Mount Pleasant ballot explainer: what a yes or no vote means on the Consumers Energy easement along West Broadway

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Mount Pleasant voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the city may grant Consumers Energy a permanent easement along the north side of West Broadway Street, a question that touches three city properties along the Chippewa River.

What it says. The proposal would let Consumers relocate, build, operate and maintain power lines along the north right-of-way of West Broadway, with vegetation-management rights reaching about 80 feet into Nelson Park and Riverside Cemetery and about 40 feet into the northern part of Mill Pond Park, according to the ballot language summarized by The Gist and the Morning Sun.

Why it’s on the ballot. State law generally requires voter approval before a Michigan city gives up interests in park or cemetery land. The City Commission approved the ballot language in August, according to city meeting minutes.

Yes or no. A yes vote authorizes the city to grant the easement. A no vote denies it.

The city’s view. City officials tie the easement to the West Broadway pathway project and have said that if voters reject it, the utility could pursue condemnation proceedings, the Morning Sun reported.

Consumers’ view. Consumers Energy spokesperson Brian Wheeler told the Morning Sun the project would use taller poles and affects 49 landowners, about three-quarters of whom are already participating. He said the utility has offered funding for beautification.

Read it first. The full ballot text, including the easement widths, is available through the city clerk’s office.

Sources:
The Gist, “City of Mt. Pleasant: Consumers Energy easement on park and river corridor property” (ballot language), https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/isabella-mount-pleasant-city-proposed-easement-for-consumers-energy-o
Morning Sun, “Mt. Pleasant to vote on Consumers Energy easement near parks and cemetery,” Oct. 9, 2026 (city and Consumers positions, Wheeler), https://www.themorningsun.com/2026/10/09/mt-pleasant-to-vote-on-consumers-energy-easement-near-parks-and-cemetery/
City of Mt. Pleasant, “Summary of Minutes from the 8/10/2026 City Commission Meeting” (ballot language approval), https://mpcityblog.com/2026/08/11/summary-of-minutes-from-the-8-10-2026-mt-pleasant-city-commission-meeting/
City of Mt. Pleasant, City Clerk, https://www.mt-pleasant.org/departments/city_clerk/index.php
Photo: Lee Ann Ratledge, “Double Utility Pole - Sevier County, Tennessee - October 19, 2014.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Double_Utility_Pole_-_Sevier_County%2C_Tennessee_-_October_19%2C_2014.jpg

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Tags: Mount Pleasant · Elections · Consumers Energy · Parks · Ballot Proposals