During the July 13th Lansing City Council meeting the council voted seven to one to put a six month moratorium on issuing building permits or processing zoning amendments for data centers. This will give them time to make ordinance changes to specifically regulate these projects. They also denied a trash claim appeal and began the process to re-structure the city boards and commissions to include seats for the upcoming fifth ward, as ordered by the charter commission.Our guests this episode are Dr. Nichole Keway Biber and Gabriel Biber. Nichole is a community organizer and citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. She works as an organizer for the environmental non-profit Clean Water Action. Gabriel works as the executive director for Fenner Nature Conservancy, is the vice-chair for Ingham County’s Farmland & Open Space Preservation Advisory Board, and a member of the Michigan Homeless Policy Council.***Best Dressed T-shirt: https://modern-legend.com/products/hate-billionaires-tee?variant=40117994520618This Thursday - Poetry in the city: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1152988066944068&set=gm.1997151861079893This Saturday - Fenner Nature Conservancy Milkweeds and Monarchs: https://mynaturecenter.org/product/milkweed-and-monarchs/Michigan Interfaith Solar and Light organization: https://www.miipl.org/Support this podcast financially:  ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/WhatLansingCouncil

At the June 22nd Lansing City Council meeting the council hosted an effective public hearing about a proposed ordinance change to make it more favorable for developers to finance projects in the city that promise 30% of the units are “affordable housing”. There were seven “show of cause” hearings for buildings the city wishes to demolish because they are not up to building code. Some end of the fiscal year budgetary updates were given and a presentation by an Ingham County official about the ballot proposal for the increased hotel tax.This episode is a quick meeting recap with no guest commentary, regularly scheduled guests will return in July!***Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WhatLansingCouncil

At the June 8th Lansing city council meeting the council heard from a dozen folks unhappy with code compliance fees and procedures: snow and ice removal, weed cutting, make safe or demolish orders, and red-tag fees. Council honored Lansing’s Juneteenth celebration committee, and they debated a new ordinance introduced with the intention of making it more enticing for developers to build lower and moderate income housing. This episode is a quick meeting recap with no guest commentary, regularly scheduled guests will return in July! ***Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WhatLansingCouncilCheck out the Lansing Juneteenth events this year: https://www.lansingjuneteenthcelebration.org/

A live show recording of a discussion of civic engagement with three Lansing super-citizens: Paul Anderson, Julie Powers, and William Lawrence! Fun interludes include the panelist's limerick challenge, friendly feud, and a fill-in-the-blank letter to Lansing City Council.Paul Anderson serves as the Executive Director of the Southwest Action Group - an organization dedicated to uplifting and empowering the community of Southwest Lansing by fostering unity and improving the overall well-being of individuals and families.Julie Powers works as the Executive Director of Immigration Law and Justice Michigan. She has worked in the non-profit sector for 30 years in and out of Lansing.  William Lawrence is running for United States Congress to represent Mid-Michigan's 7th Congressional District. A lifelong organizer, he founded the youth-led Sunrise Movement, and more recently founded the Michigan Rent is Too Damn High Coalition. ***A beautiful short film directed and produced by Paul Anderson, "Southside: A Legacy In Motion": https://vimeo.com/1094702111The city of Lansing’s Citizen’s Academy sign up: https://mi-lansing.form.transform.civicplus.com/42999Choose Lansing’s Certified Tourism Ambassador program: https://www.lansing.org/membership/cta-information/William Lawrence’s 2026 campaign site: https://wewill2026.com/Lansing Bicycle treasure hunt open for the month of June: https://bikeandseek.org/Robin Theatre: https://www.therobintheatre.com/

At the May 18th Lansing City council meetings council approved the city’s budget for the 2026/2027 fiscal year, which spans from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. They gave a tribute recognizing May 19th as Malcolm X Day in the City of Lansing; May 19th was Malcolm X’s birthday. They unanimously approved a letter calling for an immediate end to unauthorized federal military escalation and an unlawful war with Iran. In public comment we heard from residents of the Fabulous Acres neighborhood plead for help with some extremely inconsiderate neighbors. Commenters brought stories of struggles with homelessness and the destabilization resulting from camp sweeps performed by city police officers with no safe option for relocation. *********Support this podcast financially: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WhatLansingCouncilUPCOMING LIVE PODCAST SHOW EVENT!!!! JUNE 2ND!!!⁠⁠https://www.therobintheatre.com/events/what-lansing-council-podcast-live-panel-discussion⁠

At the May 11th city council meetings council heard from the community about the death of a citizen, who was for a time, a member of the fallen angels encampment. The Spec-Tran CATA (Capital Area Transportation Authority) service specifically for folks with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) status received additional criticism for poor service. Council passed four changes to the parking code: 1) parking enforcement hours are reduced to 9am - 5pm instead of 8am - 6pm, 2) the timing for paying the least amount for parking tickets was amended from “within two hours” to “before midnight on the day of issuance”, 3) all ticket fine tiers increased by $10, and 4) the cost to park for longer than two hours in metered street parking spaces (where that is allowed) was increased. Today our special guest is Christopher Greene-Szmadzinski. Christopher serves as the co-chair of the Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Council and also sits on the Lansing Park Board. He posts about pazcki sightings and other important and random Lansing geography at Lansingography.comSee Christopher’s amazing maps and infographics - including a visualization of the city’s 2026-27 proposed budget:https://www.lansingography.com/Support this podcast financially: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WhatLansingCouncilUPCOMING LIVE PODCAST SHOW EVENT!!!! JUNE 2ND!!!⁠⁠https://www.therobintheatre.com/events/what-lansing-council-podcast-live-panel-discussion⁠Dolly Parton 9-5 music video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbxUSsFXYo4Lansing Facts tourism video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smFvDuGiS0QLansing’s 2023 Parking study:https://www.lansingmi.gov/1248/Parking-Study

Council had a light agenda, with some heavy issues at the May the Fourth meetings. Six city departments gave budget presentations: the 54A District court, the Mayor’s office, Downtown Lansing Inc., Human Resources, Finance, and Treasury. Public comment focused on begging council to stop sending police to sweep unhoused people out of places where they congregate in the city. Our guest this episode is Dana Watson. Dana served as an East Lansing city council member from 2020 - 2025, she continues to work as a Health Equity Social Justice Coordinator for Ingham County, and as a board member for the Justice League of Greater Lansing.Support this podcast financially:⁠https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncil⁠UPCOMING LIVE PODCAST SHOW EVENT!!!! JUNE 2ND!!!⁠https://www.therobintheatre.com/events/what-lansing-council-podcast-live-panel-discussion⁠The 45 B (East Lansing) expungement clinic mentioned in the episode, unfortunately happened on May 1st this year, but it is an annual event. More information about the expungement process in Michigan can be found here: https://michiganlegalhelp.org/resources/crime-and-traffic/overview-of-michigans-expungement-lawsWorking Families Party: https://workingfamilies.org/state/michigan/Greater Lansing Justice League 5K - May 12, 2026, 8:30 AM, Benjamin Davis Park:https://www.justiceleagueglm.org/event-details-registration/lansing-juneteenth-5k

During the April 20th Lansing city council meetings the council passed ordinance changes with the intention of restricting the locations of new liquor stores - so they are not built right next to each other. They voted 6 to 1 to put the sale of the building currently operated as the Shuffle to a city wide vote, to see if the public would be interested in selling this public asset. They wrote a letter opposing federal legislation aimed at restricting voting rights. They also started the process to change a few things about metered parking. The Lansing area federal credit union chief executive officer was appointed to the Lansing entertainment and public facilities authority (LAFCU to LEPFA), and five departmental budget presentations included three 4/20 jokes.Our guest this episode is MC Rothhorn. MC is a co-owner of Eastside Compost and a member of the Genesee Gardens co-housing.Support this podcast financially:https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncilUPCOMING LIVE PODCAST SHOW EVENT!!!!https://www.therobintheatre.com/events/what-lansing-council-podcast-live-panel-discussionEastside Compost: food scrap hauling business service all of Lansing and East Lansing! https://eastsidecompost.com/Eastside Compost Earth Day event at the Allen Neighborhood Center on Wednesday 4/22/2026 from 5:30pm - 6:00pm at 1611 E Kalamazoo St, Lansing, MI 48912https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CFczt1SEx/

During the March 30th Committee of the Whole meeting, the City Council heard a budget overview presentation from the city’s chief strategy officer. They heard departmental budget presentations from the Fire Department, Parks and Recreation Department, and the affiliated agencies the Lansing Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), and the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority (LEPFA). Also, members from the Economic Development and Planning Department presented their Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan - for federal monies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).Our guest for this episode is Erin Buitendorp. Erin is the Community Development Manager in the City’s Economic Development and Planning Department, Erin leads six dedicated staff members in ensuring federal HUD dollars reach the people and partners who need them most. A Licensed Professional Counselor, creative artist + Lansing Lore preservationist, Erin came to public service by way of a decade in higher education and a term of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving the City.Project Erin worked on - The City of Lansing City Council Proceedings Collection digitized from 1916 to 2024:https://archive.org/details/lansing-council-proceedings?sort=dateCommunity development office within the Department of Economic Development and Planning:https://www.lansingmi.gov/296/Community-Development-OfficeSupport this podcast financially:https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncilUPCOMING LIVE PODCAST SHOW EVENT!!!!https://www.therobintheatre.com/events/what-lansing-council-podcast-live-panel-discussionFire Department Dashboard:https://app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrIjoiMmQ4MDdkODktNjY5My00NDAxLWJlOGUtZTBiOWNmY2MyYzJhIiwidCI6Ijg3NTA5ZGVlLTA5NWItNGZmOC1iYTVhLTAwMzVjZGZjNzE1ZCJ9Tiny Bit of Wood woodworking and community art studio class schedule:https://www.tinybitofwood.com/book-onlineCapital City Film Festival: https://capitalcityfilmfest.com/schedule

An hour and a half before the April 6th Lansing City council meetings, word got out that the UK based data center company, Deep Green, was pulling their request for the purchase and rezoning of the city owned parking lot on East Kalamazoo and South Cedar St. Many community members shared their thoughts about the process surrounding this project. Council heard budget presentations from the information technology, assessing, city attorney, and police departments, as well as a proposed small development project along South Cedar St. Council passed the ordinance changing the placard system for rental property violators (from pink/red to white/yellow/red/black), and to allow for red tag fees to be waived if progress on fixing housing issues is demonstrated.CORRECTION the liquor store ordinance update had its public hearing at this meeting - the vote for the approval of this item will be in subsequent meetings. Our guest this episode is Rebecca-Lynn Ferguson. Rebecca is a Lansing-based creative and community advocate who works with language learners in the Lansing Public Schools and serves on several boards, including RIF (Reading is Fundamental), Ingham Health Plan (IHP), and the REO Town Commercial Association (RTCA). Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncilUPCOMING LIVE PODCAST SHOW EVENT!!!!https://www.therobintheatre.com/events/what-lansing-council-podcast-live-panel-discussionREO Town’s 25th Annual MeetingEvent DetailsREO Town Commercial Association (the coolest domain name!)https://reo.town/Lansing Empowerment Network:https://www.facebook.com/lansingempowermentnetwork