City Council sets goals for new year in Jan. 2 session

Most of Belleville City Council’s 63-minute regular meeting on Jan. 2 was spent setting goals for the new year.
Led by City Manager Jason Smith, council members put their thoughts in writing on six paper sheets Smith had affixed to the wall behind the council table.
He had asked them to put the goals they want on: Police & Fire, Parks, Economic Development, Citywide Misc., Roads & Sidewalks, and DPS.
Mayor Ken Voigt wrote his goals and then wrote the goals that Mayor Pro-Tem Kelly Bates called in to him. She was absent due to illness, but was watching by Zoom.
When they were done writing everything on the sheets on the wall, Smith asked them to put colorful 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stickers on the comments, selecting the most important.
He and Councilwoman Kissel then moved the sheets to the wall at the back of the meeting room so the public could see them better.
He said he would put all the ideas together and issue a report for the council, sending it to councilmembers early and then putting it in the next council packet.
At the beginning of the session, Councilman Jeremiah Beebe asked if Smith had consulted with the directors of those different departments for their views and Smith said he hadn’t yet.
“I feel kind of funny telling the police chief what their department goals are,” Councilman Beebe said, adding his overall comment would be, “Just spend less money.”
The main goals for the police and fire departments were ordinance enforcement and recruitment, Smith said, reading off the sheet on the wall.
After the thoughts were on paper, Smith said it pretty much looks like the council mainly wants to clean up and take care of things which have been neglected over the last few years.
Goals included cleaning the gutters, senior transportation, beautifying Horizon Park, setting up a road program, and taking care of what had been deferred maintenance.
“It’s internal,” Smith said referring to the goals. “It’s how we deploy the troops.”
Mayor Voigt said he wants to see the leaf collection program reinstated, along with weekly street sweeping. He said the city cut back on those two services when it was in a period of retrenchment, but now it is recovered.
Smith said during Winterfest, he and Project Administrator Steve Jones were out on the street with shovels trying to get the leaves out of the drains.
Smith said he is certified to handle code enforcement and DPS Director Rick Rutherford can do code enforcement. He said they could assign someone to help.
“We’ve been in a reactive mode for some time and now we can become proactive,” said Councilwoman Kissel.
She wrote a goal on the Citywide page: “Social media presence – manage our narrative & prevent mis-information.”
Smith said with ordinance enforcement, you take the low-hanging fruit first, such as having trash all over. He said then you can get into the more involved infractions.
He said there is a plan to walk around downtown this spring to see what needs work. He said in his past jobs, he has given the residents an ample opportunity to clean up before enforcement.
In other business at the Jan. 2 meeting, the council:
• Approved accounts payable in the amount of $61,555.97 and the following departmental purchase in excess of $500: to Washtenaw Area Mutual Aid Association, $1,500 for 2024 membership dues;
• Heard Smith report the new radar speed sign has been delivered and the city won’t have to borrow Van Buren Township’s sign any more. He also reported the car parts for the 2023 scout car repair have arrived and it is a three-day job. He also said the interview with an experienced police officer will be the next day and the FEMA funds came in and the city will write a check for $330,000 to R&R for the new fire truck, withholding a small amount for a piece that is yet to come;
• Learned the requested extension for the annual audit was approved by the state and the city has until May to complete it. The system was tied up with a computer problem. Smith also announced the CapCon for the Michigan Municipal League (MML) will run March 12-13 at the Lansing Center and he plans on going. He said it is a worthwhile event to attend for those on the council, as well, with lots of information and contacts with legislators;
• Heard Smith recommend getting the MML attorney to come in to give “The Essentials of Local Government” session for a joint meeting of the City Council, Planning Commission, and Downtown Development Authority. It takes from 1 ½ to 3 hours and the cost is $1,800 total, including travel, which would be divided among the three groups. Also he announced the old generator and old dump truck are in an auction ending Jan. 17;
• Heard Councilwoman Kissel announce that her son, fire fighter Garrett Kissel, has offered to make photo badges for council members. All they have to do it give him their favorite photos, she said;
• Learned the firewall for the city internet service is ordered and Smith said they hope to have it that week. He said the internet work by the new company the city hired will begin the next day; and
• Heard Councilman Jeremiah Beebe ask about the water being so expensive in the city. “We charge a lot of money for water,” he said, noting this is hard on seniors and those on fixed incomes. Smith said something weird is going on in the digital water readings with the same round numbers coming up every month on some readings. He said DPS Director Rick Rutherford and he are keeping an eye on it, but there has not been a full audit.