At a special business meeting of the Kalamazoo City Commission on Oct. 30, 2025, commissioners approved an employment agreement to hire Malcolm Hankins as Kalamazoo city manager, set to start Jan. 5, 2026, and approved an amendment to a Western Michigan University fireworks permit to add Nov. 1, 2025. The commission also voted to excuse Commissioner Hoffman and discussed an interim city manager arrangement while the current manager departs Nov. 18.