After no discussion on Monday, the Belleville City Council unanimously approved the Articles of Incorporation for the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority, as recommended by city attorney John Day.
“We’ve had discussion on this in the past,” said Mayor Richard Smith, and then referred to a confidential letter from Day. The attorney was not present at the meeting.
The attorney’s confidential letter, inadvertently released to the public Monday, gave the background of the issue and recommended approval by the council.
The 13 members of the Downriver Wastewater system, in anticipation of re-negotiating the expiring 50-year contract with Wayne County for operation of the Wayne County Wastewater Collection System, decided to move forward to set up an authority to run the service themselves.
If negotiations on the contract with Wayne County aren’t successful, members said they would set up an authority and do it themselves.
Allen Park has decided not to join in the proposed authority and will remain as only a customer if the authority is formed, but the other 12 were to consider the authority and make decisions on whether to participate by mid-March.
Van Buren decides to wait
Earlier Monday at the Van Buren Township workshop session, the township board discussed the proposed authority for an hour and then informally decided to take it off the official agenda for Tuesday’s regular meeting.
The deadline for action on the Articles of Incorporation is March 17 and so the VBT Board decided to make a decision – one way or the other – at its March 16 regular meeting.
Treasurer Sharry Budd wanted to wait to see how Belleville and other customers of the Downriver Wastewater System voted before having VBT vote. She also said she wanted to “mull” it over a bit more.
Earlier this year, Budd also had persuaded the VBT board to wait to see how other communities voted before voting to approve the recent district library agreement.
Wayne County doesn’t have a nickel invested and the 13 members pay all the bills, plus an administrative charge, explained consultant Richard Hinchon, who attended VBT’s workshop meeting Monday because of the many questions raised by Trustee Jeff Jahr and Treasurer Budd.
On Monday, Budd raised the question of the problems caused by VBT’s underground wastewater storage basin constructed on Hannan Road that took wastewater from another drainage district (Rouge) and yet carried it to the Downriver treatment plant to discharge it in another drainage district. She wanted to know if the articles of incorporation could put all of VBT in the downriver district so the underground basin discharge wouldn’t be a problem.
Hinchon said although VBT had previously discussed at length the issue of forming an authority to take over the treatment plant from Wayne County, this is the first time enlarging the district to cover VBT 100% was brought up.
He said that would involve changing the articles of incorporation and going back to all the communities to ask if they wanted to be covered 100%, as well, a cumbersome process. (Hinchon said Belleville is covered 100%.)
Other Belleville business
In other business at Monday’s 18-minute City Council meeting, the council:
* Opened sealed bids for sale of vehicles forfeited because of drug and drunk driving offenses. The bids were turned over to the city administration for a recommendation. The bids were: 1989 Chevy Pickup, $100 from Longs Automotive; 1999 Ford Ranger, $500 from Longs Automotive and $1,050 from Matt Vandeweghe; 1999 Plymouth 4-door, $200 from Longs Automotive; 1997 2-dr Dodge, $350 from Sean Farmer and $200 from Trio Auto Exchange; 1998 Ford Contour, $300 from Long’s Automotive;
* Approved the request of BHS Senior Party Planners for a fund-raising bottle drive at Victory Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 20, with Councilwoman Kim Tindall recusing herself from the vote because she is chairman of the drive. The party planners raised almost $1,000 from bottle drives last year, Tindall said;
* Heard DPS Director Keith Boc explain that he is waiting to hear from the state on the status of 100 Davis Street, the former DPW yard. He said he believes more soil has to be removed from a hot area where a wall has to be moved. He said he would get information from the state to present to the council at its next meeting;
* Heard Councilman Brian Blackburn say that he is concerned about the council’s vote on the Downtown Development Authority bond recently and, “I will be watching the DDA and our budget like a hawk to make sure they’re in line and affordable”;
* Heard Councilwoman Tindall say she’s been getting emails and being stopped in the street by people wanting to discuss the DDA bond, which she voted against. “I still have concerns … My door’s open. I want to hear what everyone wants to say … I want to feel good about going forward … I don’t think it’s over yet, so I’m not going to shut up”;
* Heard Mike Foley, owner of Frosty Boy on Main Street, ask the council to set up a work/study session to study finances with the DDA, city officials, professionals, and the public, “So we could all come together … The transparency would all be out front … for a very important decision.” Foley said many times the first time the public sees background information on important financial issues is at the meeting 20 minutes before the vote is taken. He said the public can’t really absorb the information and ask proper questions. He suggested the information be distributed at one meeting and then voted on at the next;
* Heard resident Chris Donley also encourage the council to provide figures for the public to study; and
* Was introduced to Walter Epps, who is running for Wayne County Sheriff.