Two resignations and two new hires for the City of Hartford

On Monday, Oct. 23, 2023 the Hartford City Commissioners held their business meeting for the month with partial attendance by city officials. Following Roll Call, the approval for the agenda was granted and the meeting continued. The only guest was Mickey Bittner, from Wightman and Associates; he was on hand to give updates on all current projects within the city.

Interim City Manager, Linnea Rader, informed the Council that Rebecca Senard started as Deputy City Clerk and Administrative Assistant on Oct. 23. At this time, her normal working hours will be noon to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Resident, Michael Menck, spoke of his disappointment, as he has not seen an issue that he has repeatedly brought to the board on the agenda to be formally addressed.

Communications

The communications that were reviewed were from Comcast for a Notice of Price Changes; Hartford High School 2nd Annual Fall Fest Community Service Project to be held on Oct. 27; information on how to file a Video/Cable Complaint from the Michigan Public Service Commission; information on the MDHHS - MiChEM (Michigan Chemical Exposure Monitoring) Mobile Unit that will be in the area from Oct. 24-28; information on the United Way of Southwest Michigan Rake a Difference Day scheduled for Nov. 9, 2023.

Safety services department reports

The city of Hartford’s police chief, Mike Prince, submitted the September Police Report to the board. The report reflected 800 hours worked with eight arrests, seven arrest warrants issued, 16 traffic citations written, six assaults, and three drug investigations.

Hartford Fire Chief, Rob Harding submitted the September statistics from the fire report. The report reflected 56 calls for the month. The breakdown of the calls was for one fire, 40 rescue and emergency medical services, two hazardous conditions without fire, seven service calls, four good intent calls, and two false alarm/false calls.

The chief thanked the community for supporting the pancake breakfast fundraiser where they serve 220 dishes. The total raised was $1,900.

Harding also informed the commissioners of a new probationary firefighter, Steve Lowe, and gave a brief summary of the ambulance service due to the absence of an ambulance report over the last few months.

Hartford Township Supervisor, Ron Sefcik addressed the board as the Chairman of the Hartford Fire Board telling the audience that their board has adopted new policies. Sefcik also announced that the Fire Board is still working on its application for the 501c3 status. Additionally, he addressed the $500 request for an enclosed trailer and lettering to transport the funeral ramp. This ramp is used to assist in placing caskets on top of tall fire trucks. The enclosed trailer will be used to call the ramp to different fire departments within Van Buren County.

Pokagon-Hartford Area Local Revenue Sharing Board

The commissioners received the proposed meeting schedule for the Local Revenue Sharing Board. The meetings are held at the Hartford Township Hall at 4 p.m. on the following dates for 2024: January 17, May 22, August 21, and September 18.

Van Buren County Board of Commission

Mike Chappell from the county spoke at Monday night’s meeting concerning a request from the Van Buren Sheriff’s Department to approve the purchase of a body scanner to prevent the introduction of illegal substances into the jail. There has been a significant increase in attempts to smuggle illegal substances into the jail. This poses a high degree of risk to not just inmates but also correctional staff. Because full-body searches are not allowed, unless there is a probable cause or a judicial order, it is difficult to find these substances. The machine will help protect the health and safety of all of those in jail as well as reduce our risk of liability. The cost is $184,500, which includes a highly recommended 5-year warranty. They will utilize $132,162 from unallocated Marijuana Tax/Fee money. The remaining costs will come from the Jail Commissary Fund.

Chappell also reported that there was a request to approve the authorization of the use of $950,000 in ARPA funds for a Van Buren County Youth Center in conjunction with the Van Buren Intermediate School District.

Public Works Department

Danny Staunton from the Department of Public Works was present and reported that Oct. 23 – 27 they will be flushing the fire hydrants, followed by picking up brush per schedule.

City Manager report

The Interim City Manager, Linnea Rader, had another month with the following updates for the Council:

Gustavo Medrano will be starting as a full-time Police Officer on or around Nov. 6, 2023. He will be training for several months before he’s completely on his own.

As discussed in a prior Council meeting, in order for an Ordinance Officer to be armed and in uniform, they must be an MCOLES-certified police officer. Rader be working with the police department over the next few months to see how they can best meet the city’s needs.

There was a public information meeting with Hartford Township and the county health department on Oct. 16 regarding the water main extension into the township for the areas affected by PFAS. Very few residents impacted by the project attended. Wightman and the health department and township will continue attempting to provide information to residents about the project. At this time all residents have received three mailings regarding the project and had the opportunity to attend two meetings to ask questions. In addition, representatives from the township, health department, and Wightman have gone door to door to try to make contact with any impacted property owners who have not signed up for the program.

Rader also is prepared to execute the city’s agreement with SAFEbuilt, the company that will be taking over services for the city.

An update will be requested from Cross Excavating and Demolition for the scheduled demolitions of two properties within the city.

Finally, Rader is encouraged by the number of candidates that have applied for the City Manager position. At the time of the meeting, there have been 22 applications. Due to the timing of the upcoming election and the potential meeting schedule, she requested that the City Council move their November meeting from the 20th to the 27th, which was approved. This will allow City Manager candidates to meet and interview with the Council members they will be working with.

Following the oath of office for new Council members on November 27, the Council will move forward with the candidate selection for the City Manager. Interviews will potentially be scheduled for the first or second week of December.

New business

Under new business, the board accepted the resignation of both Commissioner Beltran and library board member, Susan Hall.

Beltran writes in his letter dated September 27, 2023: “Effective immediately I will be resigning from my position as City Commissioner. Due to my most recent health issues I am not able to perform the duties of the position, at this time…”

With the November 7, 2023 Election in less than 60 days at the time of vacancy, the Council chose not to fill the vacant seat left by the resignation of Ramon Beltran. However, they are accepting applications for the vacated position on the Library Board until Nov. 10, 2023.

The board approved the license renewal for Med Leaf, LLC, as a medical marijuana facility provisioning center, they approved purchasing water meter reading software updates, and a new fee schedule for building permits at this meeting.

In other new business, the board passed an Establish Police Reserve Program, Resolution 2023 - 026, and passed Proposed Ordinance 337–2023 amending sections 93.01 and 93.02 Fire Code, Resolution 338-2023, amending sections 51.36 and 52.29 to provide discounts for water/sewer usage.

The board also heard the first reading of Proposed Ordinance Amendment No. 335–2023 Establish Planning Commission and Proposed Ordinance Amendment No. 336–2023 Designate Zoning Board of Appeals.

The board approved the paying of bills totaling $2,075,380.75, for Oct. 23, 2023.

Having no further business, Mayor Hall adjourned the meeting at 8:49 p.m.