City of Belding, Michigan

News and Notes

Belding events and activities
For a monthly list, view our Event Calendar.

Belding Bugle, the City's Newsletter
Current and past issues ready to read online.

Community Recreation Plan, 2012-2016
The public review period for the draft Community Recreation Plan, 2012-2016 will be held until February 6, 2012. Download the Plan draft PDF here. You may comment at the Belding City Hall, 120 S. Pleasant St., Belding Michigan, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or through the City website. A Public Hearing to review the Community Recreation Plan will be held at an open public meeting of the Belding City Council on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 7 p.m. at the Pere Marquette Depot, 100 Depot Street, Belding, Michigan.

Belding Community Garden
Plant the Seeds of Community,
and Watch the Garden Grow!

A Community Garden meeting will be held on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. at the depot. Please join us as the planning for the garden continues! Forms to contribute to the Sponsor a Bed, Pave the Path, Build the Garden Donation Campaign are available here on the City website. Or telephone City Hall at 794-1900, Ext. 210 for more information.

Woodview students will plant the seeds to grow the plants for the community garden, and will design and make the plant markers. The plants and markers will be purchased from the students with community garden funds, as a part of the service learning project for their classes.

Skateboard Park
Visit the "SK8 Belding" Facebook Page
The City of Belding has identified a need in the community for a skateboard park in order to provide a recreational opportunity for the youth. The City Council and the Recreation Advisory Board both have expressed full support for this park. In June, the Recreation Advisory Board held a meeting with interested skateboarders, as well as their parents, to discuss this issue and to determine a plan of action. A follow up meeting was held in July where the skateboard group announced that they were ready to commence with fundraising opportunities.

The City of Belding, through the Recreation Advisory Board, and the Skateboard Park Committee will be working together to achieve the goal of purchasing equipment to use at the current skateboard pad at Central Riverside Park. The committee is initiating several fundraisers, such as candy sales, car washes, parking assistance, and other events. The funds will be deposited and recorded through the City’s bank account. Please support their efforts whenever possible. Thank you very much.

Economic Vitality Incentive Program
Units of local government receiving statutory revenue sharing, such as the CIty of Belding, have to meet certain requirements to be eligible to receive a percentage of the total revenue sharing appropriated. This is known as the Economic Vitality Incentive Program or EVIP. One requirement is to make available for public viewing a Citizens’ Guide to Finances and a Performance Dashboard.

You may download the documents here as Excel files. The purpose of the Citizens’ Guide to Finances is to provide a more transparent understanding of City finances by the citizens. The Performance Dashboard includes financial and operating measures most important to the City and its citizens.

Also available here is a PDF summary of Cooperative Efforts by the CIty to operate more efficiently. For more information, contact Belding city hall.

Coffee with City Council
Members of the Belding City Council would like to invite you to stop by the Pere Marquette Depot on the first and third Mondays of each month between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to share any ideas, questions or concerns you may have. It will be an informal setting with one or two council members present to visit with you. Please join us!

Police Department and Code Enforcement
The Belding Police Department is now handling areas of code enforcement, including abandoned motor vehicles, nuisances, noise control, blight, vegetation and sidewalks. Please click here to view detailed information on the Police Department web page. For assistance with code enforcement issues, please call 616-794-1900, Ext. 226.

Fire Department and Code Enforcement
The Belding Fire Department is now handling areas of code enforcement, including the International Fire Code, Property Maintenance Code and Building & Zoning Code. Please click here to view detailed information on the Fire Department web page. For assistance, please call the number listed on the web page with the specific area of enforcement.

Thursday Evening Meal
The Belding Ministerial Association and God's Kitchen, Belding invites families to a Thursday Evening Meal. No charge, no requirements, everyone welcome. Get more information.

Allied Waste Bags
Allied Waste blue bags will be $14.50 for 10 bags effective January, 2011. Bags are available at City Hall front counter and dispatch. Get more information.

Belding "Good Neighbor" Award
The City is honoring "Belding Neighbors Who Go Above and Beyond, Giving of Their Time, Talent and Energy to the City of Belding." Visit the "Good Neighbor" Award page to learn more.

Lead (Pb) Monitoring in Belding
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency protects public health by setting limits on how much lead can be in our outdoor air. In November 2008, the EPA lowered those limits because recent health research data showed that lowering the limits would better protect public health. The limits were lowered from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter to 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter, which makes the new limit 10 times lower than the previous one. Read the DNRE Press Release.Also, www.leadfreekids.org is a user friendly website that explains about lead.

Students Raise Money, Install New Benches at Lightning Bend Park
The “We Are Belding” fundraising event was held in May, a joint effort between the City and the Belding High School Student Council.

The funds raised purchased benches and a drinking fountain for Lightning Bend Park. The students gathered on October 13, 2010 at the park for the bench installation and clean-up of the park. The project was coordinated by Mayor ProTem Andrea Belding.

Homebuyer Purchase Rehabilitation
The City of Belding has filed an application for a Homebuyer Purchase Rehabilitation Program grant. The program will supply up to $10,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance, and up to $20,000 in rehabilitation money to income-eligible purchasers (less than 80% median income) for the purchase of a home within the City of Belding.

Currently the following household income limits are based on adjusted gross income:

1 person, under $32,850
2 persons, under $37,550
3 persons, under $42,250
4 persons, under $46,950
5 persons, under $50,000
6 persons, under $54,000
7 persons, under $58,000
8 persons, under $62,000

The money will be zero-percent deferred loans with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. All MSHDA loan money is prorated over ten years, being calculated monthly and forgiven after 10 years of residing in the home. The money has a 10-year forgivable loan, and must be paid back based on the prorated amount, if the home is sold or refinanced prior to the 10-year period. Income-eligible buyers must be able to obtain a primary, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage with a competitive interest rate.

For more information on the status of the application or program, please contact Sharon Carlson at 616-794-1740 or scarlson@beldinghousing.org.

Pay Water Bill and Property Taxes Online
We've created a new online method for you to pay water bills and property taxes to the City of Belding. Just click here and follow the new page instructions. Let us know if you have questions or comments.

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