Kelly Bates appointed to Belleville Planning Commission seat

Kelly Bates had been a candidate to fill a Belleville City Council vacancy on Nov. 15, but lost out to Jesse Marcotte, a member of the city planning commission.
On Nov. 21, Bates was appointed to fill Marcotte’s seat on the planning commission.
She was appointed by Mayor Kerreen Conley, who was absent from the Nov. 21 city council meeting. The council, including newly sworn in Councilman Marcotte, unanimously approved her new seat on the planning commission.
Bates, who has lived in Belleville for two years, is president of the Victoria Commons Homeowners Association and an employee of University of Michigan Hospital. She has been a very active volunteer for 16 years and was named Woman of the Year in Westland a few years ago. This is her first appointment to a governmental office.
In other business at the Nov. 21 meeting, the council:
• Introduced the Special Events Ordinance that has been revised. The plan is to repeal the old, four-page ordinance and submit the new, seven-page ordinance for approval since there are so many changes. The council will study the proposed ordinance and make suggestions before moving forward;
• Approved a two-year renewal of the second contract with WCA, Assessing of Westland for assessment services and dealing with the Tax Tribunal. Melanie Shaw of WCA is at city hall Wednesdays from noon until 5 to provide assessing services previously done by Wayne County. “She keeps us on the straight and narrow,” said Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria;
• Approved city council meeting dates for 2017, which usually are the first and third Monday’s of the month at 7:30 p.m., with changes to the following Tuesdays for holidays in January, February and September;
• Announced the 2016 Holiday Decorating Contest that includes an award for the best decorations in Victoria Commons, Harbour Pointe, the two mobile home parks, the balance of the city, and Businesses. The winner in each area will be notified on Friday, Dec. 16, and presentations will be made at the city council meeting on Monday, Dec. 19. The contest is sponsored by the city and the Belleville-Area Independent;
• Approved paying accounts payable of $132,300.94 and the following departmental expenditures in excess of $500: to Priority One Emergency, $11,927 for vehicle equipment purchase and installation for the leased 2017 Interceptor, capital/police budget; to Blue Ribbon Contracting, $6,702 for gate well/manhole repair, from the water budget; to Dell Marketing, $2,271.53 for a computer for the 2017 Interceptor, from capital/police budget; to SLC Meters, $1,159.20 for remote water readers and $1,113.40 for water meters, from water budget; to BS&A Software, $781 for annual service fee for tax software, from Treasurer’s department; and to Wise Tech., $504.99 for computer network/software support from general fund/various budgets;
• Heard DPW Director Rick Rutherford announce that the city is opening up a program for the citizens of Belleville only so they can come into the DPW yard and dump their canisters or bags of leaves into a big dumpster from Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and two Saturdays, Dec. 3 and 10. Leaves only, please. He said this is to help the people with the late leaves. “We want to keep the streets clean.” Nov. 25 was the last pickup of yard waste by Republic Waste under its contract; and
• Heard City Manager Diana Kollmeyer announce that there still is one vacancy left on the planning commission and it will be filled by the mayor from one of the other candidates who applied for city council.