Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Standish Council votes to apply for USDA loan for new firetruck, decommissions sewer‑plant elevator and removes grass‑mowing assessments
Summary
At its July 8 meeting the Standish City Council voted to apply to the United States Department of Agriculture for an installment loan to buy a new firetruck, approved decommissioning an unused elevator at the sewer plant at an estimated $5,000 cost, and removed grass‑mowing special assessments from 2024 summer tax bills.
Standish — The Standish City Council on July 8 unanimously approved a motion to move forward with the Standish Area Fire Authority to apply to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for an installment loan to fund purchase of a new firetruck, voted to decommission an elevator at the sewer plant, and approved Resolution 24‑02 to remove grass‑mowing special assessments from the 2024 summer tax bills.
The council held a public hearing on the proposed installment‑purchase financing for the firetruck, during which officials described installment purchase programs as structured like leases and said the fire authority will invoice the city for annual loan payments. After the hearing Councilmember Link moved to apply for a USDA installment loan; Councilmember Fleszar seconded. A roll call vote recorded Winslow, Spencer, Fleszar, Link and Mayor King voting yes; there were no nays and Councilmembers Rang and Prout were absent.
Nut graf: The three actions clear short‑term financial and operational questions for the city — securing funding for fire apparatus, removing a recurring inspection cost and safety concern at the sewer plant, and reversing a parcel assessment on this year’s tax roll — while leaving longer‑term budgeting and implementation details to staff.
Votes at a glance • USDA installment loan — Motion: "move forward with the Standish Area Fire Authority to apply with the USDA for an Installment Loan for the purchase of the new Firetruck." Moved by Link; supported by Fleszar. Roll call: Winslow, Spencer, Fleszar, Link, King — yes. Outcome: approved. (Public hearing held.)
• Decommission elevator at sewer plant — Motion: "to decommission the elevator at the Sewer plant." Moved by Link; supported by Fleszar. Council heard that the elevator requires a state inspection costing about $2,000 per year, is not used by staff, and an employee has been stuck in it previously; decommissioning was estimated to cost $5,000. Roll call: Spencer, Link, Fleszar, Winslow, King — yes. Outcome: approved.
• Resolution 24‑02, removal of grass mowing special assessments — Motion: to remove grass mowing special assessments from the 2024 summer tax bills. Moved by Fleszar; supported by Link. Roll call: Fleszar, Winslow, Spencer, Link, King — yes. Outcome: approved.
What council recorded on the motions: All three formal votes were unanimous among present members. Councilmembers Rang and Prout were recorded absent for these actions.
Context and next steps: Council directed staff to proceed with the USDA loan application on the firetruck; financing details, repayment schedule and any associated bond disclosure requirements were not detailed in the transcript and will be handled through the application and subsequent staff reports. Decommissioning the elevator will require the state‑mandated process for taking an elevator out of service and the estimated one‑time cost noted during the meeting. The resolution removing grass special assessments will be reflected on the affected properties’ 2024 summer tax bills.
At the close of business Mayor Kevin King adjourned the meeting at 6:43 p.m.
