Traverse City commissioners knocked out several key items of business at their last meeting of the year Monday, approving a contract for Benjamin Marentette as permanent city manager, a long-discussed complete streets policy, density changes in several neighborhoods, and a contract to help plan the future of the Governmental Center.

Marentette Contract
Interim City Manager Benjamin Marentette can now officially drop the “interim” from his title after commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve a contract appointing him permanently to the role.

Marentette, who has served as interim since July following the abrupt departure of former City Manager Liz Vogel, will earn a starting salary of $202,837. That’s an increase from his interim salary of $187,464 and rolls in a $6,000 car allowance previously allocated as a separate annual payment.

Effective July 1, that salary will increase by 4.9 percent to $212,837 subject to a performance evaluation. That increase is similar to cost-of-living adjustments already negotiated for other employees. Another raise by 4.7 percent to $222,837 is planned for July 2027. Starting in 2028 and every two years after that, the city will complete a market analysis for the position to determine subsequent increases, all of which are subject to performance evaluations.

The contract can be terminated with 60 days’ notice if Marentette resigns. He is financially penalized for resigning with less notice unless there’s a family emergency or illness certified by a physician. If fired by city commissioners, Marentette is eligible for 180 calendar days of salary and benefits.

Echoing support commissioners had already expressed for Marentette’s leadership earlier this month, Mayor Pro Tem Laura Ness Monday called him a “steady, talented, and familiar leader.” The contract approved is “well balanced, it's responsible, and it was intentionally designed to set Benjamin up for success,” Ness said. Marentette thanked commissioners and said he plans to “cultivate a mindset of possibilities throughout our organization.”

Complete Streets Policy
A complete streets policy several years in the making was unanimously approved by commissioners Monday. The policy prioritizes “sustainable transportation modes such as bicycling, walking, rolling, micro-mobility, and public transit” as part of street design, a new approach Marentette said was aimed at ensuring equity for all users.

The policy requires complete street principles to be applied to all city transportation projects, including “new construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, repaving, restriping, and rehabilitation.” Exceptions can only be made with city commission approval and in narrow circumstances such as improvements not meeting minimum safety standards. One percent of the city’s annual budget will be dedicated to complete streets projects. The policy also provides performance metrics, opportunities for public input, and guidance from a commission-appointed complete streets advisory committee – all of which reflects a “feedback culture” Marentette said the city is working to implement.

Also related to streets: Commissioners Monday approved the $329,775 purchase of an Asphalt Zipper milling machine. The equipment will allow the city to bring more street milling work in-house and not rely on contractors, saving time and costs. The city tested the equipment when repairing Fourteenth Street this year at 50 percent less cost than contractor estimates. According to City Director of Public Services Frank Dituri, the city is eyeing a major mill-and-fill/paving project on Seventh Street between Union and Division in 2026, as well as possible work on Washington Street. Those projects depend on access to equipment like the Asphalt Zipper, he said.

Density Changes
Commissioners voted Monday to remove dwelling density limits in several districts, including hospital (H), NMC, and hotel resort (HR) districts. The change, supported by the city’s planning commission, reflects a city move in recent years toward removing density limits to encourage more infill housing.
Focus has shifted instead to regulating the outside of buildings – like their setbacks and height – “leaving the division of the interior space to developers/property owners to meet evolving market demands,” according to a staff memo. City Commissioner Heather Shaw explained that the zoning change “does not change the size of the box, it just allows more boxes within the box.”

Commissioner Jackie Anderson was the sole ‘no’ vote on changing the H districts because she hadn’t heard from Munson about the proposal, while Ness abstained on that vote because her husband works for Munson. The NMC and HR changes passed unanimously.

Planning Contract
Finally, commissioners unanimously approved a contract to partner with Grand Traverse County to hire Plante Moran Realpoint to lead the county and city through a joint planning process for the future of the Governmental Center and preferred location of services. The city is paying $24,000 of the $160,000 contact, terms Marentette acknowledged don’t reflect the true county-city ownership split of the building (which is 74-26). However, county commissioners selected a firm with a “substantially higher price” than was expected, Marentette said, so the city was able to negotiate a reduced rate for its share.

Marentette said that determining the future of city/county services “is going to be a long road, and we want be very careful about what we're looking at.” Anderson said the partnership marks a “significant step forward in regional collaboration. That's an important part of our strategic plan, and it's nice to see it put into action.”