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DOWAGIAC — Improvements to the Dowagiac Municipal Airport are on the way.

The Dowagiac City Council approved approved a contract with Mead & White for its replacement of runway lighting at the Dowagiac Municipal Airport and approved two contracts with Michigan Department Of Transportation for its funding.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has approved an agreement and cost sharing for the replacement of runway lighting at the airport. Council documents show that Mead & White was the low bidder with $503,126 and the city received an engineer’s recommendation to approve their bid. MDOT 

The lighting project has an overall cost of $549,126. Unlike most projects at the airport, this project is funded by two grants and there will be two separate sponsor contracts from MDOT. The first, which was already signed, uses the traditional AIP funding for a total of $362,922 with a $12,168 local share (3.36 percent). The second uses the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds and is for $186,204 with a 5 percent local share of $9,310.20. The total cost to the city for this project will be $21,478.20. 

The council also approved an agreement for Assessing Services with Northrup Assessing, Inc. through 2026.

Based out of Marcellus, Northrup Assessing has been providing the city’s assessing services since 2017 when it entered into a three-year agreement with the city. Northrup Assessing is owned and operated by Shalice Northrup, who holds a Michigan Advanced Assessing Officer (3) Assessment Certification as well as a Michigan Certified Personal Property Examiner designation. Additional terms of the contract are as follows: Three year contract, renewable year to year thereafter unless canceled by either party upon a 90-day written notice. Duties will be performed per state law. A physical review of 20 percent of both real and personal property will be conducted annually. Annual compensation shall be $31,405 paid in 12 monthly installments and will remain the same for the duration of the agreement. This represents a 9.13 percent increase over the current agreement. 

As Assessor of Record, Northrup Assessing will be in the City of Dowagiac one day per week and will be available by appointment or by phone.

In other business, council approved a resolution to authorize the purchase of a police vehicle for CCDET for $32,385 from C. Wimberley. According to Dowagiac Public Safety Director Steve Grinnewald, one of the police department’s detective vehicles was damaged in a car/deer crash in July. Its insurance company determined that the vehicle was a total loss and provided the police department $27,500 for the vehicle, which would be the same make, model, and options of the vehicle damaged.  CCDET millage funds will reimburse the city for this purchase.

In further business:

Council approved a resolution updating the City’s non-union Classification and Compensation System to be effective October 1. The updated schedule includes an increase to the wage scale of 3 percent. Other changes include removal of eliminated positions and some minor reclassifications.

Council authorized budget amendments. Each year budgets are reviewed on a regular basis and then again at the end of the fiscal year for the purpose of making recommendations to Council to amend the budget based on actual financial activity and revised expectations.