Our recommendations for November ballot
Commission delays action on rental ordinance
During the Monday, September 28, city commission meeting, Birmingham commissioners opted to postpone action on proposed ordinance amendments aimed at regulating short-term rentals.
Short-term pool lease with swim club approved
The Birmingham Blue Dolphins swim club is now a tenant of the city-owned building at 400 E. Lincoln following city commissioners approval of a short-term lease agreement for six months, allowing them to take over operations and maintenance of the pool and lower level of what had been a YMCA building.
Community House director agreement set
The Community House is on track to hire an executive director in the near future after city commissioners approved an employee lease agreement through which the city would fund the position for a year, a move that was approved in a 5-1 vote during the Monday, September 28, meeting.
New members appointed to foundation board
At the request of the City of Birmingham Community House Foundation board, Birmingham City Commissioners appointed three new members to the foundation board during the Monday, September 28, meeting, bringing the board to a total of 11 voting members.
Hamlet development approved
The Hamlet at Bloomfield Manor development may have been approved with little fanfare by the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees at their Sept. 28 meeting, but it still led to some chaos at Township Hall.
Site plan for Mulberry Square condos approved
The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees approved the site plan for the Mulberry Square Condo Association at their meeting on Monday, September 28.
Driver facing felony charges in accident death
Robert Isho of Troy was arraigned in 48th District Court on Wednesday, September 30, with reckless driving causing death in a May accident in Bloomfield Township that claimed the life of another driver.
State, county wetlands under growing pressure
Wetlands are easy to overlook, especially their importance. They may look like unassuming acres of native plants, wet soil, and trees, filled with frogs and other amphibians and animals. That is, until your basement floods, your favorite lake turns green, the shoreline at your lakeside home erodes, or the spring night chorus of frogs you usually enjoy goes silent. These aren’t wastelands but an assembly line of working landscapes – part sponge, part kidney, part nursery – that slow stormwater, filter runoff, recharge groundwater, protect lakes and rivers, sequester carbon, create natural greenspace and recreational areas that stimulate economic benefits, and provide shelter for fish, birds, amphibians, insects, and mammals.
SCHOOL BOARD POLITICS
For those looking for an example of politics – on the part of both major parties – entering the world of school board elections, turn to the Troy Schools district contest this year in which five people are seeking two six-year terms in the November election. Candidate Walter Cook, who has one child in an elementary school in the district, posted a text on social media mocking the assassination of hard-right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk in September of 2025.
