Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board members Friday approved an employment contract with new Executive Director Harry Burkholder, a three-year agreement with the city for trash collection services through GFL, and the city's new Mobility Action Plan.

Board members voted unanimously in June to hire Burkholder - who was previously COO and then interim CEO - to be the new executive director of the DDA. Burkholder replaces Jean Derenzy, who stepped down from the top DDA leadership role earlier this year. On Friday, board members approved Burkholder's executive director contract agreement, which has a July 1 effective date and runs through January 2028. Under the contract terms, Burkholder will receive a $130,000 annual salary, six weeks of vacation, and other fringe benefits.

The job post for the executive director role listed a starting salary of $125,000 or more based on experience. Burkholder's experience at the DDA - as well as his willingness to take on the leadership role during a tumultuous time for the organization - contributed to the higher recommended starting salary of $130,000, Vice Chair Scott Hardy said. "The future right now is pretty cloudy, and until we get some resolution on TIF 97, we felt it was really important that we acknowledge the risk Harry is taking in assuming this position," he said. "I'm not saying there was a huge monetary valuation put to that, but we certainly do appreciate it and want to reinforce that."

Board members Friday also approved a three-year trash collection agreement with the city through GFL. The DDA and city split costs for downtown trash collection on a 70-30 basis. The DDA's portion of the contract for the next three years will be $240,428.79 and includes seven-day-a-week pickup service during the busier warmer months. Some board members felt that trash collection has at times been lackluster downtown, pointing to overflowing bins on some weekends. Burkholder said that since the city has the contract with the GFL, it's ultimately up to the city to take up any quality issues with the trash collector on the DDA's behalf. However, he expressed confidence that trash collection would continue to improve downtown.

Finally, DDA board members Friday approved the city's new Mobility Action Plan. The plan is a subplan of the city's new draft master plan dedicated to addressing transportation and mobility issues in the city. The Mobility Action Plan uses both qualitative and quantitative data to tell “Traverse City’s mobility story,” according to presentation materials from City Planning Director Shawn Winter. Staff compiled annual average daily traffic volumes, maps of where existing infrastructure like bike lanes and sidewalks exist (or don’t) in Traverse City, and public input from residents on areas where they feel uncomfortable walking or biking. Because the types of improvements that would benefit a particular street are specific to that corridor’s conditions – and those conditions can change over time – the Mobility Action Plan doesn’t prescribe a list of recommended improvements to each street but instead includes a matrix to guide decision-making when city leaders have an opportunity to reconstruct or improve a corridor.

The Mobility Action Plan and city master plan will head next to planning commissioners and city commissioners for approval in the coming weeks.