERE MAY BE OTHER THINGS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN INDUCING THE VARIATION IN THE SENSE OF CIVIC PRIDE. WITH THAT SAID, SOMETHING WE'RE ALWAYS WILLING TO DO AND WILLING TO KIND OF FOLLOW UP AS AN AFTER ITEM IS MAYBE CITIES WHO WERE FIELDING THE SURVEY AROUND THE SAME TIME, BUT HAD HIGHER SCORES. JUST IF THERE ARE BEST PRACTICES TO LEARN TO MAYBE EVEN COUNTERACT THINGS LIKE THAT, WE'RE HAPPY TO DIG IN AND DO SOME CONNECTIVITY SHARING WITH THAT.
GREAT. AND OBVIOUSLY THAT THAT NATIONAL MOMENT OF, I MEAN, FEAR, AMONG OTHER THINGS, WOULD CERTAINLY SEEM TO ME TO CONTRIBUTE TO QUESTIONS OF OVERALL FEELING OF SAFETY IN THE COMMUNITY. IF THAT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, SAFETY, WORRYING ABOUT LIKE, CAN I GO FOR A WALK AT NIGHT? BUT A QUESTION OF LIKE, ARE MY NEIGHBORS GOING TO BE STUFFED INTO THE BACK OF A BUS WHEN I, YOU KNOW, SOME AFTERNOON, I, I KNOW WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE VERY, VERY CLEARLY AND EMPHATICALLY COMING IN AND TELLING US THAT THEY DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS NATIONAL FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT. SO I JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT AS A HYPOTHESIS. SURE. AND IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT WE DO THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE EASY TO EXPLAIN WHAT WE MIGHT THINK OF AS RECENCY BIAS IN THE RESULTS. SO FOR INSTANCE, THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM WOULD LOVE IT IF I WAS ONLY RATING IF WE DID IT IN THE FALL, BECAUSE BY THEN ALL THE STREETS ARE CLEAR AND ALL THE POTHOLES ARE FULL. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS USUALLY WE TEND TO PUT IT OUT RIGHT AFTER THE SNOW. SO SOMETHING LIKE THAT WE CAN MAKE A REASONABLE ASSUMPTION. THAT'S WHY WE NOTED THAT THE CIVIC PRIDE THING, WE PROBABLY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO OUT AND DO SOME DEEPER, HAVE SOME DEEPER CONVERSATIONS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND IT, BECAUSE IT, IT, IT MAY COALESCE TO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. IT MAY BE SOMETHING IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE JUST EVEN NOT AWARE
[01:05:03]
OF A SENTIMENT THAT WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TRACK ON. AND SO WE'LL BE WORKING WITH, YOU KNOW, MY TEAM ENGAGEMENT AND, AND TRYING TO AND TRYING TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT STEP OF ENGAGEMENT WILL BE FOR THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER, DID I SEE YOUR HAND UP? OH, I WAS GOING TO SAY. AND THEN COMMISSIONER. YEAH. I THINK COMMISSIONER NIGHT DID TOO. BUT I THINK SHE WALKED OUT. THANK YOU FOR THIS OVERVIEW. THANKS FOR HIGHLIGHTING THIS. I WANTED TO JUST ADD A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. I THINK, YOU KNOW, APPRECIATE SHARING WITH THE LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ENTITIES. I ALSO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THOSE PARTIES THAT ARE RECEIVING CDBG FUNDING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, OUR DEPARTMENTS, BUT ALSO JUST SOME OF THE NUANCES. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT ARE RETURNING FROM INCARCERATION, THOSE THAT HAVE DIFFERENT PHYSICAL OR COGNITIVE ABILITIES, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALSO SEEING QUITE A BIT AS I THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER BODIES I SIT ON. I AGREE TO ON THE UTILITY PIECE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S OFTENTIMES IS KIND OF TAKING IT FROM, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMING TO THE CITY, BUT WHO IS THE, THE CONSIDERATION? AND SO I APPRECIATE THESE ITEMS AND WHERE THE TRENDS ARE. AND OBVIOUSLY THE ONES THAT ARE REALLY OBVIOUS TO US, WHAT'S THE WHAT'S THE STRATEGY? SO SORT OF THIS IS LIKE THE RESPONSE, RIGHT? BUT WHAT IS THE STRATEGY? OR HOW DO MUNICIPALITIES SAY, IF WE SEE LIKE SLIGHT CHANGES OR, YOU KNOW, HEY, WE SEE SOME SLIGHT CHANGES? AND ALSO TO YOUR POINT, MR. GREEN, WE KNOW SOME OTHER THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON. SO A LOT OF THESE THINGS ARE NOT SURPRISING TO US. RIGHT. AND SO HOW DO WE HAVE SORT OF THE RESPONSE AND THEN THE PROACTIVE.I MEAN, I BELIEVE WE'RE ALWAYS BEING PROACTIVE, BUT HOW DO WE CATEGORIZE THAT? OR HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU SORT OF RANK THAT AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT JUST FOCUSING ON, OH MY GOSH, THIS NUMBER IS SO MUCH LOWER. AND SO WE WANT TO PUT OUR ENERGY AND TIME THERE. THANKS. I WOULD JUST SAY SO I DO SEVERAL OF THESE PRESENTATIONS AND OUR TEAM DOES AROUND THE COUNTRY. I THINK THE THE FIRST THING THEY LOOK AT IS A PERCEPTION VERSUS REALITY ISSUE. AND SO OTHER DATA THAT CAN CORROBORATE IF THERE ACTUALLY HAS BEEN A DECLINE, OR IS IT JUST SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO COMMUNICATE DIFFERENTLY? AND THEN SIMILAR TO WHAT I ALLUDED TO OF SHARING OF BEST PRACTICES, AGAIN, THESE ARE, AS I MENTIONED, EXTREMELY HIGH PERFORMING CITIES AND SOMETIMES EVEN A SMALL DIP DOWN. THEY REALLY, REALLY GO AFTER IT TO TRY TO TRY TO GET AHEAD OF IT. I WAS JUST IN NAPERVILLE. SAME THING. I MEAN, THEIR, THEIR SCORES ARE YOU GUYS ARE GREAT SCORES AND THEIR SCORES ARE REALLY HIGH. AND BUT IF THERE'S ANY DIP DOWN, THEY JUST GET OFF. AND I'M HAPPY TO KIND OF SHARE OTHER COMMUNITIES AND MAYBE WHERE THE DECLINES WEREN'T HAPPENING. SO YEAH, JUST SOMETHING WE'RE HAPPY TO DO.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING TOO, THAT EVEN IN SOME OF THE AREAS AND I CAN I CAN HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU GOING BACK TO. GOING BACK TO THE SAFETY. YOU MIGHT EVEN SEE, FOR INSTANCE, WE ARE LOWER IN AN OVERALL FEELING OF SAFETY AGAINST THE NATIONAL BENCHMARK, BUT WE'RE STILL GOING UP. AND SO THIS ALSO IN SOME WAYS VALIDATES SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WE HAVE IN PLACE. AND SO IT BECOMES A QUESTION OF THROUGH YOUR STRATEGY, THROUGH THE BUDGETARY PROCESS, WHAT DO WE CHANGE? WHAT DO WE EVALUATE? WHAT DO WE KEEP DOING? SO WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR THAT REINFORCEMENT AS WELL. LIKE SOME OF THESE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, SAFETY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD DURING THE DAY. IT'S THE HIGHEST IT'S BEEN SINCE WE'VE STARTED, SINCE WE'VE STARTED TRACKING IT. AND SO IN SOME CASES, THIS ALSO VALIDATES THE THINGS WE ARE DOING. AND SO WE CAN ALSO, INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT WHAT WE CAN DO TO FIX CERTAIN THINGS, WE CAN SAY, HEY, THIS IS BEING SUCCESSFUL AND WE CAN, WE CAN CONTINUE TO REINFORCE IT.
WELL, AND AGAIN, TO KEEP ON THAT SLIDE FOR A MINUTE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE FIRE, FLOOD OR NATURAL DISASTER, IF THIS IS A SPRING THING AND PEOPLE ARE I MEAN, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME CONCERN ABOUT FLOODING. AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO THINK BACK TO WHAT EVENT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THAT. BUT BUT IF THAT NUMBER THEN THAT, YOU KNOW, 8% DECLINE IS LUMPED IN IN THIS AND YOU ASK THEM AT THE END OF IT, WHAT'S YOUR OVERALL FEELING OF SAFETY? AND THEY'VE JUST SAID, I MEAN, THIS WASN'T THIS WAS BEFORE OUR OUR WILDFIRE EXCITEMENT THIS SUMMER. SO IT WASN'T IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE TRACKING, OH MY GOSH, I CAN'T BREATHE THE AIR. BUT IT IS, YOU KNOW, IF THERE WERE CONCERNS ABOUT FLOODING AND THAT JUST FILTERS DOWN INTO THE ANSWER. I'M ASSUMING THESE QUESTIONS. I'M ASSUMING I'M GUESSING THESE QUESTIONS ARE ASKED SEQUENTIALLY. LIKE AT LEAST LOGICALLY, YOU'RE GOING TO ASK THE OVERALL THING AFTER YOU ASK THE THE DISAGGREGATED QUESTIONS. SO WE MAY BE TRACKING A FLOOD EFFECT THERE TOO, FOR SOME TO SOME EXTENT, WHO KNOWS. JUST ONE. OTHER FACTORS WE'RE DISCUSSING. AND THESE ARE ALL ALL RIGHT FACTORS. AND WE WE, WE TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE IN TRYING TO FIELD THIS PROCESS AS WELL AS WE CAN. AND THERE'S JUST SOME. AND THEN JUST ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND, THESE ARE POPULATION INFERENCES FROM A SAMPLE. SO DON'T FORGET THERE IS THE THE PLUS AND MINUS RANGE THERE TOO. THANKS, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. SO TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING, I ALSO NOTED IN AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH THIS, THAT WITH THE EASE OF PARKING, PUBLIC PARKING ON SLIDE 25, I BELIEVE THIS SURVEY WAS. WELL, AS WE WERE APPROACHING THE LAUNCH FOR THE AMPHITHEATER. SO THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION IN, IN THAT.
[01:10:02]
AND WE JUST HAD A NICE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AMPHITHEATER AND, AND HOW PARKING IN OUR MOST BUSY DAY STILL SEEM TO BE MANAGEABLE. AND AS NOTED, WE HAVE OUR MOBILITY BLUEPRINT GOING ON. WE ALSO HAVE, SINCE THE DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN WHICH GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY OR BODY IS IN CHARGE OF SOMETHING, WE HAVE A LOT OF LIKE JUST DIVERSE DECISION MAKING BODIES. SO WE HAVE LIKE THE CONVENTION ARENA AUTHORITY, WE HAVE THE RAPID, WHICH IS NOT RUN BY THE CITY. SO THAT'S A BIG IMPACT ON WHAT TRANSIT IS. YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE THE DASH THAT WE PAY THE RAPID TO DO. SO THERE WERE CHANGES THERE TOO. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR STREETS AND WHAT'S GOING ON THERE, THAT'S JUST A CONTINUING CONVERSATION. I DO KNOW THAT SNOW REMOVAL THIS PAST YEAR HAS BEEN A BIG ISSUE. SO I THINK WE CAN CONTINUE THINKING ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE A LOT OF ELDERLY AND DISABLED FOLKS THAT JUST NEED EXTRA HELP. AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, AT LEAST IN SOME OF MY NEIGHBORHOODS THAT I REPRESENT, DISCUSSION ABOUT WHY CAN'T WE HAVE THE CITY SERVICES LIKE THEY DO IN SUCH AND SUCH PART OF TOWN? AND SO I THINK THOSE ARE PAID FOR BY THE CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY. SO IT'S JUST ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT. AND THEN OVERALL, I'M CURIOUS BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS MOSTLY FOCUSED ON LIKE CITY SERVICES AND FEELING OF THE, THE, WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE HERE. BUT I NOTICED THAT WE KNOW QUESTIONS ABOUT HOUSING WERE SPECIFICALLY ASKED OR HOW LIKE A BIG PART OF OUR CITY SERVICES IS THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND HOW THAT WORKS. SO IF YOU COULD JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, OR IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THE FUTURE WE COULD BE LOOKING AT. I, I, IF IT IS REALLY A BIG PART OF THE CITY OPERATIONS, I MEAN, YOU DO HAVE THE STANDING PANEL, YOU CAN KIND OF GO BACK TO IF YOU WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ADDITIONAL. WE DO HAVE THIS DATA SET I WAS SHARING THAT WE'VE BEEN COMPILING TO TAKE A LOOK AT NON RESIDENT SENTIMENT, BUT OVERALL, HOW HOUSING DATA. AND SO YEAH, HAPPY TO KIND OF DIG INTO THAT DATA WITH THE, WITH THE TEAM AS A FOLLOW UP. I GUESS THAT WOULD BE A QUESTION FOR THE REST OF THE COMMISSION, IF THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AS WELL. YEAH. WELL CITY MANAGER, I THINK YOU CAN KEEP THAT IN MIND FOR MAYBE AN EXTRA SURVEY. THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON. BUT I THINK IT'S A GOOD POINT, COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER PURDUE, I THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE EFFORT ON THIS. TWO THINGS. SO YOU JUST MENTIONED RESIDENCY, AND I KNOW THAT IN THE SURVEY FOR DEMOGRAPHIC DROP DOWN, THERE IS A LENGTH OF RESIDENCE RESIDENCY. SO JUST CONFIRMING THAT EVERYONE WHO COMPLETED THE SURVEY IS A VERIFIED RESIDENT OR OUR FOLKS WHO MIGHT WHO WORK IN GRAND RAPIDS BUT MIGHT NOT LIVE HERE, ARE THEY ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS? YEAH. SO FIRST, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GOING TO DOUBLE CHECK, JUST THERE TO SEE IF THERE WERE HOUSING QUESTIONS IN THERE, I DON'T REMEMBER. I JUST WANT TO COME BACK TO THAT TO YOUR QUESTION ON THE. SO REMEMBER THERE WAS TWO WAVES. THERE WAS A PROBABILITY BASED RANDOM SAMPLE. ALL OF THOSE RESPONDENTS ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE OFFICIAL CITY RESIDENTS. I BELIEVE THE SAMPLING FRAME THAT WE USED WAS FROM THE USPS PROPERTY LIST ADDRESS. SO YES, THOSE SHOULD ALL BE VERIFIED.RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY. WE DO TAKE SOME STEPS ALSO TO HELP ENSURE THAT IN THE OPEN PARTICIPATION COMPONENT, THEY ARE ALSO VERIFIED RESIDENTS, BUT IT'S MORE POSSIBLE TO SOCK PUPPET THOSE RESULTS IN. OKAY, GREAT. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS REPORT OBVIOUSLY FOCUSED ON AVERAGES. I THINK THE MOST VALUE IS WHEN YOU A AS YOU SPOKE TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT'S BEHIND EACH OF THESE NUMBERS, BUT ALSO LOOK BEYOND AVERAGES TO SEE HOW DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES ARE EXPERIENCING EACH OF THESE DOMAINS. SO THE ONLINE REPORT IS IN KIND OF TABLE FORMAT AND ALLOWS YOU TO DROP DOWN PRETTY FOR EVERY QUESTION, DROP DOWN AND DISAGGREGATE IN SOME REALLY INTERESTING WAYS, EVERYTHING FROM HOUSING TYPE TO LENGTH OF RESIDENCY TO PRESENCE OF CHILDREN. SO I'M CURIOUS IF YOU FOUND ANY INTERESTING TRENDS WHEN YOU BROKE IT DOWN IN ANY PARTICULAR AREA. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THAT'S A THAT'S A GREAT POINT. THERE'S ALREADY SO MUCH DATA IN THIS SURVEY, AS IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT BENCHMARKS, CUSTOM BENCHMARKS AND TRENDS. AND THEN WE DO THE BENCHMARKS ON THE TRENDS TOO. SO ONE THING THAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW, AND I HOPE TO HAVE FOR YOU FOR THE NEXT IMPLEMENTATION, IF WE WANT TO DIVE AND YOU CAN EXPLORE IT THERE. THE THING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IS WE CALL THOSE OUR DISPARITY REPORTS IS TO BE ABLE TO DO BENCHMARKS AND TRENDS WITHIN THE DISPARITY REPORTS AS WELL. SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS COMBINATION KIND OF EXPLODES A LITTLE BIT. THE SHORT ANSWER, THOUGH, WAS OFF THE CUFF. THROUGH LOOKING AT ALL THOSE COMBINATIONS, THERE WAS NOTHING THAT REALLY, YOU KNOW, STRUCK US. BUT THAT IS A VERY LARGE
[01:15:04]
SPACE TO KIND OF REVIEW. AND WE'RE WORKING TO MAKE THAT EASIER TO IDENTIFY THOSE POINTS.OKAY, GREAT. I THINK I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS, THIS POINT AND WOULD BE INTERESTED IN KIND OF THAT SORT OF REPORTING. AND I KNOW A BIG PART OF YOUR MODEL IS BENCHMARKING AGAINST SIMILAR CITIES. I THINK I'M PROBABLY MORE INTERESTED IN HOW DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY BENCHMARKS ACROSS EACH OTHER. RIGHT. AND I THINK MY GOAL IS PARITY THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WHETHER THAT WE'RE BETTER OR WORSE THAN ANOTHER CITY IS NOT AS MUCH OF A PRIORITY AS SAYING, HOW IS EVERYONE EXPERIENCING OUR CITY IN A POSITIVE WAY? AND WHERE MIGHT WE NEED TO TARGET EFFORTS, AND WHERE ARE WE DOING? EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. YEAH. JUST TO FOLLOW UP VERY QUICKLY ON THE ON THE HOUSING QUESTION, THERE WERE TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT HOUSING, ONE ABOUT VARIETY OF HOUSING TYPE AND ONE ABOUT AFFORDABILITY. ALL ANYTHING NOT COVERED ON TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS, THE COMMISSIONER POINTED OUT, IS AVAILABLE VIA OUR WEBSITE ON A ON SOMETHING CALLED TABLEAU, WHERE YOU CAN GO AND YOU CAN CROSS TAB AND SORT THROUGH ALL OF THE RESULTS.
OKAY. YEAH, YEAH, WE'LL SEE. AND WE WILL SEND YOU THE FULL REPORT. IT'LL BE POSTED ON, ON THE WEBSITE TOO. OKAY. THANKS. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANKS FOR DOING THE WORK. AND THAT WILL ADJOURN OUR MEETING, I BELIEVE, AND WE'LL MOVE IN. WELL, NOT ADJOURN. YES. WE'RE MOVING TO 601 FOR CLOSED SESSION.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.