Belleville offers jobs to workers aged 14-24

The Belleville City Council accepted a $47,497 grant from the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority to hire young employees part time until the money is gone, which has to be by Oct. 1.
The news about the grant was a last-minute addition to the city council’s meeting agenda on July 6 and the council unanimously accepted the grant.
The Youth Employment funding is for 12 people between the ages of 14 and 24, who will work an average 28-30 hours a week.
Mayor Kerreen Conley said the employees do not have to live within the city of Belleville.
“We will have a short application form and they will be hired first-come, first-served,” said City Manager Diana Kollmeyer.
Those interested should contact Kollmeyer at city hall.
The youthful workers will be used to give TLC to the parks, Main Street, and downtown, work in the offices, offer senior and veteran services, do voter registration, and, if the city can find someone qualified, redo the city website.
In other business at the July 6 meeting, the council:
• Heard a presentation by Don Bluhm on the deteriorating sidewalks in the city, asking the council to look at fixing them so people in wheelchairs can travel around town. Bluhm said since his accident he has been confined to a wheelchair and he has found some difficulties. He gave a similar report to the council a year ago, but little has been done. Mayor Conley said she will place it on the council’s follow-up list and when the DPW director returns from vacation he will study the problem and give a report to the council. She promised to invite Bluhm to that meeting;
• Approved the Joint and Crack Sealing bid from Michigan Joint Sealing, Inc. of Farmington Hills for $61,098. The second bidder was Scodeller Construction of Wixom for $90,708. With a 10% contingency, the project will cost $67,208 and work is expected to start by Aug. 1. The cost was estimated to be $130,000. The project involves cleaning and resealing the road joints along Main, Roys and Fifth streets, South Liberty Street, and all of Victoria Commons subdivision. The schedule will be set at the pre-construction meeting and there may be periods of lane closures. Each street will be done one at a time;
• Approved use of the Fourth Street Square from 7 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, so the final lighting and other ceremonies of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life can be completed. The local Relay for Life was rained out;
• Postponed discussion on the high garage sale fees during Strawberry Festival week end because the resident who asked for it to be put on the agenda did not attend the meeting. The high cost of garage sales on that week end is because city officials don’t want sales that bring buyers into an already packed city;
• Heard city attorney Steve Hitchcock give a presentation on the new Freedom of Information Act rules that went into effect July 1. He provided FOIA request forms and other documents that the council then approved. The city’s new rules will provide FOIA requests free, that would otherwise cost $20 or under. This is so the city doesn’t have to go through all the new paperwork for computing the costs. Although FOIAs may be requested in other formats, if there is any question on what exactly the requestor wants, the city may present a form to fill out;
• Approved raising election workers pay to be more in line with nearby communities. The pay went from $9 to $10.50 for election chairmen and $8 to $9.50 for inspectors. Although Clerk/Treasurer Lisa Long had asked to raise the $15 paid for the hour to hour-and-a-half training session to $20, the council decided to leave it at $15;
• Approved raising the pay for trade inspectors from $30 to $40 per inspection. The application fee has already been raised from $35 to $50 to cover the cost;
• Approved the addition of Lincoln Park as a new member of the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority and amendments to the articles of incorporation;
• Approved continuation of the Downriver Wastewater Treatment System Joint Management Committee for another year;
• Approved SMART Municipal Credits of $3,914 for fiscal year 2016;
• Approved accounts payable of $159,630.62, minus a request for reimbursement for $499.99 from Fire Chief Brian Loranger for his purchase of a water/ice rescue uniform at a Washtenaw Mutual Aid meeting. Councilwoman Kim Tindall said his request for reimbursement from the Fire Department’s uniform line item without any other paperwork was not appropriate. “My issue is somebody giving us a piece of paper and say reimburse me,” Tindall said. Mayor Conley agreed that if the auditor pulled that reimbursement “it would never fly.” They will seek more paperwork from Loranger, who had left the meeting;
• Approved the following departmental expenditures in excess of $500: to Jack Doheny, $1,838.05 for sweeper repairs, from Major/Local street funds; to Lonnie’s Auto Repair, $3,857.74 for repair of the 2009 Dodge Charger from the General/Police fund; to Michigan Cat, $6,229.14 for emergency back hoe repair from Major/Local street funds and the Water fund; to Riney Electric, $705 for labor and electrical supplies for repairs, from the General/DDA and Cemetery funds; and to Wise Technologies, $574.20 for computer support from General Fund;
• Discussed the problem with fireworks being used in the city. Mary Talaga said she could hear fragments falling on her new roof. Councilwoman Tindall said she was a little disappointed that she didn’t hear any sirens of police in the city enforcing the fireworks ordinance. She said she could have called police, “But I chose not to call”;
• Heard City Manager Kollmeyer announce the new play equipment at Village Park will be put up next week and will have an ADA-compliant cement path to it. Also, the work at Horizon Park should be done by next week, Kollmeyer said. She said one of the pieces was floated in earlier that day; and
• Heard Mayor Conley report that the Kona run during Strawberry Festival brought 1,421 registered runners to town on June 19. She said the Kona racers really liked the course.