To the citizens of Belle,
As most of you are aware, there have been many changes within the city governmental organization over the past several months. That being said, I am proud to be serving once again as Mayor. While we may have stumbled and I understand that my time here might be limited, I am fully committed to course correction. We are going to tap the metaphorical breaks on some things while pushing the throttle on others.
Step one. Filling the vacant mayoral seat.
The resignation of our former mayor left a void in the governmental body of our community. Alderman/Mayor Protem Struemph has done an excellent job of filling that void. However, holding both positions while also maintaining a home and personal life had proved to be overwhelming (as it would for anyone). After much thought and discussion amongst the board of aldermen the determination was made that we simply couldn’t leave a vacant seat for another 10 months. Thinking along the lines of who should be appointed to that role and given that a special ballot would cost the city {taxpayers) thousands of dollars, the suggestion was made that I fill that seat given my experience.
Step two. Filling of the now vacant ward 1 alderman seat.
As stated in the public meeting held on Tuesday, July 13, anyone residing in Ward 1 interested in filling that seat for the duration of the term is encouraged to come down to the administration building and be placed on the list for consideration. Applicants should be at least 21 years of age and have resided within the city limits of Belle for a minimum of 1 year.
While this decision is ultimately up to me under the guidance of the board of aldermen, all interested candidates will be considered.
Step three. Filling of the treasurer and city clerk positions.
Those positions have been filled by two ladies whom the board of aldermen, myself included, feel are more than capable of doing their respective jobs very well.
Just to clarify any questions or dispel rumors about the city clerk position: the job was not posted publicly – the driving factor behind this decision being timing. During the interview process to fill the treasurer position, we were presented with two highly qualified candidates. We were also informed that Mrs. Hicks would be pursuing another career and would be giving her two-week notice. Considering the amount of training required to fill that role, the board of aldermen felt it prudent to fill that position as quickly as possible, allowing maximum training time for the new employee.
Step four. Handling nuisance violations.
This has been the subject of a lot of discussion the past several months with no real viable resolution in site. Do I feel we need to hire an enforcement officer? Sure, that would be fantastic. However, the reality is that the funding is not available. We also discussed the Public Works Director performing these investigations but have decided to take another route. So, as I did during my previous time as Mayor, I will be taking on the process of those investigations myself for the foreseeable future.
Please pay close attention to the following paragraph:
Once the complaint investigation is complete, as per ordinance, a letter will be issued to the property owner. In the case of rental properties, the tenant, as well as the property owner will receive said letter stating the violation and be given the foreordained amount of time to rectify the situation before citations are issued. This process will be 100% nondiscriminatory and will follow our city ordinance to the letter.
Therefore, this process will begin Thursday, July 22, 2021, and continue until completion. I urge all residents to please look around your property and ensure things are within ordinance parameters.
All ordinances are available at the City Administration Building.
Last but certainly not least, let me say once again what an honor it is to serve this community.
Thank You,
Josh Seaver
Mayor, City of Belle