Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

CASSOPOLIS — The Cassopolis Village Council began looking toward the future of the village at their regular monthly meeting on Monday.

Alexis O’Flynn, who is in charge of community development in the village, presented details on the Master Plan and Parks Plan for 2025-2030. Master plans are required by state law to be reviewed every five years and are also necessary for the village to remain eligible for grant dollars and for Redevelopment Ready Communities recertification.

Cassopolis is taking the opportunity to create a new plan, as opposed to renewing the one created in 2019, as they have already achieved or are in the process of achieving eight of the nine goals from the current Master Plan. The village will be seeking public feedback through surveys, in-person events, and community outreach.

The cost of the master plan should be covered by grants from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority Housing Readiness Incentive Grant Program and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Redevelopment Ready Communities Technical Assistance resource.

An initial set of five proposals has been narrowed to three based on cost and how well the proposals fit the goals of the village. The three proposals will be reviewed by the council and voted on at the next action meeting of the council, which will either take place at the next regular meeting on February 10th or at a special meeting on January 27th. The village will post, as required by law, if a special meeting is to take place.

Trustee Kelly noted that she wants to make sure the council has enough time to properly review the proposals to make the most informed decision.

The council also welcomed Kyante Buck, who was chosen from a selection of sixteen final candidates as part of the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan’s Community Development Fellowship program. Buck will begin work on January 27 and will share duties between the Village and the Cass County Land Bank for fifteen months.

Village Trustees reviewed an attorney’s letter related to a conflict of interest process involving a grant provided through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. 

The notification came due to a family member of a village employee applying for the grant. The process is meant to verify that the village employee has no bearing on the grant selection nor would receive any financial benefit from the grant, if awarded. MSHDA will make the final determination as to whether a conflict of interest exists. The letter noted that the employee does not reside with the grant applicant, contribute to them financially, nor do they have any involvement in the grant work.

Trustee Pedersen inquired about the progress of work being done at Don Horne Park, concerned about the space being ready for the little league season. Village staff confirmed that the portion of the project that would affect the baseball games was required to be finished by the start of the season.

The council also discussed opinions on future designs for holiday lighting within the village.

The next Cassopolis Area Utilities Authority meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 21st at 3:30pm. The council’s next workshop meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27. The next regular village council meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10. All meetings take place at the Cassopolis Village Hall.