🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
City Manager Jonathan Seyferth's purchasing flexibility at 3rd Street Wharf had no supporting documents in the agenda packet — and the city recap did not mention that it was pulled from consent, the discussion, or the outcome of the vote
City staff put out a short recap of the September 22 City Commission Meeting, claiming residents can "Stay informed on what’s happening at City Hall, without needing to watch the entire meeting." The staff-made recap covers four, relatively inconsequential items in a meeting that ran more than three hours. Check out The Missing Minutes below for everything city staff failed to cover.
*Note: Meeting items are listed relative to community impact and budgeted amounts (not in official agenda order).
🚫 Purchasing flexibility at 3rd Street Wharf — not in the city recap — discussed for more than 1 hour in the 3 hour meeting
Pulled from consent. Passed. Commissioner German voted no. Mayor Johnson, Vice Mayor Keener, and Commissioners Jackson, Kochin, St. Clair, and Kilgo voted yes. Up to $2.8 million in state money, to be spent by December 31, 2026.
The Commission granted Manager Seyferth unilateral power to select and hire qualified vendors with grant funds without each bid coming back to the Commission for input and a vote. The Commission cut that authority off on December 31, 2026, or at the meeting after the state budget office allows more time, whichever comes first. The city closed September 16 on 3.12 acres at 560 Mart. German raised questions about missing documents and tangible plans.
🚫 Next year's drinking-water and sewer engineering — not in the city recap
Passed on consent. Two contracts with Prein & Newhof, $1,361,800, for lead water-line replacements and the Glenside neighborhood. Staff said the loan piece could add about $2.20 to a bill later.
🚫 Brownfield plan for 118 W. Clay — not in the city recap
Heard in its public-hearing slot. Passed 7-0. Developer plans $12.9 million for 40 apartments over first-floor shops. The tax-capture plan (a brownfield plan) raises the Brownfield board's admin fee from 5 percent to 10 percent.
Developer Dustin Sommer talked about a walkable Clay Avenue, a fifth-floor terrace, and finding local contractors for the job. Sommer looks to activate the economic corridor between Western Ave and Pine St.
🚫 Housing tax break at 118 W. Clay — not in the city recap
Heard in its public-hearing slot. Passed 7-0. Same building. This vote only closed the hearing. The tax-break district (a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone) comes back November 10. The new zone is about 0.4 acres, still under the state cap of 15 percent of the city.
Sommer said the rents are modeled on The Leonard, High Point Flats, Lakeview Lofts, and The Amazon, and the project needs this tax break to work.
🚫 Rezoning 1145 Wesley Avenue — not in the city recap
Pulled from consent. Passed. Commissioner Kilgo voted no. Pioneer Resources wants a public dog daycare and job training in a back garage. Neighbors were told about the zoning change, not about the daycare.
🚫 Froebel School purchase change — not in the city recap
Passed on consent. The lot split is done. Closing with Samaritas was set for September 29 on the school building and parking at 417 Jackson. 46 apartments. The city keeps the empty schoolyard for a later phase.
✅ Former Nelson School gym lease — in the recap
Pulled from consent. Passed 7-0. Rent is $1 a year for the gymnasium space. The city pays about $999 a month in shared building costs, plus utilities. The landlord is GenCap. The work is estimated to finish July 15, 2027.
✅ Meurer Charter Park — in the recap
Pulled from consent. Passed 7-0. Locks Meurer Park, also called Paper Mill Park, so it cannot be sold or given away without a majority of voters (a charter park). No work is planned there.
It covers two blocks of Meurer Court between Minor and Harding. Commissioner Kilgo raised how to pay for parks over the long haul.
✅ Federal housing report for 2025 — in the recap
Heard in its public-hearing slot. Passed 7-0. Yearly report to the federal government on housing and community-development money (the CAPER). The staff sheet lists $718,519 in those grants spent, labeled as 2024 highlights. Public comment on the report runs through September 30.
🚫 Rezoning 1210 Lakeshore Drive — not in the city recap
Passed on consent. The house came down in 2021. The lot goes back to a regular neighborhood house zone so a house can be drawn where there is no alley. The Planning Commission recommended it 5-0.
🚫 License at 1300 E. Keating — not in the city recap
Passed on consent. The city uses the township's empty lot next to Public Works for 18 months. The price is $1. Trailers and public parking in front, materials in back.
🚫 Defibrillators for city buildings — not in the city recap
Passed on consent. Eleven new defibrillators (AEDs) through Cintas. $135 a unit a month, $53,460 over three years. Already in the budget.
✅ Community Relations Committee recognitions — in the recap
Many people we recognized for their contributions to the City of Muskegon.
Watch the night: September 22, 2026 meeting video. Packet: September 22, 2026 agenda packet.
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