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January 28, 2026 Board Meeting Minutes

Mar 27, 2026 | HTMMTS Boards, HTMMTS Meeting Minutes

Regular HTMMTS Board Meeting Minutes

January 28, 2026
Grand Haven Township

  1. Meeting called to order by President Ashley Latch at 4:34 PM.

  2. Roll Call:

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

    Also Present: Appel (Finance), Borg (Exec Dir), Dumbrell (HR); also Adam Seng & Zachary Hilt (Christman Co.)

  3. Unscheduled Public Appearances/Call to Audience: None
  4. Public Hearing: Adoption of HTMMTS FY 2026-27 Budget
    Opened at 4:35 PM by Latch. There were no members of the public present.
    Motion by Lyon, second Selner to approve. Motion carried.
  5. Close Public Hearing: Closed at 4:36 PM by Latch.

  6. Consent Agenda:
    a. Approval of Nov 19, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
    b. Discussion/Action on Payable Warrant
    c. Receive Financial Statements
    d. EEO Data Harbor Transit

    Motion by Bessinger, second by Whittemore to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion carried.

  7. New Business:

    a. Discussion/approval of contracts for construction of the new operations center.
    Seng of the Christman Co. presented a summary of the 17 sub-contracts for a total of $19,471,673.
    Motion by Cate, second by Whittemore to approve as presented. Motion carried.

    b. Discussion/approval of amendment to Christman Co. contract.
    Motion by Cargo, second by Whittemore to approve the AIA A133-2019 Exhibit A – Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment contract for the New Operations Center Project and authorize the Executive Director to execute the document on behalf of the Harbor Transit Board.

    c. Discussion/approval of FY 2026-27 Requested Budget (Appel).
    Motion by Bessinger, second by Whittemore to approve. Motion carried.

    d. Discussion/approval of FY 2026-27 Fee Schedule (Appel).
    There are no recommended changes.
    Motion by Cargo, second by Lyon to approve. Motion carried.

    e. Discussion/approval of FY 2026-27 Uniform Millage Rate (Appel).
    A .60 Millage Rate is recommended.
    Motion by Cargo, second by Lyon to approve, pursuant to Headlee Rollbacks of individual municipalities. Motion carried.

    f. Discussion/approval of FY 2026-27 Resolution of Intent (Appel).
    Required by MDOT.
    Motion by Cargo, second by Whittemore to approve. Motion carried.

    g. Discussion/approval of Hard Cap Resolution No. 2026-0128 (Dumbrell).
    Required by MDOT.
    Motion by Cargo, second by Selner to approve, adopting the annual exemption option.
    Roll Call Vote: Yes: 8, No: 0. Motion carried.

    h. Discussion/appointment of WMSRDC Westplan Policy Committee Representative and Alternate.
    Motion by Cargo, second by Lyon to appoint Borg as representative and Appel as alternate. Motion carried.

    i. Discussion/approval: FY 2026-27 FTA Certs/Assurances & Master Agreement (Appel).
    Motion by Selner, second by Whittemore to approve. Motion carried.

  8. Reports & Correspondence:

    a. Marketing:
    Borg shared updates on marketing initiatives, including Comcast commercials, a digital campaign geared toward younger riders, Harbor Transit gift cards, and rider retention. Also, Harbor Transit participated or led two community events, including a travel training class. There are 11 active advertisers with 14 bus wraps.

    b. Operations:
    Borg highlighted operational statistics, including total ridership for 2025 (down by 1% from 2024), on-demand ridership, Trinity at the Lakes ridership (up by 705 over 2024), no-shows (down by 1,500), and improvements in on-time performance. There were two NTD Reportable Safety Events in 2025 and 8 road calls in Jan 2026.

    c. Executive Director:
    Borg informed the board that the Bus & Bus Facilities Grant agreement was executed on Jan 9, 2026, culminating a nearly 18-month process. Ottawa County Commissioners Brugger and Teeples toured the existing facilities and discussed transportation needs in the county. Weather permitting, a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility is planned for 2:30 PM, Wed, Mar 25, 2026.

  9. Board Member Comments
  10. Meeting Adjourned by Latch at 5:37 PM
  11. Next Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting:
    4:30 PM, Mar 25, 2026
    Grand Haven Township
    13300 168th Ave, Grand Haven, MI 49417

(Note: Location changed from Spring Lake Township to coincide with groundbreaking for the New Operations Center on the same day.)