Charter Revision Commission okays up to $2,500 for Oct. 4 Hemlock Park public input event

The Charter Revision Commission approved up to $2,500 to fund a public input event at Hemlock Park on Oct. 4, the commission said at its Sept. 10 meeting.

Commission members said the outdoor event will use multiple short "stations" to gather resident input on a small number of charter questions and will include light refreshments. The commission discussed vendor options, whether to provide boxed lunches or snacks, and how to encourage participation by Big Rapids residents while not turning away park visitors.

The commission’s discussion centered on logistics and budget. Organizers estimated a per-person catering cost of about $13.50 and a total event budget in the roughly $2,400–$2,700 range in initial planning conversations; after discussion the commission set $2,500 as the spending ceiling. The event plan calls for an entry/flow pattern into three or four stations at the Hemlock Park pavilion, a brief task at each station, on-site volunteers to assist, roughly one hour of setup time and about an hour to two hours for the event itself. The subcommittee recommended a minimum of four volunteers and said six to seven would be preferable.

The commission discussed a target of roughly 50 boxed lunches to start and options to scale up or close distribution when supplies run out. Members discussed alternatives — smaller "snack" options, pizza, donuts and cider for other sessions — and considered donating unused food. Local catering options mentioned included Paula (a local caterer), vendors named "3 Girls" and "2 Cheesy Guys," and possible outreach to food trucks such as Fat Belly and Yellow Window. The commission also discussed low-cost printed materials, simple station signage and small giveaways to encourage participation.

In addition to event logistics, commissioners discussed public outreach: a press release to the Pioneer newspaper, social-media posts on the commission’s platforms and other low-cost promotion. The group planned a reservation for the Hemlock Park pavilion and discussed backup pavilion options at North End if needed.

Separately, the commission noted two timeline items related to the charter review: legal consultant Ron Reddick said he expects to use the same attorney general checklist now overseen by Jessica McGivney and estimated he may need about a month to complete his review before any submission to the attorney general’s office. Commissioners reiterated their internal timeline targets: a draft revision completed by December and a planned submission to the attorney general in February.

The commission set Oct. 4 as the preferred date for the Hemlock Park public input event and asked staff and volunteers to finalize catering, signage and volunteer assignments in the coming weeks.

Votes at a glance: The commission approved a motion to authorize a commission member (identified in the meeting as Anne) to spend up to $2,500 to organize and run the public input event. The motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.