ANNUAL BUDGET

FISCAL YEAR 2025 - 2026

At their June 2, 2025 meeting the City Commission will consider adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget. The budget reflects our ongoing commitment to transparent, strategic, and community-centered financial planning. Developed through close collaboration across departments, this budget aligns fiscal resources with the City’s responsibilities for providing services, public safety, and financial stability.  

Budget Transparency Dashboard

New this year, the City has a Budget Transparency Dashboard powered by ClearGov to make our finances more accessible and understandable to residents.

This interactive online tool allows you to explore the City’s revenues and expenditures per capita, meaning it shows how much is spent or collected on average for each person living in the City. You can see where City funds come from (revenues) and where they go (expenditures), broken down by key service areas like public safety, parks, streets, and utilities.

A key feature of the dashboard is that you can enter your own property tax amount (be sure to include only the City portion, not county or school taxes, etc.) to see exactly how your individual tax dollars contribute to City services. This personalized view helps residents understand how much they are paying per capita toward things like public safety, road maintenance, recreation, and other essential services.

By providing this tool, the City aims to strengthen financial transparency and help residents see how public dollars are allocated and used to support the community.

PROPOSED R2 ZONING AMENDMENT CONSIDERATION

A previous recommendation from the Planning Commission to amend the R-2 Mixed Density Residential District will return for consideration pf possible enactment by the City Commission at their June 2, 2205 meeting. The proposed change would increase the allowable number of dwelling units per parcel in R2 from two to four units.

This amendment was initially part of a 2023 zoning update recommended by the Planning Commission, but was not adopted. The R-2 density adjustment was not acted upon, leaving R-1b and R-2 districts with identical density regulations.

While the amendment would allow for increased density, existing zoning regulations—such as setbacks, lot size, and other requirements—would still determine property eligibility.

CARVER STREET CAPE SEAL & MOBILITY INITIATIVE

While no action was taken at the May 19, 2025 City Commission meeting, the Carver Street improvements will return for consideration at the June 2, 2025 City Commission meeting.

As part of the recommendation, the project includes a cape seal between Woodmere Avenue and Garfield Avenue to extend the life of the roadway surface. On-street parking would no longer be allowed on Carver Street to make room for dedicated bike lanes on both sides of the street. To help offset this change, new parallel parking would be added nearby on Fern Street and Rose Street.

According to the City’s Mobility Action Plan, increasing low-stress bicycle traffic is a community priority. The lanes are intended to serve as a east-west mobility connector and in the future will directly link to the Boardman Lake Loop Trail.

UNION STREET ZONING AMENDMENT CONSIDERATION

The Planning Commission public hearing to consider a zoning amendment along Union Street in the Old Towne District is now scheduled for June 17, 2025. The proposal would rezone the area from C-2: Neighborhood Center District to C-4a: Regional Center District.

The key difference between the current C-2 zoning and the proposed C-4a designation is the requirement for residential units in taller buildings. Under C-2 zoning, buildings may be constructed up to 45 feet tall, but any structure exceeding 30 feet in height must include at least one story of residential housing. The C-4a zoning district removes this requirement, allowing buildings over 30 feet to be constructed without a mandatory residential component.

STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

CONSIDERED FOR ADOPTION ON JUNE 2ND

After months of community engagement and planning, the City’s Strategic Action Plan, centered around six key Strategic Pillars, will be considered for adoption at the City Commission meeting on June 2, 2025. The plan outlines priorities for building a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future for the community.

WATER SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT

WEEK OF JUNE 2ND

Michigan's 2017 Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) designates galvanized water services as lead service lines if they "are or ever were" connected to a lead gooseneck, requiring utilities to pay for replacing private water services from the curb stop to the building. Lead goosenecks, installed before the mid-1940s, are 3-foot lead pipes used between the brass connection to the water main and a galvanized pipe.

The City has since installed copper services and has no known fully lead service lines. Not all private galvanized lines need replacement; those originally connected to City-owned copper services don't require replacement. The water service line replacement project started in May 2025 and is anticipated to be completed in fall 2025.

Week of June 2nd Locations

The week of June 2nd, project will be conducted on 700 block of Sixth Street, and the 700 and 800 blocks of Seventh Street. The work will cause sidewalk and intermittent street closures.

SANITARY SEWER EVALUATION - SMOKE TESTING

WEEK OF JUNE 2ND

The field work portion of the Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES) began the week of May 26, 2025. This proactive study is designed to identify areas of inflow and infiltration (I&I) within the City’s sanitary sewer system, particularly on the west side of the City. The field work is anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2025.

Crews from OHM Advisors will conduct smoke testing, along with other methods like dye testing and inspections. The smoke used is non-toxic, odorless, and safe—but may be visible coming from vent pipes or the ground. If smoke appears indoors, it could signal a dry or faulty drain. Pouring a gallon of water into seldom-used drains ahead of time can help prevent this.

Please contact the City if someone in your household has respiratory issues and may need special consideration.

Week of June 2nd Locations

The week of June 2nd, the project will be conducted in portions of Downtown Traverse City, The Commons, Munson Campus, and the neighorhoods of Boardman, Slabtown, Kids Creek, and Morgan Farms.

APWA PROJECT OF THE YEAR STATE AWARD: NATIONAL AWARD NEXT

Congratulations to the Traverse City Department of Municipal Utilities and Director Art Krueger, PE, who recevied the 2025 Project of the Year Award by the Michigan Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) last week for the Sanitary Sewer Relocation Project in the Environment ($1–$5 million) category.

This recognition follows an even bigger honor: the project has also earned the APWA’s 2025 National Project of the Year Award and will be formally celebrated at the national awards ceremony this August in Chicago.

The project addressed a high-risk section of sewer along the Boardman/Ottaway River, relocating it away from an unstable 1930s-era retaining wall. Completed in 2023, the effort protects water quality, public health, and nearly half of the City’s wastewater flow—more than 2 million gallons daily.

The two-phase, $2.2 million project was funded through Michigan’s State Revolving Fund program. Special thanks to partners Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc., Elmer’s Crane and Dozer, Inc., the Downtown Development Authority, and local property owners for their collaboration.

SMART COMMUTE WEEK &

SAFETY ALLIANCE EVENT

MAKE THE BEST OUT OF SMART COMMUTE WEEK

Smart Commute Week

Smart Commute Week promotes alternative transportation by working with local partners to support healthy, active, and sustainable commuting year-round.

Join the 31st Annual Smart Commute Week, June 2–6! This fun, free celebration encourages cycling, walking, busing, and carpooling, with daily free breakfasts for smart commuters and the popular Commuter Cup Challenge — a friendly, all-ages competition where teams earn points and win prizes for every smart commute trip.

Grand Traverse Safe Streets Alliance Event

What is the Grand Traverse Non-Motorized Transportation Future?

In coordination with Smart Commute Week, the Grand Traverse Safe Streets Alliance invites the public to attend a discussion on potential for non-motorized transportation for commuting and shopping on June 3, 2025, from 6 - 8 pm at the Traverse Area District Library, 610 Woodmere Avenue.

At the session, the Alliance will have several short videos of current national success stories in cities that have expanded their non-motorized transit options, and will discuss the benefits, approaches used, and how challenges were addressed. Between videos, a panel discussion will occur and with open audience participation to spur ideas and discussion on how these best practice approaches could apply to Traverse City and the surrounding communities.

Bike Rally Corral - Bonus Event

Prior to the Alliance discussion, the public is invited to attend a Bike Rally Corral from 4:30 to 6 pm at on the front lawn of the Library. Bring your latest commuting bike purchase (e.g. cargo bike, pedal bike, E-bike, etc.) and show it off! Tell others why you purchased it, what are the options you purchased and considered and why it works for you. Local bike shops will be availabe for demos and questions, and Traverse City Light & Power will have information on their E-Bike rebate program.

IN THE COMMUNITY

TCFD SKILLS DAY

The Traverse City Fire Department and East Bay Ambulance recently teamed up to host Skills Day, a biannual continuing education event for EMS professionals across the region. The day featured hands-on training in airway management, bleeding control, and patient autonomy, as well as lectures from experts, including flight nurses and emergency department educators.

Instructors for the event came from APS, Pine Rest, North Flight Aero Med, Traverse City Fire Department, Glen Lake Fire Department, the Medical Director of the Northwest Regional Medical Control Authority, and Northern Glow Midwifery. The course agenda included a wide range of training topics, and 33 EMS professionals attended from Glen Lake FD, TCFD, East Bay Ambulance, MMR, North Flight Aero Med, Munson Medical Center, and Cherry Grove FD.

A total of 240 continuing education hours were issued. Thank you to all involved, and a big thank you to Michigan Rural EMS Network for training funds and equipment.