City commissioners approve dealership buyout, hear from Department of Building Safety
Ken Williams cuts a piece of wood for renovations on his Mount Pleasant home in this Feb. 21, 2022, file photo. Residential homes could be held to new building and maintenance standards, if the city commission opts to adopt International Property Maintenance Codes standards.
During their first July meeting, held on Monday the 10th, the Mount Pleasant City Commission approved a contract buyout with Kraphol Ford & Lincoln.
Commissioners also heard a presentation from the Department of Building Safety on property maintenance codes.
International Property Maintenance Codes
The commissioners’ meeting included a presentation from the Mount Pleasant Department of Building Safety to look more closely at the adoption of International Property Maintenance Codes (IPMC).
Brian Kench, the city’s building inspector, explained the codes and their applications.
“(IPMC) provides a clear understanding regarding the authority and duties of the code official while preserving the rights and privileges of the property owner and building occupants,” Kench said.
He added that there are several other college towns in Michigan that have adopted IPMC, such as Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
If adopted, these codes would apply to existing residential buildings as well as new builds and require compliance from owners.
"The International Property Maintenance Code establishes minimum requirements for the maintenance of existing buildings through model code regulations that contain clear and specific property maintenance and property improvement provisions," according to the IPMC. The full code can be accessed here.
“We’re looking at improving neighborhood aesthetics and property values by setting minimum standards,” Kench said.
A few things are changing in the existing code to match IPMC:
- Updates to building regulations and removal of specific maintenance requirements;
- Additions to housing and licensing standards; and
- Defining conditions for what is considered a “dangerous structure”
Commissioner Elizabeth Busch clarified a few points with Kench, primarily the changing nature of the ordinances.
“If we accept this policy there will have to be exceptions at certain points in the year, and that’s doable,” Busch said.
She also brought up the city’s presence on tribal lands, and said that the codes do not impact members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe living in Mount Pleasant.
“However, if they chose to, they could adopt these policies as well,” Busch said.
The commissioners have not yet voted to approve or deny the use of IPMC.
Vehicle buyout approval
The commissioners did, however, approve a buyout plan with the Kraphol Ford car dealership in Mount Pleasant.
For several years, the city had a buyback program with the dealership, where after the initial purchase of a fleet of vehicles for city use, they could be exchanged a year later for newer models at a price point close to $3,500 each.
City Manager Aaron Desentz said the dealership is no longer capable of participating in the buyback agreement.
The newest plan for city vehicles, Desentz said, is to purchase the current 18 vehicles used by the city for $79,200 total, or $4,400 each.
“This will maintain the current fleet with high quality vehicles,” Desentz said.
He clarified that the vehicles aren’t being purchased for the typical price of a new car because of the initial cost of the buyback program taken on by the city.
Announcements
There were two announcements at the commissioners’ meeting.
The first was for the return of the Isabella County Fair for 2023, which falls on July 23 through 29.
“Enjoy events all week long ranging from carnival rides to super kicker rodeos to demolition derbies and more,” according to the city of Mount Pleasant website.
The second announcement was to remind the public of the upcoming elections for two open commissioner seats in November.
Brian Assmann and Bryan Chapman have terms coming to an end on Dec. 31, 2023, leaving seats open for the 2023-2026 term. According to the city clerk’s office, the deadline for filing petitions is July 25, 2023.
More information on petition deadlines and the election is available in this previous Central Michigan Life article.
The Mount Pleasant City Commission meets every second and fourth Monday of each month, with a live online option on their YouTube channel.
