BELDING CITY COUNCIL
PLANNING WORK SESSION
Saturday, March 29, 2025
9:00 a.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 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Mayor Jeannine Leary called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
City Clerk, Janae Ortego took the roll call:
Members present: Shelley Gladding, Bonita Steele, Nikolai Zerkle, Linda Curtis and Jeannine Leary
Members absent: None
Zerkle requested to add Item Q. Roles and Goals for Community Development Director Position to the Work Session. Moved by Zerkle, seconded by Gladding to approve the amended agenda. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
A. Review 2024 Goals Status Report – City Manager, Keven Krieger advised the council members that three items from last year’s work session were accomplished as follows:
· Hired a DPW Director
· BS&A implemented
· Repair of the Museum roof and porches have a tentative start date of April, and should be done at the beginning of May. Downspouts will be added as they are within the budget and donations were received.
Krieger further advised that DPW is working on their Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), however, due to the amount of their inventory, it is a huge undertaking.
B. Wastewater Treatment Plant Funding – Fleis & Vandenbrink continue to write letters to legislators regarding appropriations. Letters were just sent again to Representative Moolenaar, and Senators Slotkin and Peters.
Last year the council talked about turning the lagoons into wetlands. This option is more of a lease and the parameters are unknown. Krieger will pursue investigating this option. Another option is to turn the lagoon property into a solar farm. The lagoons may never fully drain, but the contaminant is removed. Curtis inquired that if the DNR purchases it, would they keep it that way forever?
C. New City Hall Remodel/Old City Hall Status – Krieger proposed that the new building be implemented in phases. Krieger is meeting biweekly with department heads.
Phase I:
City resident Jim Mason, local builder Tim Flynn and department heads will meet next week to go through the new city hall building. The lower west side is proposed to be completely open, taking away all limitations. The lower east side will be used as administrative office space.
Krieger advised that all of the work being done now is being done by city employees, further noting that city employee John Lovell renewed his Builder’s License, so he will be able to perform much of the work himself at this normal hourly rate. The DPW can offer him assistance, especially during the winter months. Krieger advised that Fire Chief Tim Lubitz could use the demolition as a training exercise for his staff. Currently, the MSP and local police have been using the building for training.
With doing whatever we can in-house, the anticipated cost is approximately $1.5 million dollars. Independent Bank and Mercantile Bank both have competitive rates.
The elevator is still in limbo. Krieger relayed that Lubitz spoke with Schindler and Otis about the elevator. It needs to be brought up to code, which is approximately $150,000. The existing elevator has a piston drive. If the piston drive is older than 1970, it must be replaced; if its age is between 1970 and 1975 there is a 50% chance that it may need to be replaced and if it is aged 1975 to current date it should be good. If the piston needs to be replaced, the cost to repair the elevator becomes approximately $300,000. There are only four companies in the entire United States that can drill to replace a piston.
Krieger advised that we may be able to secure grants if we were to utilize the open portion (lower west side) of the building as a temporary emergency shelter. Other possible grant funding sources that could be explored include Secure Democracy, as the intent is for elections to be held in the open space and the United Way for ADA compliance. City resident Jim Mason attended the meeting and suggested that MSHDA may have some type of funding available.
Councilmember Curtis advised that Ionia City Hall and the Armory are having elevator work done and perhaps that vendor could take a look at ours while they are in close proximity. Krieger will reach out to the Ionia City Manager, Precia Garland.
Krieger hopes for administrative staff to move to the new building in the first quarter of 2026.
Phase II:
Krieger advised that Phase II involves the second floor of the new building, which will house the Belding Police Department. Chief of Police Dion Sower has condensed his department’s needs to only utilizing half of the upstairs. Necessities for the second floor include employee bathrooms for men and women as well as bathrooms for the public. A lunchroom for all staff is planned for the second floor. Key card access is intended.
The second half of the upstairs could be outfitted to sublease offices for additional income. Security would not be a problem.
Plans for the old city hall include cold storage of records that are no longer referenced, but cannot be destroyed. Additionally, the fire department intends to utilize the space in what is currently the police department. We could get creative with sub-leasing offices space. Both Eight Cap and the United Way are currently looking for office space.
Krieger advised that the current city hall needs a new roof and that a yearly maintenance plan needs to be implemented.
D. New DPW Garage/ Existing Building – Krieger cited issues with the
DPW building dating back over twenty years ago, to when he was first employed by the city as a DPW staff member, and now those same problems are worse.
Currently, the ICEA has parties interested to purchase the existing DPW building and there is room to build a new DPW garage by the Wastewater Treatment Plant that is currently under construction.
Alex Bannister, DPW Director was present at the meeting and advised council of the condition of the building, as well as, the daily hurdles that they face in their current location which is in a residential district.
· The roof has 12-13 leaks
· Not enough vehicle space, so vehicles constantly have to be moved
· Vehicles and equipment are not stored in one location; some items are stored in outbuildings
· Security issues as the gates do not lock properly
· Leaks from the roof leak rust onto the vehicles and equipment
· There is no room for expansion
· Delayed reaction time, due to “playing a game of Tetris with the vehicles”
· Heating issues
· Too much “stuff” – nothing was ever disposed of and they need to get rid of it
· Nuisance to the neighborhood
Curtis asked if there are any contamination issues on the DPW property. Krieger met with the city attorney and was advised that there are many ways to structure a deal.
Gladding noted that we need to find out if the property is contaminated or not, whether we keep or sell it., however it is still an old building that doesn’t meet their needs. We need to make a plan either way. The offices are almost complete at the WWTP. We could consolidate land space and then everything would be in one location. The current building is a nuisance to the neighborhood.
Krieger advised that he will also talk to the schools about getting salt. The schools have talked about building a salt shed – perhaps the city could work with the schools and maybe the schools could buy the salt and the city could buy it from them.
Curtis advised being proactive and letting the community know.
Gladding gave recognition to all city staff for what they have to work in and what they have to work with, and they don’t complain. By former leaders being so frugal, it has hurt us in the long run. The City should not be the worst employer in the city, said Gladding.
The Mayor called for a short recess at 10:12 a.m.
Back on the record at 10:20 a.m.
E. Expanding Depot Security/Video Capability – It was determined by the city’s IT service that the wiring in the Depot is residential grade and that Dial-A-Ride and the camera are sharing one IP addess. Dial-A-Ride will be using some of their transit funds to make the system cloud-based and also using some of those funds for office furnishings.
Body cams and tasers are now the priority to switch to a cloud-based system.
Council members advised that their tablets do not work. Krieger will look into leasing laptops for staff. He additionally stated that he ordered wireless microphones for the council chambers, which have been delivered to City Hall. After spring break, he and Josh King will look into streaming meetings.
F. New Rate Study for Water/Sewer – These rates should be looked at every year. A problem was identified in 2014 that the rates were too low, however, former city councils did not increase the rates. The rates were not increased until the State reached a point that the city had to increase them, making the current council pay for the “actions” of former councils. UFS was hired to do a rate study. The city was very open and transparent about the rate increase. The current goal is to figure out where we can make concessions to relive our constituents, but still keep moving forward.
G. Road Projects/Road Study – Bridge Street reconstruction will be done after Labor Day 2025 as Macker and Labor Day are so close together. It will be a mill & fill. The section from Ellis Street to Kiddville is going to be done. Bannister advised that the millings are going to be screened and he will look into costs for chip seal. Catch basins will be raised. In an effort to get away from prior DPW practices of just filling potholes, throughout the summer and fall if potholes are present, DPW will be cutting those sections of the road out and redoing them with asphalt. Bannister is seeking pricing from the county to do the work because they have the equipment to do it. Each year he plans to reevaluate the situation.
There will be some work on the bridges this year. The city submitted for PA 51 funding. Morgan and Pineview were never fully finished; they only received one coat of asphalt, being only about 1.5 inches thick. Neighborhood funding may be needed to finish the roads. Gladding voiced that it is unacceptable to have unfinished roads and that we need to be proactive on new developments, ensuring that the roads are done.
H. River Bank Cleanup – Krieger is working with Bannister as the , the State of Michigan and the DNR need to clear us to do those projects as there are many stipulations. Park Street will be done first to resurface the boardwalk. They will be leaving the stumps as that is integral to the bank structure. It was questioned if everything on the riverbank is contaminated. DPW would like to start this project this summer, but the streets are a priority.
I. Loose Leaf/Brush Pickup Program – The DPW is returning to having monthly pickup. They will be conducting a rate study to include staff’s hourly rates, equipment, and rental rates. Brush pickup is necessary to some extent (storms excluded), but it takes one week out of every month away from other things that need to be done. Property taxes are high, but the city is still offering the same amounts of services from 20 years ago with 30% less staff. The city is looking at what can be done differently—perhaps doing an initial pickup in the spring and maybe one in the fall. In between those times a part-time person could be available to let people bring brush on their own time, when it is convenient for them.
Leaf pickup could be for bags only. It could be a good incentive to let residents get rid of stuff when they want to and makes time for the DPW to concentrate on other things. A list of resources could be developed for those who can’t do it themselves.
DPW will start working on a cost analysis for brush.
Leaf pick up is very subjective as it is from “when the leaves fall until snow flies”. Bannister apprised the Council of what a disaster leaf pickup is. People don’t follow the rules. People run out to the road after the truck passes their house and then the call City Hall saying that DPW picked up everyone else’s, not but theirs. Leaves are not close enough to the road; they do not have time to rake them closer – it takes 3 of the 7 DPW staff to do leaves for at least two months. If leaves get too close to the gutter pans, flooding occurs. It is also a huge safety concern as people drive around the equipment and the workers. Bannister is looking into different attachments for the loader, one being about $25,000 but it could be used for brush, leaves and snow. It is a tremendous expense to the residents to do this service.
Council discussed having a municipal garage sale and keeping the brush site open.
Krieger advised that he will support the Department heads first. If the brush/leaf site is opened up to the public it will actually add a service to the residents. Bursh will remain the same this year, however Krieger will check with the finance director if we can hire a part-time person to manage the brush/leaf site.
J. Cemetery Cleanup Plan – There has to be a better way to assign graves, said Kreiger. There are options to have a sonar/infrared scan and map out the cemetery, but it is very expensive. Park grants can be used for cemeteries, so that is an option. Councilmember Steele stated that the mausoleum shouldn’t be used for storage. Additionally, the mausoleum should be opened, at least on Memorial weekend and Labor Day. Krieger will talk to the police department regarding daytime hours for the mausoleum.
K. Tree Removal Plan – Former City Manager Jon Stoppels worked with Climbing High. They charge $2,400 per day; one tree can take all day to remove. Bannister doesn’t have the crew to do this. Additionally, Krieger will determine if being a Tree City USA is of any benefit to the city because it seems to be more of a burden (both work and cost) than a benefit. If not, then we can let it go.
L. Recruiting Process for Boards and Commissions – It was discussed as to how to get the word out to the community. Council Member Zerkle commented that people only care about boards if they need to. Holding a Board & Commission Job Fair was mentioned. Both current options as well as new ideas for options for people to sign up to be considered for appointment are: City website, Facebook, the front counter, a school job fair, Chamber of Commerce, Library, High school government class, the Daily News. The Planning Commission also needs to go back to 7 members.
M. New Automatic Meter Reading – Krieger advised the council that the current practice for meter reading takes 3-4 DPW employees at an average rate of $33 per hour per employee, 4 days per quarter to read water meters throughout the city, not including rereads, equipment rental and gas. Krieger informed the council members of two other options for meter reading:
Option 1: There is a device that could be installed on tower that costs approximately $1 million, which is not a feasible option.
Option 2: There is a type of “pad” that can be installed over the meter, allowing staff to do a proximity read, which could be done by one employee. With this method, staff could also do meter reading while picking up bags. In May, 2022 the initial cost was $25,000. The cost per pad, per house is $130, and an additional $70 for installation. Krieger advised that we could do it in stages. They would be better and safer for employees. Mayor Leary thought it may be worth pursuing, but was unsure of the affordability. Krieger will have Holly Tice (Water Department) pursue quotes and confirm their longevity. Krieger further advised that a 100% grant was received in 2022 so we may still have the money and/or insurance may help us to pay for this based upon workers comp claims.
N. Single Source Refuse Collection – In a recent survey, residents had mixed reviews on going to a single-source for refuse collection. Krieger disagreed with residents being automatically forced to have a cart. However, this could result in a tremendous cost savings, especially on road infrastructure of approximately 80%. The charge could be assessed on the utility bill. Potentially yard waste, recycling, hazardous waste and a “pickup day” could be offered. In Greenville, residents pay $49/3 months. This would require a Public Hearing and quotes would need to be obtained. Krieger will pursue this option with the various garbage haulers.
O. Central Riverside Park Grant – The Grant offers an opportunity to give better facilities to the community. Krieger inquired if a Splash Pad is wanted or needed? Krieger advised that the city doesn’t want to get into a position where they cannot maintain what may be added. Councilmember Curtis and Bannister both spoke of their experience with splash pads. They require maintenance similar to that of a pool. The surface builds algae, so it becomes very slippery and has to be cleaned every few days. In the fall it must be disassembled and winterized and put back up in the spring. There were concerns of unattended children and/or attracting people who shouldn’t be there.
City Resident, Jim Mason advised Krieger to speak with Mike Verdun as he believes that he donates $5,000 per year to the Belding Community Fund.
Council member Steele stated the she is against a splash pad as surrounding communities have them. She would rather see a four-season ice rink, which would get people to travel to Belding for that amenity.
The pavilion does not service what we need. It is too far back, it is vandalized and it requires a long water line. Bannister recommended moving it to the cement pad behind the restaurant (the Harmful Roester). It would be close to the road, so it could easily be policed and would be accessible. Kreiger advised that he has been very transparent with Holly Noble from the Veteran’s Park regarding her request to place a decommissioned tank and helicopter at the Veteran’s Park. It is a privately ran park on city property, similar to shuffleboard and pickleball and SMASH park. The tank and helicopter cause safety and liability concerns.
P. East Riverside Park Grant – Krieger recommended maintaining this park versus adding more to it for maintenance reasons.
Q. Roles and Goals for Community Development Director Position -
Mayor Leary advised that this position is not ideal as three positions are being rolled into one, but the city cannot afford three separate positions. This at least offers a point person for DDA and the Rec Board. The hope is that this new position will be self-sustaining and will morph into three full-time positions.
Krieger noted that per the City Charter, if council member Curtis resigned her position, she would not be eligible to be employed in this capacity for one year (Curtis recently retired from the City of Ionia as their DDA Director).
Council member Curtis voiced concern regarding the amount of work that will be required of this position. Krieger stated that he is very present when it comes to having a work/life balance.
Krieger advised that when he was the Dial-A-Ride Director in 2011, it was a part-time job. The new position will require a unique person who is a self-starter, and that the point person is not necessarily the “doer” of everything, they would have the respective boards that they represent to assist. This position is about relationship building, building connections within the State, developing relationships with the existing DDA District, working closely with the ICEA and developing a framework for events. Krieger noted that this is not a new budgeted position-the Dial-A-Ride Director has already been budgeted as a full-time position and he is going to ask the DDA to provide some additional funding for the position. The city has been so afraid of failing that they haven’t done anything. Trying is better than doing nothing. If the position fails, we will take a look at why it failed.
Curtis thanked everyone.
Gladding commented on learning curves and this being a good meeting.
Steele thanked Bannister and Mason and commented that sometimes it is okay to rely on history.
Mayor Leary thanked Bannister and commented on the many positive things in front of us.
Jim Mason requested that the city consider putting funds back into their budget to bring back the appreciation dinner that they used to hold annually for all of the board and commission members. He further commented on being proactive, that the city is moving forward in a positive direction, communication and striving to make Belding the place we want it to be.
Moved by Steele, seconded by Gladding to adjourn the meeting at 2:04 p.m. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
__________________________ ___________________________________
Jeannine Leary, Mayor Janae Ortego, MiPMC
City Clerk