Public testimony centers on city manager search, bridge lease complaints and immigration resolution

The public comment period at the March 2 meeting focused heavily on three themes: the city manager selection process, lingering public dissatisfaction with the bridge lease and Bay City Bridge Partners, and a contested set of resolutions related to immigration and cooperation with ICE.

Several residents urged broader community involvement in the manager search and emphasized the importance of selecting a candidate who understands Bay City. "The most important issue we have before us now is the selection of a new city manager," resident Robert Shindehat said, asking commissioners to ensure the hire will be committed to the city.

Speakers opposed and supported the city’s potential relationship with ICE. Andrew Thibodeaux and systems engineer Josh Rognor warned of fiscal and civil‑rights liabilities tied to cooperating with federal detainers, citing large judgments in other jurisdictions and urging the commission to close exposure for the municipal general fund. Rognor said he delivered a written liability assessment to the clerk.

Other residents, including Kelly Cole and Jeff Doyen, expressed concern about public safety and the city's national attention, with some urging support for cooperation with federal authorities to avoid potential funding losses. Kelly Cole noted there is no verified count of undocumented residents in Bay City and urged decision‑making grounded in fiscal and public‑safety analysis.

Several speakers criticized the Bay City Bridge Partners’ transponder program and billing practices. Jeff Reed said he had tested transponders for a year and found they function even when concealed, and described a case in which a Bay City resident was billed an extra $5.50 for a lane change before the charge was rescinded.

Commissioners thanked speakers, acknowledged the depth of feeling on these topics, and scheduled continued deliberations; they also discussed holding a Breaking Bread Village dialogue on March 23 to bring residents together for conversation. The commission did not take final votes on the immigration‑related resolutions at this meeting, because those items had been pulled for further negotiation and review.