Each year, the City of Traverse City compiles an annual recap called “The Performance” that includes key numbers from the previous year showing how individual departments and the city overall are performing. This year, that report was unveiled at a special live event at the City Opera House – where an expansion of the city’s communications department and an initiative to seek public ideas for city properties were also announced.

“City Strategy in Motion + A Team Traverse City Celebration” brought dozens of people to the City Opera House Thursday to hear a presentation from City Manager Benjamin Marentette. State Rep. Betsy Coffia and State Sen. John Damoose were in attendance, as were numerous local elected officials, city department heads, and nonprofit and business leaders. Ahead of the event, Marentette shared why the city was unveiling its Performance report – which is normally briefly presented at a city commission meeting and then published on the city’s website – in a larger venue.

“2025 was a year of alignment, where community voice and strategic direction came together – laying the foundation for the measurable outcomes we are committed to delivering in the years ahead,” Marentette said. “With the adoption of our first strategic action plan and the recent adoption of the city commission’s OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), we are moving from vision to execution. City Strategy in Motion is an opportunity to celebrate the progress made possible by our residents, city commission, staff, volunteers, and partners – and to reaffirm our commitment to transparent, accountable, and intentional governance.”

The Performance includes several figures and statistics from the city’s last year. Highlights include:

> The city began a multi-year, $35.5 million investment to modernize the wastewater treatment plant. “Key upgrades include a new headworks building with preliminary screening and grit removal, two new primary clarifiers, upgraded pumping systems, and replacement of the aging UV disinfection system,” the report states. The project is expected to be completed in 2028 and is being funded through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, with repayment through the city sewer fund. The city also rehabilitated 9,000 feet of sanitary sewer last year.

> More water system improvements are on the horizon in 2026, including an estimated $4.68 million upgrade to the Front Street lift station and construction of a new 20-inch force main running from the lift station along Wellington Street to the wastewater treatment plant. The city is also preparing to embark on a major membrane replacement project at the plant, as well as continuing to replace local galvanized water service lines. The city replaced 223 such lines in 2025 and have finished 546 since 2023.

> The city’s capital improvement plan, which lists six years of upcoming planned projects, included 50 proposed projects in the 2025-26 fiscal year at a cost of $22 million. One hundred and seven projects are listed through 2031 at an estimated $136 million price tag. One of the city’s major projects in 2025 – which had significant state funding support – was the opening of the new $10 million Traverse City Senior Center. The fully electrified senior facility was the first of its kind in the state.

> Other key projects included the “continued advancement of FishPass, which reached a major milestone in early 2026 with in-stream components 50 percent complete,” the report states. The city tackled multiple street projects including Fourteenth Street, East Ninth Street, Fulton Street, Eleventh Street, Twelfth Street, and Griffin Street, plus over four miles of cape seal treatment, downtown mobility improvements, street resurfacing on sections of Cass and Union, and new Eastern Avenue sidewalk. The city also adopted a new complete streets policy in 2025. Looking ahead, a major $4 million-plus reconstruction of Monroe Street is on deck this year, along with mill-and-fill projects on Oak Street, South Elmwood, and Seventh Street.

> On the parks front, the city finished installing new signage across more than 30 parks, reconstructed the West End Beach parking lot, installed new bathrooms at West End and the volleyball courts, installed two Mobi-Mats at the Senior Center and Clinch Park, and made improvements to Ashton Park and Jupiter Gardens. Next up, the city has received voter approval to make $3 million in improvements to a variety of city parks over the next five years, with Parks and Recreation currently finishing a new master plan that will help guide those investments.

> Some other numbers from The Performance: The city committed $522,000 in funding support to various affordable housing and homeless initiatives. It also received nearly $4 million in grants last year. Staff planted 379 trees and seedlings and partnered to compost 58,000 pounds of food scraps, resulting in 27.5 cubic yards of finished compost. A new rooftop solar and battery energy system at the wastewater treatment plant is expected to cut 350,000 pounds of carbon emissions annually, saving $2.4 million in lifetime utility costs. The city also expanded its green fleet of vehicles and equipment to seven. Finally, the Traverse City Fire Department responded to 4,094 calls for service last year – a 14 percent increase over 2024.

At the City Opera House event, Marentette highlighted how the above projects align with the city’s new strategic action plan, which was developed with input from more than 1,500 residents and partners. The plan has six strategic pillars and 24 action items to “guide policy, investments, and decision-making over the next five years,” according to the city. Because of a “strong community desire for innovative social gathering spaces” that emerged during the plan’s creation, Marentette said the city is now seeking public ideas for city properties.

The city is seeking concepts that are “low cost, high impact, and focused on enhancing quality of life for locals,” according to a new online submission form. “Ideas might include temporary activations, pilot projects, pop-ups, public art, tree planting campaigns, flexible gathering spaces, seasonal programming, or other imaginative uses that foster belonging and connection.”

A stronger focus on strategic planning means the city is now expanding its communications department to become the department of communications and strategic initiatives. Marentette announced the change at the event, with Colleen Paveglio’s role expanding from city communications director to director of communications and strategic initiatives. The new department is expected to “maintain public-facing dashboards and internal tracking tools to help monitor progress,” “provide organization-wide and public reporting on key initiatives,” help departments across the city align with OKRs and the strategic plan, and “support transparency in how resources are allocated,” according to the city.