Votes at a glance: consent contracts approved, $20.415M bond authorization cleared

The Kalamazoo City Commission on Aug. 4 approved multiple administrative contracts and budget actions on its consent agenda, adopted a bond resolution for capital projects and set a special Committee of the Whole meeting on the city manager search.

Consent agenda: The commission approved items 1 through 16 by motion of Commissioner Hoffman, supported by Commissioner Wilson. Clerk Boerling called the roll; Commissioners Decker, Hoffman, Wilson, Vice Mayor Hess, Mayor Anderson and Commissioner Cooney voted yes and the motion passed. Items approved included (amounts as stated in the staff report): - Supplemental contract and change order with Niswander Environmental LLC for FEMA compliance, map revisions, construction oversight and three years of monitoring — $137,000. - Contract supplemental with Miller Canfield for legal services and budget amendment — $150,000. - Contract extension with Tree Works Inc. for 2025 hazardous tree removal — $195,104.66. - Two-year term contract with Continental Lending Services for industrial uniform rental and cleaning services — $300,000. - Contract with Ram Construction Services for parking ramp concrete repairs — $433,734. - Supplemental and change order with Fane Xylstra LLC for underground fuel tank removal and new power distribution at Augusta Webster Lift Station — $461,407. - Contract with Corby Energy Services (Sourcewell cooperative) for sanitary sewer lining — $541,455.50. - Contract with Arrive (Sourcewell) for 52 Flowbird parking touch-pay stations — $545,480. - Purchase with McQueen Equipment (Sourcewell) for combination sewer cleaner — $607,800.03. - Contract with Northern Pump & Well Inc. for Born Court Well 1-7 — $982,088. - Adoption of budget amendments increasing FY2025 revenues by $4,034,800 and expenditures by $186,867. - Approval for Saint Mary Catholic Church to display fireworks at 939 Charlotte Ave on Aug. 15, 2025. - Intergovernmental agreement with Kalamazoo County to support the Finding Your Way Home program. - Memorandum of agreement with Kalamazoo Public Schools for school resource officer services for the 2025–26 school year. - Mayoral reappointments to the Retirement and Perpetual Care Investment Committee (four reappointments with terms expiring 03/31/2028). - Approval of minutes from the July 21, 2025 city commission meeting.

Bond authorization: The commission adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of general obligation limited tax bonds not to exceed $20,415,000 to finance FY2025 capital projects, including parks, parking, heavy equipment, local and major streets programs and city buildings. CFO Steve Vicenci briefed the commission, noting the city is requesting about $2 million less than previously estimated and that public notice periods had expired with no petitions.

City manager search: Vice Mayor Hess moved, and the commission approved, a special Committee of the Whole meeting for Aug. 11, 2025, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., for a public presentation by the search firm Raftelis and public comment on the city manager recruitment. Paper and online surveys on the search were made available Aug. 4–24, with a job posting targeted for the week of Aug. 18.

Votes: The transcript records roll-call affirmative votes for the consent agenda and the bond authorization. Clerk Boerling recorded the individual yes votes during the meeting for each motion.

No opposed votes or abstentions were recorded on these items in the meeting transcript.