Traverse City commissioners will tackle a packed agenda Monday that includes repairs to the North Union Street Bridge, a sidewalk infill project on Garfield Avenue, a process for replacing outgoing City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht, and a $1.2 million payment to the city’s pension provider to get the city better funded on its retirement debt, among several other topics.

Bridge/Sidewalk Work
Commissioners will vote Monday to approve a contract with Grand River Construction for up to $947,265 – a figure that includes a 10 percent contingency – for repairs to the North Union Street Bridge.

According to City Engineer Anne Pagano, the bridge has had weight restrictions posted on it since last spring due to “severe corrosion of some beam ends over the pier.” Planned work will include repairing those beam ends, as well as “replacing the leaking expansion joint between the two spans that caused the corrosion,” Pagano says. All of the bridge’s steel beams will be cleaned and painted to “mitigate further corrosion,” according to Pagano.

Grand River Construction was the lowest of three bidders on the project. The Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is contributing $150,000 in TIF 97 funding to the bridge work. Construction is slated to take place in the spring 2027.

Commissioners will also consider approving a contract with AJ’s Excavating for up to $147,476.19 (including a 10 percent contingency) for a sidewalk infill project on Garfield Avenue. The project – “aimed at improving pedestrian safety, accessibility, and connectivity” – will add new sidewalk to the east side of Garfield from just south of Boon Street to the southern end of the airport property, according to the city’s Bay Brief.

“This segment has been identified as a gap in the network, limiting safe and continuous pedestrian access along the corridor,” the Bay Brief states. “Sidewalk infrastructure plays a critical role in supporting safe and accessible mobility for residents of all ages and abilities. This project will help create a more complete pedestrian network, improving connectivity for those traveling along Garfield Avenue and accessing nearby destinations.” The sidewalk work is expected to be completed this summer.

Also related to streets, commissioners will approve a resolution updating the city’s certified street map to include a portion of Garland Street connecting to Union Street, which was reconstructed in 2016 but never made official on the map. That map must be accurate in order for streets to be eligible for state funding under Act 51. Commissioners will also approve a contract for nearly $764,000 (including a 10 percent contingency) with Pavement Maintenance Systems for cape seal work throughout the city this summer. As part of that work, Front Street is set to receive an enhanced buffer to its bike lane.

Commissioners will also approve several traffic control orders to make signs permanent in several areas, including an all-way stop sign at the southwest corner of Front Street (eastbound) at Pine Street, a stop sign on Red Drive at its intersection with Silver Drive, stop signs at Cottageview Drive and Silver Drive, and pedestrian-in-crosswalk signage on Pine Street at the midblock crosswalk between Front Street and State Street.

City Attorney Position
Commissioners will consider a process Monday for replacing City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht, who recently announced she is stepping down from her position effective June 30.

Trible-Laucht said in a memo that several commissioners have asked her about options for filling the position. According to Trible-Laucht, ione is to post the position through the city’s HR department and use an interview process similar to that used for the city manager. The commission could review the job description at its May 4 meeting and post the position right after that. Another option is to use a third-party HR specialist to identify qualified candidates for consideration. Commissioners could either use a request-for-proposals (RFP) process to find that HR specialist or simply select one. That person or firm would assist commissioners with a recruiting and interviewing process.

Commissioners could also choose to engage a law firm on an ongoing basis rather than hire a new city attorney. In that scenario, staff would bring a proposed RFP to commissioners at their May 4 meeting for review, which should include “minimum qualifications and characteristics that will assist bidders in shaping their proposals and assist the commission in comparing the responses,” Trible-Laucht wrote. She added that it was “important for the commission to provide direction” Monday since any of the options will likely take several weeks if not more to execute and her departure is looming in two months.

MERS Payment
Finally, commissioners will consider approving an additional $1.2 million payment to the city’s pension provider, Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS). Commissioners received a report in January showing the city is currently 55.2 percent funded on its retirement debt. That is below a 60 percent state threshold, meaning the city must submit a waiver application to the state for review as it’s considered underfunded.

According to City Treasurer/Finance Director Heidi Scheppe, the city is working with MERS on additional voluntary contributions “to bring the plan up to 75 percent funded in 9-10 years.” The city paid an additional $300,000 toward the plan last July. Commissioners agreed recently to suspend the city’s fund balance policy in order to be able to use some of those funds toward the pension debt, among other expenses. The city is also budgeting $250,000 in the 2026-27 budget and beyond, according to Scheppe, which should get the funding level to 60 percent by 2028.