Marysville to join Recast Leaders cohort for downtown revitalization; city manager says effort will be action-oriented and tied to budget priorities

Marysville — The City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to participate in the Recast Leaders cohort, a 10-month program described by staff as focused on downtown revitalization and small-scale manufacturing.

City Manager Quinton Bishop said the opportunity was provided through the Michigan Municipal League and that Marysville was selected as one of six awardees from Southeast Michigan. He said the cohort will convene a local team of three to four people — the finance director, assistant city manager Michael Booth, Natasha (last name not provided), and Mayor Haman — who will meet every other week online for 10 months. Bishop described three project phases: a discovery period (first 3 months), stakeholder outreach (next 3 months), and implementation (final 3–4 months).

Bishop emphasized initiatives chosen will need to align with the city's budget and capital improvement program and that the cohort's recommendations are intended to result in action, not shelved ideas. Council asked about commitments to implement outcomes; Bishop said implementation will depend on what the discovery phase identifies and the city's budget constraints. Councilmembers praised staff for pursuing outside funding and welcomed the initiative.

Councilmember Dunne moved approval and Councilmember Shirkey supported the motion; the council voted unanimously in favor.