ZEELAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Feb. 6, 2023) – It should be a busy Monday night for the Zeeland City Council, even if alcohol is not on the agenda.
The issue of allowing liquor sales on Sunday came up in the council’s work study session two weeks ago when some retailers, who do have licenses to sell by the glass and/or the bottle, pointed out that both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, which land on Sundays in 2023, are usually banner days for sales. They have asked the city to waive the Sunday prohibition exception for those two dates. The Michigan Liquor Control Commission told Zeeland city staffers that this could not be done under state law, which mandates either sales on all Sundays or none at all. Part of the proposal voters approved of in 2006 was that no alcohol would be sold on Sundays in Zeeland. The matter may come up at a future City Council session, with some members proposing that a public hearing should take place before any decision is made.
What is on the agenda for tonight’s 7 PM business meeting is a public hearing ahead of a vote on a Act 198 Exemption Certificate request by Gentex. The speciality parts maker wants a 12-year, $27.1 million tax break in order to expand its North State Street facility by 60,000 square feet, which the company claims would retain its current workforce levels there and add around 100 jobs over the next two years.
Also before council is renewing a two-year, $12,000 contract with Issue Media Group, who puts out the weekly The Lakeshore West Michigan online publication; awarding Site Works Solutions an $8.4 million deal for snowmelt work along Main Avenue; awarding Denny’s Excavating a $348,000 contract for building pickleball courts, interior pathways and various landscaping improvements at Huizenga Park; and awarding a $103,000 deal with B2 Building Bridges and Professional Services for tree planting and accompanying improvements at the Felch Street Cemetery and along Alice Avenue.
A 6 PM work-study session precedes the business meeting for the Zeeland City Council in chambers at Zeeland City Hall (21 S. Elm St.). The agenda and supporting documents can be downloaded: Zeeland City Council Meeting 2-6-23.
