BAY CITY, MI – The Bay City Commission postponed a decision Monday, Feb. 9, on a proposed cold weather emergency response system that would provide warming centers when temperatures or snowfall reach dangerous levels.
The commission voted 5-4 to send the resolution back to city staff for refinement. The measure, introduced by 4th Ward Commissioner Ben Tenney, would establish a system similar to Lansing’s Code Blue program, which opens warming spaces when temperatures drop to single digits or snowfall exceeds 5 inches in one day.
“We do have a gap when it comes to daytime warming centers,” Tenney said.
Tenney objected to the motion to refer to staff.
Under the proposal, the city manager would coordinate with county officials to identify and open warming locations during severe weather. An early draft identified potential sites including the Bay County Community Center, Bay Metro buses operating as mobile warming spaces, and other city-owned facilities. The plan also calls for developing a list of community partners willing to open their doors during extreme weather.
City officials expressed concerns about public health and safety risks during frigid temperatures, including potential loss of life.
Discussion centered on existing services and gaps in coverage. The Good Samaritan drop-in center operates from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. and serves an average of 20 people nightly. The Salvation Army offers services from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Questions were raised about whether Good Samaritan could extend its hours to provide daytime coverage.
Bay City resident Tracy Szenay spoke in support of the resolution, citing recent severe weather that left vulnerable residents without daytime shelter options.
“We had what, four days of inclement weather, under 28 degrees, and we had no one, no place for people to go between the hours of what, 8 and 11,” Szenay said.
Bay City resident Denise Davidson opposed the resolution, questioning whether commissioners had reviewed existing emergency services information.
She expressed uncertainty about funding sources for potential budget amendments mentioned in the resolution and urged commissioners to vote no.
