Belleville expects to get $250,000 from the state

At the end of the Dec. 16 regular meeting of the Belleville City Council, Mayor Kerreen Conley reminded Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Marcotte of an announcement he wanted to make.
Marcotte said a couple of years back when the city was figuring out how to pay to repair the seawall at Doane’s Landing, he wrote a letter to the state asking for help.
He said Rep. Kristy Pagan worked to get $250,000 for the seawall and she worked through two administrations and, although it’s not a done deal yet, it looks like the city will get the money.
Governor Whitmer has to sign the latest budget bill first.
Mayor Conley said Sen. Hopgood worked on the funding, too, when he was in office.
“We’ll cross our fingers, but that looks fine,” Mayor Conley said of the expected funds.
She said things are looking up in the city and a lot of people are working to improve things, including those with the library, Scott Jones and his building projects and the reorganization of the Chamber of Commerce.
“There are things on the horizon and we’re looking forward to 2020 to see where the city can go,” she said.
In other business at Monday’s 47-minute meeting, the council:
• Elected Councilman Jesse Marcotte as the new Mayor Pro Tem, replacing Jack Loria who is no longer on the council. Mayor Conley asked City Manager Diana Kollmeyer to come up with a list of contractors used by the city to see if it would be good to go out for bids, probably after the new city manager takes office;
• Learned there are 185 applications for the city manager position as of last Friday and set a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, for a review of the candidates and 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, for a day-long meeting of interviews. (If more time is needed, they may set special sessions for Jan. 28 and 29.) A special meeting also was set for 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 3, for a meet and greet of candidates with the public invited along with commissions, CBC, Chamber, and DDA. The new city manager may be selected on Feb. 4. Retiring City Manager Kollmeyer reported of the resumes, several psychologists have applied along with Uber drivers and pizza drivers. Council members were invited to come in and look over the resumes in the office and make some choices to present to other members in order to whittle down the field;
• Approved the Healthcare Corrective Action Plan, required by the state, as prepared by the city’s Plante Moran consultant. Kollmeyer said the plan shows the city pays as it goes for retiree health care, as done by many municipalities. The city had an extension from the due date last month and the plan is due this week;
• Heard Councilman Ken Voigt praise the work of the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce on the Winterfest activities and the parade which, he said, is starting to rival the Strawberry Festival parade. Voigt also commented on how much he liked Carson Conley’s remote-control box that was in the parade. Mayor Conley said she told her son as long as it was lighted it could be in the parade, so he lighted it;
• Heard Councilwoman Kelly Bates say she would like to work on cleaning up the building the city bought adjoining city hall, which she had placed on the council’s follow-up list at the last meeting. DPW Director Rick Rutherford said earlier that day he first got the keys to the building and the beer signs are off the windows. Bates said she would volunteer to help clean up inside and Rutherford said he would be glad to work with a volunteer group to clean up the building and get rid of the items inside; and
• Approved accounts payable of $98,035.82 and the following purchases in excess of $500: to Blue Ribbon Contracting, $11,823.24 for road replacements and $5,190 for water main break; to Metro Environmental, $695 for Vactor jet service; to Core & Main, $637.80 for water main clamps; and to Superior Truck Services, $558.65 for dump truck repair.