Bessemer council approves blight officer qualifications

By P.J. GLISSON

news@yourdailyglobe.com

Bessemer — Members of the Bessemer City Council voted Monday evening to approve qualifications for the position of code enforcement officer.

The role is sometimes referred to, colloquially, as a blight officer.

The vote included two contingencies requested by Councilman Adam Zak: 1. Allow, but do not require, the officer to use his or her laptop on the job, and 2. Reduce the expected weekly hours from 20 to 15, with the added freedom to adjust hours to suit the officer’s schedule.

The code officer’s calendar year runs from March 1 to Oct. 31.

Responsibilities of the job, as stated in the qualifications, include — but are not limited to — familiarization with city codes and ordinances, inspecting city streets and roads for code and blight infractions, citing infractions, following up as needed, providing monthly reports to the city manager, and providing recommendations to the council.

As stated in the qualifications, “Preference will be given to contractors who have previous experience in code enforcement and law enforcement.”

Payment will be negotiable, depending on qualifications.

In other news, the council voted to accept and file a report by Deputy Clerk Samantha Dorr on the Downtown Development Authority. Dorr said the city made $43,257 last year from tax increment financing, as well as $1,000 in interest. Among expenditures she reported were dealing with boiler needs for the Bessemer Heritage Center and an ongoing effort to set up a live-stream camera downtown.

The council also approved a request by City Manager Christopher Frazer to attend a March 6 conference on Downtown Development and Revitalization in Marquette. The Northern Michigan Public Service Academy is offering the conference.

Council members also:

—Voted to approve a revised letter to send to donors of the pending Iron Belle trailhead project. The letter invites donors to allow the city to hold their donations while awaiting a third application for a state grant or to request a reimbursement or to commit the donation to Bluff Valley Park.

—Voted to approve the sale of an industrial plot for $100 to Mark and Lisa Selin of 1200 Eli Ave. The plot is adjacent to their own land.

—After a related public hearing, voted to approve the abandonment of an alley near North Cinnabar Street. Although the council already had approved the action in a past year, Frazer said the action was not properly registered and so needed to be repeated.

—Voted to approve the allotment of $3,083 as the city’s equalized payment to the Gogebic County Council of Veterans Affairs, as requested by John Frello, the county’s veterans affairs officer. The money is used to provide services to local veterans.

—Voted to approve the purchase of a new dump truck at a cost of $143,831 with the help of a 5.9% loan from First National Bank.

—Voted to approve for C2AE, the city’s engineering consultants, a water draw request of $34,094 and a wastewater draw request of $45,251 from the city’s U.S. Department of Agriculture funds and a draw request of $64,895 from the city’s funds from the Michigan’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

—In separate motions, voted to table the following items: 1. Action on a water agreement with the Gogebic Range Water Authority until Department of Public Works Lead Ben Tucker can research rates, 2. Action on the purchase of iPads for council members until policies and insurance are researched, 3. The 2nd reading of the city’s revised noise ordinance until residents are informed of changes, and 4. Action on whether or not to vacate an alley near Howell Street in order to allow Tucker time to review it.

All votes were unanimous with Mark Movrich absent.

The city manager also reported that DPW staff have been replacing old meters around the city. He said about 400 still need replacing, and he requested that city residents call Utility Clerk Lisa Selin to schedule an appointment for the free service.

Frazer also informed that the city’s application for a state grant to renovate the City Hall was rejected. He said the city will reapply for the grant while also seeking other funding options.

The council’s next regular meeting will be on March 11 at 6 p.m. in the council chambers of the Bessemer City Hall.