Village Council

VILLAGE OF SPARTA Kent County, Michigan Village Council Meeting Monday, October 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM 75 N. Union St. (Sparta Civic Center) Present: President Robert Whalen, Council Members Brenda Braybrook, Robert Carlstrom, David Cumings, Courtney Mais, Tom Peoples, Bill Taylor Absent: Also Present: Village Manager James Lower, Chief Andrew Milanowski, DPW Supervisor William Hunter, Sergeant David Price, Deputy DPW Supervisor Conrad Bowman, Village Clerk Kristen Phelps 1. Call to Order a. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Robert Whalen 2. Pledge of Allegiance a. The Pledge was Recited. 3. Roll Call a. Formal Roll Call was taken. Attendance is noted above. 4. Additions or Corrections to Consent and Business Agenda Consent Agenda: a. Approve Regular Village Council Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2025 b. Approve Special Village Council Meeting Minutes of September 25, 2025 c. Approved Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 3, 2025 d. Approved Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of August 4, 2025 e. Approve Fire Board Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2025 5. Approval of Consent and Business Agenda a. The Consent and Business Agenda were approved as presented. i. Motion: Braybrook Moved to approve the consent agenda support by Mais. Motion Carried unanimously 6. Public Comment for Agenda Item Please Note: This Public Comment portion of the meeting is reserved for comment on agenda items. Personal or abusive attacks on Council members, staff members, or other participants will not be tolerated and may result in the Village President taking action, up to and including, having the speaker removed from the meeting by law enforcement officers. a. Jeff Wright 220 Liberty St Commented 7. Public Hearing a. None. Page 1 of 3 8. Old Business a. None. 9. New Business a. Ecklund Resident Input/Discussion i. Aaron Bragdon 91 Ecklund Commented ii. Robert Hoffman 57 Ecklund Commented iii. Jon Conley 70 Ecklund Commented iv. Carol Wood 100 Ecklund Commented v. Carrie Keener 11 Ecklund Commented vi. Donna Cumings 55 Ecklund Commented vii. Ron and Sally Kober 53 Ecklund Commented viii. Terry Hartman 95 Ecklund Commented b. Consensus of the Residents was to go with option 3. c. Preliminary Plat Review- Allen Edwin Homes (Bedford Falls) i. Mike and Ben from Allen Edwin spoke. 1. Motion: Carlstrom moved to approve the Preliminary Plat Review as presented, support by Cumings. Motion passes 7-0. d. Res. 25-16 Literacy Resolution i. Motion: Mais moved to approve Resolution 25-16 as presented, supported by Braybrook. Motion passes 7-0 e. Algoma Waste Water Treatment Agreement Amendment i. Consensus was to bring the agreement back when Algoma has finalized it with their board. f. Cityhood Q & A Opportunity i. Manager Lower spoke about the boundary review. 1. Sue Johnson 100 Orchard commented. 10. Executive Session a. None. 11. Village Manager & Department Reports a. Manager Lower spoke about the State funding for roads 12. Communications a. None 13. Payment of Bills September Payables PAYABLES (101) General Fund $518,229.11 (202) Major Street Fund $827.16 (203) Local Street Fund $4,980.79 Page 2 of 3  (581) Airport $34,424.43 (590) Sewer Department Fund $400,100.54 (591) Water Department Fund $46,616.16 (661) Equipment Rental Fund $3,973.54 Total $1,009,151.73 Informational: $11,212.47 (206) Fire Department $12,420.92 (208) SRA Park Fund $5,694.01 (248) Downtown Development Authority $29,327.40 Total a. Motion: Peoples moved to approve the payables as presented, supported by Mais. Motion passed 7-0 14. Public Comment a. None 15. Council Member Announcements a. None 16. Adjournment a. Meeting Adjourned at 8:00 pm by President Whalen. Page 3 of 3