Belleville City Council levies 2-mill assessment for public safety

On Monday, Nov. 18, with a bare quorum present, the Belleville City Council voted to levy a 2-mill property tax assessment for one year for public safety.
The assessment will be on the winter tax roll being sent to taxpayers in December and due on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14.
Voting yes were Councilmen Jesse Marcotte and Tom Fielder and Mayor Kerreen Conley. Absent from the meeting were Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria, whose wife had just died, and Councilman Tom Smith. This would have been their last meetings as council members.
The council referred to the Nov. 5 election where city voters approved the proposal of 2 mills for 10 years, 348-262, in an advisory vote. The assessment is expected to bring in $90,000 the first year it is levied.
City attorney Steve Hitchcock said the council has to annually pass a resolution to levy the millage.
Councilman Fielder said the voters approved the assessment. He said the council did not need the approval, but wanted to get the feel of the community before making its decision.
Attorney Hitchcock said every year the council will have to decide on an assessment of zero to two mills for 10 years.
Fielder made the motion, seconded by Marcotte and passed by the three council members present.
John Juriga said from the audience that he thought the council wanted to wait until a full council was present to vote on the assessment.
“We can’t wait,” said Mayor Conley, noting this is the last meeting they could approve this to get it on this winter’s tax bill.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said the capital equipment plan for public safety is separate from other departments. She said the financial consultant from Plante Moran will bring a budget amendment back to the council for this.
“We anticipate a multi-year program,” said Fielder, adding he would like to see the program continue for 10 years. He said they would like to see the details for the police and fire vehicles.
City Manager Kollmeyer said they would have to accumulate funds for a fire engine.
Marcotte said he would like to revisit the list of items announced that this assessment will cover.
In other business at Monday’s 40-minute meeting, the council:
• Held a public hearing on an ordinance amendment regulating penalities of juveniles who violate a city ordinance and then approved the ordinance change. City attorney Hitchcock said this is so those 16 and under will be prosecuted for ordinance violations, such as noise and loitering, as a civil infraction rather than a misdemeanor so they don’t get a criminal record. The violation would be prosecuted as a city ordinance violation, rather than under state statute. This was requested by the 34th District Court. “It gives juvenile offenders a second chance,” explained Ken Voigt, a retired police officer who was recently elected to city council;
• Set a Dec. 2 public hearing to consider an ordinance opting out of businesses in the city having to do with Recreational Marijuana. Hitchcock said the city opted out of medical marijuana and then the law passed for recreational marijuana. He said a community can opt out of having these businesses in their community. He said this doesn’t affect adults using marijuana. He said when a community opts out this must be filed with the state of Michigan so it can keep track of who opted out when it gets applications for licenses. Fielder said council members have unanimously said they wanted Belleville to be an opt-out community. He said 89% of communities in the state of Michigan have opted out and, “I don’t know if it’s buyers’ regret”;
• Witnessed Clerk Sherri Scharf open four sealed bids for refuse collection, which were then turned over to the administration for study and a recommendation. Bids came from Waste Management, Priority Waste of Clinton Township, Republic Waste, and GFL (Green for Life) Environmental. No numbers were read publicly;
• Approved Clerk Scharf’s recommendation to accept the low bid of NeoPost for the city’s new postage meter. She said this vendor is the city’s present provider of the postage meter. The five-year lease is billed quarterly at $153.70 a month, a total of $9,222. Cost is $8 a month more than what the city is now paying. Other bidders were UTEC and Pitney Bowes. When asked if the city had a bulk mail permit, Scharf said they don’t mail enough to qualify for bulk mailing. She said the city mails taxes, water bills, and election items, including ballots. Fire Chief Brian Loranger said, “We don’t mail enough to get a bulk permit, but we have a postage meter”;
• Was introduced to the two new employees in the front office: Takisha Hammon of Van Buren Township, new water/utilities payables clerk, and Angela Plummer of Sumpter Township, new payroll/building clerk;
• Approved $109,365.01 in accounts payable and the following purchases in excess of $500: to C&R Lakeside, $5,800 for a change order for excavation and $5,200 for a change order for rip rap; to Fire CATT, $3,334.10 for annual fire hose and ground ladder testing for the fire department; and to Hennessey Engineers, $1,073 for work on an MS4 permit w/EGLE, from the water department;
• Was informed city hall will be closed on Thanksgiving and the Friday after Thanksgiving and trash pickup will be on Friday that week;
• Heard Marcotte offer condolences to the Loria family in the death of Rosemary Loria. “She meant a lot to our community – serving in very, very many difference avenues.” He also thanked former councilwoman and then building clerk Kim Tindall for her service and wished her the best in her new endeavors;
• Heard Fielder report that the current #1 addiction for the last six months is alcohol again. It’s been the #1 cause for treatment. He also noted Nov. 26 would be the kickoff for the Festival of Trees at the museum;
• Heard Mayor Conley say this was the last meeting before Thanksgiving. She said the late Rosemary Loria served the community in very many different ways. She urged people to reflect on life and those that are important to them because life is really short. She said the new council members will be sworn in on Dec. 2;
• Heard Fire Chief Loranger congratulate the Belleville High School football team for its wins. He announced his fire department has won a $35,000 grant for new radios, which will cost the city 10% — $3,500. He said the FEMA grant was through the Western Wayne Mutual Aid group.