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Lansing council approves water-and-light appointee, grants easement; rejects LEPFA appointment
Summary
At its Jan. 27 meeting the Lansing City Council approved the appointment of Christopher Harkins to the Board of Water and Light and granted a right-of-way easement for the Ovation Center; the council also voted down an at-large appointment to the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority.
LANSING, Mich. — The Lansing City Council on Jan. 27, 2025 approved a series of routine and contested items, including the appointment of Christopher Harkins to the Board of Water and Light, adoption of a right-of-way easement for the Ovation Center for Music and Arts and the formal conclusion of an ad hoc audit committee. The council rejected an at-large appointment to the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority (LEPFA).
The council moved quickly through a consent agenda that included the reappointment of Don Silver to the South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor Improvement Authority Board of Directors and an amendment to council rules to establish a committee on municipal audits. Vice President Carter moved the consent agenda; it passed unanimously.
In a separate roll-call vote the council approved the appointment of Christopher Harkins to the Board of Water and Light for a term to expire June 30. Vice President Carter summarized Harkins’s background at the committee of the whole and said Harkins described nearly 18 years as a Lansing resident, prior board experience and work on budgets while employed in the governor’s office. The motion to appoint Harkins passed 7–1.
The council considered the appointment of Shelby Frayer to the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority Board of Commissioners for a term to expire June 30, 2025. After a roll-call vote the motion failed 5–3. The roll call recorded Carter and Garza voting no; Hussain, Pelleglue and Spadafore voting yes; Jackson and Kost voting no; Brown voting no. The resolution was not adopted.
Councilmembers also approved Act 8 2024, an easement allowing encroachment into the South Washington Avenue and West Linoway right-of-way for the Ovation Center for Music and Arts. According to the resolution the encroachment would extend roughly 5 feet into South Washington and about 4.5 feet on West Linoway to provide weather protection and accessible queuing and ramp access for guests. The motion passed unanimously.
Separately, the council voted to conclude the ad hoc committee on audit and move audit work into a standing committee to be announced later in the meeting; the resolution was adopted.
Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (reappointment of Don Silver; council rules amendment establishing municipal audits committee): Passed, unanimous. - Resolution concluding the ad hoc committee on the audit: Passed, unanimous. - Appointment — Christopher Harkins, Board of Water and Light (term to June 30): Passed, 7–1. - Appointment — Shelby Frayer, Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority (term to June 30, 2025): Failed, 5–3. - Act 8 2024 — Easement for Ovation Center for Music and Arts (encroachment into right-of-way for accessibility/weather protection): Passed, unanimous.
Council President Cost and Vice President Carter presided over the meeting and announced outcomes after each vote. The council adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
