BUCHANAN COMMISSIONERS APPROVE LIVEBUCHANAN AND CHAMBER PARTNERSHIP, PAVE THE WAY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BUCHANAN – Buchanan City officials voted to approve a partnership with the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce at last week’s meeting. The new partnership provides a new organizational structure for the existing LiveBuchanan organization and leaves room for the city to bring back the Downtown Development Authority at a later date if necessary.
LiveBuchanan is a volunteer organization formed in 2023 to spur economic development, pursue a Michigan Main Street state-level designation, and start a small business incubator. The Michigan Main Street effort had been on hold since August as commissioners first debated even supporting LiveBuchanan at all, and then whether they could use it as a vehicle to bring back the Downtown Development Authority, a failed economic effort from years ago that brought more problems than solutions. The city also lost their assistant community development director, Ashley Regal, who had done extensive work with the LiveBuchanan project.
Last week’s presentation by Regional Chamber President Arthur Havlicek was entitled Partnering for Growth and appeared to provide solutions to all the LiveBuchanan and DDA issues, along with highlighting a way for Buchanan to continue pursuing a Michigan Main Street community designation. Havlicek offered a comprehensive strategy for how the Regional Chamber can assist the city and LiveBuchanan. He outlined a new organizational structure designed to improve operational efficiency, enhance financial oversight, and provide greater regional support for downtown revitalization. Having the official Michigan Main Street designation will provide Buchanan with more resources to promote that development.
Commissioners heard from Havlicek and LiveBuchanan Board Chair Randy Hendrixson before voting to move forward with drafting a contract with the Chamber.
The proposal would involve the city contributing $100,000 to LiveBuchanan via the Chamber annually for five years. Hendrixson and Havlicek pointed out that the city is already budgeting $69,000 for downtown economic development efforts and still has the leftover funds from the dissolution of the previous DDA, making the $100k mark practical and achievable.
The funds would primarily be used to hire a LiveBuchanan director to do that work. The state requires Michigan Main Street communities have a full-time staff person dedicated to downtown revitalization. Making the director a Chamber employee rather than city employee would give LiveBuchanan access to Chamber resources and services like marketing, grant writing, and access to cutting-edge data.
The city would receive regular reports about LiveBuchanan activities and have representation on and oversight of the LiveBuchanan Board.
Commissioners’ debate and discussion before the vote centered more on the money obligation than the value of the Chamber partnership. Commissioner Vigansky said he wanted “to postpone this to April so our new city manager can look at it,” ultimately an unsuccessful attempt. He also took up a negative stance, claiming that Buchanan cannot be what other local communities like Bridgman are, rather than supporting the efforts for economic vitality.
Commissioner George also questioned the accountability of the LiveBuchanan organization and the need for new bylaws for them but supported the motion with a vote to move forward with drafting a contract with the Chamber. Commissioner Swem pointed out that drafting the agreement doesn’t commit the city to spending the money yet. He also noted that the problem with “only pursuing the DDA [without LiveBuchanan or Michigan Main Street] is that we’re trying to carve out a path by ourselves.” The Chamber has already been accomplishing similar goals across the region, and partnering with an existing organization creates immediate momentum for both projects. Swem also emphasized that the value of the project will far exceed the dollars invested in it.
Mayor Mark Weedon favored the contract with the Chamber to support LiveBuchanan efforts, saying that the city needs to take advantage of the “palpable vitality” that’s starting to be seen in the city.
“The Regional Chamber’s involvement is designed to enhance LiveBuchanan’s efforts and maximize the City’s return on investment,” Havlicek said after the commission vote. “I thank the commissioners for recognizing the transformative potential of this new partnership and look forward to positioning Buchanan as a model for community-driven revitalization.”
“The collaboration with the Regional Chamber is a game-changer for LiveBuchanan,” Hendrixson said. “Their support provides critical resources and expertise, enabling us to implement the Michigan Main Street Four-Point Approach™ more effectively. We’re confident the partnership will drive sustainable growth, attract new investment, and strengthen the long-term vitality of our downtown.