IRON MOUNTAIN — Organizers plan to stage an Independence Day parade in Iron Mountain-Kingsford the morning of Saturday, July 3.

The Iron Mountain City Council approved the date Monday proposed by the Menominee Range Historical Foundation. It will step off at 9 a.m., following the same route as in the past.

The historical group assumed responsibility for the parade from Americans for Constitutional Enforcement in 2019. No parade took place in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Organizers were concerned a parade Sunday, July 4, would conflict with church services in the morning and potentially expose participants and spectators to extreme heat in the afternoon, City Manager Jordan Stanchina said.

The council agreed a Saturday morning parade seemed the best option.

The route through Iron Mountain follows Woodward Avenue east to Carpenter Avenue, then north on Carpenter to H Street, then west to the area of the Midtown Mall. The parade starts on Balsam Street and Pyle Drive in Kingsford, proceeding north to Woodward Avenue.

The foundation has liability insurance, according to parade committee member Jayna Huotari.

In other action, the council:

— Scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. May 3 on a zoning change that would allow new structures in the general business district to exceed a maximum height of 40 feet. Developers are considering a project in the downtown that would need 50 feet as a maximum height.

— Agreed to again allow outdoor bar service at Sol Blu Lounge & Tap Room at 212 E. Ludington St., which takes up two street parking spaces in front of the business. There will be a midnight curfew with no outdoor music. The request was first granted last summer in light of restrictions on indoor service during the pandemic. Any proposals from other establishments can be heard on a case-by-case basis, council members said.

— Reversed course from its March 15 meeting and awarded a bid to provide LED lighting in the Department of Public Works truck shop to G. Brooks Electric of Iron Mountain for $7,100. Previously, the bid went to M.J. Electric of Iron Mountain for $13,770, because it was believed the bulbs proposed by Brooks didn’t meet specifications. After reviewing it, irregularities were found in the bid form and it was determined the bulb submitted by Brooks was adequate, Stanchina said. Changes have been made in the template bid sheet used by public works to prevent this from occurring again, he added.

— Received a list of unpaid water bills from nearly 90 accounts totaling about $18,000. Under city policy, the list will be published and the charges will go on tax bills if not paid by April 13. Some charges are less than a dollar while the largest is $917. A moratorium on water shutoffs during the pandemic ended March 31, Stanchina said. “This is a better solution than the shutoff route,” he said.

— After receiving no bids on the acquisition of a 2021 Dodge Durango pursuit all-wheel drive police vehicle, decided to make the purchase through the state’s MiDEAL program participant, Lafontaine Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Fenton. The dealer’s base cost is $29,970, plus delivery, and the total estimated cost with equipment is $44,200. A Rural Development grant has been awarded to cover about $14,000.

— Approved a request from Ed Mattson, director of police and fire services, to sign a one-year agreement to allow the police department to access the TransUnion search engine at a cost of $100 per month, with up to 150 searches per month. “It’s becoming pretty common for law enforcement to have a subscription,” Mattson said. “I think it will be a really good tool.” A free trial has proved valuable in finding information to assist with investigations, he said.

— Accepted a quote from Zambon Decorating Co. of iron Mountain to paint the interior walls at the police and fire building at a cost of $9,650. Zambon’s was the low price among three local contractors that responded.