12.5.2025 - December Council Meeting Agenda for 12.8.2025 - UPDATED 12.9.2025

December 8, 2025 City Council Meeting

Agenda Highlights and Follow Up on Water Meter Question

Our next Coopersville City Council meeting will be held on Monday, December 8, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. Below is a summary of the Discussion / Action items in Section 8 of the agenda, followed by a resident question and answer about item 8.A on water meters.

Section 8: Discussion / Action Items

8.A Proposed Amendment to add Subsection (h) to Section 1040.10, Meters

Council will consider an ordinance amendment related to the citywide water meter replacement program. The change would require installation of standard city water meters and allow water service to be discontinued for noncompliance after reasonable notice.

8.B 2026 Community Parks and Recreation Plan

Council will consider adoption of the 2026 Community Parks and Recreation Plan, a five year guide for park and recreation priorities from 2026 through 2030. This plan is also required for the city to be eligible for certain Michigan DNR park and recreation grants.

8.C Asset Test / Poverty Exemption Policy for 2026

Council will review and consider updates to the poverty exemption policy for the 2026 tax year. This includes income limits that follow the Federal Poverty Guidelines and an asset test that generally limits combined household assets to $25,000, as required under state law.

8.D Appointments and Reappointments to Board Positions

Council will consider appointments and reappointments for several board and commission positions that expire in December 2025. These include:

• Board of Review alternate

• Fire Authority Board council member alternate

• Senior Recreation Advisory Board council member

The council will also acknowledge open seats on the Planning Commission, the Property Maintenance Board of Appeals, and two Zoning Board of Appeals alternate positions.

8.E Phase 1 Water System Improvements: 68th Avenue 20" Transmission Main

Council will consider approving a professional services proposal with Prein & Newhof for preliminary design work on a proposed 20 inch water transmission main along 68th Avenue. The work includes topographic survey and geotechnical services at a cost not to exceed $66,000, which would be reimbursed in full by Fairlife.

For full details, the complete council packet is available on the City of Coopersville website.

Follow Up on Item 8.A: Question from JB about Water Meters

After the agenda was posted, a resident, JB, asked for more detail on item 8.A 

Response

Right now the city has about 16 old Sensus touchpad meters left that still need to be upgraded to the newer Metron-Farnier radio-read meters. City staff have been working on this transition for more than ten years, and we are down to the last few customers who still have the older style meters.

This has become more urgent because the system used to read the old Sensus meters will stop working after January 1, 2026, unless the city purchases new equipment and pays ongoing maintenance costs. The estimated cost is about $5,889 for a one time equipment upgrade and about $3,700 per year in maintenance. That expense would only support a very small number of remaining meters.

As of November 2025, 8 customers with older meters had not responded to calls and outreach from city staff to schedule their required upgrade.

Completing the replacement program is intended to:

• Reduce manual reading costs and repeat visits by staff

• Improve data accuracy for billing and system monitoring

• Enhance system protection through better diagnostics

The Metron-Farnier meters store 90 days of usage data, which helps with leak detection, and they can send automated alerts for unusually high usage and potential backflow issues. These features help staff identify problems earlier and support reliable service for customers across the city.

If you have questions about the water meter program or need to schedule an upgrade, you can contact Coopersville City Hall and staff will be happy to help.

UPDATE - Unofficial Highlights of Key Actions and Updates

Important note: This is my personal, unofficial summary based on the council packet and the notes I took during the December 8, 2025 Coopersville City Council meeting. It is not an official record and may contain errors. For the official wording and votes, please refer to the approved minutes and documents on the City of Coopersville website.

Section 8: Discussion and Action Items

8A – Amendment to Water Meter Ordinance (Section 1040.10)

Council approved an amendment that supports finishing the citywide transition from older Sensus touchpad meters to the standard Metron-Farnier radio-read meters.

• The amendment requires customers to allow installation of the city’s standard meter when requested.

• Water service may be shut off if a customer refuses installation after proper notice, with reconnection subject to standard fees.

• One council member voted no, citing concerns about long-term health studies and informed consent. The motion still passed.

8B – 2026 Community Parks and Recreation Plan

Council approved the 2026 Community Parks and Recreation Plan.

• The plan updates the more detailed 2021 parks and recreation study.

• It documents improvements through 2025 and keeps the city eligible for certain Michigan DNR grant opportunities.

8C – Asset Test and Poverty Exemption Policy for 2026

Council approved the 2026 poverty exemption policy.

• The city continues to use federal poverty guidelines for income.

• The asset limit remains at $25,000.

• Under recent state law changes, this policy does not need to be reapproved every year unless council chooses to change the income or asset thresholds.

8D – Appointments and Reappointments to Board Positions

Council approved reappointments and filled several council-member roles:

• An alternate position on the Board of Review was reappointed.

• A council alternate was confirmed for the Fire Authority Board.

• A council member was appointed to the Senior Recreation Advisory Board.

Staff also noted open volunteer positions on:

• Planning Commission

• Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) regular and alternate seats

Residents interested in serving are encouraged to submit a boards and commissions application to City Hall.

8E – Phase 1 Water System Improvements

68th Avenue 20-inch Transmission Main (Survey and Geotechnical Work)

Council approved professional services for survey and geotechnical work for a proposed 20-inch water transmission main along 68th Avenue into the city.

• The contract amount is up to $66,000.

• Fairlife has agreed to fully reimburse the city for this work.

• The project is intended to improve system redundancy for the city and to evaluate capacity needs for a possible Fairlife expansion.

8F – Water Rate Study by Utility Financial Solutions

Council approved a water rate study by Utility Financial Solutions.

• The study cost is $24,850, and Fairlife has agreed to fully reimburse the city.

• The study will examine whether current water rates are sufficient to cover system costs and future infrastructure investments.

• Fairlife requested the study as part of its decision process about a potential major expansion in Coopersville.
  
  

City Manager Update – Key Project Highlights

This section is also an unofficial summary based on my notes and may contain errors. For project details and exact figures, please refer to official city documents.

Grove Street Bridge

• The city has secured roughly $3.2 million in funding through the state’s bridge bundle program for the Grove Street Bridge project.

• This program places most of the design and construction management work with the state, which reduces the burden on city staff.

• When complete, the bridge is expected to reopen, although timing details are still being worked through.

Main Street Bridge (2028 Funding)

• The city has also secured about $3 million in funding for the Main Street Bridge in 2028.

• Unlike Grove Street, the Main Street Bridge project will require more direct involvement from the city, including studies and engineering done through city-managed consultants.

Second Water Main and System Redundancy

• Staff are working on Phase 1 of a second major water main project, focused on increasing capacity and redundancy for the city’s water supply.

• Phase 1 is currently estimated at about $15.5 million.

• The full long-term project is expected to be in the $45–$47 million range.

Potential Fairlife Expansion

• Fairlife is exploring a potential $500 million expansion in Coopersville that could roughly double production.

• The transmission main project and the water rate study approved in Section 8 are part of making sure the city’s infrastructure and rate structure can support that potential growth while still protecting local ratepayers.

Southeast Regional Force Main and Lift Station Work

• The Southeast Regional Force Main project is a large regional wastewater project with a total cost in the tens of millions of dollars. Most of the pipe installation is complete.

• Work is ongoing at the West Randall lift station and on upgrades to the main lift station.

• There are also planned upgrades at the E Street lift station, with staff working through location and cost questions after FEMA raised concerns about the original site.

Other Water and Utility Upgrades

• Upgrades are underway at the 68th Avenue water booster station, including backflow prevention equipment previously approved by council.

• Once Fairlife’s flow is rerouted to Muskegon, the city plans to reconfigure parts of the wastewater treatment facility for emergency storage and better resilience.

Again, this is information based on my meeting notes and is not in anyway official and may contain errors.