City sets meeting to hire interim city manager, police chief

The Belleville City Council set a special meeting for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, with hopes of hiring an interim city manager and a police chief.
Private interviews by a panel of police professionals assembled by retired Belleville Police Chief Hal Berriman, had been set for Feb. 5. Thirteen applicants for part-time police chief were to be held every half hour all day and then a list of recommended applicants presented to the Civil Service Commission who planned to certify the panel’s decision at a 4:30 p.m. CSC meeting that day. The list would then be sent to the council and the top applicant could then be hired by the council on Monday.
The vote on the special meeting was taken at Monday’s regular meeting of the council – and City Manager Diana Kollmeyer’s last day on the job before retiring.
When four finalists, out of more than 400 applicants for Kollmeyer’s job, failed to return their questionnaires before a planned day of interviews, the city was left without a single candidate for the job. City officials reached out to several sources to find someone to serve as fill-in city manager until one could be hired.
Mayor Kerreen Conley announced they received just one letter of interest for the appointment of interim city manager.
Councilman Ken Voigt said that person had a strong resume and a lot of experience and he thought they should approach that person with a committee. He and Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Marcotte planned to meet immediately with the interested applicant for interim city manager.
It was noted by a Plante Moran representative that the state of Michigan is starving for professionals to lead cities and with Belleville being a small city it didn’t have the money to compete with larger municipalities for those available.
An agreement with this unnamed professional is expected to be brought to Monday’s meeting, along with the preferred police chief candidate for hire. Chief Berriman’s last day was Jan. 31.
Both Berriman and Kollmeyer were to donate their time to be present at city hall for the police chief interviews on Feb. 5, although they were not to be present during the interviews. Berriman, however, did plan to be in the room for the interviews of the three internal candidates in case there were questions on them from the panel.
The internal candidates are Cpl. Todd Schrencengost and Officers Bart Devos and Tim Trombley.
Kollmeyer said by volunteering Wednesday to help with the police interviews, “I can walk away knowing my job was completed.”
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the council:
• Heard the presentation for the $2.4 million general fund audit for FY 2018/19 by Alan C. Young & Associates that issued an unmodified opinion on the city’s financial statements. While the representative said the audit showed strong financial results which he would call an A to A+ audit report, Michael Renaud said from the audience that it’s tough to say it’s an A+ when the city has $7 million in longterm liabilities out there and no plan to cover them. He referred to pensions and OPEB (other post-employment benefits). The auditor said he was not grading the city on where it stands with its liabilities. It was noted that the audit showed the finances were clear and accurate and followed the rules;
• Approved the request of the Belleville Area Council for the Arts Music Committee to hold a Blues Fest on Saturday, July 25, the day of the grand opening of the new library. Main Street between Third and Fifth streets will be closed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to allow for set up for the concert and family activities. The Fourth Street Square and Fourth Street will also be used. The library opening event is from 11 a.m. to noon and the Blues Fest will start at 12:30 p.m. Co-chairmen of the music event are Steve Jones and City Councilman Voigt;
• Approved the Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Drive April 3-4 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Five Points. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to help Michigan Citizens with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities;
• Approved the mayor’s appointment of Councilman Voigt to the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term to expire in December 2023;
• Discussed a stipend for acting city manager Rick Rutherford and voted to give him the difference between his pay and Kollmeyer’s pay (she got $2.69 more per hour) for the time he’s actually working as city manager until an interim city manager is on board. In the future they will discuss a stipend to the person named acting city manager as required by the charter. There never had been a stipend in the past, but it was suggested from the audience at a recent meeting;
• Approved accounts payable of $14,563.13 and the following purchase in excess of $500: to Morton Salt, $4,679.83 for road salt from the streets fund. Fire Chief Brian Loranger asked the council to add to accounts payable his payment of some $1,800 to Fire Store for portable scene lights, which were funded by a grant and purchased. He said he had turned in the request, but it has not been on the accounts payable list for the last two meetings. It was added;
• Heard John Juriga remind the mayor that one more appointment is needed on the planning commission and one representative from the city council is needed on the transportation committee; and
• Said their fond farewells to Kollmeyer and presented her with a cake and a bucket of gift cards.