Revisiting the sale of Waverly Park on Council’s Thursday afternoon agenda
Posted
Andy Balaskovitz
Wednesday, Jan. 18 — Lansing City Council President Brian Jeffries is wasting little time revisiting a pair of ballot proposals he rejected a few months ago.
Jeffries sent an email to local media outlets Tuesday — something his predecessor A’Lynne Robinson rarely, if ever, did — announcing several issues and proposals he wants Council to take up at its meeting Thursday afternoon.
The big one is Jeffries’ commitment to revisit asking voters to sell Waverly Golf Course and adjacent Michigan Avenue Park. The ballot proposal has failed to garner a majority of Council support on three separate occasions in the past year. It involves more than 120 acres of city-owned land in Lansing Township. “Any net proceeds from the sale of the Property will be used for improvements in the City of Lansing park and recreation system,” the administration-backed proposal says.
A second parkland proposal asks voter permission to sell 1.4 acres of Oak Park that contains an old maintenance building on the east side to Neogen Corp.
If approved by a majority of Council members, both would appear on Aug. 7 ballots.
Jeffries opposed both proposals in December because they would have potentially gone on Feb. 28 Republican presidential primary ballots, subject to less voter turnout. Jeffries said then he’d support the proposals if they were sent to August primary ballots. At-Large Councilwoman Carol Wood and former 1st Ward Councilman Eric Hewitt also voted against.
Jeffries’ Tuesday email indicates he wants the proposals to be discussed and possibly voted on during Committee of the Whole Thursday. The proposals need at least five votes to move before the full Council for a final vote.
Council meets at 1:30 Thursday afternoon. Jeffries also said in his email that committee assignments for 2012 will be announced Thursday.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here