SHELBY - Monday, December 22 was the last Shelby Village Council meeting of the calendar year, and the agenda held several items of interest. All council members were in attendance with the exception of Village President John Sutton and Councilor Mike Termer, who were excused due to unforeseen circumstances.
In the village administrator’s report, with regard to the funding of the village’s downtown design project, Village Administrator Phil Morse reported he’d recently discovered that up to 50 percent of the village’s Major Streets Funds could be allocated to the village’s Local Streets Funds each year. If the village decided to pursue this option, the additional transfer of funds would total $500,000, which has already been reported would qualify the village for a match of the same amount from a local philanthropist.
Morse proposed dedicating $200,000 from the General Fund and $300,000 from Local Streets via a Major Streets transfer ($150k in FY25-26 and $150k in FY26-27). This proposed transfer would leave a projected Major Streets fund balance of $877,000 at the end of FY25-26 and $727,000 after the transfer.
(Previously the council had verbally agreed to allot $200,000 from the General Fund; $100,000 from Major Streets; and $50,000 from Local Streets for a total of $350,000 from the village toward the proposed downtown revitalization project.)
When Morse asked for council member feedback on the option, Councilor Dan Zaverl said, “I don’t like the idea. This taking from one account to another sounds like ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ to me. We’ve got streets that gotta be done. We’re moving too fast.”
Morse responded by saying, “The goal would be to collect $500,000 to qualify for available matching funds.” Even with the possibility of having $1M available for the proposed $1.9M downtown revitalization project, Zaverl was not convinced.
Councilors Samantha Gottschalk, Curt Trott and Steve Crothers spoke favorably of the transfers and the proposed downtown project, saying an upgrade in the downtown area is sorely needed and wanted. Councilor Crystal Heykoop followed up by asking that if private donations were to come in over $500,000, would the village be committed to fronting the full half million dollars. Morse said no, that to receive the match, the $500,000 could come from a combination of village funds and private donations.
Other village business shared in Morse’s administrator report included: the creation of a dedicated webpage for the downtown redesign project; the receipt of a $300 donation from the Oceana Community Foundation’s Wish List grant program for 100 yards of Christmas lights to be used downtown; ongoing discussions with an Orchard View Drive resident about purchasing village-owned property; continued work on the CarvePrize event to take place next July; and congratulations to DPW Laborer Bradley Simons for passing his L-2 Lagoon Sewer Licensing test. Morse added that attaining this qualification takes a lot of work and dedication. Morse added that per the village’s position and licensing policy, Simons was promoted to DPW Utility Worker. The village is proud to now have two sewer-licensed staff members, a goal the village had set for themselves this past summer.
In addition to Morse's report, three resolutions were passed. The first regarding Third-Quarter Budget Amendments, most notably for the following expenses: Streetlight Power Costs (electricity expenses have risen more than expected); Operating Supplies (several accounts reflect higher-than-expected supply costs); Engineering Services (this category saw the largest amendment; there is a need to better separate engineering costs from construction costs in future budgeting) and Health Insurance (premiums increased beyond initial projections).
Next was a Category B Grant Agreement for the South Michigan Avenue project, which, once signed and submitted, would release a $246,500 award of the construction contract from MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation). Morse noted the last time the village received a Category B Grant award was in 2021.
The last resolution to pass authorized DPW Supervisor Jeremiah Helenhouse (and any successors) to issue parking tickets from 2-6 a.m. during the village’s Winter Parking Ban (November - April 1). Helenhouse is usually on duty before 6 a.m., especially after weather events. According to Police Chief Dean Roesler, there is a small window of time each day when police coverage is slim. He often adjusts his schedule to fill in. He feels the village has done a good job of educating the public about winter parking, and in most circumstances villagers are understanding and compliant.
This new authorization gives Helenhouse the OK to issue civil infraction parking citations, which is allowable under the Michigan Compilation of Laws. “I’m confident this (authorization) will not (involve) many,” Roesler said. This would not give the DPW supervisor the authority to have a car towed, only to issue a ticket, Roesler added. “(Jeremiah) texts me if he thinks a vehicle needs to be towed, and I make the call.”
During council discussion, Zaverl stated that he felt only police officers should issue tickets. Crothers also asked how much people would be fined. Gottschalk asked how many tickets might be issued, if there was a trend and if putting this responsibility on Helenhouse would create animosity toward him as a village employee. Heykoop said she felt this move would only affect a small percentage of residents and would be a good step between warning and impoundment.
As a reminder, regular village council meetings for the 2026 calendar year will be held the second and fourth Mondays of every month, with Planning Commission meetings being held the third Tuesdays of every month. Both meetings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the village hall.
