REGULAR MEETING
BELDING CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Pere Marquette Depot
100 Depot Street
7:00 p.m.
A meeting of the Belding City Council was convened in open and public session at the Pere Marquette Depot, 100 Depot Street, Belding, MI 48809, at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Novembre 7, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Mayor Bruce Meyers called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and gave the Invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Deputy City Clerk, Kay Swanson, took the roll call:
Members present: Shelley Gladding, Bonita Steele, Jeanine Leary, Jorel Davis and Bruce Meyers
Members absent: None
Moved by Davis, seconded by Steele to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
Moved by Leary, seconded by Gladding to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all. The Consent Agenda is as follows:
A. Approve Independent Bank Checks 80711 to 80784 in the amount of $366,365.72.
Approve Independent Bank ACH Notifications
Approve Minutes: City Council regularly scheduled meeting minutes – October 3, 2023.
Steele reported that the Rec Board has not met since the last meeting. She reported that she attended a meeting with citizens interested in possibly forming a cemetery committee in light of recent events.
Davis reported on the Planning Commission reviewing their by-laws, reviewing the Animal Ordinance and an rendering a decision on an Application for Special Land Use regarding retail sales of marihuana was granted.
Leary reported on the Museum Board and Library Boards and their upcoming events.
Mayor Meyers reported on the Housing Commission. They covered regular business and updates on ongoing upgrades. Their next meeting is scheduled for November 17th.
A. IFT Request - Moved by Leary, seconded by Steele to set a Public Hearing Date for November 21, 2023 to receive citizen input regarding the tax exemption for the property located at 401 Crawford Street. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes - all.
B. DTE Restrictive Covenant – This agenda item is a continuation of a tabled item from the October 17th city council meeting. This issue was tabled after the DTE representatives were unable to attend the meeting to explain their request or to answer any council member questions. DTE is asking the city council to renew a previous restrictive covenant that was signed by the city in 2001. DTE is asking EGLE to approve the site as being remediated based on the cleanup work that DTE performed earlier this year. In order to do that, EGLE requires that the previous restrictive covenant be updated (both the original and the updated versions are on file in the Clerk’s Office). Mitchel Dzieken and Jonathan Wilson of DTE were in attendance along with Daniel Strybel of Stantec Consulting Services Inc., and detailed the differences in the two covenants and answered questions from council members. Moved by Davis, seconded by Steele to approve the signing of the restrictive covenant regarding soil remediation work at Central Riverside Park. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
A. Larry Hummel from Fleis & Vandenbrink discussed the city’s award of a 50% grant under Category B funding for the renovation of Merrick Road. F&V will do the design work that will be completed over the winter months for bidding prior to the 2024 construction season. Moved by Davis, seconded by Leary to approve a contract with F&V Engineering to perform design work for the renovation of Merrick Road. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
B. Moved by Gladding, seconded by Steele to authorize the Clerk to opt-in to the Countywide Early Voting Agreement for Election Services with the Ionia County Clerk and authorize her signature. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes - all. The agreement is for two years.
Jim Mason invited the City Council Members to the Candlelight Reception which will be held on November 27th. He noted that last year all council members attended.
Jeff Hunter commented on public comment processes.
Stoppels advised council on the following topics of interest:
· The leaf vacuum
· Repair and reseeding have been done to areas near clogged catch basins that recently received damage when the loader was used
· The exterior cleaning of the water towers started today. The cost was $10,500.
· Met with Fleis & Vandenbrink regarding updates for the new building
Steele commented on the city’s social media page(s). She advised that she obtained an attorney opinion regarding turning off the comments as the city social media pages are used as a clear pathway for the public to get information. The comments can lead to disinformation. Moved by Steele to not allow public comment on any social media site/page managed by city employees excluding the library/museum. Gladding supported. Davis stated that he would like more information before voting on this topic. An extensive discussion ensued during which the council decided to table the action until the next City Council meeting. Gladding rescinded her motion.
Gladding commented on Facebook comments, the recent cemetery situation, and changes being “bumpy”. She further commented on setting up a special workshop revisiting the city’s goals and accomplishments and to set up new goals.
Davis thanked everyone who attended and commented on Facebook comments.
Leary commented on Facebook comments. She thanked the city for sending her to the MML Conference. She advised that Belding’s issues are not unique to Belding.
Mayor Meyers commented on public comments and the rules and procedures the council has to follow, Facebook being used to get the information out to the public, and council decisions. He thanked the council members and stated that he is proud of them and that they work well as a team. He echoed Gladding’s suggestion for a goal setting session. He thanked Jim Mason for the invitation to the Candlelight Reception.
Adjourn
Moved by Davis, seconded by Steele to adjourn the meeting at 8:26 p.m. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
_________________________________________ ___________________________________________
Bruce Meyers, Mayor Kay Swanson, Deputy City Clerk