REGULAR MEETING
BELDING CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
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, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 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.
City Clerk, Janae Ortego, took the roll call:
Members present: Shelley Gladding, Bonita Steele, Jorel Davis and Bruce Meyers
Members absent: Jeanine Leary
Moved by Steele, seconded by Davis to excuse Leary’s absence per 4.5f of the City Charter. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
Mayor Meyers noted the following addition to the agenda: Add Check Presentation after the first Public Comment. Moved by Davis, seconded by Gladding to approve the amended agenda. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
Mike Olger presented Mayor Meyers with a monetary donation check from his mother, Ruth Nelson, for $20,000 which went towards the roof repairs at the Belding Museum.
Moved by Davis, seconded by Steele 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 81465 to 81523 in the amount of $83,372.80.
Approve Independent Bank ACH Notifications
B. Approve Minutes: City Council regularly scheduled meeting – March 19, 2024
Steele reported that the Rec Board meeting was cancelled. The Cemetery Committee met and created a sub-committee which met and created a proposed set of rules which is currently being reviewed.
Gladding reported that the ZBA met last Monday. Two of two requests were approved with the ZBA sending the two affected ordinances to the Planning Commission to review for amendments/updates to the existing ordinances.
Davis reported that the Planning Commission met last Tuesday. The pet/animal survey results were reviewed. Although Belding has the lowest number of pets allowed by Ordinance in the State, the majority of residents that returned the surveys prefer to keep it that way. The Planning Commission is looking at the Master Plan and zoning. A full rewrite is going to be done on the Master Plan.
Mayor Meyers reported that the city received a $50,000 Grant that will cover the cost of the Master Plan rewrite. The Housing Commission met on March 21st. They will have a special meeting in April and a regular meeting on May 16th.
A. Special Event Applications
1. Moved by Steele, seconded by Davis to approve the Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Special Event with conditions (application on file in the Clerk’s Office). Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
2. Moved by Davis, seconded by Gladding to approve the Kids Worship Camp/Vacation Bible School Special Event Application with conditions (application on file in the Clerk’s Office). Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
3. Moved by Davis, seconded by Gladding to approve the Touch-A-Truck Special Event Application with conditions (application on file in the Clerk’s Office). Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
4. Moved by Gladding, seconded by Steele to approve the Music in the Park Special Event Application, including renaming the event to Music by the River (application on file in the Clerk’s Office). Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
B. Consider Fire Department Requests to burn piles
YEAS: Gladding, Davis and Mayor Meyers
NAYS: Steele
ABSENT: Leary
City Manager Jon Stoppels noted that City Council approved this request last year, however the burn did not take place due to less-than-ideal weather conditions. Additionally, the leaves housed by the cemetery will not be burned. Davis inquired about turning the brush pile into compost and either selling it or giving it away. Mayor Meyers requested Stoppels to come up with some other options going forward and to give those options next time a burn is requested.
2. Moved by Gladding, seconded by Davis to allow city staff from the public works and fire departments to burn the accumulated brush pile at the Lagoons under direction of the fire chief. Motion carried 3-1 by the following roll call vote:
YEAS: Gladding, Davis and Mayor Meyers
NAYS: Steele
ABSENT: Leary
C. Moved by Gladding, seconded by Davis to begin the Budget Workshop for the Fiscal Year 2024/25 Budget. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all. The Fiscal Year 2024/25 Budget was reviewed beginning with the General Fund #101 and continued through the Drug Forfeiture Fund #265. Council members had various inquiries to the Finance Director, Becky Schlienz and/or Department Heads.
Mayor Meyers called for a brief recess at 8:50 p.m.
Back on the record at 9:00 p.m.
Mayor Meyers announced that he was ending the Budget Session for the evening and that it will resume at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
Jeff Hunter, 6302 Zahm Road, commented on parks, the brush piles and cemetery maintenance.
Sharon Carlson commented on behalf of the Housing Commission regarding the City Council’s consideration for street repairs for Taft Court and Belhaven II.
Steele commented on the following topics of interest:
· thanked everyone for their work on the budget
· thanked the four department heads who were present
· the monetary donation for the Museum roof
· progress on the cemetery rules
Gladding commented on the following topics of interest:
· thanked everyone for coming
· thanked Schlienz for her work on the budget
· thanked the Department Heads, the City Manager and the City Clerk for their positive feedback
Davis commented on the following topics of interest:
· thanked Mike Olger and his family for the donation and for considering Belding
· thanked everyone for coming
· seeing city staff and department heads coming together
Mayor Meyers commented on the following topics of interest:
· thanked Mike Olger and his family for making the roof repairs at the Museum possible
· thanked the department heads
· thanked Hunter and Carlson for their comments
· commented on the city’s fund balance
· thanked Stoppels and staff for their efforts
Moved by Davis, seconded by Steele to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
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Bruce Meyers, Mayor Janae Ortego, City Clerk