City Manager ready to present retirement letter

On Monday, Oct. 7, Belleville City Manager Diana Kollmeyer told the city council that she had her letter of intent ready announcing her retirement but would hold onto it until the next meeting when the whole council was present.
Mayor Kerreen Conley and Councilman Tom Smith were absent from Monday’s session. The next meeting on Oct. 21 starts with a special 6 p.m. session at the Commons at Belleville High School to discuss the proposed special assessment for public safety that is on the Nov. 5 ballot. The regular city council meeting will follow at 7:30 p.m. at the same location.
“It was my intent to give the letter of intent to retire to the council, but the mayor is not here,” Kollmeyer said, explaining she will present it at the next meeting and then the council can plan procedures on how to replace her. She said the new person could start off the new year.
In other business in Monday’s 14-minute meeting, the council:
• Heard Kollmeyer announce the seawall repair at Doane’s Landing is done. She said restoration of the area needs to be completed and that will start this fall and be completed in the spring. She noted the rails still have to go up and the cement pads for the benches to be put in place;
• Also heard Kollmeyer announce that Scott Jones has presented site plans for the first part of his development in the 500 block of Main Street and the plans are being studied by the city’s consultants. She said Jones already has made several small changes, as suggested. She said the project should be ready to start;
• Approved the Jingle Bell 5K Fun Run/Walk for Dec. 7 starting at the Horizon Park gazebo on High Street, the same as previous years, beginning at 9:45 a.m. Street closings include High between Main and Church, one lane of traffic on Main between Denton and High, one lane on the Denton Road bridge, and the closing of Main Street between Five Points and High Street briefly so runners can cover that area, as well. The event is sponsored by the Van Buren Public Schools Education Foundation and Tabitha Davenport was due to be present to submit the request, but Kollmeyer reported Davenport forgot about the meeting. The council approved the event anyway just before Davenport arrived, after rushing to be present;
• Witnessed Clerk Sherri Scharf open three sealed bids for a postage meter: Utec of Ann Arbor, 63-month lease, $168/mo. or $225/mo. for high volume; Pitney Bowes of Spokane, WA, 60-mo. lease for $376.54/mo.; and Neopost of Milford, CN, 60-mo. lease for $153.70/mo. The council turned the bids over to the administration to come back with a recommendation;
• Approved accounts payable of $220,307.58 and the following purchases in excess of $500: to C&R Lakeside Landscape, $81,721 for the change order for seawall replacement; to Brown Funeral Home, $6,359.16 for a bench damaged in the cemetery by city mowing (insurance claim filed with MMRMA); to Council of Western Wayne, $3,406 for annual dues; to Metro Environmental, $1,513.75 and $768.75 for sewer backups; to Hennessey Engineers, $1,363.75 for plan review of the 510 Main development, from escrow; to Wise Technologies, $850.10 for CLEMIS/Network for police; to Pioneer Landscaping, $800 for Horizon Park “rope” (paid for with a check from a city resident who wished to remain anonymous); to Farmer & Underwood, $677.38 for road restoration; and to Wayne County Accounts Receivable, $630 for Dickerson lodging for police department;
• Heard Kelly Bates ask about the damaged fence in Village Park and Kollmeyer said the city has the name of the driver who hit it and are working on the insurance. Bates also asked about information on the island at Victoria Commons. Kollmeyer said Davenport will look into the problem when it can;
• Heard Kollmeyer say a car drove between Shannon’s and State Farm on Main Street damaging the streetscape. They are looking for videos from nearby locations to identify the vehicle;
• Learned the city has asked Republic Waste to extend its waste pickup contract through the end of the year. Kollmeyer said they will advertise locally and through the MML website, and DPW Director Rick Rutherford already has reached out to other firms to ask for quotes. The new contract should be ready to start on the first of the year, she said;
• Heard Bates ask about trees in Victoria Commons that have to be removed and Kollmeyer said the city was looking at them. Kollmeyer said the tree at Doane’s Landing will be coming down, as well, since it is dying. She said the tree, donated and placed there as a Christmas tree, was not decorated last year because of its condition; and
• Heard Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria, who was chairing the meeting, tell Bates that if she has questions in the future, she doesn’t need to wait until a meeting to ask them. He said the city manager is in the office every day and will answer her questions.