Belleville City Council votes 2% pay increase for police officers

After a closed-door session at the end of its Jan. 16 regular meeting, the Belleville City Council went back into open session and unanimously approved a 2% increase in pay for police officers from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018.
Councilman Tom Smith was absent.
The council also voted to extend the Michigan Association of Fire Fighters Labor Agreement that expired at the end of December.
The agreement was extended from Jan. 1 to March 31 and then will be extended 30 days at a time, as needed.
This is while a committee is studying the fire department operations in the city.
The committee was set up when a large number of residents showed up at a city council meeting to protest Mayor Kerreen Conley’s proposed agreement with Van Buren Township to take over operation of the city’s fire service and emergency medical care.
The original proposal was for VBT to take over as of Jan. 1.
In other business at the Jan. 16 meeting, the council:
• Held a four-minute public hearing on the 2018 federal Community Development Block Grant funds, approximately $48,807, and then voted to accept the proposed budget. City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said of those funds, $9,830 is for senior / disabled transportation; $33,096 for ADA Public Facilities Projects, with possible security measures for the kayak launch, if allowed, or amenities in Doane’s Landing Park; $1,000 for senior chore services; and $4,881 for program administration and strategic planning. City Manager Kollmeyer said this is $9,000 less than what the city normally gets. It has 18 months to spend the 2018 total;
• Heard Kollmeyer say the money donated by the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce for the golf outing has been set aside and earmarked for needs of the veterans’ memorial;
• Held a three-minute public hearing on repeal of ordinance #10-004 that authorized the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries and medical marijuana facilities in the City of Belleville. Planning Commissioner Mike Renaud said there is another ordinance that spelled out how they should be operating and he wondered if that shouldn’t be repealed, too, since there could be a conflict. The mayor said they would check with the city attorney. The council unanimously approved repealing Ordinance 10-004. Councilman Smith was absent;
• Turned over to City Manager Kollmeyer for review the proposed 2018 Strawberry Festival Responsibility Policy and the 2018 Strawberry Festival Administrative Policy. It was stated that these are the same as last year with only the dates changed. Kollmeyer will bring the policies back to the council with a recommendation;
• Discussed upgrades to the way the Council Meeting Follow-up List is laid out. Councilman Jesse Marcotte, in reference to Doane’s Landing Park seawall repairs, said the DNR has four grants with a maximum award of $25,000 with early deadlines. He said the city needs an updated Parks and Recreation Master Plan to qualify. Kollmeyer said the last Parks and Rec. Master Plan was done by the city’s planners so everything required is in there. She said she believes Hennessey Engineers has been looking for grants right along. Building Official Rick Rutherford said he would be willing to attend a two-hour meeting on the grants, but wanted someone else from Parks to attend with him. Councilman Marcotte also asked that the Fire Department study be put on the Follow-up List;
• Approved accounts payable of $241,503.60 and the following purchases in excess of $500: to R&R Truck Repair, $1,413.54 for fire truck repair; and to Wise Technologies, $607.50 for computers/phones for the police department;
• Heard Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jeff Vernon ask for a line item for Parks and Rec. so they would have the possibility of raising their own funds. He said this may be too soon to ask since there are no officers yet, since the commission recently had two commissioners appointed. The three-person committee was scheduled to meet Jan. 22 after several years of not meeting;
• Heard Councilman Tom Fielder tell of a scheduled meeting of Growth Works with the administrator of the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility. Fielder said there are a lot of problems, including the facility taking six months to file reports on juveniles. He said when officers bring in juveniles, on petition from the court or prosecutor, sometimes they have to sit and wait because the staff shuts down at lunch time. If a juvenile needs medical care, the police officer has to take the juvenile to a medical facility and then bring the child back. Belleville Police Chief Hal Berriman said the previous week they refused to take the child from the officer; and
• Heard Belleville High School senior Bradley Williams tell about the robotics competition that will bring an estimated 1,000 people to town on March 23 and 24. Spectators are invited to BHS to watch the competition and the robotics club is seeking donations to help with the project.