HART - The first readings of five proposed ordinances and updates were heard at the Tuesday, May 12, Hart City Council meeting. The ordinances, previously discussed and open for comment at a Hart City Planning Commission public hearing, include 1242.07 Moratorium on Data Centers; 1243.28f Pervious Surfaces; 1243.22 Native Vegetation and 1243.22G Tree Planting, Maintenance and Removal; and 1243.04 Limitation on Lot Splits.
While City Manager Nichole Kleiner does not think Hart would be highly sought after for a future data center, the planning commission wanted to take a proactive stance in educating the greater community and protecting the city’s utilities, should the issue present itself. “This (ordinance) would place a six-month moratorium on data centers, giving the planning commission more time to investigate, evaluate, come up with language, and see what we're comfortable with,” Kleiner told council.
When council member Karen Thomson asked if a six-month moratorium was long enough, councilor Andrew Mullen, who sits on the planning commission, said they wanted to keep the time frame short so it does not get forgotten about and added the moratorium could be extended if needed.
Next, in response to the MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corporation) wanting to see green infrastructure requirements in the city’s zoning ordinances with regard to future construction and redevelopment, the planning commission has developed updated language related to their pervious surfaces, native vegetation and trees ordinances.
Lastly, with mandated zoning ordinances being discussed at the state level, the planning commission would like to adopt an ordinance giving local officials the right to make their own zoning decisions, not the state. “The lot splits the state recommends are a lot smaller than the commission is comfortable with,” noted Kleiner.
All five ordinances will have their second reading at the council’s next regularly scheduled meeting, Tuesday, May 26. The public is invited to attend and welcome to provide feedback regarding any of them.
Resolution 2026-17 Opposing House Bills on Zoning Changes tabled from the council’s April 14 meeting, was approved with a split vote. Council members voting in favor of corporately opposing HB 5529-5532 and 5581-5585 were Jim Cunningham, Dean Hodges, Thomson and Mayor Amanda Klotz. Council members opposed to taking a council position against the house bills were Catalina Burillo and Andrew Mullen. Prior to the vote Cunningham spoke in favor of opposing the bills, saying, “We believe the state is overstepping, and we’re here to say we don’t like it and to stop doing it.”
As far as those against the resolution, Mullen said prior to the vote, “We’re a legislative body. We make changes, give approvals to things, we don’t give opinions.”
He did vote for opposing the bills at the planning commission level, saying, “As the planning commission, we provide opinions to the council and let them decide.”
Burillo gave context to her statements about the situation by recalling another resolution that had come before the council in 2023. “I realize most of you were not here at the time, but remember it being said, ‘We’re a nation of laws. We go by the rule of the law.’ This (resolution) feels like we’re picking and choosing. At that time, the public felt the council should not speak for the rest of the community on the matter,” she said.
The final three resolutions were finance-related, but did not require the spending of any money. Instead, two resolutions will bring money into the city’s general fund, and one resolution will transfer city property to the Hart Cemetery.
Resolution 2026-23 authorized the Hart Police Department to release and deposit a total of $502 from the department’s evidence room into the city’s general fund. The monies, held for a number of years and associated with closed or inactive cases, have had no rightful owner identified or stepping forward to claim.
Resolution 2026-24 awarded a timber harvest bid to Northwest Hardwoods, Inc. in the amount of $31,651.00 in revenue for the harvesting of 479 trees identified on the city’s property off West Lever Road. “I think (this amount) would be the minimum. They might be able to identify more trees. The idea would be to responsibly thin the property and not harm it,” Kleiner said.
The resolution did not say, and no one present knew, what types of trees were to be harvested, but it is estimated it has been nearly 25 years since the property saw a timber harvest.
Resolution 2026-25 approved the transfer of a 2008 Ford F250 XL Super Duty pickup with 67,225 miles to the Hart Cemetery. While estimated to have a fair market value of $3,445, the vehicle is not considered suitable for regular road driving and will be used solely as a cemetery maintenance vehicle. It will be transferred as-is with no warranties.
