What the commission actually did Monday night.
Monday, August 17, 2026, 7:00 PM, City Commission Chambers, 241 W South Street. Results.
🔦 The items worth your attention
No new data centers, crypto mines, or battery storage, at least for now. Commissioners adopted the citywide moratorium on accepting or processing applications for data centers, battery energy storage systems, cryptocurrency mining centers, and AI data centers (H-6). It nearly went through with a flaw in it. A resident in public comment pointed out that the resolution's text referenced the wrong section of itself. City Attorney Leon brought it to the commission and said this one had to be fixed, though he didn't recommend the other changes floated that night. Commissioner Slaby moved it, Vice Mayor Duncan backed it, the fix carried 7-0, and the corrected version passed 7-0. Per the staff memo, the pause buys time to update zoning that doesn't currently address these land uses.
The water plant filter contract passed with no discussion at all. Roughly $3.2M to L.D. Docsa Associates to replace filter media at the Central Treatment Plant, 7-0 (H-2). One of eight filter cells is plugged and out of service, and the media in all eight is original to the 1995 plant. L.D. Docsa was the second-lowest of two bids. The city's stated reason for passing on the lower bidder, RK Davis, Inc., is that L.D. Docsa is inside Kalamazoo County. The mayor asked for discussion Monday, got none, and went to the roll call. Nobody raised the bid.
Both borrowing packages are approved. Up to about $20.4M in water revenue bonds, repaid from water system revenues rather than property taxes, plus the notice-of-sale resolution, 7-0 (H-3). Up to about $9.4M in general obligation bonds, 7-0 (H-4). Commissioner Praedel noted both took their first step June 15, so Monday was the part where the money actually gets borrowed. He described the $9.4M as facility upgrades, park improvements, technology, and heavy equipment, mostly public services. Nobody addressed what the water borrowing does to your water bill.
🏗️ Roads & property
Arcadia Creek stormwater corridor (H-5): the MDOT agreement amendment pulling in federal PROTECT grant money for preliminary engineering from Oliver Street northeast to Kalamazoo Avenue was on Monday's agenda. We don't have a record of the outcome. See Still open.
💰 Where the money's going
L.D. Docsa Associates, filter media replacement, Central Treatment Plant: $3,225,300 (H-2)
Water Supply System Revenue Bonds, Series 2026: not to exceed $20,440,000 (H-3)
General Obligation Limited Tax Bonds, Series 2026: not to exceed $9,400,000 (H-4)
MDOT PROTECT grant amendment, Arcadia Creek: $2,661,433 (H-5)
Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority, Radio Readiness grant: $1,107,210 (H-1)
📌 Also notable
The moratorium is the item readers have been asking about for weeks, and the correction came from the floor rather than the dais. If you spoke Monday, that's what public comment is for.
❓ Still open
No minutes file is posted for this meeting yet. Everything above comes from the city's own meeting recording. The Radio Readiness grant (H-1) and the Arcadia Creek amendment (H-5) were on the agenda and we can't confirm outcomes on either. We'll close those out when minutes post.
Public comment instructions and the full agenda packet are at kalamazoocity.org. The Kalamazoo Docket is an independent summary and is not affiliated with the City of Kalamazoo. Spot an error? Reply and I'll fix it loudly.
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