Zeeland council reviews department budgets, considers Brownfield TIF for road projects; Bethel playground to be privately funded

Zeeland city staff presented department budgets at a March 31 city council budget review, outlining operating needs and explaining financing options for future projects.

Assistant City Manager Kevin Plockmeyer led a presentation on capital-project funds and described using Brownfield tax-increment financing to time and reimburse road projects. Plockmeyer said TIF could reimburse possible bond payments and walked council through how the mechanism would work as part of longer-term funding models. Councilman Lam said some facility improvements could be expensive enough to require bonding; Plockmeyer said staff will develop funding models to project what costs future budgets could absorb.

Plockmeyer also told council that the pending Bethel playground project is planned to be privately funded for construction, with the city expected to assume ongoing maintenance afterward. The presentation did not include a construction timeline or a final maintenance-cost estimate; staff said they will follow up with additional details.

Community Development Director Tim Maday presented his department budget and provided housing inventory data after a council inquiry: he said the city has about 195 rental units among roughly 2,500 residential parcels and that Zeeland has no policy setting a minimum or maximum share of rentals. Mayor VanDorp asked about the ongoing assessment of the Consumers Energy power plant; Maday said assessor Ed Vandervries has been assessing that facility for more than 10 years. Mayor ProTem Gruppen asked about board vacancies and was told the boards are currently full.

City Clerk Kristi Deverney presented the Clerk and Elections budgets. When Councilwoman Denise Perkins asked whether early voting is required, Clerk Deverney said that early voting is a requirement; the transcript did not cite a statute or ordinance at the meeting. Council members also discussed how voter-registration notices are handled for residents who reach voting age.

Library and Community Center Director Amanda Hanson outlined her department budgets and fielded questions about fees and previously bequeathed funds. Council and staff discussed whether community-center programming uses nonresident pricing; staff said park rentals do not distinguish resident status while cemetery fees do. Council members asked staff to follow up on possible dedication of improvements to the children's section funded by the Ruissard estate and to report last year’s contributions to the Howard Miller Endowment Fund.

Information Technology Director Tim Maloney presented the IT budget; Councilwoman Timmer complimented the department's customer service and Councilwoman Perkins asked about a potential future relocation of the IT staff. Fire Chief Deppe and Deputy Chief Mitch Harsevoort presented the Fire/Rescue budget; Harsevoort said recent training at the Cityside Townhouses “went well,” and Chief Deppe said his first week on the job had gone well.

In closing items, Plockmeyer reviewed transfers from the general fund, the Personal Property Tax Stabilization Fund, contingencies and a wage-and-benefits review. He explained to council how personal property tax reimbursements function and reiterated that an internal wage study is underway and will be brought back to the council in coming months. Council members thanked staff for their work on the budgets.

Next steps noted in the meeting record: staff will prepare funding models for large capital projects and follow up with more detail on the Bethel playground funding and recommended uses of the Ruissard estate funds; the internal wage study will return to council for future consideration.