What Lansing Council

At the December 15th Lansing city council meeting the council heard from 18 passionate residents about the transitional (mod pod) housing project. People were pissed at the 13 state house republicans who created massive state funding cuts. Six Old Town shopkeepers supported expanding the business district boundary. A four to four vote stalled a noise ordinance change. Three board appointments and two redevelopment tax abatements were approved, and there was one comment about the disgraced fire chief. Our special guest this episode is Khadja Erickson. Khadja is a dedicated housing advocate, organizer, and Executive Director of the Tenant Resource Center Mid Michigan. With years of experience in harm reduction, eviction defense, and grassroots organizing, she has worked tirelessly to ensure Lansing tenants have the tools, knowledge, and support they need to stay housed and assert their rights. She’s also a mom to five fabulous kids, which shapes how she thinks about stability, safety, and the kind of city we’re building for the next generation.*CORRECTION* In the episode I said Dietrich Park was outside the new Old Town principal shopping district boundary - it looks like it actually inside the boundary. Learn more about the Tennent Resource Center of Mid-Michigan here:https://trcmm.org/Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncilCheck out the Lansing City Council here:https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council

During the December 8th Lansing city council meetings the public spoke to council about the importance of finding a good place, that works for everyone, for a proposed temporary housing community. Council debated the fairness of rolling back red tag fees on houses actively being renovated. Old town business owners had mixed feelings about expanding the tax boundary for their shopping district. Local and out of state redevelopers gave persuasive presentations asking for tax breaks. Der Krampus kommt, um dein Haus und dein Geld zu holen!Our guest, Mia Murphy, works as the Chief Policy Officer at the non-profit Michigan Association of State Universities, she also serves on the board of the Salus center - an organization that serves the  inclusive 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the greater Lansing area, and she earned her PhD in higher, adult, & lifelong education from Michigan State University.Learn more about the Salus Center:https://www.saluscenter.org/Here’s the site for A Place For Us - plans for an LGBTQ+ affirming homeless shelter in Lansing:https://www.ap4ulansing.org/Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncilCheck out the Lansing City Council here:https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council

During the November 17th Lansing City Council meetings the biggest issue was a requested utility easement by Consumer’s Energy for a new high pressure natural gas pipeline through Fenner Nature Center and Evergreen Cemetery - despite public pushback council approved the request. Public speakers continued to raise concerns about the city stalling on court ordered services to an encampment. Also, the council wrote a letter about supporting food rescue efforts. Our special guest this episode is Tom Arthur. Tom is the lead pastor of Sycamore Creek Church, founder of Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood, co-founder of Startup Grind Lansing, and co-founder of the long-running Northern Michigan C.S. Lewis Festival in Petoskey. He is also a startup coach with Wisdom Partners out of Silicon Valley and a creative partner for churches and non-profits. He has been married to his wife, Sarah, for 28 years and is the father of two boys, Sam and Micah, who attend Post Oak Academy and Eastern high school.This is the Patreon for What Lansing Council, thank you!⁠https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncilFind out more about Sycamore Creek ministries here:https://sycamorecreekchurch.org/Here is the facebook event for the ugly sweater swing dance party at Sycamore Creek Eastwood:https://www.facebook.com/share/17PDZCuzxf/You can learn more about Lansing’s City Council here:https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-Council

During the November 10, 2025 council meetings residents from Lansing with a spectrum of housing challenges spoke to council - people fighting to stay alive in an outdoor encampment the city is currently litigating, a woman working to complete her renovation vision on a historic home the city had issued a “make safe or demolish” order against, and emerging developers asking the city to aid in the process of getting local and state tax breaks to make their projects less expensive. Our guest Alan Fox currently serves as the Ingham County Treasurer.  He served as Chief Deputy Treasurer for 4-1/2 years before he was appointed Treasurer in April, 2022.  He has since been elected in 2022 and 2024. Alan has lived in Lansing since 2015.  He grew up in East Lansing and was the first MSU student elected to the East Lansing City Council, in 1977.Find meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncilHere is the Ingham county treasurer’s office web site:https://tr.ingham.org/departments_and_officials/treasurer/You can learn more about Lansing’s City Council here:https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-CouncilThe mayor’s road construction input form can be found here: https://www.lansingmi.gov/1359/Road-Construction-Input

During the October 27th Lansing City Council meetings the council heard from many citizens asking for leniency in a specific “make safe or demolish” order. Council also heard about a disturbing racially charged incident at Letts community center. Two new advisory board members were approved, and the actual timing of ordinances going into “immediate effect” was reviewed. Our guest Annescia Dillard is a self-proclaimed "Lansing Enthusiast" who keeps her finger on the city's pulse. She regularly watches or attends public meetings for the Lansing City Council, Lansing Community College, the Capital Area Transit Authority (CATA), Lansing School District, and others whenever she finds the time.You can learn more about Lansing’s City Council here:https://www.lansingmi.gov/186/City-CouncilFind meeting issues maps and bingo results from the meetings on the podcast’s patreon page here:https://www.patreon.com/whatLansingCouncil