Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City Commission approves transit van grant, stadium lease extension, concession amendment and affirms FOIA denial
Summary
On April 15 the Battle Creek City Commission approved four resolutions: authorization for transit van purchases funded by an FTA grant, an amendment extending the baseball stadium lease, a concessionaire agreement amendment, and a resolution affirming denial of a FOIA appeal. The FOIA action drew public criticism during general comment.
The Battle Creek City Commission voted on four resolutions April 15, approving transportation equipment purchases, stadium and concession agreements, and affirming the denial of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Resolution 110 — Transit vans: The commission approved a resolution authorizing the interim city manager to execute contract 2025-O102C to purchase four transit vans in a not-to-exceed amount of $387,714.40. The purchase will use competitive pricing obtained from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Passenger Transportation (OPT) purchasing program and is funded by a Federal Transit Administration grant; the city manager or designee may approve change orders up to 10% for preapproved additional features. The resolution was moved and supported and the commission approved the measure.
Resolution 111 — C. O. Brown Stadium lease amendment: The commission approved a second amendment to extend the lease term with Cereal City Baseball LLC and the Northwoods League Incorporated through Dec. 31, 2031, with an option to renew for five additional years through Dec. 31, 2036. The original five‑year lease was approved by the commission in 2021. The amendment was moved, supported and approved.
Resolution 112 — Bailey Park concession amendment: The commission approved a first amendment to the concessionaire agreement with Cereal City Concessions LLC to align the concession term with the Bailey Park lease, extending to Dec. 31, 2031, with an option to renew through Dec. 31, 2036. The resolution was moved and approved by the commission.
Resolution 113 — FOIA appeal: The commission approved a resolution affirming the denial of FOIA request number 25-776. The denial and the resolution drew public criticism. During the meeting Autumn Smith addressed the commission during the public hearing and later during general public comment, asserting the city and the Battle Creek Police Department had misrepresented the existence of cold-case records stored on a secured server (the “p drive”) and urging the commission to reverse the denial and instruct release of responsive records. City staff explained the agency’s response was based on searches of relevant departments and that the records, “as described,” could not be located. The commission voted to affirm the denial.
Procedure and votes: Each resolution was moved and supported on the record and approved by the commission. The transcript records motions and recorded approvals; the transcript does not include detailed roll-call vote tallies in the public record for each resolution.
Ending: With the four resolutions approved and the public hearing closed, the commission proceeded to general public comment and concluded the meeting.
