The Port Huron City Council voted 5-2 to approve the Interstate 69 International Trade Corridor proposal in their meeting Monday night. The city joined a number of municipalities along the corridor in the Next Michigan Development Corp., an organization that will be focusing on marketing the area to companies. Councilmen Ken Harris and Brian Moeller voted against the measure. Council also voted to extend the McMorran Civic Center Authority’s governance of the facility for another 18 months…a new board was appointed, which include Patti Samar, Korissa Kramer, John Ogden and Bruce Brown. Three others will be appointed after the first of January. A resolution proposed by Councilman Moeller to reinstate three officers to the Port Huron Police Department was postponed until the Jan. 9 council meeting. In a vote of 4 to 3, council approved committing funding to pay off the county’s bonds for the Blue Water Convention Center. Money will come from the city’s Tax Increment Finance funds and half of their annual mitigation funds from the Michigan Department of Transportation for the Blue Water Bridge Plaza project. The St. Clair County Board of Commissioners will vote on the bonds to pay for the convention center project at their meeting Wednesday. Council unanimously decided to place a proposal on the May 8 ballot so voters can decide whether the city could sell the west Quay Street parking lot to a developer. The council also voted 7-0 to give up their right to purchase back
500 feet of St. Clair riverfront north of the Seaway Terminal, so the land can be given from the Acheson Foundation to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County for their river walk project.
