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Alma City sets Feb. 11 hearings for tax exemption, rehab district; approves routine purchases and agreements
Summary
The Alma City Commission set public hearings for Feb. 11 on an industrial facilities tax exemption for Avalon Tahoe Manufacturing and on a proposed commercial rehabilitation district at 130 W. Superior St., and approved routine procurement, agreements and proclamations during its Jan. 21 meeting.
The Alma City Commission on Jan. 21 voted to set two public hearings for Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at 6 p.m.: one to consider an industrial facilities tax exemption certificate under PA 198 for Avalon Tahoe Manufacturing and a separate hearing to consider designating 130 West Superior Street as a commercial rehabilitation district under PA 210 (2005). The commission also approved several routine purchases, agreements and proclamations.
The hearings are intended to allow the commission and the public to review the companies' applications and supporting materials before any decision. City staff told commissioners Avalon Tahoe's request concerns an expansion to "production building B," and that a formal application will be on the Feb. 11 agenda for a full presentation and public comment.
Commissioners approved a request for purchase to Vann Plumbing and Heating for $96,450 to replace the library's rooftop air-conditioning unit. City staff told commissioners they solicited bids and received two competitive proposals (Vann Plumbing and Moore Mechanical) within several hundred dollars of each other; staff recommended Vann in part because that vendor installed the original units and proposed control upgrades so the new equipment will work with the library's existing system.
Other actions approved without extended discussion included:
- A resolution proclaiming May 2025 as "Better Hearing Month" at the request of a local audiologist.
- An amendment to Resolution 2024-0333 (originally adopted Dec. 10, 2024) to continue a memorandum of understanding with Alma Public Schools permitting temporary housing of farm animals on school grounds; the amendment adds language requiring waste handling to follow "generally accepted agricultural management practices of the State of Michigan" and clarifies jurisdictional language requested by the school district's attorney.
- Approval of an athletic facility use agreement between the City of Alma and the Alma Little League for Euclid Street baseball fields, effective April 1, 2025, through Aug. 1, 2028; the agreement was described as a three-year term to help Little League with grant applications and planned field improvements.
- Receipt of routine reports, including the Alma Fire District draft minutes, the Alma Police Department 2024 year-end report, building-permit reports and the fiscal year 2025 second-quarter finance report.
All motions reported in the meeting were carried by voice vote as recorded in the meeting transcript; no roll-call tallies or recorded ayes/nays were provided in the transcript.
"This is the expansion for production building B," a city staff member said when summarizing Avalon Tahoe's application. City staff also said Journey Credit Union is the prospective tenant for the building at 130 West Superior Street and that Gemini Capital (represented in the discussion by Ryan Smith) is assisting with the commercial-rehab application.
Dave Ringlefeld, identified in the meeting as a supervisor/director, answered technical questions about the library HVAC replacement, saying the vendor's quote included upgrades so the replaced unit will "work together" with the system and that existing controls "will be upgraded as a part of this".
The Feb. 11 hearings will allow the commission to hear the full applications, receive public comment and consider final action at a subsequent meeting.
