Belleville appoints Rick Rutherford as Acting City Manager

Department of Public Works Director Rick Rutherford was appointed Acting City Manager by a vote of the Belleville City Council at Monday’s regular meeting.
Acting City Manager serves in the absence or disability of the city manager.
Since Police Chief Hal Berriman, who retires on Jan. 31, was the current Acting City Manager and under the law there needs to be an Acting City Manager, Rutherford was drafted.
The appointment of Berriman was officially revoked.
“We’ll try not to leave Rick Rutherford there too long,” said Mayor Kerreen Conley, noting Rutherford is overwhelmed with responsibilities now.
“There was no mention of salary,” said retiring attorney Barbara Miller from the audience, pointing out the city is adding responsibilities to his work.
“There’s never been an extra stipend for Acting City Manager,” said City Manager Diana Kollmeyer, whose last day is Feb. 3. “He is required to be available 24/7, but as DPW chief he is required that now.”
Mayor Conley said they will come up with a salary and consider it at next Monday’s meeting, Feb. 3.
Mayor Conley updated everyone on the search for a city manager. She said although the council was due to interview four candidates on Saturday, there were no interviews.
The strategy now is to hire an interim city manager and interim candidates have been asked to apply by a Friday deadline. The Meet and Greet at Moving the Mitten on Feb. 3 has been cancelled.
“We hope to do it again when we have candidates,” she said.
She listed the places the city has reached out to find interim city managers.
In other business at the 58-minute meeting, the council:
• Set a public hearing on a proposed ordinance – Illicit Discharge and Connections Stormwater Control Ordinance — for 7:30 p.m., Feb. 3;
• Did not act on the Knights of Columbus request for the annual Tootsie Roll Drive since no one from the K of C was present. The event is April 3-5;
• Approved the use of Fourth Street Square by Egan’s Pub for its annual St. Patrick’s Day party on March 17;
• Approved the three-year contract with Van Buren Township for dispatch/lock up services at increasing costs of 2.5% per year. Costs are $184,254 for 2020, $188,860 for 2021, and $193,582 in 2022;
• Approved a resolution on the Exemption of Principal Residence by Reason of Poverty as required by state law and requested by assessor Jennifer Nieman-Stamper;
• Approved the 2020 Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) services contract, with Belleville’s Specialized Services grant of $7,268, which is an increase of $3,617 from last year. This grant helps support the operation of a transporation service for the elderly and disabled in Belleville;
• Discussed the council follow-up list with written comments before them from the city manager and DPW director;
• Approved accounts payable of $1,143,659.73 and purchases in excess of $500 to Blue Ribbon Contracting, $5,388.75 for sanitary sewer lead repair at 678 Greylock and $2,800 to repair leaking curb stop valve in water service. Also added was a payment not to exceed $30,000 to purchase remote reader units for the water system;
• Discussed aging remote readers and an incident at Garden Fantasy on Main concerning not being able to find the remote reader unit and estimating the water use, as discussed at the Jan. 13 meeting. Rutherford said they went to the business three times and couldn’t find the unit since the reader was obscured by storage. He said he is working through it with Brian and the city will make sure the business is not charged for anything that didn’t go through the meter. The mayor and Mike Renaud asked for a list of the 1,100 units with information on age so aging meters can be planned for in advance and Rutherford said he would make a list;
• Heard Kollmeyer say the city now has eight applications for part-time police chief and the deadline is Jan. 31; and
• Heard a presentation on the Detroit Institute of Arts by Charles Garling, director of studio programs, learning and audience engagement. He told of the many services offered and presented folders of information. Barbara Miller said she has served on the DIA Art Authority for eight years and they make sure the DIA is meeting its obligations as defined in the millage passed by voters. She said the Belleville Area Council for the Arts is having a trip to see the Van Gogh exhibit and the DIA will provide a bus. She said when the trip is announced it would be wise to get your ticket at once, since seats will go fast. She said the DIA was responsible for the chess club in Belleville since it was inspired by the many people playing chess at the DIA and then the UAW gave Belleville 30 chess sets to get started. She told of a film she saw at the Free Press Film Fest about the DIA, “Beauty & Ruin,” adding many Canadians value the DIA as the best museum in North America. She said they almost lost the DIA due to Detroit’s bankruptcy, but the art was not touched. “We are very fortunate that that is preserved for posterity,” Miller said, adding when the DIA millage comes up she hopes Belleville will support it.