Compiled by Scott Fraley, scott.fraley@pioneergroup.com

Published

3:21 pm EDT, Sunday, August 2, 2020

MANISTEE — The next meeting of the Manistee City Council will be held remotely, as city officials continue to take precautions against the spread of COVID-19.

During its 7 p.m. remote meeting on Wednesday, Manistee City Council will consider a pair of ordinance amendments and could approve an agreement with IT Right for information technology consulting and support.

The upcoming council meeting is set for Wednesday — contrary to the usual Tuesday evenings — due to the primary election on Tuesday.

The council could take action to extend the duration of a provisional permit granted medical marijuana facilities and recreational marijuana establishments to April 1, 2021.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the ability to complete construction projects, marijuana businesses that were issued provisional permits and licenses have been unable to complete construction projects required to obtain final inspection from the state and approval of their State of Michigan license.

The inability to secure a state license makes it impossible to apply for and obtain final permits and licenses from the City of Manistee within the one year duration demanded under current ordinance.

If approved, the extension would only apply to currently issued Provisional Permits and Provisional Licenses.

Hollander Development has also requested an amendment to allow for a later completion date for the Hillcrest Apartments Housing Development project. They are requesting an additional 24 month period to complete construction of the project, due to delays incurred negotiating with their architect and construction company to lower construction costs down to remain in budget.

As an ordinance two separate readings are required. If this ordinance is introduced at this time, it could be adopted at the next regular meeting.

If approved, the project’s completion date will be extended until Aug. 17, 2022.

The city council could also approve an agreement with IT Right to continue providing network consultation and support services.

IT Right has recently reworked its service model and approached the city with a proposal to provide additional planning services and a higher-level network security.

The city attorney has prepared and approved the agreement.

To join the meeting, members of the public should dial 1 (646) 558-8656. Then callers should enter the meeting ID number, which is 817 7779 1775 for the Wednesday meeting. Follow this by entering the passcode which is 433506.

Callers are advised to dial in 15-20 minutes prior to the meeting so that city clerk Heather Pefley can admit and remove the caller’s phone number from the public view.

City council meetings can be viewed on Manistee TV cable channel 189 and 190 as well as online at manisteetv.org.