City Council looks at ways to help businesses reopen

John Winter of Egan’s Pub came before the zoom teleconference regular meeting of the Belleville City Council on Monday to ask for help with curbside pickup once he starts up his business again.
He said the new owner of the Bayou Grill, across Fourth Street Square from the pub, has already started take-out service and he plans to do the same on Friday.
He asked that the place behind the square, that had been reserved for motorcycle parking, be marked as four places for vehicles to park when customers pick up their food. Two places would be for Egan’s Pub and two places for the Bayou.
Councilman Ken Voigt said a lot of cities are blocking off streets to allow for outside seating to help restaurants out. He said the square could be used for outside dining, Tuesdays through Sunday. Monday is set aside for the weekly car show on Main Street and the Farmers’ Market.
Councilman Voigt said Johnny’s restaurant on the lake could block off the city parking spaces if they wanted to have outside dining.
Winter suggested they put signs that say ten-minute parking for curbside pickup and Mike Kole of the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce said the chamber would pay for the signs.
Interim city manager Tracey Schultz Kobylarz said this could be put on the agenda for action, along with necessary input from the police chief, fire chief, and the DPW.
Mayor Kerreen Conley said a group from the city held a special zoom meeting on Friday to talk about things to do to help businesses and how to open up safely. She said the group will meet again this Friday and she will bring a recommendation back to the city council.
She said they are putting a action plan together for helping to reopen Belleville “as soon as we’re given the green light.” She said they are meeting with other communities that have traditional downtowns.
She said in one community, the annual parade will not be held as usual and the parade will, instead, bring itself into the residential areas where people can come out in their yards and watch.
Police Chief Dave Robinson said the Liquor Control Commission would have to sign off on outside seating for the bars.
During the one-hour-and-19-minute meeting, the council:
• Voted unanimously to approve covering the “motorcycles only” sign behind the Fourth Street Square and putting up signs for the take-out/carry-out service for the two restaurants there. City Manager Kobylarz said she would talk with the police chief and DPW director about the idea the next day. Fire Chief Brian Loranger said he had no problem with the plan;
• Set a public hearing for June 1 on the 2020-21 city budget. This will be during the regular 7:30 p.m. June 1 meeting of the city council;
• Held the third review session on the 2020-21 general fund budget of about $2.2 million and noted some changes since the last version. Police staffing is now one chief, seven full-time officers, two part-time officers, and one clerical staff. Police overtime was reduced from $51,000 to $45,000 and a 4% increase for potential command officers was added to two of the highest-paid officers’ salaries. Also, the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority’s net asset distribution increased the general fund revenue by $39,000 and the $25,000 contribution from general fund stays in the capital purchase fund to acquire a fire truck. The budget will be voted on at the next meeting and will include a list of costs for services. The $5 registration fee for bicycles will be eliminated since nobody has registered since the 1950s. There will be a change in how dogs are licensed. Kobylarz said the city clerk and accounts receivable clerk were furloughed May 17 until at least June 30 and their hours were changed from 40 hours a week to 20 hours;
• Heard Fire Chief Loranger ask for more precise figures for his department budget and a more understandable explanation of where the $186,000 coming in from the public safety assessment is actually going;
• Heard Kobylarz thank Restoration 1 for disinfecting and sanitizing the entire city hall building and police vehicles at no charge. “Those of us that are coming into the building on a regular basis feel WAY safer as a result of their efforts!” she said. “Restoration 1 is based in Belleville and is veteran owned and operated.” She apologized for sounding like a commercial, but said if anyone needs their services they can call Shannen at (734) 800-6358;
• Heard Steve Jones announce the VFW/PLAV Memorial Day ceremony at noon at the Veterans Monument in Belleville will be videotaped. He said the city is working in conjunction with Van Buren Township and Belleville High School on the taping so everyone can enjoy the services. Hopefully, he said, the city can put the tape on its website. Kobylarz said the ceremony will be brief and fewer than ten people are expected. High Street will not be closed, she said;
• Heard Councilman Tom Fielder say he had concerns that if Clerk Sherri Sharf is on furlough, that all the absentee ballot requests will be sent out in June as required;
• Heard planning commissioner Mike Renaud say he is not so sure setting up four spots for two restaurants makes sense. He said when dinner time comes, they will need more than four spaces. He said when he goes to the Red Rooster in Sumpter Township at dinner time, there are 20 people in line. “Two designated spots won’t mean anything,” he said. Chief Robinson said it is not in the city’s best interest to do anything to hamper their businesses. He said there is plenty of parking in back and, “We are not going to enforce any parking violations to impede the businesses that drive our city”; and
• Heard Councilwoman Kelly Bates say that she is furloughed from her job at the University of Michigan until August.