Belleville DDA approves budget, OKs moving forward on sculptures

On Oct. 18, in its first meeting since July 19, the Belleville Downtown Development Authority, with a bare quorum attending, finally approved its 2017-18 budget.
The DDA met with five members and all approved the document. Mayor Kerreen Conley and DDA member Alicia McGovern were out of town.
But, before the $684,600 balanced budget could be accepted, the new five-year maintenance agreement with the city had to be approved. The former maintenance agreement had expired and changes were negotiated with the help of attorneys on both sides: city and DDA.
The maintenance agreement was approved by the DDA and so the agreement and the budget can be sent on to the city council for final approval.
The maintenance agreement changes include:
• No third-party contractual obligations to the DDA. If the city hires an employee or enters into a contractual agreement and its cost is less than the city had quoted to the DDA, the cost to the DDA will be adjusted accordingly;
• Audit of insurance and electricity cost sharing. There is a continual increase in the street lighting cost even though the DDA put in LEDs, said Carol Thompson, DDA Coordinator, who presented the agreement; and
• Term of agreement is five years, retroactive to July 1, 2017. It will extend for another five years unless either party given written notice to terminate by a deadline.
Other changes include the city upping the rent on Thompson’s office from $150 to $200 a month. It had been $150 a month since 1994.
Also, Capital Improvement Contributions to the city were removed because that is not allowed in the current DDA Act legislation. And, routine DPW maintenance will generate a payment of $15,000 per quarter to the city. The 3% of actual costs of service for the DDA will be reimbursed for finance director (as a separate item), city manager, city clerk, and two clerical staff.
The city also agreed to present a detailed invoice quarterly.
In reviewing the budget, it was pointed out the DDA captures a total of $676,100 from the city, Wayne County, Wayne County Community College, and the library. The amount from the city is $407,325.
Bond payments and bond fee for the 2010 Main Street upgrades are $369,308 of the 2017-18 budget. Thompson said the 2010 bond payments continue to rise for the next few years with a ceiling of $419,920 in 2020.
In other business at the 50-minute Oct. 18 meeting, the DDA:
• Approved pursuing with Van Buren Township DDA a plan to get another round of outdoor sculptures next year from the Midwest Sculpture Initiative and to pay the $500 initial cost. Last year, VBT had four sculptures and Belleville six. Thompson said maybe VBT will take one for their Placemaking site and it will take a few months to figure out how many to order. Prices will be $1,500 more than last year’s order. Thompson said last year Belleville’s six sculptures cost $9,354, minus $3,300 in donations, for a total of $6,050 to the DDA. VBT DDA paid $6,232 for their four, she said;
• Heard Randy Brown suggest a Belleville Area Art Challenge, similar to the art prize in Grand Rapids, for artists in Belleville, Van Buren, and Sumpter. They could be paintings, sculptures, metal art, or other media. He said an entry fee would be $20 to $50. He said the DDA could seed it for a couple of years and then get out of funding it and, “Let the DDA spend its money on something else.” He said they could run it for three weeks and the public would vote online, eliminating art pieces each week. The art would be at city hall, the museum, and inside businesses. Voting would be done with a “geofence” and you’d have to be in the city to vote. And, there would be professional judges, too. The winners of cash prizes would be announced at a reception. He said they have to talk to the arts council, CBC and others about it. “Carol and I talked about a contest, instead of having art all around,” Brown said, referring to Carol Thompson. He said it would have to be organized and, “I’m just the idea guy.” The DDA encouraged the idea and said to pursue the project. Thompson said they would get a committee together to meet; and
• Heard Treasurer Sabrina Richardson Williams say the $175,258.07 accounts payable approved for August, September and October, includes $77,072.50 to the city who paid the DDA’s bond payment in September.
[The Nov. 15 and Dec. 20 regular meetings of the Belleville DDA were cancelled.]