November 19, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes

Feb 6, 2026 | HTMMTS Boards, HTMMTS Meeting Minutes

Regular HTMMTS Board Meeting Minutes
November 19, 2025
City of Grand Haven

1. Meeting called to order by President Ashley Latch at 4:31 PM.

2. Roll Call:

Present: Bessinger, Cargo, Cate, Gallagher, Latch, Lyon, McIntyre, Selner, & TePasste
Absent: Pavick & Whittemore

Also Present:
Appel (Finance), Borg (Executive Director), Dumbrell (HR), Jones (Safety), Walker (Marketing), & Woline (Finance)

3. Unscheduled Public Appearances / Call to Audience:
None

4. Approval of Consent Agenda:

a. Approval of September 24, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
b. Approval of Bills Memo in the amount of $805,393.19
c. Receive Financial Statements
d. Review of FY2026/FY2027 Estimated Budget
e. Receive Local Advisory Council (LAC) Meeting Minutes
f. Approval to Continue Membership of LAC Members

Motion by Cargo, second by TePasste to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion carried.

5. Report:

a. Marketing
Walker reported on:

• Two 30-second ads running on Comcast

• Various community engagement events, including the November 5 Travel Training Class attended by 30 people, free rides to local food pantries (November 17–December 31), and trolley rides to Spring Lake Sparkle (November 29–December 20)

• McIntyre asked about suggesting locations of food pantries; Walker reported to let her know of any

• Advertising update: 11 active advertisers with 14 bus wraps

b. Operations
Borg reported on:

• Total ridership is about the same as last year, but down overall. Cargo asked to see comparisons to pre-COVID ridership in future reports

• Trinity at the Lakes ridership is up over the same period last year

• No-shows continue to trend downward

• There were no reportable accidents, injuries, or breakdowns for the previous two months

c. Transportation
Borg reported on:

• The pre-bid meeting for the new facility is December 3

• The Department of Labor (DOL) certified the construction grant. The grant required resubmission following the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) approval to modify vehicle propulsion from electric to propane

• Grand Haven Township approved the special land use application on November 3

• NEPA reevaluation will be completed on the abandoned house and two other structures on the property, allowing demolition of the buildings in the spring of 2026

6. Board Member Comments:

• Borg welcomed Lyon to the board and introduced new employee Jones

• Lyon asked about arrangements for “Jeepfest” in August 2026 so attendees can ride to and from the festival site on Harbor Island (rides are currently advertised as originating on Harbor Island)

7. Meeting Adjourned:
4:56 PM

8. Next Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting:
4:30 PM, January 28, 2026
Grand Haven Township
1330 168th Ave
Grand Haven, MI 49417

Respectfully Submitted,
Bill Cate
Secretary

September 24, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes

Nov 21, 2025 | HTMMTS Boards, HTMMTS Meeting Minutes

Regular HTMMTS Board Meeting Minutes
September 24, 2025
Grand Haven City Hall

Meeting called to order by President Craig Bessinger at 4:30 PM.

1) Roll Call

Present: Craig Bessinger, Cathy Pavick, Ashley Latsch, Kevin McLaughlin, Will Whittemore, Gordon Gallagher, Joel TePastte, Brady Selner
Absent: Bill Cate, Deanna McIntyre, Bill Cargo
Also Present: Finance/Asst Dir Appel, Exec Dir Borg, Ops Supervisor Burghardt, HR Dir Dumbrell, Marketing Specialist Walker, Acct Supervisor Woline

2) Approval of Agenda

Motion by Gallagher, second by TePastte to approve Agenda as presented. Motion carries.

3) General Business/Call to Audience

None.

4) Consideration for Approval of Consent Agenda

a) Approval of the July 16, 2025, Regular Meeting Board Minutes
b) Approval of the Bills Memo in the amount of $1,091,776.07
c) Receipt of the Financial Statements
d) Approval of FY2025 Final Amended Budget
e) Review FY2025/2026 Budget Pre-Implementation:

• Budget

• Capital Projects

• COLA–Wage Scale
  f) Approve 2025–2026 HTMMTS Board Meeting Dates

Motion by Gallagher, second by Whittemore to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion carries.

5) New Business

a) Approve MERS Defined Contribution Plan Adoption Agreement and Addendum

Dumbrell reviewed and discussed the MERS DC Plan Adoption Agreement and Addendum.
Motion by TePastte, second by Whittemore to approve. Motion carries.

b) Review of Executive Director’s Performance Appraisal

Gallagher mentioned the progress and improvements under Borg’s leadership. Pavick and TePastte also commended Borg.

c) Elect HTMMTS Board Officers

Nominations opened by Bessinger.
Nomination by Gallagher:

• President: Ashley Latsch

• Vice President: Brady Selner

• Gallagher to remain as Treasurer

• Cate to remain as Secretary

Support by TePastte. Motion carries.

6) Reports and Correspondence

a) Marketing Update – Annelise Walker

• Coast Guard Festival social media insights

• Comcast Advertising campaign overview

• Community Engagement activities:

  • Harbor Transit’s 50th Anniversary Party

  • Local school visits

  • Grand Haven High School Boomerang Career Fair

b) Operations Update – Scott Borg

• Overview of Operational Statistics and Ridership

• Trinity at the Lakes transfer point continues to grow

  • Gallagher asked about additional service near the new Costco; Borg noted cooperation with Muskegon Area Transit would be needed

• Deviated Fixed Route ridership discussed; decrease attributed partly to hour changes

• Safety: No reportable crashes, injuries, or road calls

c) Executive Director’s Update

• Triennial Review results:

  • No repeat deficiencies

  • Technical Capacity: Missing documentation on delayed bus order; corrective action taken

  • Procurement: Missing Federal Clauses; corrective action taken

• Coast Guard Festival Ridership: Increased, more efficient

• 50th Anniversary Celebration

• Operations Center Project Update:

  • Design Development estimate under budget

  • Construction Documents expected mid-November 2025

  • Project bidding expected late November 2025

• Vehicle Propulsion Change:

  • FTA approval received September 5, 2025

  • Department of Labor approval expected November 1, 2025

7) Board Members’ Comments

a) Pavick asked about State funding impacts; Appel noted potential shortages and options such as using more Federal funds and reducing vehicle replacement frequency. Borg mentioned likely difficult decisions ahead.
b) McLaughlin stated this was his last meeting due to his Council term ending. Borg thanked him for his service.
c) No other comments.

8) Meeting Adjourned

Adjourned at 5:04 PM.

9) Next Scheduled Meeting

November 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
City of Grand Haven
519 Washington Avenue
Grand Haven, MI 49417

July 16, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes

Sep 26, 2025 | HTMMTS Boards, HTMMTS Meeting Minutes

Regular HTMMTS Board Meeting Minutes
July 16, 2025
Village of Spring Lake

1. Meeting called to order by President Craig Bessinger at 4:00 PM.

2. Roll Call:
Present: Bessinger, Cargo, Cate, Gallagher, McIntyre (4:07 PM), McLaughlin, Selner, & Whittemore
Absent: Latch, Pavick, & TePastte
Also Present: Finance/Asst Dir Appel, Exec Dir Borg, Ops Supervisor Burghardt, HR Dir Dumbrell, Marketing Specialist Walker, & Village of Spring Lake Intern Keefe

3. Approval of Agenda: Motion by Cargo, second by Whittemore to approve the Agenda aspresented. Motion carried.

4. Unscheduled Public Appearances/Call to Audience: None

5. Approval of Consent Agenda:
a. Approval of May 28, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
b. Approval of Bills Memo in the Amount of $1,727,829.39
c. Receive Financial Statements
d. Receive Estimated FY2025 Budget
Motion by Cargo, second by Gallagher to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion carried.

6. New Business
a. Approve Resolution 25-0716-01—Amendments to Personnel Manual. Motion to approve by Cargo, second by Gallagher. Role call vote; motion carried unanimously. (McIntyre not present.)
b. Discussion/Action on AIA Agreement with the Christman Construction Co. Motion to approve by Cargo, second by Whittemore. Discussion: Cargo recommended that a Harbor Transit employee with construction knowledge be appointed as an Owner’s Representative. Motion carried.
c. Discussion/Action on the new Park and Ride Fares. Appel reported that fares are being rounded up to the nearest dollar to eliminate use of coins. Motion to approve by Cargo, second by McIntyre. Motion carried.

7. Reports
a. Marketing. Walker reported on:
• Touch-A-Truck event on Jun 16.
• Farmer’s Market Table on Aug 6.
• Harbor Transit’s 50th Anniversary on Aug 22.
b. Operations. Borg reported on:
• Total ridership is up by 21% over last year.
• Trinity at the Lakes ridership is up over the same period last year.
• Deviated fixed route (trolley) ridership is down primarily due to changes in routes.
• No-shows are down significantly.
• There were no reportable accidents, injuries, or breakdowns for the previous two months.
c. Transportation. Borg reported on:
• FTA Triennial Review Site Visit is Jul 23 & 24 with an exit conference on Jul 31
• Final changes and updates to the NEPA submission were completed in Jun 23; we have not received FTA’s response.
• HTMMTS is currently in the Design Development Phase of the building project with Progressive AE; next step is site plan approval by Grand Haven Township in early to mid-Aug 2025.
• HTMMTS is actively preparing for Coast Guard Week 2025 with the goal of alleviating parking constraints and efficient transportation of riders in and out of downtown Grand Haven.

8. Board Member Comments: None.

9. Meeting Adjourned at 4:21 PM.

10. Next Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting: 4:30 PM, Sep 24, 2025, City of Grand Haven, 519 Washington Ave, Grand Haven, MI 49417