The budget woes in the city of Belleville are cutting city services as the council wrestles with the implications.
The public was first made aware of financial problems during budget sessions and the sudden forced resignation of the city manager, with one council member stating later, “We were misled.”
This week we have learned the fire department’s duty crew that brought swift response in the city has been discontinued.
This was the on-site crew that was ready to respond immediately from the fire hall, instead of residents having to wait for paid-per-call fire fighters/EMTs to come from their jobs or homes, which was a delay. And, many work out of town.
Also building official Rick Rutherford, who had been reduced to part time, recently turned in his resignation. He was the only city employee with the required state certification for the post, so the city has turned property inspections over to Van Buren Township.
The city already had turned over dispatch/prisoner holding to VBT, so maybe it’s time to turn the whole city over to the township, which has been suggested many times over the years. The little city is right in the center of the township.
Those who call 911 in Belleville will now have to wait for response or wait until VBT fire fighters/EMTs respond as backup from the fire station on Hull Road, as they did before the city had duty crews.
City residents are scratching their heads over the spending of their tax dollars.
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I am so discussed over the services being cut at our fire department. The city council has to step up to the plate and keep our firefighters, they make an important part of our everyday living. Chris Zweng, Chief 1 has improved our fire department tremendously, from doing fund raisers, to remodeling the entire fire department kitchen with his crew and never asked for anything in return.If we need a fund raiser to keep our fire department let’s do it, whatever it takes. We need our city fire department. Please I ask you city council, do the right thing and I pray that when you need help that you don’t have to wait for Van Buren to come to your aid in a half hourwhen you need help in 10 minutes. My name is Susan Jaszcz and I stand for our Belleville Fire Department. So I am asking our Belleville residents to stand with me and make our city keep our firefighters and City Council stand up and do the right thing.