Belgrade City Council

CITY OF BELGRADE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES BELGRADE LIBRARY— COMMUNITY ROOM February 2, 2026 7: 00 p. m. This meeting was open to the public and attended in person. Mayor Michael D. Meis called the meeting to order. Council Members in attendance were Jason Guffey, Matt McGee, Jim Simon, Kristine Menicucci, Erin Bell, and Deputy Mayor Renae Mattimoe. City staff in attendance were City Manager Neil Cardwell, Assistant City Manager Greg Tryon, City Attorney Kyla Murray, 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, Director of Community and Economic Development Katharine King, City Engineer Joe Hauck, Public Works Director Camaree Uljua, Library Director Alina Prunean, Communications Manager Whitney Bermes, Director of Parks, Trials and Recreation Jordan Green, Public Works Director Camaree Uljua, and Information Technology Managers Justin Clevidence. Others in attendance were Joey Launceford, Bobby Everson, Vivian Crouse, Stephen McAdams, Jay Witwer, and Russell Nelson. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Meis called for public comment. The former Mayor of Belgrade, Russell Nelson, stood and thanked the City and staff for the generous send- off party they gave him in December. He also thanked Council Member Menicucci for her memorable gift. Mayor Meis called two more times for public comment. There being none, the Public Forum was closed. CONSENT AGENDA Consider Authorizing City Manager to Execute Fiber Install Between Quaw and City Hall Consider Authorizing City Manager to Execute WO CM 25- 03 Scanning, Digitizing and Secure Destruction of Hard- Copy City Records Contract with Liberty Scanning. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to approve the Consent Agenda as submitted. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. Page 1 of 5 PUBLIC HEARING Discuss and Consider a Zone Map Amendment of a Property at the Northwest Corner of Jackrabbit Lane and Cameron Bridge Road, Commonly Known as the Foundry, to be Changed to Master Planned Community ( MP) District Senior Planner Stein stated that this applicant- driven request was presented to the Council at the January 20th meeting, which was unanimously approved for second reading. Stein asked if the Council had any further questions, and there were none. ACTION: Deputy Mayor Mattimoe moved to open the Public Hearing. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Meis called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Deputy Mayor Mattimoe moved to close the Public Hearing. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. City Manager Cardwell noted for the record that he had received a public comment letter from a citizen, Kathy Balke. He offered time for the Council to ask questions about the letter, but there were none. Cardwell noted that the letter was received after the Council Agenda was finalized and was not read out loud because it contained profanity. However, it will be available for viewing upon request through the City Clerk' s Office. ACTION: Council Member McGee moved to approve the zoning change on Second Reading of the property owned by Jackrabbit Crossing LP, LLC ( do Todd Waller) at the Northwest corner of Jackrabbit Lane and Cameron Bridge Road commonly known as the Foundry, be zoned Master Planned Community (MP) District as defined in the City of Belgrade Zoning Ordinance. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. City Manager Cardwell spoke further on the letter received and Ms. Balke' s concerns. He briefly explained the processes the City and Council must follow when developers develop their properties. Mayor Meis briefly spoke about the restraints placed on cities by recent legislative changes. Mayor Meis called for a vote. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. Discuss and Consider A Zone Map Amendment of a Portion of the Property Owned by Yellowstone Crossings HC, LLC, Commonly Known as the Copper Ranch to be Changed to Community Living ( CL) District Senior Planner Stein stated that this is also an applicant- driven request. Stein quickly pointed out that a street name in this district will need to be changed, largely because the same name Page 2 of 5 already exists in the Four Corners area, with very similar addresses. To avoid any confusion, a resolution to change that street name will be brought before the Council soon. Stein then explained that this zoning change request was meant to allow the developer to build affordable, income and deed- restricted housing. ACTION: Deputy Mayor Mattimoe moved to open the Public Hearing. Council Member Simon seconded the Motion. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Meis called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Deputy Mayor Mattimoe moved to close the Public Hearing. Council Member Simon seconded the Motion. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. ACTION: Deputy Mayor Mattimoe moved to approve the zoning change on Second Reading of the property owned by Yellowstone Crossings HC, LLC at the east side of Depot Drive and South of Frontage Road, commonly known as the Copper Ranch, be zoned Community Living ( CL) District as defined in the City of Belgrade Zoning Ordinance. Council Member Simon seconded the Motion. Mayor Meis called for a vote. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. DISCUSSION AGENDA Discuss and Consider Mayor Appointments to Various Advisory Boards Mayor Meis appointed, confirmed, and recommended the following: City/County Planning Board Appoint: Ali Vasarella— City Representative Appoint: Sandy Lee—City Representative Appoint: Matt Anderson—City Representative Recommend: Nolan Morgan—County Representative J Belgrade Police Commission Appoint: Vivian Crouse Appoint: Steve DeLaney City Manager Cardwell stated that Dede Semerad was recommended to represent the School District #44, and the County recommended Scott McFarland as the County Representative for the new Tax Increment Financing Advisory Committee. Cardwell then explained that the Council will need to appoint a City Council Member to chair the TIF Board. Page 3 of 5  Mayor Meis asked for volunteers to serve as the Council' s representative. Council Member Guffey volunteered. Mayor Meis nominated Council Member Guffey to the TIF Board. Mayor Meis called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Menicucci moved to adopt the Mayor' s appointments and recommendations to the various advisory boards as discussed. Council Member Bell seconded the Motion. Mayor Meis called for a vote. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. REPORTS Mayor Meis reported that he attended the quarterly meeting in Helena, where mayors and city managers from the Big Eight( 8) cities met to discuss various topics. Topics discussed included, but were not limited to, protecting municipalities' ability to make local decisions for their communities. City Attorney Murray had nothing to report. City Manager Cardwell thanked the City' s staff for their timely completion of employee evaluations this cycle. He then mentioned that the City has been reviewing the supplemental budget requests submitted by staff, most of which are staffing- related. The Council will receive an update on the budget during the Council Retreat. Cardwell then took time to commend Communication Manager Bermes for her hard work on Belgrade' s upcoming America 250 event. He noted that since Bermes started with the City, there has been an uptick in positive media exposure. Cardwell then updated the Council on the Grain Elevator( aka Big Red) property. He noted that the liquid fertilizer storage tanks had been successfully removed from the property, which meant that Nutrien could be released from its lease with BNSF and the City could then close on the purchase. Cardwell also mentioned that he and Finance Director VanKirk had a good meeting with the City' s financial advisor. That advisor laid out the estimates which the TIF and Parks Districts can use to issue debt and start the large projects associated with those processes. Lastly, Cardwell explained that the oxidation ditch under an emergency repair order will need to be funded by the City in some capacity. FOR YOUR INFORMATION Council Member Guffey had nothing to report. Page 4 of 5  Council Member McGee reported that the UTD Board held its annual meeting, where they discussed the future of the bus route in Belgrade. Council Member Simon noted that he had attended his first Planning Commission meeting, where the Commission presented responses to a survey completed by approximately 343 citizens. Simon stated he was interested to see that key topics of concern for citizens were transportation and congestion, parks and trails, and a pool. Council Member Menicucci reported that the Water Quality Board will meet on Thursday, February 3, 2026, at 8: 30 a.m. in Bozeman. Council Member Bell reported that she will be out of town next Monday and would not be able to attend the Senior Center Advisory Board Meeting. Deputy Mayor Mattimoe had nothing to report. ADJOURN Council Member Simon moved to adjourn. Deputy Mayor Mattimoe seconded the Motion. Mayor Meis called for a vote. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7: 32 p. m. Okla \\fLVU Michael Meis;- Mayor I Attest: _, u4 A. 1AL 1 to• I VA.N. - c Ma314- NAp.g1 betv4..1 alasor Camille Gregory, City I e ' ' J4 i,(....., ? ,, as to Form: Approve s l ,• Ky urray, City Attorney Page 5 of 5