Council seeks residents to help rewrite 39-year-old city charter

The City of Belleville wants to update the city charter that was effective Sept. 1, 1982 and it needs residents to work on the updates.
At Monday’s meeting of the city council, City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson said they have one volunteer so far. He asked anyone interested to contact the city clerk.
He said people also are needed for seats on the Downtown Development Authority and the Civil Service Commission, and the CSC members have to be city residents.
Councilman Tom Fielder pointed out that a list needs to be made of those interested to work on the charter and they would have to be elected before they can begin work.
Mayor Kerreen Conley said it would be a good thing to get the volunteers educated on the process and why the city wants it done and then to educate the community.
In other business at Monday’s hour-long meeting, the council:
• Was informed that both City Clerk/Treasurer Briana Hootman and Assistant Administrator Tim McLean have achieved election credentials and will be able to run the upcoming election. “This is a very busy time in the clerk’s office and Tim volunteered to become accredited to assist Briana,” said City Manager Robinson. “I was very proud of them for taking this on … to go through all the classes. It was impressive and both passed it on the first try.” Mayor Conley suggested high school students could volunteer to help with the election since they have to earn 20 hours credit each to graduate. Councilman Fielder offered to help since he has worked on elections in the past;
• Approved a resolution accepting the $500 donation to the Police Reserves from the Belleville Central Business Community. Robinson said another group was supposed to come in and clean up but didn’t show and the Reserves jumped in and took down the many tables at the CBC event. Councilman Voigt said the Reserves have helped out at Lake Fest and at the DDA’s First Wednesday food truck events. He especially pointed out officer Jim Piper. Robinson said Officer Piper is a Mason and comes in to help Hootman with the food distribution, as well. Robinson said if someone comes in at seven in the morning they could see him (Robinson) cleaning the bathrooms. “There’s nothing we won’t do,” he said;
• Delayed action on addition of two permanent, small cement pads at Horizon Park requested by Councilman Voigt. He said the council approved placement of two sculptures that were gifts from the Council for the Arts and the pads needed to be 3’x3’ and 2’x2’. Mayor Conley said she didn’t remember giving approval to put them in the park and Robinson said he has tried to research the subject and can’t find it in the city records, but he will continue searching. After the meeting, Councilwoman Kelly Bates sent a quote to fellow councilmembers from the Aug. 20, 2020 Independent reporting on the Aug. 17 zoom council meeting that said the council: “… Accepted the donations of two sculptures, possibly to be placed in Horizon Park. Councilman Ken Voigt presented the offer, with one from Justin Juriga of the Upsidedown Man he had offered to the city eight to ten years earlier and nobody could figure out what to do with it. Councilman Voigt said the 400-pound sculpture is of sheet metal and it has to be repainted because it was damaged in the city’s custody. The second sculpture is by Tim Elden and is of recycled rebar. Voigt said the Arts Council purchased it from Elden and would like to donate it to the city; …”
• Heard DPW Director Rick Rutherford say the Waste Management truck driver did it again and this time he got a ticket and a picture was taken of the damage and WM’s insurance agent has already paid the claim for damaging the fence at Hillside Cemetery. He said the drivers turn around there because it shortens their route and they’re not supposed to. It happened before, last year, and the fence was taken away and fixed and put back the best they could;
• Approved accounts payable in the amount of $2,149,125.82 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: Blue Ribbon Contracting, $6,374, repair of water main break at 144 Third St., Aug. 13; to EJ, $532.28 for four-inch water main repair clamps; to KP&T Auto Service, $654.60, repair of fuel pump on street sweeper; to Michigan Ammo, LLC, $1,755, ammunition for police department training; to Outdoor Amenities (Eric Partridge), $1,425.86, repair of fence/gate at Hillside Cemetery (paid by Waste Management’s insurance company); and to Osborne Concrete, $1,058, concrete for repair of Third Street following water main break;
• Heard Voigt ask for something to kill the crab grass in the fall, where the goats had cleared along the lake, and then to put pre-emergence solution in the spring. He said they should put weed and feed down there this year, and also rehabilitate the sprinkler system. Robinson said the sprinklers are on the to-do list and he will get prices on weed and feed;
• Also heard Voigt ask about getting prices on repairs to Harbour Pointe streets. Rutherford said he was asking Hennessey Engineers for prices by sections, starting with the worst, for a unit price. Voigt said they were told to redo the whole thing would be $4 million. Rutherford said the city fixed failing catch basins in Harbour Pointe and he can email the council information on the price stated in 2017 and what they have done since then;
• Heard Robinson say he has asked 34th District Court Chief Judge Brian Oakley to come to the Dec. 6 meeting to swear in the new council members and Judge Oakley has committed;
• Heard Rutherford say that as soon as the streetsweeper was fixed, its fuel pump went out and that was fixed and now something else is wrong with it. He said the street sweeper is important because it saves the city money from cleaning catch basins and people like to see their streets clean. He said a new one would cost six figures;
• Heard Councilwoman Bates say the veterans’ banners, double-sided, are $30 each and they will take the first 75 reservations. She said they already have 30 people interested and the end of this week is the deadline. She said the money paid for the banners, that will hang on the downtown light poles, goes to the perpetual care fund for the Veterans Memorial; and
• Heard John Juriga complain that the planning commission has only held one meeting this year. He said in the last 15 years that he’s been on the commission they have never had so few meetings. Rutherford said the monthly meetings have always been discussed with the chairman and canceled by the chairman. Robinson said there is a new chairman now and he will discuss meetings with him. McLean said the Michigan Planning Enabling Act requires meetings once each quarter, but it has no teeth and, “The planning police aren’t going to come after you.”