The Empire Village Council held a public hearing and regular meeting on September 23, 2025. The key outcomes included the approval of a No-Wake Lake designation for South Bar Lake and various operational and infrastructure decisions. The council also addressed personnel policy changes and approved street closures for an upcoming community event.
Public Comments
During the public hearing regarding the No-Wake Designation for South Bar Lake, several residents expressed their support, including Marc Oberschulte, Steve Lewis, and Cheryl Clark. A letter from Carol and John Peterson in support of the designation was also read aloud by Bacon. The public hearing concluded shortly after the comments.
Affordable Housing Initiatives
(No discussion on affordable housing was present in the document.)
Parks and Recreation Matters
An update on the Master Plan for improving Shalda Park was mentioned, indicating it would be available for discussion at the October Work Session. Chase thanked volunteers for cleaning up Shalda Park.
Infrastructure Projects
- **Slow No-Wake Resolution**: The council approved Resolution No. 8 of 2025 related to the No-Wake designation for South Bar Lake with unanimous support.
- **Street Closures**: The council also approved the street closures for the Trunk and Treat event on October 31st.
- **DPW Quotes for Tank Vent**: Approval was given for a quote not to exceed $3,000 from Michigan Pipe and Valve.
- **Excavation for Service Line Inspections**: The council directed PowerVac to complete hydro excavation of 10 water curb stops and to schedule this work for October.
Other Business
- The consent agenda was approved, including the minutes from the previous work session and bills totaling $23,898.97.
- The operational report included plans for several street and alley bids and a building permit for a beach changing room.
- The council's communications included a letter regarding Short-Term Rentals read aloud during the meeting.
Financial Summary
The council approved bills totaling $23,898.97 during the consent agenda, however, specific details regarding budgets or financial allocations were not provided.
Action Items
- The Personnel Committee is directed to meet to address recommendations from the Village Attorney.
- The DPW is set to investigate the costs of a new LDR system for the next budget year, with a temporary manual repair approved.
- A follow-up with PowerVac to schedule the excavation of 10 water curb stops is to be arranged upon the return of the DPW Superintendent from vacation.
Source Document
This summary was AI-generated from the official meeting record. The full source document is the authoritative version.