City Council sets Goat Day for June 17 at Horizon Park

This year’s Goat Day will be on Saturday, June 17, at Horizon Park in Belleville.
At the March 6 regular meeting of the Belleville City Council, Mayor Pro Tem Ken Voigt, who was presiding in the absence of the mayor, announced that the date for Goat Day had been set and it would include a band, food trucks, and 4-H members with their goats.
People will be able to pet the goats and take selfies with them, while listening to the 4-H members give the details about goats.
Mayor Pro Tem Voigt said that goats have been found to be cost-effective and popular for trimming the bank of Belleville Lake. He said last year they had a Goat Day and it was very successful, so they are having another one this year.
He said last year they sold $3,000 worth of goat T-shirts and the money went to the community food pantry.
He said Moving the Mitten will sponsor the band and the 4-H will bring the goats.
“It will be like Music in the Park, but with goats,” he said, adding activities will start about 1 or 2 p.m.
In other business at the March 6 meeting, the council:
• Approved the proposal by the Belleville High School Varsity Dance Team to adopt the Fourth Street Square and Fourth Street Place and to clean them up on Sundays (or every other Sunday) during the months of June and July as a public service. They will report anything that needs fixing to the city to give the city another set of eyes. Councilman Tom Fielder asked if they couldn’t do it on Tuesdays after the Farmers’ Market and car show on Mondays. Projects Administrator Steve Jones said the parttime Downtown Development Authority staff will clean on Tuesdays and the Dance Team will get the area fresh for the Monday events;
• Approved a special event application for a Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll fund raiser at Five Points on Palm Sunday weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1, and 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 2. This is an annual event to raise funds to assist Michigan citizens with intellectual / developmental disabilities;
• Approved holding the annual citywide yard sale event on September 9 and 10;
• Approved accounts payable of $488,629.23 and the following departmental purchase in excess of $500: to West Shore Fire, Inc., $895 for testing of air bottles for the fire department;
• Heard City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson say they are preparing a design for Victory Station so they can take it to the planning commission and then go out for bids. Then the city can hold a ground breaking with county officials to mark where most of the money came from for the renovations. Also, he noted that on Thursday, March 9, the planning commission will hold a public hearing on the marijuana ordinance and the commission’s recommendation will come to the city council for action. Then, they can start talking about revising the city charter, he said;
• Learned the Michigan Department of the Treasury has announced the marijuana revenue going to local municipalities from the total $59.5 million being distributed among 224 municipalities and counties as a part of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act. In the tri-community only the city of Belleville is set to receive a check for $51,841.21 based on the revenue collected in FY 2022 for the one license it has for adult use marijuana distribution;
• Heard Councilman Jeremiah Beebe say he would like to know how it’s going for Peoples Express and asked the administration to invite them to come back and talk to the council. Councilman Beebe also recognized the BHS wrestlers that placed in state competition: Connor Williams placed third and Demond Robinson placed sixth in their weight classes;
• Discussed at length poor road conditions at Harbour Pointe and throughout the city. A resident of Harbour Pointe said snowblowers have been damaged by pieces of pavement loose beneath the snow in the subdivision. Voigt said the city is actively trying to get a program for all the streets in the city. He referred to the extra money the city just got from the marijuana, “I’m just one, but I’d say put it in a road fund”; and
• Heard Allen Foulkes say that his four children will be competing in the state championships in Olympic Style Tae Kwon Do for fighting black belts at Hype Athletics in Wayne on Saturday and he invited everyone to come watch them compete.
Mayor Kerreen Conley and Councilwoman Kelly Bates were absent and excused from Monday’s meeting.