City Council back to full strength with five members

On Jan. 9, at the regular meeting of the Belleville City Council, 34th District Court Judge Lisa Martin swore into office the two new councilmen appointed to fill two vacancies until the November election.
Councilmen Jeremiah Beebe and Tom Fielder took their seats at the council table putting the council back to its five-member strength and the one-hour-and-12-minute meeting began.
Seated in the audience in his new role as the city’s Project Manager was former council member Steve Jones.
Sabrina Richardson-Williams, treasurer of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority, asked if Jones’ appointment to the city position that works on DDA projects wasn’t a conflict of interest because Jones is chairman of the board of the Belleville Area of Chamber of Commerce and the chamber asks for money from the DDA.
Mayor Kerreen Conley said that the Project Manager works directly for City Manager/Chief of Police Dave Robinson and will do whatever work the city manager assigns to him.
“He’s not sitting on the DDA … and I can’t count how many volunteer positions he holds,” Mayor Conley said of Jones.
Richardson-Williams said the chamber asks for money from the DDA.
Mayor Conley said that money wouldn’t impact him personally.
Mayor Pro-Tem Ken Voigt said that Jones also is a member of the Belleville Area Council for the Arts and they get money from the DDA.
“He’s not a decision maker … but he may make sure somebody cuts a check” to an organization, Mayor Conley said.
City Manager/Chief Robinson said he [Robinson] will continue in the DDA role of director.
“He has projects for the planning commission, too,” Robinson said. “I am the one making sure all that stuff is done.”
“He is not benefiting personally,” Mayor Pro-Tem Voigt stressed and Mayor Conley added he has no financial benefit from the DDA.
Voigt said he himself is on the arts council and it asks for money regularly from the DDA. Voigt said his council salary is paid by the city and it’s $80 a month.
Richardson-Williams said it is good to get this concern out in public so it’s not just talking in whispers, behind backs.
In other business during Monday’s regular meeting, the council:
• Approved the Special Event Application from the Belleville Central Business Community for the Belleville Farmers Market from 4-7:30 p.m. Mondays from June 5 through Oct. 30 at Fourth Street Place and Fourth Street Square. The lady who sold hot dogs as a vendor under a tent, who has been there two years, was discussed at length, with a misconception she was in a food truck and this was a new addition. Library board member John Juriga said the CBC won’t have to rent porta potties since the library is happy to have people come in and use its facilities;
• Approved the Special Event Application from the Belleville Central Business Community for the Flop E Bunny Candy Hunt from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, at Victory Park;
• Approved the mayor’s reappointments of Matt Wagner, 56 Potter Dr.; Randy Priest, 311 E. Huron River Dr.; and Mike Renaud, 715 Breakwater Dr., to the planning commission with terms to expire Dec. 31, 2025;
• Approved the mayor’s new appointments to the planning commission of Julie Kissel, 375 Charles St., and Mark Kowalski, 181 Potter Dr., with terms to expire Dec. 31, 2026. Kissel was sworn in by Clerk Briana Hootman. Kowalski was not present at the meeting. It was noted that because Fielder resigned from the planning commission to sit on the city council, there is one more seat now open on the commission;
• Approved accounts payable of $92,154.81 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to Lexipol, $1,602 for on-line training for fire fighters; to Metro Environmental, $3,663.75, for Hydro Excavation for main break on Dec. 28 at 300 W. Columbia Ave.; to Michigan Association of Planning, $675, for group membership fee, City expense; and to Outdoor Amenities (Eric Partridge), $1,400 for repair of cemetery fence, DPW account, will be repaid by person who damaged the fence;
• Was reminded that those who put a deposit on the scarecrow wooden foundations last fall can bring them back and get their deposits returned. Also, the original photos for the veterans’ banners can be picked up in the treasurer’s office at city hall;
• Discussed at length planning commission member Mike Renaud’s request for a council follow-up list for the audience to see. He said it is on the agenda and people can offer comments on it, but they are not allowed to see it. City Manager Robinson said he puts comments on the follow-up list for the council only to see and he would have to make a redacted copy for the public. Renaud said there also are no copies of the agenda at the meeting for the public to have. Mayor Conley said she doesn’t have a problem with the follow-up list being available to the public because, “The public holds us accountable” and, “Roads will be on the list forever,” referring to one of Renaud’s interests. Planning commissioner John Juriga said the follow-up list has always been provided in the past. Mayor Conley said the information on the meetings will be provided on the website and the city will provide a follow-up list. If it’s not on the website, “We’ll make copies,” she said. The Independent suggested the city check with its attorney on the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meeting Act as far as providing information to the public;
• Heard Juriga publicly thank the Independent for having a picture of the museum in the paper with the number of days it has been closed. He said he hoped Van Buren Township officials would see that and be reminded of the situation;
• Heard Renaud note that there were blades on the used cars at Five Points and Building Official Rick Rutherford said they had been taken off. Renaud noted that a boat is now being stored at the ice cream shop on Main Street, which is not a permissible use of that space. Rutherford said he would check;
• Heard Voigt say the light pole at Hayward’s has been hit again and Rutherford said it was fixed earlier that day. He said they plan to use an acrylic globe next time which will bounce when it hits the ground;
• Heard resident Jerry Merritt say he found a report online from the bridge inspector of the Denton Road bridge. He said if you type in: “Denton Road over Belleville Lake Huron River Wayne County Bridge Inspections,” the report will come up from the Times-Herald. Mayor Conley said the city could have someone from the county come in and talk to the council and public about the bridge. She said she would talk to County Commissioner Al Haidous about it at Friday’s Council of Western Wayne (CWW) meeting in Livonia. She said there are “a lot of ears at that meeting”; and
• Welcomed the representative from Congresswoman Debbie Dingell’s office who was present at the meeting.