Editorial: City Charter changes made by unelected employees

The Belleville City Charter that the voters used to turn the village into a city in 1982 is being updated. It’s not being done by local residents elected for the job, as previously announced. It’s being done by elected employees at city hall, none of whom live in the city.
At Monday’s regular city council meeting, city manager Jason Smith, who recently moved to Van Buren Township to take this city position, said the new city attorney hired has told him that the charter can be changed without going through the long procedure the city thought it needed. It can be amended, instead of rewritten.
Smith said he sat down with department heads and they went over every line in the present charter to target changes. They crossed out the Civil Service Commission completely and proposed changing the part that calls for two council meetings a month to let the council determine that each year. And, other changes.
He said the attorney said they can send the many proposed changes that Smith wrote up to the attorney general for an OK and then back to the council to set an election on the new charter. Then the governor would approve it and you’re done.
On Monday the mayor asked if they needed to vote on the proposal and the city manager said there was no need for council members to vote. He’s sending it to the attorney general. They can set an election in the future. He’s got it all taken care of.