SHELBY - The big news at the Shelby Village Council meeting Monday was a presentation by Village Administrator Phil Morse of a proposed $1.6M “Design for Downtown Revitalization” plan. Vision-casting for this draft design began in January shortly after the village received its Redevelopment Ready Certification from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
A few of the features proposed in the plan include bumpouts at corners to calm traffic and provide aesthetic appeal, several designated handicap parking locations, overhead “Welcome to Shelby” archways, angled parking on Third and Fourth Streets, new landscaping and new light posts.
Morse also presented the potential funding sources for this project. He was pleased to announce that a private donor has committed to a dollar-for-dollar match of whatever monies are collected, whether from village coffers or private donors. He provided documentation related to the village’s fund balances and suggested allocations from each as the village’s share toward the project. Allocations suggested by Morse included: General Fund $200,000; Major Streets $100,000; and Local Streets $50,000. He had also just found out there is the possibility of a Brownfield housing TIF (Tax-Increment Financing), related to the future development of the corner lot at Fourth Street and Michigan Avenue, that could be utilized to cover some, if not all, of the cost of the proposed project.
Morse was seeking feedback from the council as to whether they were in favor of the suggested amounts from the various funds. He shared his reasons behind the amounts, saying, “It shows the community that the council is behind an updated downtown. I believe what we’re doing downtown is why the corner lot (on Fourth Street and Michigan Avenue) is getting developed. And it shows donors the village has skin in the game.”
Overall the council was in favor. They appreciated the homework that Morse had completed thus far. Some voiced concerns about the General Fund balance following such a large withdrawal. Morse shared their concerns but was able to show how the General Fund would still have the minimum fund balance required by law following a $200,000 allocation, then added, “I believe the risk is worth the reward.”
Councilor Mike Termer said he liked the plan, but he could hear people outside of downtown saying, ‘This is great, but my road is still terrible.’
Councilor Crystal Heykoop said, “Fundraising is really going to determine how much we can do.” Councilor Curt Trott added, “I think it is well worth looking into. Anything we can do to make downtown more appealing.”
A full rollout of the proposed plan to the community will occur Tuesday, Dec. 9 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at The Ladder Community Center. Morse invites everyone to attend this event where they will hear and see more about the project, be able to ask questions, provide valuable feedback and have the opportunity to donate toward the project.
In other business, the council approved a quote from Northern Well in the amount of $79,976.20 for well motor rebuilding (Well #3) and well abandonment (Well #2). Per Morse's memo to council, following this project, comprehensive analysis and maintenance of all wells would occur every five years as recommended. DPW Superintendent Jeremiah Helenhouse said such maintenance has not been followed for at least a decade.
Next, the council approved a proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for Fiscal Years (FY) 2026-2031. Each fiscal year’s lists were similar - replace or purchase vehicles and equipment, along with various village renovations and larger maintenance projects. Termer asked if road work could be listed on the plan as well. Morse explained that roadwork doesn’t typically fall within a CIP. Adding that roadwork often has its own implementation plan, as there are usually several steps that go into such improvements. Termer said he was thinking of residents who may look at these lists and say, ‘I pay all these taxes but never see any improvement to my street.’ Morse said he hesitates to put roadwork on CIPs because people may see it as a guarantee, which it is not. He added he’s attempted to address some of these questions through his village YouTube videos.
“A Capital Improvement Plan is a wish list,” Councilor Dan Zaverl said. “Everything listed has to be voted on anyway.”
“It’s a living document. It can be changed,” Heykoop said.
“It’s more of an internal document,” Morse added. “It’s needed for grant applications as well.”
In the end the council did add South Michigan Avenue roadwork to the 26-27 CIP resolution, as that is a project that is in the engineering phase with expected construction in 2026.
The third approval on Monday was to add a PTO (Personal Time Off) Donation Policy to the next update of the Employee Handbook. Recently a staff member was off work and depleted their PTO balance. Two other employees proposed donating a portion of their accrued PTO so the employee did not have to go without pay. As a result, the Personnel Committee and Morse worked together to draft the new policy. While the policy will not allow retroactive PTO donations, the Personnel Committee did ask the council to approve a one-time exception for this employee. The entire council voted affirmatively on the policy and the requested exception.
The fourth resolution to come before council presented an opportunity to join the Fire Insurance Withholding Program, administered by the Department of Insurance and Financial Services. According to Morse, if the village were enrolled in the program, the village would receive a portion of the homeowner’s final insurance settlement (assuming the homeowner was insured) to be held in a designated escrow account. Once any restoration work was completed, the village would release the escrowed funds back to the property owner. If restoration did not occur, the escrowed funds could be used by the village for necessary repairs or demolition. While Morse felt the program would “support proactive property maintenance and uphold community standards,” the council discussion that followed included more questions and concerns than answers or an understanding of the finer details. As a result, the resolution died for lack of support.
In closing, Morse told the council he has been busy informing the community to make sure everyone is aware of the Master Plan Update review currently underway. The required 63-day review period will be up Monday, Dec. 15. A public hearing and resolution to adopt the updated plan is scheduled for the Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 council meeting.
