Steve Jones now interim Belleville City Manager

Steve Jones, assistant city manager, was promoted to temporary interim city manager at Monday’s meeting of the Belleville City Council.
Mayor Ken Voigt said Jones will get a $10,000 per year raise, which will be pro-rated. According to information provided to the Independent, for the year 2024, Jones made $73,624.96 base pay and with benefits it was $87,881. The city manager at the time, Jason Smith, made $86,923.08 base pay and $107,859.12 with fringes.
The city parted company with Smith on June 19. Mayor Voigt said then that the city probably will do a search for a new city manager, but there is no hurry since they have an assistant city manager.
In other business at the 17-minute meeting on Monday, the council:
• Witnessed the ceremonial swearing in of Heather Holcomb of Garden City as a new Belleville Police officer. She has 17 years of police experience and came to Belleville from Center Line. Her parents Joann and Herb Holcomb of Westland were in the audience;
• Heard brief comments from Diane Blazek and Galen Gates from America in Bloom. The team was in Belleville Monday and Tuesday to assess the town’s landscaping and community vitality and to write a report. Before the meeting, mayor Voigt gave them directions to John Juriga’s home on East Huron River Drive, where the council apparently hurried to after its 17-minute meeting;
• Approved the annual citywide yard sale on Saturday, Sept. 6, and Sunday, Sept. 7. These are the days yard sales can be held without a permit;
• Approved the $17,864 purchase from STE of Almont of a low-mount hitch and 10’ tall, 36” plow for the newly purchased Mack dump truck. With the total labor and hydraulics installation, the total comes to $28,657. DPW director Melissa Frierson said this would be used for clearing heavy snowfall. Mayor Voigt said the city should have purchased it at the beginning when it bought the truck, but the former city manager didn’t recommend that. Voigt said the city hasn’t had a major snow event lately and is lucky;
• Removed the Main Street Striping quote from the agenda, agreeing it needs to be placed on the Downtown Development Authority agenda, instead. The quotes were $46,597.92 for option A and $19,065 for option B from Al’s Asphalt Paving;
• Approved the Interagency Audio-Visual Recording Standard Mutual Assistance Agreement with Van Buren Township. Public Safety Director Kris Faull said during the onsite state assessment of the police department, it was found Belleville did not have an interrogation room with audio/visual recording devices as mandated by law. She said Belleville uses Van Buren Township for dispatch and detainment of prisoners and uses its interrogation room when needed, but by law it has to be in writing that they can use that room. She said in the new city hall the police will have an interrogation room as required;
• Heard interim city manager Jones report the new clock has been installed on the Fourth Street Square. Snider Electric did the installation and Contract Welding modified the plates to make it fit. Jones said this clock lights up at night; and
• Confirmed the $96,000 reimbursement payment to the DDA for work done in the downtown is the last to be given them since this payments has been taken from the new city budget.