Council approves downtown assessments, orders tax‑abatement repayment and makes appointments

HOLLAND, Mich. — At its Oct. 2 meeting the Holland City Council approved a package of downtown assessments, required a business to repay previously abated taxes after staff said the firm moved within two years of receiving a PA 198 abatement, and completed a set of routine appointments.

Downtown assessments: Staff presented hearings of necessity for three assessments to support downtown services and amenities. Carol (downtown presenter) told council the Principal Shopping District (PSD) assessment will cover roughly 180 properties, fund events such as Fall Fest and the street performer series, and -- if approved at a final hearing on Oct. 18 -- would include a 3‑cent per square‑foot increase to the ground‑floor rate (bringing it to $0.25 per sq. ft.) and a slight expansion of the PSD core boundaries to include Sixth Street and parts of Seventh Street. The council approved the necessity resolution for the PSD unanimously (mover: Freeman; support: Shay).

Jeff Janova, who described his first presentations to council, outlined the snow‑melt assessment (system serving downtown sidewalks and public spaces, roughly 1 million+ sq. ft. of heated pavement) and a proposed 3% increase to $0.54 per square foot to fund operations and maintenance. He also explained the parking assessment that funds free downtown parking (two decks, surface lots and on‑street spaces) and supports upkeep and enforcement. Both the snow‑melt and parking assessment necessity resolutions passed unanimously (snow‑melt mover: Veman; support: Soul; parking mover: Soul; support: Bird). Council members asked for clarifications on spreadsheet percentage changes and were told many are artifacts where a previous zero year inflates a percent change.

Tax abatement repayment: In an administrative PA 198 hearing, staff reported that Bypass International — which had been granted a 12‑year PA 198 tax abatement in May 2022 tied to a $1.3 million interior investment — had moved operations out of the city within two years. Mark Meers told council the abated taxes for 2023 were listed in city materials as $12,484.75 and that staff had not received a company representative at the hearing. Meers said staff had notified the company by certified mail and had spoken with the building owner; he recommended requiring repayment of 100% of the abated taxes for 2023 under the abatement agreement. Council voted to affirm the PA 198 agreement and require repayment of the 2023 abated taxes (mover: Veman; support: Soul).

Other votes and business: Council approved the transfer of ownership of retired K9 Ruthie back to the handler’s family (mover: Bird; support: Veman) and appointed David Lockery to the Board of Appeals (mover: Freeman; support: Bird). The meeting concluded with city manager updates on community events and the Ambassador Academy.

Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda (multi-item): approved. Motion: approve consent agenda (mover: Soul; support: Freeman). Roll call: Bird, Freeman, Raymond, Soul, Shay and Mayor Nathan Box — yes; Corbin and Rowan listed as absent at roll call. - 7A PSD assessment (necessity resolution): approved. Motion: adopt necessity and schedule Oct. 18 final hearing (mover: Freeman; support: Shay). Vote: unanimous of members present. - 7B Snow‑melt assessment (necessity resolution): approved. Motion: adopt necessity (mover: Veman; support: Soul). Vote: unanimous of members present. - 7C Parking assessment (necessity resolution): approved. Motion: adopt necessity (mover: Soul; support: Bird). Vote: unanimous of members present. - 7D PA 198 (Bypass International): council required repayment of 100% of 2023 abated taxes listed at $12,484.75. Motion: affirm PA 198 agreement and require repayment (mover: Veman; support: Soul). Vote: unanimous of members present. - 12 Echo 5.1 Transfer of retired police K9: approved. Motion: transfer ownership to handler/family (mover: Bird; support: Veman). Vote: unanimous of members present. - Appointment of David Lockery to Board of Appeals: approved. Motion by Freeman; support: Bird.

What to expect next: Several assessments require a final hearing or are administrative steps; the PSD final hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18. Developers and property owners in the PSD and snow‑melt districts will receive notice as final actions are taken.

Attributions: Quotes and reported amounts come from city staff presentations and the city’s roll call recorded during the meeting.