REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
BELDING CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, November 4, 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, November 4, 2025.
Mayor Protem Bonita Steele 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, Nikolai Zerkle and Linda Curtis
Members absent: Jeannine Leary
Moved by Zerkle, seconded by Gladding to approved Mayor Leary’s absence per section 4.5(f) of the Belding City Charter. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
Mayor Protem Steele noted two changes to the agenda—Add Item B. Police and Road Funding under Presentations and Item E. City Manager under New Business. Moved by Gladding, seconded by Zerkle to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
Mayor Protem Steele announced that Ryan Madis, who was selected as the lead candidate for City Manager, accepted employment in Eastpointe. She offered congratulations to Madis on this opportunity. She advised the public that Belding is now back to square one in seeking a new City Manager.
A. WWTP Update – Corey Turner from Fleis & Vandenbrink gave a status update on the progress of the WWTP. (Handout on file in the Clerk’s Office.)
B. Police and Road Funding – Zerkle gave a presentation from the State of Michigan’s perspective regarding Police and Road Funding for Belding.
Moved by Zerkle, 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 84286 to 84344 in the amount of $236,989.80
Approve ACH Payments
B. Approve Minutes: City Council Regular meeting – October 21, 2025
Gladding reported that the Planning Commission met on October 28th. Topics of discussion included 2 requests for rezoning and additional proposed changes to Section 2.13 of the Zoning Ordinance. A public hearing will be held on the proposed changes to section 2.13 at the next Planning Commission meeting.
Curtis reported that she attended the Housing Commission meeting. Normal business was conducted, including a review of empty units and their audit.
Mayor Protem Steele reported that the book sale at the library brought in almost $2,000.
A. Moved by Zerkle, seconded by Gladding to adopt the Ionia County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2024. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all. (A copy of the Ionia County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2024, is on file in the Clerk’s Office.) The Resolution adopting the plan is as follows:
CITY OF BELDING
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF BELDING ADOPTING THE IONIA COUNTY HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN, 2024
WHEREAS, the City of Belding recognizes the threat that natural hazards pose to people and property within City of Belding; and
WHEREAS, the City of Belding has prepared a multi-hazard mitigation plan, hereby known as the Ionia County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2024, in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000; and
WHEREAS, the Ionia County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2024, identifies mitigation goals and actions to reduce or eliminate long term risk to people and property in the City of Belding from the impacts of future hazards and disasters; and
WHEREAS, adoption by the City of Belding demonstrates their commitment to the hazard mitigation and achieving the goals outlined in the Ionia County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2024.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF BELDING, COUNTY OF IONIA, MICHIGAN, THAT: the City Council of the City of Belding adopts the Ionia County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2024 this 4th day of November, 2025.
B. Moved by Gladding, seconded by Zerkle, to adopt the Brownfield Plan for Building Belding, LLC. Motion carried 3-1 by the following roll call vote:
YEAS: Zerkle, Gladding and Steele
NAYS: Curtis
ABSENT: Leary
The Resolution is as follows:
CITY OF BELDING
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE ADOPTION OF A BROWNFIELD
OF THE PUBLIC ACTS OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN OF 1996, AS AMENDED
At a regular meeting of the Belding City Council, held at 120 S. Pleasant Street, Belding, MI on the 4th of November, 2025 at 7:00 pm.
WHEREAS, the City of Belding, pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of the Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act being Act 381 of the Public Acts of the State of Michigan of 1996, as amended (the “Act”), has formally resolved to participate in the Ionia County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (the “Authority”) and has designated that all related activities shall proceed through the Authority; and
WHEREAS, the Authority, pursuant to and in accordance with Section 3(4) and Section 13 of the Act, has reviewed, adopted, and recommended for approval by the City Council of Belding, the Brownfield Plan (the “Plan”) attached hereto, to be carried out within the City of Belding, relating to the development of property located at Crooks Avenue and Brooklyn Street, City of Belding, Michigan (the “Site”), as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the Plan and more particularly described in the legal description of the property contained within the attached Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Ionia County Commission will review the Plan, and will hold a public hearing to provide members of the public a reasonable opportunity to express their views and recommendations regarding the Plan, in accordance with Section 14(5) of the Act; and
WHEREAS, after review of the Plan, the Belding City Council concurs with approval of the Plan.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
1. Plan Support. Pursuant to the authority vested in the City of Belding by the Act, the Plan is hereby supported in the form attached to this Resolution.
2. Severability. Should any section, clause, or phrase of this Resolution be declared by the courts to be invalid, the same shall not affect the validity of this Resolution as a whole nor any part thereof other than the part so declared to be invalid.
3. Repeals. All resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict with any of the provisions of this Resolution are hereby repealed.
RESOLUTION DECLARED ADOPTED.
C. Mayor Protem Steele did the first reading of the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment Re: Commercial Storage Warehouses. (On file in the Clerk’s Office.)
D. Mayor Protem Steele did the first reading of a proposed rezoning amendment re: 2160 W. Ellis from R1.5 to R3. (On file in the Clerk’s Office.)
E. Mayor Protem Steele requested that the councilmembers consider ideas of how they would like to move forward with the search for a new City Manager and to bring those ideas to the table at the next regular Council meeting.
Mike Brady, 927 Masonic, commented on Zerkle’s presentation.
Council members gave closing comments.
Moved by Zerkle, seconded by Gladding to adjourn the meeting at 7:58 p.m. Motion carried by the following roll call vote: Yes – all.
______________________________________ ______________________________________
Bonita Steele, Mayor Protem Janae Ortego, MiPMC
City Clerk