All council members were present at the Pentwater Village Council's Nov. 24 meeting. It was a short agenda, and the meeting ended with a closed session to discuss a report from the village attorney, Brian Monton.
Chet Janik was present and reviewed with council the most recent version of the strategic plan. The mission and vision statements remained the same, but the guiding principles and goals had been revised. Perhaps the most important and relevant goal was a Feb. 1 deadline for completing a prioritized list of capital, master and recreational plans for the upcoming budget cycle, supported by identified grant funding opportunities and a multi-year funding strategy. Important objectives include reviewing the employee handbook, establishing clear communications protocols and rewriting the civil and zoning ordinances.
President Mary Marshall had circulated a document regarding the distinctive roles of governance and management as related to the roles of village manager and the village council. In a discussion of the document, Marshall suggested a stronger committee structure (with regularly scheduled meetings) would enable the council to return to one meeting a month rather than having two council meetings. The group was willing to adapt this strategy.
A motion to approve the contract with Michele Bieri as the clerk/treasurer in January 2026 was unanimously approved. A letter of resignation from Katie Anderson as recreation director was received.
Village Manager Toby Van Ess gave his report, which included news that a promising candidate had been interviewed for the position of deputy clerk/treasurer. He also reported on recent problems with lift station pumps, the challenges of finding parts for old equipment and the testing process that a DPW worker is undergoing to become a licensed operator of the water filtration plant. The channel dredging project will move forward with a bidding process as soon as budget signatures are complete. Several compliments were paid to the DPW team for the excellent service they have provided with leaf pickup and removal.
