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November 20, 2025

November 20, 2025

Michigan Infrastructure Council Annual Meeting (Q4)

November 20, 2025

Michigan Department of Treasury Operations Center

7285 Parsons Dr, Dimondale, MI 48821

Meeting Minutes

  1. Call to Order
    1. Chairperson, Palencia Mobley, P.E. called the meeting to order at 1:14 PM
    2. The chair announced membership changes
      1. Palencia thanked Kevin Smith for his service on the council representing the Michigan Department of Treasury and welcomed Larry Steckelberg as the new nonvoting member for the Treasury.
  2. Roll Call
    1. Let the record show that seven (7) voting members and six (6) non-voting members were present. A quorum was established.
  3. Public Comment
    1. There was no public comment.
  4. Approval of Agenda
    1. The chairperson solicited discussion or amendments to the proposed agenda and there were none.
    2. Motion to approve the agenda
      1. Motion made by Mandy Grewal
      2. Supported by Doug Matthews
    3. Motion carried without dissent; the agenda was approved.
  5. Approval of Proposed Minutes from Q3 Meeting, September 4, 2025
    1. The chairperson solicited discussion or amendments to the proposed 2025 Q3 meeting minutes and there were none.
    2. Motion to approve 2025 Q3 MIC Meeting Minutes
      1. Motion made by Erin Kuhn
      2. Supported by Charles Marshall
    3. Motion carried without dissent; the 2025 Q3 Meeting Minutes were approved.
  6. New Business 
    1. Election of Officers
      1. The chairperson thanked leadership for their time this past year and asked if any officers would like to address the council prior to elections.
        1. Kathleen Lomako announced that she will not be seeking reappointment and expressed her gratitude for her time with the council.
        2. Multiple council members and staff expressed their thanks to Kathleen.
        3. Due to Kathleens ineligibility to run for office for the next year due to her departure, the chair asked Kathleen to facilitate the election of officers.
      2. Chair Elections
        1. Nominations
          1. Erin Kuhn nominated Palencia Mobley, P.E. to serve as council Chair.
            1. Palencia accepted the nomination.
          2. No other nominations for Chair were offered.
        2. Members voted unanimously to elect Palencia Mobley, P.E. to serve as council Chair for 2026.
      3. Vice Chair Elections
        1. Nominations
          1. Palencia Mobley nominated Erin Kuhn for Vice Chair
            1. Erin accepted the nomination.
          2. No other nominations for Vice Chair were offered.
        2. Members voted unanimously to elect Erin Kuhn to serve as council Vice-Chair for 2026.
      4. The newly elected officers offered their thanks and appreciation of the council’s confidence in them to continue leading the council.
    2. Recommendations for Appointments to the Water Asset Management Council [Resolution 2025-05]
      1. Chairperson referred members to see attachment #2 in the packet
      2. Motion to Consider Resolution 2025-05
        1. Motion made by Charles Marshall
        2. Motion supported by Roger Blake
      3. Discussion
        1. The chair referred to the Nominations Committee Chair, Charles Marshall, to speak on the resolution and field any questions from the council.
        2. No discussion on the item.
      4. Motion to Close Debate
        1. Motion made by Roger Blake
        2. Motion supported by Erin Kuhn
      5. Resolution 2025-05 voted on by a roll call vote
        1. Resolution 2025-05 was approved by the council without dissent.
    3. Review of Bylaws
      1. No proposed amendments to the bylaws at this time.
    4. Michigan Infrastructure Council Calendar Year 2026 Meeting Schedule [Resolution 2025-06]
      1. Chairperson referred members to see attachment #3 in the packet
      2. Motion to Consider Resolution 2025-06
        1. Motion made by Roger Blake
        2. Motion supported by Mandy Grewal
      3. Discussion
        1. The chair solicited feedback from the council on which of the two proposed dates for the Q4 meeting works best.
        2. The council came to consensus that November 19th, 2026 was their preferred date over December 10th, 2026.
        3. The chair asked the staff amend the resolution to the correct date.
        4. No further discussion on the item.
      4. Motion to Close Debate
        1. Motion made by Roger Blake
        2. Motion supported by Mandy Grewal
      5. Resolution 2025-06 voted on by a roll call vote
        1. Resolution 2025-06 was approved by the council without dissent.
  7. Roundtable Discussion 
    1. 2025 Joint Meeting Debrief
      1. Discussion
        1. Members expressed their satisfaction with the quality of speakers and thoughtfulness on the agenda for the day.
        2. They also expressed that we maintain a commitment to the asset class diversity we are representing at the meetings, so it is inclusive to all council members.
          1. Members also stated that staff make sure to communicate a common theme with speakers to highlight an “integrated approach” to infrastructure in their presentations
        3. There were opportunities that we could have improved on so council members could connect more with each other, including having everyone introduce themselves and more room for discussion.
        4. Members also offered the idea to move the location of the Joint Annual Meeting to different venues throughout the state to accommodate members further.
      2. No further discussion on the Joint Meeting.
    2. Other Topics for Discussion
      1. Members discussed the council taking a stronger stance and a more active role in the conversations around Data Centers coming to Michigan.
  8. MIC Committee Updates
    1. The chairperson directed members to see the meeting packet attachments #5 - #11 for written committee updates. The chairperson also noted an overview of the committees’ involvement can be found on the chart on attachment #4.
      1. Administration Committee – Palencia Mobley, P.E., Committee Chair (attachment #5)
        1. Palencia provided an overview of the years involvements and the work on cross-council collaboration.
        2. No further discussion at this time.
      2. Nominations Committee – Charles Marshall, Committee Chair (attachment #6)
        1. Charles thanked the committee members and staff for their work these past few months.
        2. Emilee Madison, Staff Liaison, updated the council on the remainder of the process of notifying candidates and Ryan Laruwe, Executive Director, noted that this year’s candidate pool was the largest our group has received.
        3. No further discussion at this time.
      3. Communications Committee – Nathan Hamilton, Staff Liaison (attachment #7)
        1. Nathan updated the council on the recent feature MIC had in the fall edition of the Michigan Municipal Leagues The Review and highlighted the recent press release for cohort 9 of the Asset Management (AM) Champions Program.
        2. Nathan also noted the completion and expected release of the new MIC reintroduction video and the committee’s work on finalizing the 2026 legislative language for elected officials training.
        3. No further discussion at this time.
      4. Asset Management Education Committee – Erin Kuhn, Committee Chair (attachment #8)
        1. Erin updated the council on the upcoming graduation for cohort 8 and the application process for cohort 9 of the AM Champions Program. The deadline to apply for the next cohort of the program is January 6th
        2. Erin also updated the council on the elected officials training and primer progress.
        3. No further discussion at this time.
      5. Integrated Infrastructure Conference (IIC) – Nathan Hamilton, Staff Liaison (attachment #8)
        1. Nathan updated the council on the progress towards finalizing the venue and hotel contracts. He also discussed the finalization of the topic areas that will be covered in the call for proposals. He stated that at this time the project is on track with the planned timeline.
        2. No further discussion at this time.
      6. Rates, Funding, & Finance Committee – Ryan Laruwe, Executive Director (attachment #9)
        1. Ryan updated the council on Introduction to Ratemaking course in partnership with MSU and some recent staff changes they have had and how this will impact the program moving forward. He stated that the course is still on track for Q1 2026 release.
        2. Discussion
          1. Kathleen Lomako asked if the staff still plans to beta test the course with the council prior to it’s release and the staff affirmed this is still the plan.
          2. No further discussion at this time.
      7. Climate Adaptation & Resilience (CAR) Committee – Doug Matthews, Committee Chair (attachment #10)
        1. Doug updated the council on the direct pay partnership with the Michigan Infrastructure Office (MIO) and energy waste reduction (EWR) opportunities through a possible partnership with the Municipal services authority and shared services. He also discussed that with pending workplan approvals, the continued work in the EWR space will be dependent on that. Lastly, he discussed the upcoming opportunities to get involved in the topic of data centers.
        2. Discussion
          1. Ryan Laruwe updated the council on the pending Elective Pay assistance we are helping facilitate through the MIO TAC partnership.
          2. The council discussed possible avenues they could take to address the topic of data centers and further work in this area will be driven by the CAR committee.
          3. No further discussion at this time.
      8. Asset Management Technology & Systems Committee – Ryan Laruwe, Staff Liaison (attachment #11)
        1. Ryan updated the council on the RICH Pilot progress and the integration of around 10,000 MDOT projects being patched into MiDIG now. He stated that now that RICH is off the ground, the group will shift into prioritizing promoting MiDIG more and improving the resources we provide to users. He also updated the group on the continued progress of getting DTE and Consumers energy projects into the portal.
        2. No further discussion at this time.
    2. The chairperson asked if there were more questions for committees and referred members to reach out to staff liaisons for committees with any questions or concerns ongoing (listed in attachment #4).
  9. MIC Executive Director Year in Review
    1. The chair referred members to view attachment #12 of the meeting packet for full review and offered Ryan Laruwe, Executive Director to highlight any areas of importance.
      1. Ryan thanked everyone for their continued efforts and dedication to the work of the council. He also expressed his optimism for the continued progress of the council in achieving the goals outlined in the 30-Year Strategy.
    2. Discussion
      1. Palencia Mobley, P.E. thanked Ryan for his passion towards the mission of the council and thanked the other council staff for helping move forward efforts.
      2. Nathan thanked everyone for their support in advancing the mission of the council and expressed gratitude for the efforts of Chris Mayes, the MIC intern. He also shouted out the active engagement displayed by council members in meetings and the appreciation of the dedication and passion of the members.
      3. The council also discussed the public release of annual reports and let the members know they will receive hard copies of the report at the next meeting.
  10. Member Updates
    1. The chairperson asked members if they had updates and would like to discuss anything.
      1. Dan Lord, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
        1. Dan discussed the DNR’s FY2027 Capital Outlay Five-Year Plan and that they were able to identify the funding need to maintain ongoing asset management for the department’s infrastructure assets, which yields a significant gap between the allocated funding/estimated revenues and estimated needs. He also mentioned that due to the amendments to the gas tax, this will raise some of the additional revenue needed to fill this gap, but there is still a significant shortfall.
        2. The members discussed the importance of including other types of not traditionally thought of infrastructure like those managed by the DNR when we begin crafting education for the public.
      2. Jonathan Mallek, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)
        1. Jonathan updated the council on the new hire in the executive office at MDARD for special projects on land use and siting of farmland. He talked about the importance data has when making decisions for land use and how MDARD is working to create a model to score soil health that can be used to determine which farmland may be better suited for other types of development due to it’s condition.
      3. Dan Williams, Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC)
        1. Dan discussed the MPSCs work in affordability and the intersection infrastructure has across asset classes. He also mentioned that on the topic of Data Centers, the MPSC will be holding a public hearing on December 3rd, 2025 from 6:30-8:30pm est. virtually on teams.
      4. Kari Martin, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
        1. Kari announced that MDOTs 5-year Transportation Program was approved by the State Transportation Commission in November and are in the 2031 program selection process. She also expressed appreciation for the additional revenue that will be raised for the department through the newly approved state budget and how MDOT is in the process of working to allocate these new funds to improve the state’s roads.
      5. Eric Swanson, Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB)
        1. Eric discussed how the “digital experience” is changing the definition of infrastructure and how DTMB’s eMichigan team is working to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and language accessibility for the state to ensure their digital assets are being properly utilized and maintained. He also mentioned that his colleague, Suzzane Pauley is leading the efforts in the state’s implementation of an AI chatbot and he would be happy to invite her to speak with the council on the ongoing process.
      6. Larry Steckelberg - Michigan Department of Treasury.
        1. Larry discussed the role of Treasury plays in tax exemptions for various developments and the importance of focusing on workforce development and retainment.
        2. Members expressed their support in expanding work into this area and exploring the promotion of communities adopting shared services.
      7. Erin Kuhn
        1. No updates or discussion at this time.
      8. Charles Marshall
        1. No updates or discussion at this time.
      9. Doug Matthews
        1. Doug updated the group on some regional partnerships his community has been pursuing and supported the notion of the council pushing for regional solutions.
      10. Roger Blake
        1. No updates or discussion at this time.
      11. Mandy Grewal
        1. Mandy expressed her gratitude for the work the council is doing to create integrated solutions that are tied to financial incentives.
      12. Palencia Mobley, P.E.
        1. Palencia concluded the member updates by thanking the members for their commitment and great work.
  11. Old Business
    1. None at this time
  12. Next Meeting Date
    1. Thursday, March 5th, 2026 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  13. Adjournment
    1. Motion to Adjourn the Meeting
    2. Motion made by Doug Matthews
    3. Motion supported by Erin Kuhn
    4. Meeting Adjourned at 2:40 PM

Attendance & Roll Call Votes

Present

  • Chairperson, Palencia Mobley, P.E.
  • Co-Vice Chair, Kathleen Lomako
  • Co-Vice Chair, Erin Kuhn
  • Roger Blake
  • Charles Marshall
  • Doug Matthews
  • Mandy Grewal
  • Dan Lord
  • Eric Swanson
  • Dan Williams, MPSC Alternate Designee
  • Kari Martin, MDOT Alternate Designee
  • Jonathan Mallek
  • Larry Steckelberg

Absent

  • Cameron Van Wyngarden
  • Ryan Buck
  • Marco Bruzzano
  • John Daly III
  • Aaron Keatley

In-Person Guests

  • Ryan Laruwe, MIC Executive Director
  • Nathan Hamilton, MIC Staff
  • Emilee Madison, MIC Staff
  • Christopher Mayes, MIC Intern

Virtual Guests

  • Cynthia Creisher
  • Kevin Spence

Resolution 2025-05 Roll Call Vote:

  • Palencia Mobley, P.E. - Yes
  • Kathleen Lomako – Yes
  • Erin Kuhn - Yes
  • Roger Blake - Yes
  • Charles Marshall – Yes
  • Doug Matthews – Yes
  • Mandy Grewal - Yes

Resolution 2025-06 Roll Call Vote:

  • Palencia Mobley, P.E. - Yes
  • Kathleen Lomako – Yes
  • Erin Kuhn - Yes
  • Roger Blake - Yes
  • Charles Marshall – Yes
  • Doug Matthews – Yes
  • Mandy Grewal - Yes