REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
BELDING CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
7:00 p.m.
A meeting of the Belding City Council of the City of Belding, Michigan was convened in open and public session at the Pere Marquette Depot, 100 Depot Street, at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Mayor Jeannine Leary called the meeting to order and led with the Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance.
City Clerk, Janae Ortego took the roll call:
Members present: Shelley Gladding, Bonita Steele, Linda Curtis and Jeannine Leary
Members absent: Nikolia Zerkle
Moved by Gladding, seconded by Steele to approve the absence of Zerkle per Section 4.5(f) of the City Charter. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
Moved By Gladding, seconded by Steele to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
Matt Smith of Vredeveld Haefner PLC presented the Council with the City’s Audit for the year ended June 30, 2025. Smith noted that the audit is a sampling of transactions that fairly represent the city’s activities. The city received a “clean opinion” which is the best rating that could be received. He further noted that the city implemented the standardization of GASB 101. Although nothing alarming was reported, Smith recommended better best practices for payroll and utility billing. The audit ended at 7:12 p.m. A copy of the audit is on file in the Clerk’s Office.
Moved by Gladding, 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 84467 to 84530 in the amount of $419,440.65
B. Approve Minutes: City Council Regular meeting – December 2, 2025
City Council Closed Session meeting – December 2, 2025
City Council Special meeting – December 9, 2025
Steele reported on the tree lighting event.
Curtis reported that the Housing Commission meets on Thursday.
A. Mayor Leary did a second reading of an amendment to Section 2.13 of the Code of Ordinances. Due to the length of the Ordinance, Mayor Leary only read the amendment, being Item G. of the Ordinance. Moved by Gladding, seconded by Steele to approve the amendment to Section 2.13 of the Code of Ordinances. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all. The Ordinance Amendment to Section 2.13 is as follows:
CITY OF BELDING
IONIA COUNTY, MICHIGAN
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND APPENDIX B, “ZONING” OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF BELDING BY AMENDING SECTION 2.13 RELATED TO “REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO SINGLE-FAMILY (OUTSIDE MANUFACTURED HOME PARKS) AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS.”
THE CITY OF BELDING ORDAINS:
Section 1. Amendment of Section 2.13. Section 2.13 of Appendix B, “Zoning” of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Belding is amended to read in its entirety as follows:
Section 2.13. - Regulations applicable to single-family (outside manufactured home parks) and two-family dwellings.
It is the intent and purpose of this section to establish design review standards and controls over housing development in the City of Belding. It is recognized that there are unique design aspects inherent in the community appearance that need to be preserved and enhanced. The adoption of these criteria will guide and ensure that all future growth enhances community character and image and fits with the unique vernacular of the City of Belding's urban setting. A positive community image enhances economic development opportunity; safeguards property values; curbs blight and deterioration; and enhances public safety and welfare. The following standards shall apply to all single-family or duplex structures erected in the City of Belding.
In the case of a one-family or two-family dwelling unit which is of standard construction, a mobile home, a premanufactured, or a precut dwelling structure, and any additions or alterations thereto, erected or placed in the City of Belding, other than a manufactured home located in a licensed manufactured home park approved under the provisions of chapter 8, RM-2 Manufactured Home Park Districts, shall conform to the following regulations in addition to all other restrictions and requirements of this ordinance:
A. Each dwelling unit shall have a minimum gross floor area of nine hundred sixty (960) square feet. For a structure of two (2) or more stories, a minimum of twelve hundred (1,200) square feet of gross floor area shall be provided with at least six hundred eighty (680) square feet provided on the ground floor.
B. For a home constructed on a corner lot, the front door of the home is required to face (and be parallel to) the principal front lot line. The front door is considered to be the door in the front wall of the building, acting as the principal entrance to the home.
C. Where the home design involves a roof pitch, it shall be at a minimum pitch of 5/12, that is, for every twelve (12) inches of lateral run, the roof shall rise five (5) inches.
D. Siding shall be the same gauge for modular and manufactured homes as for on-site-built homes. The exterior finish of the dwelling unit shall not cause reflection that is greater than that from siding coated with clean, white, gloss exterior enamel.
E. The dwelling unit shall have a minimum horizontal dimension across any front, side, or rear elevation of twenty-four (24) feet.
F. A structure with a front elevation view of over forty (40) linear feet shall have a design offset including but not limited to: bay windows, covered porches, or structural offsets from the principal plane of the building.
G. All dwelling units shall be provided with a minimum one-stall garage (either attached or detached) with a minimum area of 250 square feet. Such garages shall be designed and constructed to be compatible with the main building on the property.
In lieu of a garage, a dwelling may instead be provided with both (1) a basement or crawlspace that provides a minimum of 150 square feet of storage space and (2) a minimum of 100 square feet of additional storage space in the form of a shed or barn which shall be provided in conjunction with the dwelling unit. Shed or barns constructed for this purpose shall be constructed of conventional materials such as wood, metal, rigid plastics, or similar materials commonly utilized for such buildings and shall be compatible with the dwelling and other dwellings in the vicinity. Buildings constructed from flexible plastic, cloth, tarps, scrap materials, detritus, or generally low-quality materials or those susceptible to damage, decay, infestation, erosion, or those that appear dilapidated are prohibited.
H. Any single-story, residential structure shall not be more than two (2) times wider than its depth (exclusive of an attached garage).
I. Single and two-family dwellings shall be oriented toward the front lot line or primary front lot line, if applicable. Building orientation shall be determined by the Zoning Administrator based on the location of the principal building entrance; the placement, orientation, and arrangement of porches, windows, and doors; the location of the driveway serving the property, the property address, and other applicable factors.
J. The dwelling unit shall be firmly attached to a permanent continuous foundation constructed on the building site, such foundation to have a wall of the same perimeter dimensions as the dwelling unit and to be constructed of such materials and type as required by the building code for on-site constructed single-family dwellings. If the dwelling unit is a manufactured home, its foundation shall fully enclose the chassis, undercarriage and towing mechanism.
K. If the dwelling unit is a manufactured home, it shall be installed pursuant to the manufacturer's setup instructions and shall be secured to the building site by an anchoring system or device complying with the rules and regulations, as amended, of the Michigan mobile home commission, or any similar or successor agency having regulatory responsibility for manufactured home parks.
L. If the dwelling unit is a manufactured home, it shall be installed with the wheels removed. No dwelling unit shall have any exposed towing mechanism, undercarriage or chassis.
M. The dwelling unit shall be constructed of conventional building materials and shall be aesthetically compatible in design and appearance with other dwellings within six hundred (600) feet. The review shall include but not necessarily be limited to: roof pitch, scale, size, mass, minimum transparency, orientation to the street, and overhangs. The foregoing shall not be construed to prohibit innovative design concepts involving such matters as (but not limited to) solar energy, view, or unique land contour.
N. The compatibility of design and appearance shall be determined in the first instance by the zoning administrator upon review of the plans submitted for a particular dwelling unit.
O. The dwelling unit shall contain no additions of rooms or other areas which are not constructed with similar quality workmanship as the original structure, including permanent attachment to the principal structure and construction of a foundation as required herein.
P. If the dwelling unit is a manufactured home, the manufactured home must either be new and certified by the manufacturer and/or appropriate inspection agency as meeting the Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, as amended, or any similar successor or replacement standards which may be promulgated, or used and certified by the manufacturer and/or appropriate inspection agency as meeting the standards referenced above, and found, on inspection by the building inspector or his designee, to be in excellent condition and safe and fit for residential occupancy.
Q. The dwelling unit shall comply with all applicable building, electrical, plumbing, fire, energy and other similar codes which are or may be adopted by the city, provided, however, that where a dwelling unit is required by law to comply with any federal or state standards or regulations for construction, and where such standards or regulations for construction are different than those imposed by city codes, then and in such event such federal or state standard or regulation shall apply. Appropriate evidence of compliance with such standards or regulations shall be provided to the building inspector.
R. All construction permitted herein shall be commenced only after a building permit has been obtained in accordance with the building code.
S. Each dwelling unit shall have an established vegetative ground cover no less than 12 months after occupancy. A minimum of one (1) shade tree, two and one-half (2½) inches in diameter, four (4) feet from the ground or one (1) six-foot evergreen tree shall be provided in the front yard. Existing landscaping may be accepted in lieu of this requirement.
Section 2. Severability and Captions. This Ordinance and the various parts, sections, subsections, sentences, phrases, and clauses thereof are hereby declared severable. If any part, section, subsection, sentence, phrase, or clause is adjudged unconstitutional or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this Ordinance shall not be affected thereby.
The captions included at the beginning of each Section are for convenience only and shall not be considered a part of this Ordinance.
Section 3. Repeal. Any existing ordinance or resolution that is inconsistent or conflicts with this Ordinance is hereby repealed to the extent of any such conflict or inconsistency.
Section 4. Effective Date. This Ordinance is ordered to take effect seven (7) days following publication of adoption in the Daily News, a newspaper having general circulation in the City, under the provisions of 2006 Public Act 110, except as may be extended under the provisions of such Act.
Sam Mason thanked the Labor Day Committee for the Tree Lighting Event and commented on the status of the WWTP.
Interim City Manager Becky Schlienz commented on the following topics of interest:
· New City Hall furnace is working
· The elevator at the new City Hall was inspected last Friday
· City is waiting on the architect for stamped drawings so a building permit can be obtained
· Working on putting together RFPs for mechanical, plumbing and electrical for the new City Hall
· All permits have been filed for the Crooks Street Project
Gladding gave a closing comment.
Steele gave a closing comment.
Curtis gave closing comments.
Mayor Leary gave closing comments.
Adjourn
Moved by Gladding, seconded by Steele to adjourn the meeting at 7:29 p.m. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
_____________________________ _________________________
Jeannine Leary, Mayor Janae Ortego, MiPMC
City Clerk