Belgrade City Council

CITY OF BELGRADE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES COUNCIL CHAMBERS July 7th, 2025 7: 00 pm This meeting was open to the public and attended in person. Mayor Russell C. Nelson called the meeting to order. Council Members in attendance were Jason Guffey, Mike Meis, Jim Simon, Kristine Menicucci, Erin Bell, and Renae Mattimoe. City staff in attendance were City Manager Neil Cardwell, Assistant City Manager Greg Tryon, City Attorney Kyla Murray, Consulting Attorney Rick Ramler, City Clerk Camille Gregory, Executive Assistant Dana Jambor, Executive Finance Director Charity VanKirk, Chief of Police Dustin Lensing, Municipal Court Judge Chris Gregory, Chief Building Official Lucas Sobeck, Director of Human Resources Becky Wilbert, City Engineer Joe Hauck, Senior Planner Brad Stein, Public Works Director Camaree Uljua, Information Technology Manager Justin Clevidence, Library Director Alina Prunean, and Central Valley Fire Chief Jay Wittwer. Others in attendance were Jeff Young, Dwan Young, Benjamin Toney, Eileen Savage, Mike Cash, Kent Merselis, Dustin Vertin, Bruce McCallum, Mary Jo McCallum, Mat McCallum, Anthony Stratman, Nick Foster, and Stephen McAdams. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Nelson called for public comment. Eilen Savage, residing at 804 Amsterdam Blvd., stated she is concerned about the particularly loud fireworks and how early people are beginning to set them off. She noted people are setting them off well before the Independence Day holiday window. She stated she believes that fireworks vendors should not be allowed to sell loud fireworks within city limits, and that residents should not be allowed to shoot them off within city limits even if they obtain them elsewhere. Mayor Nelson called two more times for public comment. There being none, the Public Forum was closed. CONSENT AGENDA Consider Approval of Council Minute Drafts: 6- 2- 25, Council Minutes Draft& 6- 9- 25, and Council Workshop Minutes Draft. Consider Approval Adoption of Ranked Lists to Pre- Qualify Engineering Firms for WO 25- 06 Engineering Services and Development Review for Fiscal Year 2026 Page 1 of 8  ACTION: Council Member Meis moved to approve the Consent Agenda as submitted. Council Member Simon and Mattimoe seconded the Motion. All voted aye. Motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC HEARING Discuss and Consider Second Reading of Ordinance 2025- 6, Zoning Text Amendment for City of Belgrade Sign Requirements to Allow for an Increase in the Amount of Area Allowed for Freestanding Signs Within 500 Feet of Interstate 90 Senior Planner Stein entered his staff report into the record and explained that this item had been previously brought before the City Council on May 5, 2025, for first reading. However, the item did not receive enough votes to pass after its first reading. Stein noted that Council Member Mattimoe requested that this item be brought back for further discussion during the May 19, 2025, City Council Meeting. That item was subsequently motioned and approved. Stein further noted that a first reading was held at the June 2, 2025, Council Meeting. Subsequently, it was motioned and approved to bring the item back for a second reading at a public hearing on July 7, 2025. Stein then explained that this item would modify the City Code' s language on signage and the allowable area of signs. It would also make edits to tables 10. 5. 10.A and 10. 5. 10.B of the City Code, to clarify the height allowance of freestanding signs and the number of freestanding signs allowed per street frontage. Finally, it would clean up the language within the Code. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to open the Public Hearing. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. All voted aye. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Nelson called for public comment. Mike Cash, representing Town Pump, thanked the Council for the opportunity to explain why the Ordinance is too restrictive. He explained that he would like all signs to be consistently sized so smaller signs don' t get lost amidst the larger signs. Chris McConell, with Signs of Montana, also expressed his desire for the City to consider keeping the sizes of all the signs consistent. Dustin Verten, General Manager of Floyds Truck Center, also requested that the Ordinance be sent back to staff to make signage more consistent. Marylin McConell, with Signs of Montana, also requested that the Ordinance be sent back to staff for revisions. Page 2 of 8  Jeff Young, of Young Electric Sign Company, referred to the letter sent to the Council by the International Sign Association. He noted this letter made recommendations for modifications to the Code, particularly in the legibility section. Matt McConell, with Signs of Montana, also requested that the Ordinance be sent back to staff for revision. Mayor Nelson called two more times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Menicucci moved to close the Public Hearing. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. All voted aye. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Nelson asked if a sign built before the proposed changes to the Code would go into effect will be grandfathered in if they do not meet the new standards. City Manager Cardwell confirmed that signs currently in place before the change would be grandfathered in, as long as the sign is not adjusted. ACTION: Council Member Meis moved to adopt Ordinance 2025- 6, amending Section 10. 5. 10, Tables 10. 5. 10.A and 10. 5. 10. B of the City Code of the City of Belgrade, to allow for an increase in the amount of area allowed for freestanding signs within 500 feet of Interstate 90 with edits clarifying the height allowance of freestanding signs and the number of freestanding signs allowed per street frontage. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. There was discussion amongst the Council regarding concerns about the disruption that new signs would cause to the vista views in Belgrade. Council considered whether or not new signs would effectively draw more business into Belgrade and weighed those potential benefits against the impact signs would have on the views and façade of Belgrade. Mayor Nelson called for a roll call vote. Motion failed unanimously. 6- 0 Council members voting " aye": None. Council Members voting " no": Guffey, Meis, Simon, Menicucci, Bell, Mattimoe. Council members Absent: None. City Manager Cardwell pointed out that he would not expect this issue to come back to the Planning Board for a couple of months, so he encouraged the public to sign up for meeting and agenda notifications at belgrademt. gov/ agendacenter. CLERK NOTE* There will be a ` Notify Me' button to click with instructions for sign-up above the magnifying glass. Page 3 of 8 DISCUSSION AGENDA Discuss Belgrade Safety Action Plan Update and Discussion City Engineer Hauck explained that this item is an update for the Council on the Safety Action Plan. Hauck then introduced Nick Foster, a representative of Kittleson and Associates, noting that Kittleson and Assoc. was the firm selected by the City to lead the Safety Action Plan. Foster gave a brief PowerPoint presentation on the Safety Action Plan. He noted they have been working on this plan since February, and that the crash trends included do not include I- 90 because the City has minimal influence on the highway system. Council Member Meis inquired whether there had been any updates from the Montana Department of Transportation( MDT) regarding left turn lights along the Jackrabbit corridor. Hauck answered that they are currently constructing left turn lanes at Jackrabbit and Amsterdam/ Alaska, including a left turn arrow. However, he noted that they will address left turn lanes and signals further north at Madison Avenue and Main Street as part of the Belgrade Urban Underpass) Project. Discuss and Consider Issuance of Notice of Award of Contract for WO 22- 04 WRF Lagoon Rehabilitation Project to Synagro West, LLC Director of Public Works Uljua explained that a bid opening was held on June 20, 2025, for the Lagoon Rehabilitation Project. She advised that there were two responsive bids received. Uljua advised that the lowest bid was from Synagro, an agency that specializes in biosolids treatment and removal. Their low bid came in at$ 4, 373, 924. Uljua further advised that AE2S, the City' s contracted engineer, and the City of Belgrade Public Works Department both recommend awarding the Lagoon Project to Synagro. Uljua noted that this project will be funded by a$ 2, 000, 000 American Rescue Plan Act ARPA) grant, minimal local matching funds, a USDA rural development loan, and a Montana State Revolving Fund loan. She also advised that the project would need approval from the Council as well as the DNRC, USDA, and DEQ to move forward. However, it is expected that those entities will approve. Council Member Simon asked if the fund match comes from rates or impact fees. Director VanKirk answered that the fund match would come from rates. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to authorize the City Manager to sign the Notice of Award and associated contract documents once received, for WO 22- 04 WRF Page 4 of 8 Lagoon Rehabilitation Project, awarded to Synagro West, LLC, and include the change order potential. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye. Motion carried unanimously. Discuss and Consider Mayor Appointments to Various Advisory Boards Mayor Nelson appointed, confirmed, and recommended the following: Library Advisory Board Appoint: Anna Klompien Appoint: Lorrain Ekegren Board of Adjustments Appoint: Matt Colingwood- City Representative Belgrade Regional Parks, Trails, and Recreation Board Re- Appoint: Alex Cady- City Representative Re- Appoint: Joseph Benrhardt- County Representative Recommend: Council Member Mattimoe- Council Representative Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to approve the recommendations of all the board members as presented by the Mayor. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Nelson mentioned that he had received a call from one of the candidates for the Library Board this past weekend, informing him that they had been in an accident and wished to withdraw their application from consideration. Mayor Nelson wished them a quick recovery. Discuss Real Property Purchase City Manager Cardwell advised the Council that the historic grain elevator has recently come up for sale. He said it is estimated that the elevator was built between 1897 and 1907, becoming fully operational between 1903 and 1907. Cardwell expressed a wish for the City to purchase the elevator in order for the City to maintain the building as a historic landmark. He further advised that the City had submitted an offer to purchase the elevator at a cost of$ 550,000. He noted this purchase would use TIF resources, leaving$ 2, 000, 000 remaining in the TIF fund. He further advised that this purchase offer was accepted but was pending approval from the Council. Cardwell advised that the City already has a Phase 1 environmental study lined up for the elevator, which would lead into a Phase 2. The City is also requesting an initial investment of Page 5 of 8  50, 000 to potentially cover the Phase 1 study, primarily to secure the property and preserve the building. Specifically, Cardwell expressed a desire to preserve the American flag painted on the corrugated metal at the front of the building. He also noted that grants will be sought to fund the Phase 2 studies. Council Member Simon asked if the land falls within the railroad right-of-way. Cardwell confirmed that slightly more than three acres of the property are in the railroad BN) right-of-way. However, the majority of the property is contained within the Montanan Department of Transportation' s right-of-way instead. He further noted the Nutrien building is on BN property, but it is leased, and the City is already in talks with BN to acquire that lease. The Council briefly discussed this purchase and agreed that it was a great opportunity for the City. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Menicucci moved to authorize the City Manager to enter into a purchase agreement and related agreements for the property located at 88 East Main. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye. Motion carried unanimously. Executive Session EXECUTIVE SESSION: The Mayor may close to the public all or portions of this meeting, pursuant to§ 2- 3- 203( 4)( a), MCA, to discuss strategy with respect to litigation when an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the litigating position ofthe City, or when the discussion is related to a matter of individual privacy and the presiding officer determines the demands of individual privacy clearly exceed the merits ofpublic disclosure. Discussion with City Attorney and Staff on Potential Litigation At 8: 14 p. m., Mayor Nelson called for an Executive Session. The Mayor allowed a brief intermission for all attendees to vacate Council Chambers. Those remaining in the session were: all Council Members, Mayor Nelson, City Manager Cardwell, City Attorney Murray, and City Clerk Camille Gregory. At 9: 12 p.m., Mayor Nelson closed the Executive Session. The Mayor then re- opened the regular meeting to the public and called the meeting back to order. Page 6 of 8 REPORTS Mayor Nelson had nothing to report. City Attorney Murray had nothing to report. City Manager Cardwell reported that the School District is currently moving into the old library building, which means the City can start moving into the schools sooner than expected. However, some improvements still need to be made to the school buildings before the City can occupy them. Cardwell also addressed the tree removed in Lewis and Clark Park. He advised the tree was deemed a hazard by the Parks Department and an arborist firm. He noted that when the City needs to take out a tree, they plant several( between five and ten) more to replace the one removed. He then thanked the Parks Department for the work they continue to do, despite being extremely short-staffed and facing a loss of institutional knowledge. He also advised the Parks Department has been spending a significant amount of time keeping the splash pad running while working on public education about why they have to shut it down every day. Lastly, he mentioned that the Finance Department is entering the final budget season, with the new taxable values arriving soon. FOR YOUR INFORMATION Council Member Mattimoe reported that she will be out of town and asked if someone would fill in for her at the coming Parks meeting on July 10, 2025. Council Member Guffy volunteered. Mattimoe also reported that several citizens had reached out to her about the fireworks, expressing disappointment that some in the community may not be respecting the hours and days allotted for their usage. Council Member Bell explained that the Senior Center Board Manager, Lisa Beedy, is posting and promoting all of the free park activities and is excited to see how that develops next year. Council Member Menicucci reported that the Water Quality Board did not have anyone in attendance at the last meeting. She expressed a desire to switch boards. Council Member Simon mentioned that he had not gotten any fireworks complaints. He then noted a potential scheduling problem with the Christmas Convoy and inquired whether this is a matter that should be raised at a workshop. Cardwell answered that he hopes the groups involved in the Convoy will work everything out and move the day for the Convoy. He noted that there is an agreement in place that prohibits Page 7 of 8 scheduling the Convoy on a certain day, yet that prohibited day is the one they are requesting. However, if they can't agree, he will deny the permit for the day in question. Council Member Meis had nothing to report. Council Member Guffey reported that he had no complaints about fireworks. ADJOURN Council Member Simon moved to adjourn. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9: 33 p.m. C„,./( kussell C. Nelson, Mayor 2- Attest: fjor el Camille Gregory, City Clerk cam Page 8 of 8