Welcome to the City of South Haven

City Council Filing Information

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE FOLLOWING OFFICES WILL BE OPEN IN THE AUGUST 3, 2021 PRIMARY ELECTION:

The Office of Mayor of the City of South Haven
The Office of (1) Councilperson – Ward One
The Office of (1) Councilperson – Ward Two
The Office of (1) Councilperson – Ward Three

A Candidate must be a registered voter and have lived in the City for a minimum of one year. Councilperson candidates must reside within the specific Ward to run for that Ward’s Council seat. Mayoral Candidates may run at large within the City limits. Petitions are available at the Clerk’s Office in City Hall, 539 Phoenix St.

Petitions must be filed with the Clerk no later than 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, 2021.

Community Input & Informational Meeting Notice

The City of South Haven is working with The Habitat Company and Housing Next to host a Community Input and Informational Meeting on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom Conference. The goal of this meeting is to listen to the concerns and needs of residents regarding housing in the community as well as gather specific input and feedback regarding a plan for the former S. E. Overton Factory site located at 229 Elkenburg.

View the full press release here.

Street Closures

The following roads are currently closed and will remain closed until late May;

Kalamazoo Street from Erie Street to Clinton Street
Hubbard Street from Phoenix Street to Superior Street
Michigan Avenue from Prospect Street to Hubbard Street
Prospect Street from Huron Street to Michigan Avenue

Golf Cart Ordinance Amendment

The City of South Haven has issued a press release regarding the amended Golf Cart ordinance. The press release can be found here.

Golf Carts will now require additional safety equipment and must be inspected and registered at the Police Department. Any current golf cart registrations will no longer be valid. New registration packets will be available at the Police Department on April 1, 2021. A link to the amended ordinance can be found here.

Golf Carts are only permitted on roads with a speed limit of less than 30 mph, except to cross that roadway or street. A map of the streets they are permitted on can be found here.read more >

Traffic Calming Virtual Office Hours

The City of South Haven is inviting community members to share their thoughts on the Broadway and La Grange Street corridor traffic calming project.

The Department of Public Works will hold virtual office hours 5-7 p.m. each Wednesday in April via Zoom for residents to learn more about the project, ask questions and provide feedback. Community members who are interested in attending a virtual session may email William Hunter, director of public works, at bhunter@southhavenmi.gov or call 269.637.0719 for the Zoom link.

Full Press Release can be found here.

Background information on the project, can be found here.read more >

Department of Public Works Begins Leaf Pickup

The City of South Haven provides loose-leaf pickup for residents in the city limits. We have two vacuum-type trucks that make their way through each street in each ward on a rotating basis daily.

Spring leaf pickup will begin the first weekday in April and run through May 15 (if a weekday).

Please call the Department of Public Works with any questions or comments at 269-637-0737.

For the full public notice, follow this link.

Downtown Development Authority Awarded MEDC Match on Main Grant Funds

The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) of South Haven, along with sixteen other Michigan communities, has been awarded funding from Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Match on Main Grant Program. The DDA received approval for a grant request in the amount of $25,000 to support Hardt Insurance.

View the full press release here.read more >

Financial Assistance Letters Being Sent Out With Utility Bill Reminder Notices

The Water Shutoff Restoration Act, signed into law on December 22, 2020 by Governor Whitmer, has expired as of March 31, 2021. With the expiration of this act, the South Haven Water Sewer Authority will resume utility shut offs for past due accounts. Reminder notices will include the shut-off policy and be mailed weekly beginning the first week of April with shut-offs to occur mid-May. The finance department has put together a list of resources that past-due account holders may use to help get their accounts current.

A copy of the financial assistance letter will be included with all shut-off notices and can be found at the link below.

Financial Assistance Letter linked here.read more >

Board and Commission Openings

The City of South Haven is seeking applicants for the following board and commission vacancies:

Construction Board of Appeals - 1 openings
Downtown Development Authority - 2 openings
Harbor Commission - 2 openings
Housing Commission - 1 opening
Library Board - 1 opening
Local Officers Compensation - 5 openings
Local Development Finance Authority / Brownfield - 3 openings
Parks Commission - 2 openings
Planning Commission - 3 openings (one is a partial term)
Zoning Board of Appeals (alternate) - 2 openings

Any resident of the City of South Haven who has been a resident for at least one (1) year and who is a registered elector (voter) of the city may complete an application. Applications are available at the customer service desk at City Hall, 539 Phoenix Street and online here.

Applications should be returned to the City Clerk’s office by April 20, 2021 to be considered for appointment. Call 269-637-0750 if you have any questions regarding the application process. Please submit completed applications to the customer service counter at City Hall, or by email to mkiker@southhavenmi.gov read more >

Michigan State University Public Coastline Survey

Michigan State University is conducting a survey on public perceptions of Coastlines in the South Haven area. This survey is part of the Interdisciplinary Citizen-based Coastal REmote Sensing for Adaptative Management (IC-CREAM) project funded by the National Science Foundation - Coastlines and People Initiative. This project aims to empower communities with improved methods of coastal monitoring while engaging community members directly in coastal management issues. This project trains citizen scientists to survey coastlines using drones and will introduce a mobile app for community members to document coastal changes among other things. This survey provides us with crucial information about current perceptions of coastal issues in South Haven and will be in critical to guiding this project as it progresses in the south Haven community and the Great Lakes at large. To participate in the study via the community survey, please follow the link below. To volunteer to be trained as a drone pilot, please contact Assistant Professor Ethan J. Theuerkauf at theuerk5@msu.edu

You can find the survey here.read more >