Belleville City Council approves $27,130.20 for police camera system

At its regular meeting on Dec. 15, the Belleville City Council unanimously approved spending $27,130.20 over five years to purchase an Axion Interview Room Camera System for the Belleville Police Department.
The quote from Axion Enterprise, Inc. was good until Dec. 31 to keep from having to pay more after the first of the year.
This is for the new city hall being developed at 330 Charles St.
The resolution to purchase the system notes, “the importance of accurate, secure, and reliable audio and video recording of police interviews to promote transparency, accountability, evidence integrity, and public trust…”
The camera system includes hardware, software licenses, evidence storage, installation services, and a five-year extended warranty. The system integrates with Evidence.com and provides secure long-term storage and management of recorded interview evidence for the Belleville Police Department.
In other business at the Dec. 15 meeting, the council:
• Presented awards to four of the five winners of the Home Lighting contest, with one not being present;
• Heard a resident complain about her water bill, noting that something is wrong with her water meter since it showed her home using 50 gallons at 5 a.m. She was told that will be investigated and maybe the meter is not working properly. Mayor Ken Voigt invited anyone with any water meter problems to contact the city;
• Approved a a resolution to support a charitable gaming license for the Boogie in Belleville Booster Club, a school booster club;
• Received a written summary report from the Department of Public Works director concerning leaf pickup, a watermain break, things needed to be done to satisfy the state department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and two violations of the National Resources and Environmental Projection Act (NREPA). There are two certifications to bring the city in compliance with NREPA and he reported will have them both by Jan. 17;
• Approved a residential cross-connection program through HydroCorp, as required by EGLE;
• Approved a job posting for a part-time fire chief, who would work under the general guidance and direction of the director of public safety, who reports directly to the city manager. The fire chief would be required to live in proximity to the city limits; and
• Went into closed-door session to consider a one-year extension of a collective bargaining agreement for the Belleville Firefighters Association union. Among details, it would include a 5% pay raise for all members of the union. The current agreement expires Dec. 31. After the closed-door session was over, the council went back into regular session and did not vote on the agreement.