Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City commission approves radios, water-main grant, and multiple community grants
Summary
The commission approved procurement of encrypted portable radios to meet federal encryption rules, authorized a $2.5 million Michigan Strategic Fund grant agreement for the State Street water main project, and approved several grants including a $500,000 neighborhood development application and AARP microgrants for bike/walk audits.
The Big Rapids City Commission voted unanimously to approve multiple funding and procurement items at its June 1 meeting, including a contract for encrypted portable radios, authorization to accept a Michigan Strategic Fund grant for a major water-main replacement, and several smaller grant actions.
Public safety staff and administration asked the commission to approve a contract with Motorola Solutions to purchase encrypted portable radios to comply with new federal encryption requirements. Staff presented a total cost of about $250,000 for roughly 25 portable radios plus vehicle units and software/support; commissioners noted the figure represents about $10,000 per portable unit as presented and asked about delivery and state-level programming. Staff cautioned that the state performs radio programming and scheduling and that activation would occur once programmed by state technicians. The commission approved the contract by unanimous vote.
On infrastructure, staff and the mayor said the long-planned State Street water-main replacement has been bid and vetted; the commission authorized a grant agreement with the Michigan Strategic Fund for $2.5 million toward an approximate $5.6 million project. Gerber Construction was named as the contractor expected to commence work next spring; the remaining cost will come from the city water fund, which staff said is healthy enough to support the balance. Commissioners approved the grant agreement unanimously.
The commission also held a public hearing (no public comment) and then approved a resolution to apply for a Neighborhood Development Block Grant (presented in the meeting as $500,000) to support owner-occupied housing improvements; staff noted income and owner-occupancy requirements for recipients. Additionally, the commission accepted two AARP community challenge microgrants ($2,500 each, $5,000 total) to fund community-led bike and walk audits and related training; staff said these audits are a precursor to applying for larger infrastructure grants.
All measures passed on unanimous votes. Commissioners asked staff to track timelines and to return with documentation and next steps for public distribution.
Votes at a glance: - Motorola Solutions portable radios: approved (vote: unanimous). - Michigan Strategic Fund grant agreement for State Street water main ($2.5M): approved (vote: unanimous). - Application to Neighborhood Development Block Grant ("Misha" as named in the meeting): approved (vote: unanimous). - AARP microgrants (bike and walk audits, $5,000 total): approved (vote: unanimous).
