Belleville City Council sets public hearing on ordinance change

The Belleville City Council has set a public hearing at its next regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 18, to consider an ordinance regulating penalties for juveniles who violate city ordinances.
Belleville Police Chief Hal Berriman explained that the city has been writing tickets for juveniles under the local ordinance and the local ordinance doesn’t cover that. There is a direct request from the judges at 34th District Court to amend the ordinance or they will throw out the tickets they have, he said.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said the court is holding up action on the present tickets until this ordinance is passed.
The ordinance reads: “Any person under 17 years of age convicted of a violation of the city ordinances under the discretion of the Prosecutor may be guilty of or responsible for a municipal civil infraction (except violations of the Michigan Vehicle Code) or misdemeanor and punishable by a fine not more than $500 in the discretion of the court regardless of any penalty provisions that may be stated in any specific ordinance of the city.”
After the public hearing, the council may pass the ordinance.
In other business at the 20-minute meeting on Nov. 4, the council:
• Presented awards to the Scarecrow Contest Winners: Centric Learning Systems (Business Category), Bella Boo of Bellaville Transylvania (Families/Individuals), Women of the Moose #1135 (Adult Groups/Organizations), and Tyler Elementary School (Youth Groups/Organizations). It was pointed out they all were first-time winners;
• Approved for another year the Flags in Horizon Park project of the Kiwanis Club of the Belleville Area. The fund raiser had 13 sponsored flags this year that are put in place to mark holidays throughout the summer. Don Johnson of Kiwanis said their last holiday to mark this year is Veterans Day on Monday. If they get more flag sponsors next year and need more space to put the flags, Johnson is to check back with the city;
• Was advised that the “Doane’s Landing seawall repair” listing was taken off the council follow-up list and is replaced on the list by the “Doane’s Landing restoration” that is starting this year and will be completed in the spring;
• Approved accounts payable in the amount of $73,881.54 and the following purchases in excess of $500: to Lonnie’s Auto Repair, $1,548.70, emergency pick-up truck repair out of the Streets/Water budgets; to R&R Fire Truck Repair, $1,408.85 for emergency repair for the 1998 Pierce truck from the Fire budget; and to Apollo Fire Apparatus, $845 for emergency repair to the Jaws Pump/Hurst, from the Fire budget;
• Learned City Hall would be closed in honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11;
• Heard Chief Berriman report that there were no incidents involving juveniles for Halloween, although there was a traffic accident; and
• Heard Councilman Tom Fielder announce work is being done inside the museum, but it will be open for the Festival of Trees. Then the museum will close down again for the month of January for other work that needs to be done inside. Also, he said, the library will close for January as they move contents of the old library to the new library with a soft opening planned for Feb. 8 and a grand opening later in the year.