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Village President’s Report

Prepared by: Jeff Buerman
Date: May 1st, 2026

Development & Construction Projects

  • Essence Micro Cannabis Store
    Coordinating with developers and staff to schedule a pre-construction meeting. Initial site work has been completed. Awaiting scheduling of the next construction meeting.
    • M36 Development and Essence will combine Licenses, will have one location. 
    • Giving up Micro Licenses.
  • Lakeland Knoll
    Working to schedule a construction meeting to move the project forward. Developer is targeting a construction start date of June 1, 2026.
    • Still planning on June.
  • Mugg & Bopp’s (New Gas Station)
    Final site plan review completed. Awaiting final approval from the County and scheduling of the construction start meeting. Construction is anticipated to begin in late April.
    • Construction is expected to be completed by Mid-September.
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  • Ashton Street Land Split
    Approved by both the Planning Commission and Village Council on October 27, 2025. Project complete.
  • 425 Dexter
    Assisting property owners with building permit approvals. Working with the County to resolve delays related to a roof replacement. Project remains in progress.
    • Talk with owners, Roof replacement has begun, weather has delayed them.
    • Have selected a company to build new building, starting in July/Aug
  • 609 E. Main Street (Pole Barn / Building Project)
    Project transitioned to a metal building due to contractor availability. Foundation work completed November 25, 2025. Project complete.
    • Working on storm water run off!
  • Old Fire Station Redevelopment
    Approved for Special Land Use as a marihuana retailer. License approved February 19, 2026. Awaiting site plan submission and Planning Commission review. Coordination ongoing with Village Planner and Engineer. Applicant has six months from March 13, 2026, to demonstrate progress.
    • Started review on Site plan and final site plan
    • Will be on the Planning commission agenda on May 4th.
  • Essence Vacant Property
    Special Land Use Permit approved November 3, 2025, and subsequently by Village Council. License approved February 19, 2026. Awaiting site plan review and coordination with Village Planner and Engineer.
    • They were awarded retail Marijuana Licenses!
    • Now moving licenses to one building
  •  Surf Internet (Fiber Installation Project)
    Permits secured November 1, 2025, and Metro Act permit issued December 1, 2025. Project expected to begin in early April, pending a construction meeting. Estimated completion timeline is 6–8 months.
    • Should be starting soon
  • 911 / 800 MHz Tower Project
    Coordination meeting held November 3, 2025. Project will improve emergency communication coverage in southwest Livingston County. No new updates at this time.
  • Pinckney Chrysler
    Pre-planning meeting completed with Village Planner and Engineer. Awaiting site plan submission and Planning Commission review.
    • Meeting with all involved on April 30th.
    • Will present at Planning Commission on May 4th.
    • Project will be done in 2 phases.
  • Cooke Coaching LLC (140 Main Street)
    Pre-planning meeting completed with no required changes. Construction is expected to begin in late April.
    • Construction meeting on April 21st.
    • Target completion June 30th.
  • Grants Place 551 E Hamburg St
    • Changing Old St Mary’s church into 7-unit apartment
    • Working with MI Neighborhood Community Development Block Grant
    • Waiting on approval from MSHDA grant approval, application sent in on April 17th.
    • Working site plan review
    • More info to follow.

 

Grants, Projects & Partnerships

  • Pinckney Community Youth Development Initiative Grant ($40,000)
    Grant finalized, and contract executed. Reimbursement process underway. Approximately $3,000 has been spent to date.
    • Another $13, 000 has been spent to date
  • Social District Initiative (Bless & Fish, DDA, Chamber)
    Ongoing collaboration with partners and Village Attorney. Initial discussions held with Hell Survivors. No new updates currently.
  • Pinckney Business Group
    Monthly meetings continue to support local businesses.
    • May 14, 2026, at 6:30 PM – Putnam Township Senior Center
  • Depot Project
    Working with Anayna Moricz and Jo Self on fundraising and compliance requirements. Exploring potential use of ARPA funds.
  • Recast City – www.recastcity.com
    • Funding provided by Robert C Wilson Foundation & Michigan Municipal League
    • They dive deep with our village on a 4 month project that includes one-on-one work with our village 4 volunteers to fix policies, Launch new programs, to make our downtown and local economy amazing again!

 

Village Policies & Ordinances

  • Special Events & Street Closures Policy
    New policy adopted to ensure cost recovery for DPW services.
  • Village Code Updates
    Five ordinance updates in progress. Three citations issued to date.
  • No Parking on Grass Ordinance
    Adopted by Planning Commission and approved January 5, 2026.
  • Cannabis Committee
    Updated scoring rubric and licensing process adopted.
    Ordinance No. 152 revised to clarify procedures.
    Committee restructuring approved November 24, 2025.
    Ongoing updates to align with state regulations.
  • CDBG Grant
    Working with MSHDA and Revitalization LLC.
    Grant application submitted and under review.
    Public hearing scheduled for March 23, 2026.
    Third-party administrator bids open April 13, 2026.
    Submission deadline: April 17, 2026.
  • Parking Ordinances
    Updates approved by Planning Commission (January 5, 2026) and Village Council (January 12, 2026).
    Sign ordinance review scheduled for upcoming Planning Commission meeting.
  • Residential Rental Ordinance
    • April 6 planning commission meeting will review and vote to send an updated version of this ordinance to Village Council
    • Public hearing also on April 6, 2026
    • Planning Commission sent a resolution for Council to approve.

 

Infrastructure

  • Water & Sewer
    Analysis underway with staff. Rate adjustments delayed pending audit completion.
    Proposed 10% increase implemented January 2026.
    System currently operating at a deficit.

 

Staffing & Administration

  • Office Manager
    Lori Echols hired and began November 24, 2025. Performing well and contributing to process improvements.
  • Treasurer Transition
    Tabitha Dolan appointed October 27, 2025. Transition from Maris Metz completed successfully.
  • Audit
    Audit completed December 1, 2025. Minor adjustments identified and being addressed.
    Appreciation extended to Kim Hanes and Tabitha Dolan.
  • Purchase Policy
    Updated and approved September 22, 2025.
  • Records Digitization
    Ongoing effort to digitize Village records dating back to the 1970s.
    This project significantly improves long-term record security and accessibility.
    Special thanks to Tracy and staff for their continued efforts.

 

Parks & Recreation

  • Parks Committee
    Continuing collaboration to enhance Village Park system.
  • Lody Bond Park
    Improvements completed. Painting scheduled for May 2026. Volunteers welcome.
  • Parlay Park
    Improvements currently underway. Project expected to be completed by the end of April.

 

Downtown Development Authority (DDA)

  • New Food Pantry at Village Hall! Check it out!
  • Events Coordinator
    Jo Self-appointed. Supporting event coordination and community initiatives.
  • Community Initiatives & Events
    • Wreaths Across America – Successful fundraising effort
    • Community Garden – Location retained after review.
    • Depot Fundraiser – Raised over $2,000.
    • Light Up the Park – Strong community participation
    • Women’s Summit – 27 attendees, highly successful
  • Upcoming Events
    • May 8th 2026 – DDA Meeting
    • May 2 – Fire Department Open House & EMS Grand Opening
    • May 25th – Memorial Day Parde – 1:00pm
    • May 25th – Memorial Day in the park – 11am – 1pm
    • May 30–31 – Art in the Park
    • June 12th , July 17th , August 21st  – Food Truck Fridays
    • June 17-20 Hamburg Fun Fest
    • October 3–4 – Pinckney Harvest Days
    • Thursday this summer – Hooten in the Park – more info to come.
    • Thursday this summer – Farmers Market – more info to come.

 

 

Meetings & Representation

  • Regular attendance at:
    • Planning Commission
    • DDA
    • Chamber of Commerce
    • Putnam Township Meetings
    • Huron Valley Federal Aid Committee
    • Livingston Watershed Advisory Group
    • SEMCOG Outreach
    • Livingston County MTA
    • EBHA Tourism Committee
    • DEDC
  • Ongoing engagement with residents, businesses, and regional partners.
  • SEMCOG
    • Working with their Manager of Transportation to get help with the Livingston County Road Commission to get some improvements to Pearl ST.
    • Working with their Government Affairs Manager on help for grants, DDA and budgets.
    • Working with their Government Affairs Specialist getting help with funding from the state of Michigan.
    • Putting together a committee – how to get Gap money for Grants for small communities like Pinckney.
    • SEMCOG – will put together a Video of Pinckney / that will promote Pinckney for our website, Facebook and any events we are hosting.  At no Charge to us.
    • Jon Clark SEMCOG – Multimedia Specialist working with DDA and Village to create a professional video on the village, to promote our Town.
  • Michigan Economic Development Corporation
    • Contact person Blake Newman
    • Committee members Jim Jensen, Mike Szafranski, Julie Amy
    • Going through re-certification
    • MEDC provides help to Municipalities.
    • Goal to have municipality create a succession plan look to the future.

 

Closing Note

The Village of Pinckney continues to make meaningful progress across infrastructure planning, ordinance modernization, community partnerships, and economic development.

These efforts reflect our shared commitment to preserving Pinckney’s character while building a more sustainable and vibrant future.

I appreciate the continued dedication of our staff, Council, and community partners as we work collaboratively to address challenges and move our Village forward.

I look forward to continuing this work together as we strengthen Pinckney’s Respectfully submitted,
Jeffrey Buerman
Village President