Mayor appoints Randy Priest to fill Fitch’s seat on Planning Commission

James Fitch, a 50-year resident of the city of Belleville and former council member who has been serving on the planning commission, resigned his commission seat because he and his wife are moving to Milan.
At Monday’s meeting of the Belleville City Council, Mayor Kerreen Conley appointed Randy Priest to fill Fitch’s seat on the planning commission and the council unanimously approved the appointment.
“I am proud and honored to have been of service to the community as a council person,” said Fitch in a farewell speech. He said he became active with the city around the time Kerreen Gellart (now Conley) was hired as city manager and Hal Berriman became police chief in 1995.
“I recently took a seat on the planning commission because of medical marijuana wanting to be set up in a house on my corner,” Fitch said, adding he took it upon himself to scour the city from his house on Second Street — where he had lived for 50 years — to the lake to pass out information.
The parcel was not properly zoned for a medical marijuana facility, so that project did not go forward. Fitch recalled all the people crowding into the council chambers when the subject was discussed.
Fitch, a retired teacher, said he served on the fire department with current Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria. He also said he got to know the newly appointed Councilman Jesse Marcotte at the planning commission.
“I can leave the city knowing it’s still in good hands,” Fitch said.
Priest, who will fill Fitch’s seat on the planning commission starting with the Dec. 8 meeting, had applied for the vacant seat on the city council and had been interviewed by the council on Nov. 15.
Priest has lived in the city for 16 years and is a retired math teacher. He said he is always volunteering. He goes to a church downtown next to Comerica Park and has worked with sound equipment for First United Methodist Church in Detroit. For a recent event, television channels 4 and 7 plugged into his equipment.
He has been on the city’s Board of Review and serves on the finance committee at his church.
Mayor Conley said with this appointment the planning commission is fully staffed again.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the council:
• Approved annual permits with Wayne County for special events, pavement restoration and maintenance;
• Heard City Manager Diana Kollmeyer announce that the city is still working on numbers for proposed special assessment districts for the upgrading of city streets. Mayor Conley had wanted to have another public meeting on the street project before the end of the year;
• Discussed an ordinance to repeal ordinance 88-255 and replace it with a new Special Events Ordinance that was prepared by Councilman Tom Fielder, with input from Councilman Tom Smith, City Manager Diana Kollmeyer, and Kim Tindall. Suggestions from Monday’s discussion will be put in the ordinance and it will be discussed again before a public hearing is set, possibly for Jan. 3. Mayor Conley said had this new ordinance been in effect, Santa flying into the high school before the parade on Saturday never would have happened. The Chamber of Commerce did not alert the city manager or police and fire departments in advance and they knew nothing about it. Also, the air cannon shooting out candy and T-shirts in the parade shouldn’t have happened, since you can’t “throw candy,” the mayor said, noting that is a long-standing rule. Fire Chief Brian Loranger confessed it was the fire department that used the air cannon. “You can’t do that, Brian,” Mayor Conley said. Chief Loranger said they learned you can’t use Hersey kisses in an air cannon since, “the foil just flies off.” A requirement for posting a deposit for clean up of city streets/sidewalks after an event will be added to the ordinance. Kelly Bates pointed out that Main Street was littered after the fireworks on Saturday and the sponsors should be responsible for clean up. Kim Tindall said the Strawberry Festival gets the streets swept on Monday at a cost to the taxpayers. “It’s not fair to taxpaying residents,” she said. “We can’t pick up leaves, but pay our guys to pick up the chamber’s mess”;
• Approved accounts payable of $129,062.90 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to Atchinson Ford, $34,165 for the DPW truck from various departments; to Konica Minolta, $4,904 for a copier for the police chief’s office and $4,857 for a copier for the upstairs police office; to Miss Dig System, $848.94 for annual membership and maintenance fees from general fund / water department; and to Election Source, $726.75 for voting equipment tests from the general fund/clerk budget;
• Heard DPW Director Rick Rutherford say they are trying to get the word out that there will be a dumpster in the DPW yard until Dec. 16 where people can bring their leaves. The city will look into how much it will cost to extend Republic Waste’s yard waste pickup next year. Also, the city is looking for people or groups to pick up bags of leaves at the curb for the elderly and disabled; and
• Went into closed-door session to discuss pending union negotiations and later went back into public session only to adjourn.