Traverse City commissioners delayed making any changes to the city's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) policy Monday in order to give the planning commission's housing and building committee more time to study the issue. Commissioners also accepted a recommended pay increase for the city commission made by the independent Local Officers Compensation Commission and approved a quit claim deed for Thirlby Field to officially establish that the property belongs to Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS).

City commissioners voted to request that planning commissioners provide a recommendation before the end of the year on several potential changes to the city's ADU policy. Noting the policy had been under review for nearly nine months by the planning commission with little or no movement, commissioners Amy Shamroe and Brian Haas initially asked their fellow commissioners to take action on approving several changes. Those included eliminating the 10-per-year cap on ADUs in the city, eliminating a 5,000 square-foot lot requirement, eliminating a minimum size requirement of 250 square feet, and expanding ADUs to the R-2 district (two-family dwelling district). 

But after extensive feedback from the public and planning commissioners Monday on a variety of complexities and unanswered questions surrounding ADUs, city commissioners agreed to allow more time for the issue to be studied. "I feel like the process is just as important as the final outcome," said Commissioner Michele Howard. "The committee is not stagnant. They've met several times, they're still working through the issues. If we asked the committee to address our concerns and they came back with nothing and met never, I would say, 'sure, move forward'... (but) they're not coming up with a resolution that they feel is sufficient to offer to us, so I feel like for us to go forward is premature."

Commissioners Shamroe, Haas and Gary Howe all expressed their desire to see ADU changes addressed quickly in order to bring more housing options online in the market. However, all agreed to setting a hard deadline for planning commissioners to make a recommendation on those changes. "I think this is an important issue again to just keep always on the radar and on our top of mind how to make it better," said Howe.

A recommendation by the Local Officers Compensation Committee to increase compensation for the board of tax review and the city commission was also accepted by city commissioners Monday. The decision raises the annual salary for Traverse City’s mayor from $7,526.04 to $7,593.77, an increase of $67.73. The proposal also eliminates a special rate for mayor pro tem and instead makes salaries equal for the mayor pro tem and all other five commissioners. The LOCC raised the mayor pro tem rate from $6,021.36 to $6,075.55 and brought all other commissioners up to that salary from their current rate of $5,418.43, an increase of $657.12. The LOCC's recommendation automatically takes effect unless at least five city commissioners specifically support a motion to reject the increase.

Commissioners Monday also approved a quit claim deed to officially establish that Thirlby Field belongs to TCAPS - considered a housekeeping matter - and accepted staff's recommendation for a slate of city paving projects this fall. The staff recommendation purposely left off any resurfacing work for Eighth Street this year, citing a desire to put any funds for the corridor toward its long-term reconstruction rather than temporary fixes. Staff said they would monitor the condition of the road and revisit the possibility of a temporary repaving project in spring 2018 "if necessary."