[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6467336,"mediaKeyId","5798873-8d2c9890077bd99cc10f06a51849c4b1","parentId",5798873,"title","Resident criticizes Bay City Bridge Partners billing practices at public forum","audioSeconds",418,"startMs",674000,"endMs",1092000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5798873-8d2c9890077bd99cc10f06a51849c4b1&start=674&end=1092","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5798873-8d2c9890077bd99cc10f06a51849c4b1/thumbnail_674000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6467336/Bay-City/Bay-County/Michigan/Resident-criticizes-Bay-City-Bridge-Partners-billing-practices-at-public-forum","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467336-a2978024fd46ef5f9bfa83ca2aa84fa8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142620&Signature=R2Ltas0~ZEGfqeK3PN4BUZMT8Qsr5D9Qh7dFvbFir8LyC8Ew5TkNFXNrG-QVjegzzgoXwhaQ-ZSPHK-WzqBshNqbAoyoNJ7QV~jGpWyMcY4NKPvOhNtgaJktubK150UtSaHKnV4EyLKalW~hJY5Xf35~KxeXfJLJd2H8eH~sYe4P2qeNPkOKo3Gsjv7u6~-qxGEkxracGXaku3IvT9S36XjJKPE9v2AKFQdKxi~EUk0PgdPEezlEfm19F-XH~2k93FAze55H4YoOV19~~sMZBYPtSsYRuRj7sUHUe7dzmTHg5aHg6vQqYKsgdStFCgO6zf4Vqvs2zlcHxGtt1qxH9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Bay City, MI","date","2025-09-16T18:48:36Z","article","A Bay City resident used public comment time on Sept. 15 to criticize Bay City Bridge Partners for what he described as confusing billing and high fees that, he said, harmed an elderly neighbor.

Jeffrey of 409 Fillmore told the commission he reviewed an envelope from Bay City Bridge Partners and said the bill for a July 28 crossing showed a $2 toll and a $15 fee, plus an apparent previous balance, producing a $49 demand. He said the bill was postmarked Sept. 8 and carried a due date of Sept. 13, meaning the recipient received the notice after the posted due date. Jeffrey said the company’s notices threatened collection and that the notices are intimidating to younger drivers and residents with less financial resilience.

During his remarks, a commissioner moved to give the speaker two additional minutes; the commission approved the extra time. Jeffrey urged residents to withhold payments and boycott the company, asserting community resistance could shut the company down, and said he had retrieved the envelope from the neighbor earlier that day.

No city action or staff response to the allegations was recorded during the meeting; the comment appeared during the public-input period and was not followed by a commission directive or vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","9-15-25 Commission Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","A Bay City resident criticized Bay City Bridge Partners on Sept. 15, saying an elderly neighbor received a $49 bill for a single bridge crossing and alleging confusing fees and delayed mailings; resident urged community resistance and warned about collection threats.","taxTitle","Bay City, Bay County, Michigan","taxId",5009,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6467340,"Residents and commissioners press city to reopen Station 5, address staffing and Station 2 conditions",1759,310000,2069000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5798873-8d2c9890077bd99cc10f06a51849c4b1&start=310&end=2069","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5798873-8d2c9890077bd99cc10f06a51849c4b1/thumbnail_310000.jpg","/articles/6467340/Bay-City/Bay-County/Michigan/Residents-and-commissioners-press-city-to-reopen-Station-5-address-staffing-and-Station-2-conditions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467340-a3d34f07494a450fab5a71d477682236/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142620&Signature=f4QCFjO1GwK~iXSfKSZFoZ2sBjYxwfYcmYDICEiXDdhz79Yze2zgcINZKvdgo3JZZ7sFNNGyLFW3hwz~SXLtqcDV-vZHEV9EM3T57QEaXYkD4TWmTJZOdgVDpNsFCbLp2j5a2FoqmON9~UhVNvfhwuVvYsYeJbiODNPzrNusgis~BxNv3EXnjyEINTf4-bdsJw13-S1SO7JYgLCZfKqIS4-SQIT0Z2cxEuKgmKROrBzTJ~-VOuSsLTatejy0EkvVgH-7NLUGMJA5CADgIw~IBejlpvvnGSe0YucaQunwo2InxdNxXXxYgmMQaPO~cUVcL9lfv3koWD4EcEhuow0O3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Residents and commissioners urged Bay City leaders on Sept. 15 to prioritize repairs and staffing for local fire stations, saying closures and staff reductions have reduced on-call resources in industrial and residential corridors.

Judy Brenner, a member of the Northwest Citizens District Council, told the commission that Fire Station 5 on Smith Street was closed \"quietly in July 2024\" and said reasons cited for the closure included staffing shortages and mold and mildew from a leaking roof. Brenner said the closure leaves the Wilder Road–Truman Parkway–Industrial Park area more exposed to slower emergency response because frequent train crossings and bridge closures can limit travel between other city stations.

Brenner said the coordinating council passed a resolution in April approving use of Marquette Industrial Park TIFA funds to repair Station 5 and that an architectural review requested by the city manager was expected to be completed and available by October. She called for the city to repair and reopen Station 5 and to hire more full-time firefighters, saying the city’s full-time firefighter ranks had fallen from about 60 to around 23 since a move to the public-safety concept.

Commissioners raised related concerns in the remarks section of the meeting. Commissioner Coakley said Station 2 is an important station that handles roughly 2,500 calls a year and asked staff to focus on it before conditions worsen. Commissioner Teddy, who said he toured Station 2 on Friday, described the station condition as \"very poor\" and asserted that \"the PFAS levels there are through the roof.\" Teddy contrasted Station 2’s call volume with Station 5, saying Station 5 handles about 500 calls a year.

Commissioner Runberg asked the city manager for figures on what funds might be reallocated from existing accounts (questions later framed around TIF allocations and previously discussed \"flock\" funds). The city manager and staff said the architectural review for Station 5 was underway and that staff would provide further information and figures for the commission. One commissioner noted some TIFA funding decisions are restricted and not fully reassignable; the exact reallocatable amount was not specified in the meeting.

No formal action or vote on repairs, staffing or funding took place during the meeting; commissioners requested follow-up information from staff and indicated interest in options including targeted capital projects or bonding for fire department needs.

All factual claims about closure dates, staffing levels, call volumes, PFAS levels and approved TIFA resolutions appear in public comments or commissioner remarks and are attributed here to the speakers who made them.","Public commenters and several commissioners pressed the City of Bay City on Sept. 15 to repair and reopen Fire Station 5 and to address staffing shortfalls and poor conditions at Station 2, including a claim of elevated PFAS levels and sharply reduced firefighter staffing since a public safety reorganization.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6467346,"Commission approves amended Midland Street \"feet on the street\" permit, removes Halloween weekend closure",608,2358000,2966000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5798873-8d2c9890077bd99cc10f06a51849c4b1&start=2358&end=2966","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5798873-8d2c9890077bd99cc10f06a51849c4b1/thumbnail_2358000.jpg","/articles/6467346/Bay-City/Bay-County/Michigan/Commission-approves-amended-Midland-Street-feet-on-the-street-permit-removes-Halloween-weekend-closure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467346-20b5128b07f39438d7c3b2a8c0759e60/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142620&Signature=fqcpUA-O~4eLnNHwLLTp8mebehVhJxK-3CBMgCkSLtBNng~dIIVCweskxCOVO-Y0GMExHSaz1aMskx5nTbjzs7J3yfONBODa59UZiTCmalf~LwgrI9k-FuXlY2rfxmLfTetgRTgZARoM2S~rICgzSYjdUdpBt2KS1CjJemxzpSE7vX4yiAjNLgvgB9-N5rC307s~9jJ4ayfVkbungIDeEAAq7AILOhabmNdL2CT~MFYNFcmPgr~f5jWwyqm2h5xaL61Va5WbCD3YWb1SZy1vxYvQ6XctPdxGGIJRKQgLu-3if4AoWrPPbYROgNvlwYvzrTqALPvh5ekez2Bfj7RPtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Bay City Commission voted Sept. 15 to approve an addendum to the Midland Street \"feet on the street\" permit and amended the addendum to delete the proposed Halloween-weekend closure dates.

The amendment was proposed by Commissioner Shalabois, who said she wanted to \"delete the Halloween weekend dates\" from the addendum. Commissioner Tenney moved to approve the addendum as presented; Commissioner Runberg seconded the motion. Commissioner Morris seconded Shalabois's amendment. After discussion about event timing, family-friendly daytime programming and the overtime costs for closing the street, the commission adopted the permit as amended in a roll call vote.

The commission's debate centered on a request from Midland Street merchants to add dates to the existing permit, and a separate proposal from merchants and community organizers to hold a daytime children’s Halloween event. Supporters of the amendment said separating family-focused daytime hours from adult-oriented weekend events would help make Midland Street more welcoming for families. Opponents and some commissioners expressed concern about the practical and financial difficulty of opening and shutting the street mid-weekend.

City staff told the commission that requiring separate closures for a daytime, family-oriented event would raise overtime and operational costs because crews must close and reopen the street and staff overtime would apply. Commissioners discussed whether the Midland Street Management Board had voted to support the originally requested dates; at least one commissioner said the proposed Halloween-weekend closure had been submitted after the board meeting and had not been approved by that board.

The final roll-call vote was recorded as yes from Commissioners Zanotti, DeWitt, Rhumburg, Charlevoix, Morris, Cubitt, Coakley, Tenney and one additional yes noted by the clerk; the motion was adopted.

The approval allows the applicant, Jay Sanborn, to add dates to the district’s street-permit schedule except for the removed Halloween-weekend dates. Midland Street merchant Ashley Earl had earlier described plans for a children’s Halloween event on Oct. 25 from noon to 2 p.m. and said the merchants requested only limited handicap parking changes during the event. The amendment gives organizers certainty that the daytime, family-focused event can proceed without the larger weekend closure.

Commissioners said the amendment does not bar the applicant from later seeking specific closures for other dates if costs and logistics can be arranged between organizers and the permit holder. The commission did not adopt separate language on cost-sharing; the clerk recorded that the motion was approved as amended, and the meeting moved on to other business.","The Bay City Commission approved an addendum to the Midland Street \"feet on the street\" permit on Sept. 15, 2025, adopting an amendment that removed Halloween-weekend closure dates after debate about family-oriented programming and overtime costs for street closures.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Resident criticizes Bay City Bridge Partners billing practices at public forum

Residents and commissioners press city to reopen Station 5, address staffing and Station 2 conditions

Commission approves amended Midland Street "feet on the street" permit, removes Halloween weekend closure