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CITY OF MUSKEGON
LEGISLATIVE POLICY COMMITTEE
MEETING
February 25, 2026 @ 5:30 PM
CITY OF MUSKEGON, ROOM 204
933 TERRACE STREET, MUSKEGON, MI 49440
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Ken Johnson, Vice Mayor Destinee Keener, Commissioners
Katrina Kochin, Willie German, Jr., Kiley Jackson, Jay Kilgo, and Rebecca St.
Clair. City Manager Jonathan Seyferth, and City Clerk Ann Marie Meisch
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Approval of Minutes Clerk’s Office
Approve the minutes of the December 1, 2026 Legislative Policy Committee
Meeting.
Motion by Commissioner Kilgo, second by Commissioner St. Clair, to Approve
the minutes..
ROLL VOTE: Ayes: Jackson, Kochin, St.Clair, Johnson, Kilgo, Keener, and
German
Nays: None
MOTION PASSES
A. City Commission Handbook Manager's Office
Staff is requesting guidance on the new commission handbook and the
associated policies.
Several suggested changes are in the final document for the City Commission
to be considered at a future Commission Meeting. Some changes include
keeping all videos of meetings indefinitely, zooming into non-televised meetings
upon request, and the Mayor excusing Commissioners for cause.
A. MGT Final Workplace Culture Report Manager's Office
Beginning in July of 2025, the MKG Core Team worked with MGT to assess the
impact of the city's policies, programs, and practices on city staff. Focus
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groups were conducted, and the final results of the work with MGT were
included in a report that covers the all-employee survey, policy audit, and
impacts on staff. A summary of the report was presented by Donald Nunez, the
MKG Core Team Chair.
Commissioners questioned why there wasn't more participation. Staff indicated
that they were anonymous, so there is not a way to ask those individuals.
MGT offered three key recommendations to advance the work already carried
out by the city. They are:
1. Strengthen transparency and communication.
2. Foster cross-departmental collaboration.
3. Support career pathways.
B. Clarifying Charter Amendment Language Manager's Office
In November 2025, 58% of voters supported instituting term limits for the
Muskegon City Commission.
This added language to the City Charter, which states in part, " A person may
not serve on the City Commission for terms or partial terms that combined total
more than 12 years." This language conflicts with the City Charter, as it does not
prohibit someone from running, only from serving. Additionally, this creates a
conflict with State Law, specifically the Home Rule City Act (MCL 117.5(1)(d))
which states "...the term of a public official shall not be shortened or extended
beyond the period for which the office is elected or appointed, unless he or
she resigns or is removed for cause, if the office is held for a fixed term."
Please see the attached letters from the Governor's and Attorney General's
offices, which provide additional context on this conflict.
Would the City Commission like to put a clarifying amendment on the ballot
that would prohibit someone from running if they've served more than 12
years? City Commissioners can put Charter Amendments on the ballot with a
three-fifths majority vote (5 of 7 members). A petition process would not be
involved.
This is for discussion only and staff will act accordingly following this discussion.
The Commissioners decided this would be a topic for a later discussion.
Commissioner Kilgo indicated he would like to make a change that a citizen
must live in the city for one year, not in the ward.
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C. State & Federal Legislative Update Manager's Office
Pete Wills shared updates on State and Federal issues and their impact on the
City of Muskegon.
D. RxKids Community Champions & Financial Support Manager's Office
The City of Muskegon is being asked to contribute $50,000 per year for three
years (total $150,000) to support the expansion of Rx Kids, a statewide maternal
and infant cash support program.
The Muskegon/Muskegon Heights Rx Kids program will provide direct,
unconditional cash payments to pregnant residents and infants during the first
six (6) months of life. Families receive a $1,500 prenatal payment and $500 per
month during infancy, helping stabilize households during a critical period of
development.
The Community Foundation for Muskegon County has already committed
$150,000 over three years, equal to the $150,000 we're being asked to consider.
Additional local partners are expected to contribute, bringing total annual
local support to approximately $288,000 (the required match by the state of
Michigan). The three-year local match is about $866,000 dollars.
This local investment will leverage more than $2.3 million in state funding for
Muskegon County each year, totaling more than $6.9 million over the three-
year life of the program.
Staff is recommending that we take the $150,000 from a portion of the City's
Committed Fund Balance that has been set aside for the Social Equity Program
but has not been spent. Currently, $382,000 sits in this committed account.
Using $150,000 over three years would still leave more than $230,000 for Social
Equity Programming.
It is important to note that committed funds do not count toward the City's
unassigned fund balance. So this action would not impact the uncommitted
fund balance.
In addition to financially contributing to the program, the City of Muskegon will
also serve as the Community Champion. Those responsibilities include:
Leading outreach and community engagement to ensure families know about
and enroll in the program.
• Helping raise awareness about Rx Kids and elevate the stories of
participating families.
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• Hosting community events to build connections and visibility.
• Working with a network of local stakeholders to maintain program
integrity and long-term support for families.
• Verifying residency of participants (participants must live in the city of
Muskegon or Muskegon Heights).
Our Communications team has reviewed these engagement requirements and
are confident they can deliver the needed requirements.
Residents of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights will be eligible to participate.
Other communities participating in this program across Michigan include:
City of Flint (where the program originated)
City of Kalamazoo
Eastern Upper Peninsula Counties
City of Pontiac
Clare County
Royal Oak Township
City of Hazel Park
City of Dearborn
City of Hamtramck
City of Highland Park
City of Inkster
City of Melvindale
City of River Rouge
City of Yipsilanti
Gladwin County
Roscommon County
City of Saginaw
Buena Vista Township
Bridgeport Township
City of Benton Harbor
City of Niles
City of Buchanan
Benton Charter Township
Lake County
City of Detroit
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Motion by Commissioner St. Clair, second by Commissioner Vice Mayor
Keener, to I move to approve funding the RxKids program out of the City's
Committee Fund for the Social Equity Program in the amount of $50,000 per
year for the next three years, totaling $150,000.
ROLL VOTE: Ayes: Jackson, Kochin, St.Clair, Johnson, Kilgo, Keener, and
German
Nays: None
MOTION PASSES
E. Citizen's Request to Speak Form City Clerk
From time-to-time we receive a request from the media or others for contact
information of someone who spoke at a meeting. We normally reach out to the
individual in these cases and ask permission to share this information. By placing
this statement with a checkbox on the form, would eliminate this step.
The Commission indicated they were fine with this change.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
PUBLIC COMMENT
ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Commissioner Kilgo, seconded by Commissioner St. Clair to adjourn
at 8:16 pm.
MOTION PASSES
Respectfully Submitted,
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC City Clerk
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