Traverse City's Top Five Priorities

Homelessness, a new strategic plan, EMS services, FishPass, and staffing at the top of the city’s to-do list

By Anna Faller | July 6, 2024

As Traverse City continues to grow, local government officials and the citizens they serve feel the growing pains. Challenges (like the housing shortage), opportunities (like major infrastructure improvements), and pressures (like finite space in the city limits) have all reared their heads in the past few years.

Northern Express sat down with Mayor Amy Shamroe and City Manager Liz Vogel to talk about their top five priorities for the city.

Priority No. 1: Providing Support and Permanent Housing for the Homeless

The first of these priorities, Shamroe and Vogel agree, is to provide support for those experiencing chronic homelessness.

Though the end goal is to establish permanent living solutions for that population (which ranges from seven to a staggering 100 people), the city’s most urgent order of business is to address conditions at The Pines, the swath of forest near the Grand Traverse Commons that serves as a de facto camp for the chronically unhoused.

“We’re working on that larger goal of long-term housing units, but that takes time,” Vogel says. “In the interim, we still need to address other issues. It’s all part of the continuum of care.”

To do this, the City Commission has collaborated with local nonprofits—notably the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation (GTRCF) and Rotary Charities of Traverse City—to implement a few critical facilities. Of these, a pair of solar-powered benches that double as a charging hub are a highlight, as well as a pair of portable toilets with wash stations in The Pines.

Housing is also on the docket, headlined by a $360,000 contribution to East Bay Flats. Acquired by Goodwill Industries of Northwest Michigan last year, the complex, through collaboration with the city, is slated to provide permanent housing for 17 homeless individuals by August and another 10 by January 2025.

Next steps include additional units at both Annika Place and Ruth Park complexes, as well as several other construction projects coming up the pipeline. Still, Vogel stresses that the city can’t address this growing issue alone.

“It’s been a huge team effort between the city, philanthropies, and quick response team members working together. We’ve made some excellent strides, but I think we’ll be talking about this for some time as we invest and find solutions,” she says.

Priority No. 2: Strategic Planning

The pair have also set their sights on crafting a new strategic plan, which, per Shamroe, hasn’t been addressed since the 1990s. “It’s been a long time!” she says with a laugh.

As Vogel explains, the primary goal of the document, which she estimates will go public around September, will be to present a long-term vision that reflects the priorities and concerns of local residents.

“The process is going to share a story for Traverse City,” Vogel explains. “What do we value and what are the most pressing issues?”

The process will be bookended by a pair of research and consulting firms that will collaborate to manage strategic planning, budgeting, and governance training for city leadership.

Highlights of the updated plan will include a new budget, which Vogel hopes will more accurately reflect the priorities of local stakeholders and residents, as well as a host of public outreach, including surveys, forums, and roundtable talks. “We want a lot of voices at the table,” she says.

Ideally, the plan will also help the manager’s office communicate function with the public—an effort, which according to Shamroe, isn’t always as effective as it could be.

“Our meetings are just as much to the public as they are to the board they’re being presented to,” she says. “We have to be better about putting information out there, and having clear pathways for how to do that will come out of strategic planning.”

Avenues might include website advancements, as well as an increased social media presence for bite-sized city updates and news, though both women stress that the team is still exploring methodologies.

“I’m very excited about how this will allow the city to streamline and modernize [its services] with the excellent staff we have,” Shamroe adds.

Priority No. 3: Creation of an EMS Department

Also top of mind for Vogel is the rollout of an EMS department, the creation of which voters overwhelmingly supported via Proposal 3 on the 2023 ballot.

The change would create an EMS crew through the Traverse City Fire Department, thereby making them the city’s primary emergency medical transport service (previously facilitated by MMR Grand Traverse).

Per Vogel, the overhaul is expected to take about two years, starting from when funding is secured, which, in this instance, is coming from a bump in Traverse City’s operating millage. “The tick-tock of that [timeframe] starts this summer, which is exciting, and I think we’re already ahead of the game,” she says.

So far, the City Commission has authorized three new EMS positions—which, as Vogel points out, is just the backbone of the originally-requested nine—as well as the purchase of two ambulances. Next steps include hashing out facility plans, which could include a temporarily-shared space, as well as talks of structural updates to meet the needs this service would require.

“Slow and steady wins the race here,” says Vogel. “We’re working towards making concerted steps along the way, so this is something the community will continue to hear and see more of as we continue to make progress.”

Goal No. 4: Fish Pass and Infrastructure

Infrastructure updates, like the notable completion of FishPass, is another biggie.

FishPass is part of a restoration project to reestablish connectivity between the Boardman/Ottaway River and Lake Michigan. Once complete, this 20-year undertaking will replace the crumbling Union Street Dam with fresh infrastructure to allow passage of wildlife, while inhibiting invasive species. The project also involves a few above-ground elements, including the construction of a community outreach and education center and a revamped city park.

“It’s going to be incredibly impressive to have here, and is a big first step towards making a difference for our ecosystems,” Shamroe notes. It also ties into other city-wide revitalization projects, like updating stormwater treatment and storage, whose $2 million price tag has historically been tough to surmount.

Other infrastructural goals for city leadership include restoration of the Boardman/Ottaway River—which, says Shamroe, is also a plus in terms of celebrating local indigenous cultures—as well as removing parking from the lower Boardman and increasing water access.

Priority No. 5: Transparency and Staffing 

Of course, achieving all this becomes much harder when residents don’t understand or trust the structures and people that operate their government offices.

“There has to be some willingness to engage in community conversations, and we also need people to trust that what’s going on behind the scenes is to help them,” Shamroe says.
To this point, she highlights that the city’s elected offices are all part-time and many wear other hats in the community.

“There’s a throughline in this community that is very positive, and where [as a civil servant] you do know people. I hope [those relationships] can help people see past negative governmental rhetoric, and instead see that their friends and neighbors are the people working for and with us,” she says.

The city is also on the precipice of a significant shift in office staffing when multiple employees retire. Vogel, for instance, is a fresh addition, having assumed her role in January. Police Chief Matt Richmond and City Engineer Anne Pagano are also both new, and Shamroe tells us the city has two more positions that have yet to be filled.

Though the team is well-set to manage this wave of change, it’ll likely come with a learning curve. Per Shamroe, this brings a few points to light: one, that there are always more moving parts to city initiatives than the public sees; and two, that community support—and maybe some grace—is critical to the success of its management.

“We live in an 8.6-square-mile space of very different opinions on different things,” concludes Vogel. “As we tackle new problems, we have to be respectful of those opinions and listen with the intent to hear...”

Staying in the Know

How can you learn more about the work and topics tackled by the city government?

Both women agree that subscribing to “The Bay Brief”—that’s the City of Traverse City’s weekly e-newsletter—is a great place to start. “It’s got the highlights of what’s going on as far as city projects and things that’ll be on the agenda,” says Shamroe. Live broadcasts of meetings are also a reliable resource.

For those interested in a particular issue, the City Commission agenda is also public, which notifies subscribers of city meetings and sessions, and highlights the topics they cover.

Those hoping to engage in city functions can also apply for board positions, though it’s important to note that some of these are only available to residents of Traverse City.

And if you’re not quite sure where to start? Shamroe encourages those with questions to begin with the staff at the City Clerk’s Office. “From there, they can direct you to the right people,” she says. “Nobody’s ever mad that someone has a question for us. There are a lot of ways that people can contact us, and we hope that they do!”