City Commission - Special Meeting
Special MeetingGrand Rapids, MI · July 13, 2023
Minutes
OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
City Commission
OF THE
CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Special Meeting, July 13, 2023
CALL CITY COMMISSION TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Bliss, Commissioner O’Connor, Commissioner Ysasi,
Commissioner Moody, Commissioner Perdue, Commissioner Robbins,
Commissioner Knight
Absent: None.
The roll was called by the City Clerk.
92742 Result: Closed.
A special meeting was held for the purpose of holding a joint session with the
Planning Commission.
JOINT MEETING WITH PLANNING COMMISSION
CALL TO ORDER OF JOINT MEETING AND OPENING REMARKS
INTRODUCTION OF MEETING PARTICIPANTS
STAFF PRESENTATION ON REDEVELOPMENT READY
COMMUNITIES RECERTIFICATION
PRESENTATION AND FACILITATED DISCUSSION OF KEY ISSUES
PUBLIC COMMENT
ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COMMISSION MEETING
Commission adjourned at 3:12 PM
JOEL H. HONDORP
City Clerk
1
Agenda
CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS
CITY COMMISSION MEETING
THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2023
1:00 PM
Welcome to the Grand Rapids City Commission Meeting. This session is the final process in the
consideration of the items listed on the following agenda. All of these agenda items have been thoroughly
reviewed and discussed in the various Standing Committees of the City Commission which meet on
Tuesday morning. To view supporting documents for agenda items, please visit:
www.grandrapidsmi.gov/commission
Persons who need reasonable accommodation to participate, are asked to contact the City Clerk’s Office
at 616-456-3010 or cityclerk@grcity.us.
Expected Meeting Procedures
1. Depending on the meeting there can be multiple opportunities for public
comment.
-The First is limited to items on the Commission’s agenda that are slated
to be voted on
-The Second is for specially scheduled required public hearings
-The Third is for any issue you would like to bring to the attention of the
Commission
2. You may only speak once on each issue.
3. All comments are to be limited to 3 minutes.
4. City Commission meetings are to be a safe place for everyone involved,
as such:
-No clapping, cheering, or holding up of signs
-Please refrain from swearing, name calling and/or making derogatory
comments directed toward a person’s race, religion, nation of origin, etc.
5. Do not request or expect comment from the Commission.
6. Please turn OFF cellular phones.
I. CALL CITY COMMISSION TO ORDER (Mayor)
II. ROLL CALL (City Clerk)
III. JOINT MEETING WITH PLANNING COMMISSION
A. CALL TO ORDER OF JOINT MEETING AND OPENING REMARKS (Mayor and
Planning Commission Chair)
B. INTRODUCTION OF MEETING PARTICIPANTS (All)
C. STAFF PRESENTATION ON REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITIES
RECERTIFICATION (Planning Director)
D. PRESENTATION AND FACILITATED DISCUSSION OF KEY ISSUES (Planning
Director)
IV. PUBLIC COMMENT (Mayor)
V. ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COMMISSION MEETING (Mayor)
CITY COMMISSION
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
TERM DEFINITION
Adjournment To close the meeting.
Adopt To accept or approve; i.e., an ordinance, a resolution, a motion, etc.
Amend To modify; i.e., an ordinance, a resolution, a motion, etc.
Call to Order Formal opening of a meeting.
City Charter Legal document establishing a municipality (city).
City Commission Local form of government consisting of the Mayor and six Commissioners.
City Officers Includes: Mayor, President of the City Commission, City Manager, City Attorney,
City Treasurer, and City Clerk.
Consent Agenda Matters listed as Consent Agenda items are considered to be routine or matters
of unanimous consent by the City Commission. There will be no separate
discussion of these matters, and they will be enacted by one motion.
Executive Session A meeting in which the proceedings are of a confidential nature. Only members
and invited guests may attend, and all are honor-bound to maintain
confidentiality.
Motion A proposal that the Commissioners take a specific action or stand on an item
being presented to the City Commission.
Ordinance A piece of legislation enacted by a municipal authority.
Postpone A motion to postpone is made if the City Commission needs more time to make
a decision. A postponement cannot go beyond the next session.
Quorum Number of voting members who must be present in order that business can be
legally transacted.
Recess Short intermission within a meeting.
Recognize / Obtain the Floor Acknowledgement by the presiding officer of the City Commission that a
member has the right to address the assembly.
Rescind (Repeal) Allows the City Commission to repeal an action previously taken; i.e.,
ordinances, etc.
Resolution A decision by the City Commission to do or not to do something.
Robert’s Rules of Order A guide to fair and orderly meeting procedures.
Suspend the Rules This motion is used when the City Commission wants to do something that
violates its own rules. The motion does not apply to an organization’s bylaws,
local, state, or national law; or fundamental principles of parlia-mentary law. An
appropriate suspension of the rules, used on occasion by the City Commission,
would be a motion to change the agenda.
Table, Lay on the This motion puts aside an item, and everything adhering to it, currently being
presented to the City Commission. The item remains “on the table” until taken
off.
Table, Take (Remove) from the The motion to Take from the Table is used when the City Commission wants to
continue considering a motion that was Laid on the Table earlier in the present
session or in the previous session of the City Commission. When a motion is
Taken from the Table, it has everything adhering to it exactly as it was when it
was Laid on the Table.
Revised: 06-30-2014 Source(s): Robert’s Rules of Order
City Commission Standing Rules
CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS COMMISSIONERS
Jon O’Connor joconnor@grcity.us 616-456-3035
First Ward
Drew Robbins drobbins@grcity.us 616-456-3035
Milinda Ysasi mysasi@grcity.us 616-456-3035
Second Ward
Lisa Knight lknight@grcity.us 616-456-3035
Nathaniel Moody nmoody@grcity.us 616-456-3035
Third Ward
Kelsey Perdue kperdue@grcity.us 616-456-3035
Revised: 01-07-2023