Burton · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Burton public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Gas pumps proposed at Dort Highway convenience store
The corner of 3271 S. Dort Hwy. will get gas pumps at its existing convenience store, meaning fewer trips across a busy road for neighborhood drivers. Residents say the lot feels safer than competing stations nearby.
Vacant-lot sales and home rehabilitation
The city sold seven vacant parcels, mostly to a builder with a track record of constructing new homes, and pulled two Allen Street houses off the demolition list so a buyer can renovate them. Officials said rehab beats demolition — tearing down houses costs the city $15,000-$20,000 each and leaves empty lots.
Davison Road water main construction impacts on Starlight restaurant
An 80-year-old waterline has broken seven times in 18 months, repeatedly shutting down Starlight Coney Island and hurting nearby businesses. A fix is coming and won't be cheap; the mayor is pursuing federal grant funding.
Road restoration standards and utility cut ordinance
Telecom companies are boring fiber lines through right-of-ways and tearing up front lawns across Burton, and the city says it has little say. DPW is taking complaints and requiring bonds from contractors.
Building department fee overhaul
The first fee schedule update in years was adopted. Some fees remain below neighboring communities' but now cover the city's costs, and the council committed to reviewing fees annually or biannually.
Sidewalk obstructions and traffic safety on Bristol/Fern
A resident raised recurring complaints about vehicles blocking sidewalks and asked whether Burton should follow other municipalities on sidewalk snow removal and parking rules, suggesting signage.
Greenbrier TAP fee dispute and remaining 77 lots
Tap fees haven't been raised in years and the city is required by its bond covenants to do a rate study every five years. The study is underway and fee changes could come before the council soon — that affects what new homebuilders pay and, indirectly, everyone's rates.
Clock corner brick wall damage
Board members reported overflowing trash and new Sharpie graffiti at Clock Corner; the DPW agreed to add the trash cans to its weekly rotation and to look at cleaning the graffiti and banner poles.
Dort Highway reconstruction gap
Covert Road is finished, Belsay Road should reopen at the railroad crossing by Monday, and Genesee Road work remains on schedule despite traffic headaches.
Potential AI data center development
A resident flagged Racer Trust marketing a 56-acre site at Davison and Center for possible data center use and asked whether Burton has rules, a committee, or a moratorium. The mayor said the city hasn't been approached and signed no NDA, and promised education and possibly a town hall before any decision.
Park Land Acquisition
The legal description for the DDA's land acquisition is still moving in the right direction, per Board Member Martz. No action yet — this one's still in progress.
Southmoor/DSB Golf clubhouse demolition
A resident urged the council to move forward with demolishing the vacant clubhouse at 4312 S. Dort Hwy, calling it a collapse and fire hazard. The owner has asked to demolish it with his own contractor within 90 days; the item was tabled at an earlier meeting.
Belsay and Potter Road intersection improvement grant
A 30-year resident said heavy truck traffic from the Paul's Davidson project wrecked Potter Road, leaving it like railroad tracks. DPW says it's on the radar but funds are stretched across a 50-year road backlog.
Sitka Street paving (SAD 26-009-P)
The gravel stretch of Sitka Street has deteriorated badly — deep potholes, washouts after every rain, and complaints it takes 10 minutes to drive a half mile. The city's 50/50 match program lets residents pay half the paving cost, spread over 10 years, while the city picks up the other half. The council unanimously approved moving forward.
Two homes on one R-1A parcel at Genesee & Lippincott
Neighbors pushed back hard on plans for two duplexes of higher-end rentals on a long-vacant corner lot, citing traffic, noise, property maintenance and drainage worries. The board sided with them and denied the use variance 1-7.
Blighted property demolition at 1252 Decamp
A house tagged as unsafe since April 2023 is finally coming down. The out-of-state owner never followed through on rehab promises while neighbors mowed the yard. Demolition costs get billed to the owner and potentially land on the tax bill.
C-2 zoning amendment (Case No. 339)
Burton is moving gas stations from automatic approval to special-use review in general business zones, letting the commission demand market studies and say no to oversaturated corridors. Council takes it up July 20.
Downtown land division / property agreement
The DDA is buying a piece of property (formerly phone company land) and needs corrected survey drawings and legal descriptions before anything can be finalized. Board members aired continued disagreement over the sign planned for the site.
Davison Road sidewalk extension
Another mile of sidewalk is coming to Davison Road between Genesee and Belsay, paid for by reallocating Major Streets money. It's the kind of walkability upgrade residents have pushed for for decades.
Genesee Road reconstruction update
The city hired T.G. Priehs, LLC to build the Genesee Road sidewalk connecting Kelly Lake to Formar Road. A councilman flagged a dangerously narrow segment at Court and Genesee that may not be handicap accessible.
Southmoor Golf Course purchase collapse and lawsuit
The seller backed out of closing and the city is suing to recover about $300,000 in taxpayer money paid toward the purchase.
MAFF firefighters contract (2026-2029)
The three-year contract covering roughly 39 part-time firefighters passed 4-3 after a fight over whether the labor attorney should have briefed the council first. Hiring and retention incentives remain separate from the union contract.
Nuisance/hazardous property hearings
Residents pushed back on complaint-driven code enforcement after bushes and wildflowers were flagged or cut. Council members debated whether the city should do proactive enforcement, with a heated exchange over the city's blight record.
North-End Welcome Sign and Corner Purchase
The long-planned welcome sign for the north end is stuck waiting on a surveyor. The board is weighing surveys, a possible property split, and other options without straying from the vision plan.
Expanded parks and rec programming and event budget tracking
The parks budget is up about $450,000 largely tied to the anticipated property acquisition, and council added $10,000 for community events and raised grounds maintenance funding to $50,000 ahead of the grant-funded expansion.
East Maple Ave road rehabilitation
Council put $324,250 from fund balance toward the Maple Avenue project between Dort Hwy and Center Road and hired Wade Trim for up to $64,100 in preliminary engineering — real movement on a major east-west corridor.
Major streets budget and ditching funding
The council approved contracts to rebuild Covert Road ($892,968) and Genesee Road ($3.13 million) this year, plus a budget amendment to cover the Genesee work.
Vacant Buildings and Code Enforcement in the District
A resident detailed plastic-bag litter at Walmart, the old Lowe's, Speedway and BP sites and asked whether the city requires businesses to clean up or can ban plastic bags. Council pointed to the May 2 Day of Service and Beautify Burton cleanups.
Employee health insurance cost-sharing change
The council scrapped the 80/20 insurance model in favor of a hard cap after rates were set to jump nearly 17%. Mayor Haskins said the change will save employees significantly at no added cost to the city.
Bourbon Street building demolition
A resident who bought her home a year and a half ago says the long-empty commercial building behind her property on Bourbon Street has brought rats, trespassers and costs she's absorbing herself. Mayor Haskins said the city will send the code officer out immediately and seek demolition if the owner doesn't commit to fixing it up.
Center Road watermain improvements
The council approved the construction contract and engineering for a major watermain upgrade on Center Road — over $1.26 million combined. This is core infrastructure that affects water reliability for years.
Paramedic millage renewal
Dr. Benn urged the council to actively support the Genesee County paramedic millage renewal, saying losing 20-30 paramedics and sheriff's deputies is a real risk in the current economic climate.
Police Department Staffing
Burton leaders are considering adding a deputy police chief whose main job would be tackling violent crime. If approved, it would change how the department is run and add a new line to the city budget. The details—and the cost—aren’t settled yet.
Veterans Memorial Park wall expansion
The veterans memorial has run out of wall space for names, and the city needs to build an addition. The mayor suggested possible fundraising, and the council asked administration to return with cost estimates.
Sheriff/Paramedic millage renewal on the August ballot
Dr. Melinda Benn urged the mayor and council to back the August Genesee County millage renewal that funds the Sheriff/Paramedic Division. She warned that without it, the community loses 30 paramedics and deputies.
Aging water and sewer infrastructure
The $25 million water line replacement fixed the worst third of the system, but old pipe in the south end is breaking again after a hard winter. Remaining fixes run half a million to a million dollars per segment, and sewer upgrades could run $3-4 million each if full build-out happens.
Police Department Budget & Capital Improvements
The council was scheduled to review the fire department's budget and its capital improvement needs. Outcomes would shape fire protection services and equipment for the whole city.
Insurance cost spikes in proposed budget
The city's share of property and liability insurance jumped from $152,000 to $538,000, and health insurance is up about 18%. Other municipalities are seeing the same, and shopping around didn't produce better rates.
Replacement of election voting equipment
Burton's voting equipment is at the end of its 10-year life and the state requires replacement. New tabulators run about $15,000 each, and the city budgeted $180,000 for roughly 13 pieces of equipment — softened by consolidating from 12 precincts to 7.
Mosquito spraying program
A resident again urged the council not to spend money on citywide mosquito spraying, saying the chemical makes her ill, and asked to be told when the topic will be discussed.
Attorney barred from nursing home, police called
Longtime Burton attorney Danette Amy says Burton police escorted her out of the Pines of Burton while she visited her client, with an officer saying he 'didn't know anything about' the mental health code. She asked the council to have the city attorney educate the police department that attorneys may visit clients.
Filling the vacant council seat
The council had to replace Gary Wines mid-term, choosing between a seasoned former councilmember who knows the budget and a younger candidate focused on infrastructure and transparency. The choice shapes who votes on the upcoming city budget.
Court Street rezoning and gas station proliferation
AROB Properties sought a C-1 to C-2 upgrade that residents said would enable a gas station near Gilkey Creek and overcrowd the corridor. The council followed the Planning Commission's no vote and killed the first reading 1-5.
South Belsay Road neighborhood drainage and flooding
Residents along South Belsay Road say flooding is getting worse each year, with flooded yards, garages, barns and even livestock losses. They're frustrated that the city DPW and county Drain Commission each say the old field drains are a private-property matter.
Nathaniel Group lobbying agreement
The city is hiring a DC lobbying firm to chase state and federal grants, with the Southmoor redevelopment as the top target. Supporters say representation in Washington brings priority funding; the council president worries about paying consultants who deliver nothing.
Precinct consolidation from twelve to seven
Every voter is getting a new card because Burton consolidated from twelve precincts to seven. Former NTC voters now go to Atherton or Blessed Sacrament depending on school district, and the city expects to save money.
Unpermitted contractor operation at 4244 E. Bristol Road
A telecom contractor has been operating off an 18-acre commercial parcel without the approvals that use requires, creating noise, mud on Howe Road, and soil erosion issues. The ZBA denied the after-the-fact variance and gave the operator 30 days to clear out. The city may pursue revoking the original 2023 storage-unit variance because its conditions were repeatedly violated.
Affordable multifamily development with reduced parking on Center Road
A 378-unit affordable and market-rate apartment complex is moving forward on Center Road. Supporters say the area is a good fit with groceries, doctors, and banks nearby, but skeptics on the board worry the reduced 1.4 parking ratio will create headaches for residents, caregivers, and police calls.
S. Dort Highway rezoning (Case No. 336)
Amar Shango wants land at G3271 S. Dort Hwy rezoned from industrial to general business so his longtime convenience store can expand what it sells and compete with a nearby gas station. It passed first reading 4-2.
Master Plan Update Adoption
Burton just adopted its updated Master Plan — the blueprint for what gets built where for years to come. The county asked for a few revisions, and one resident used the hearing to push for a new C-5 zoning category for environmentally sensitive businesses like gas stations and battery shops.