City Commission

The law firm representing St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners has filed a complaint for declaratory judgment against the city of Three Rivers. Troy-based Abbott Nicholson filed the paperwork Monday in St. Joseph County Circuit Court. The issue centers on the current validity of a contract between the county and the city, and whether Three Rivers has breached its terms …

Property owners in the city of Sturgis will see no property tax increase this year. City commissioners last week sidestepped adding nearly a half-mill to hire an additional police officer and a fire marshal. The commission set the 2017 operating tax rate at 10.0285 mills, the same millage levied in the city for more than a decade. A millage hike was …

Constantine Village Council members have approved an ordinance authorizing the use of golf carts on village streets. An operator must be at least age 16 and licensed to operate a motor vehicle, must comply with signal requirements and may not use the sidewalks. By ordinance, the speed limit is 15 mph. In addition, carts are not permitted on the street …

Three Rivers’ effort to annex a 77-acre property from Lockport Township gained considerable strength Thursday, following support from a key state official. Shelly Edgerton director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, sided with a recommendation from her five-member commission and approved the annexation. Edgerton’s signature Thursday means Three Rivers cleared the most significant – and potentially final …

Two public hearings and eight matters of new business highlight this evening’s Three Rivers City Commission meeting. The public hearings center on a budget hearing and property-tax act, and a user-fee ordinance update. Business to be considered by Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners include the sale of 125 East Broadway Street to Clark Logic for $275,000, a resolution related to …

Three Rivers’ plan to develop a multi-field sports complex hit a snag Tuesday, when the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals reversed a local ruling on whether the parcel is vacant. The setback marks a win for Lockport Township. Its officials filed the appeal in February 2016 after St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton ruled the 77-acre parcel …

A Community Development Block grant application for a brew pub in downtown Three Rivers was approved Tuesday by the Three Rivers City Commission. The $365,788 CDBG was being sought by Landmark Tap House and Grille, which is slated to open in a three-storefront location North Main Street early next year. Specifically, it is targeted for an area that included Pub …

Over the objections of a vocal opponent and despite concerns from a pair of its members, Three Rivers City Commission has authorized design, bidding and construction-engineering services related to a proposed youth sports complex. Tuesday’s action allocates more than $300,000 to Kalamazoo-based Virdis Design Group. The decision came after resident Kathy Bingaman questioned whether it was premature to act on …

A matter of business related to the Three Rivers Youth Sports Complex highlights this evening’s Three Rivers City Commission meeting. Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners will consider authorizing more than $320,000 to Virdis Design Group to proceed with the design, bidding and construction engineering for the proposed facility. Also, the commission will consider authorizing city staff to execute any necessary …

Members of a state panel Wednesday sided with the city of Three Rivers in its attempt to annex a 77-acre parcel of land from Lockport Township. By a 3-to-2 vote, the five-member State Boundary Commission recommended in favor of the city following a public proceeding at the commission’s office in Lansing. At stake is the prospective development of a $4.1 …