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Record of Proceedings

Belgrade City Council Meeting - September 15, 2025

City Council & Boards — Monday, September 15, 2025
BodyBelgrade, Montana
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateMonday, September 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

All right.

0:04

I'd like to welcome everybody here tonight and call the September 15th council meeting to session.

0:11

And if you would please rise and follow me in the pledge.

0:16

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:24

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:36

Roll call, please.

0:39

Jim Simon.

0:40

Here.

0:41

Michael Meese.

0:42

Here.

0:42

Here.

0:44

Here.

0:45

Aaron Bell.

0:46

Here.

0:46

Renee Mademoiselle.

0:49

Jason Duffy is absent.

0:52

And Mayor Nelson is also absent.

0:56

Move to excuse the mayor and council member Duffy.

1:03

Second.

1:04

Move by Councilmember Menicucci.

1:06

Second by Councilmember Matamo.

1:09

Is there any discussion?

1:11

All those in favor say aye.

1:14

Aye.

1:14

Aye.

1:14

Aye.

1:15

All those opposed, same sign.

1:17

Passes unanimously.

1:21

Next up on the agenda is the public forum.

1:24

So before starting your comments, please state your name and address and an audible tone of voice for the record.

1:30

This is time for individuals to comment on matters falling within the purview of Belgrade City Council that are not already on the agenda.

1:39

There will be an opportunity in conjunction with each agenda item for comments pertaining to that item.

1:45

Please note that the council may not engage in discussion or response to questions during this time.

1:51

However, at the mayor's discretion, the city manager may be asked to provide clarification on existing policy.

1:58

And then please limit your comments to three minutes.

2:01

So first call for public forum.

2:07

Second call for public forum.

2:12

Third and final call for public forum.

2:18

Seeing none, we'll close the public forum and move on to the consent agenda.

2:26

Which we have just the uh minutes from the workshop.

2:38

I'll second.

2:40

Move by council member Simon, second by council member Matamo.

2:45

Is there any discussion?

2:48

Is there any discussion?

2:50

Is there any discussion?

2:52

All those in favor say aye.

2:56

All those posed, same sign.

2:59

Passes unanimously.

3:02

All right.

3:03

Moving on to public hearings.

3:06

So first up is discuss and consider ordinance number 2025-9, a zone map amendment to zone the Belgrade School District, ridgeview school property in River Rock to EI educational and institutional district as defined by the Belgrade zoning ordinance.

3:25

Mr.

3:25

Carp.

3:26

Good evening.

3:28

So we have before us a request for uh a petition from the school district to annex um uh the school um uh ridgeview school um in the River Rock subdivision um into the city limits in order to annex property.

3:50

Um our code does require the property to be um under the jurisdiction of the Belgrade zoning ordinance.

3:56

So this uh process that we're doing tonight is to establish the zoning for it.

4:03

The annexation um will take place at a later date.

4:06

Um we're pretty close, I think, on the annexation agreement, so we'll probably be seeing that on an upcoming agenda.

4:13

But the zoning would take effect upon annexation into the city limits.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Education Funding██████████████████████22%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Transportation Safety█████████9%
Public Works███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Belgrade City Council Meeting - September 15, 2025

The Belgrade City Council met on September 15, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included approval of zoning ordinance amendments for two school district properties, a presentation on the 2025 school bond request, adoption of the Belgrade Safety Action Plan, and a recessed tour of the HEC and KOA facilities. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Workshop Minutes: The council unanimously approved the minutes from the previous workshop. (Motion by Councilmember Simon, second by Councilmember Matamo. Passed unanimously.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the public forum or during the public hearings for the zoning ordinances or the bond presentation.

Discussion Items

  • Belgrade School District 2025 Bond Request: Superintendent Didi Simarat and Assistant Superintendent Trey Olson presented a bond proposal for the November 4, 2025 election. The bond would fund a new elementary school on Frank Road to move fifth graders back to elementary schools. Two ballot questions: (1) $6.63 million to complete the school (capacity 250, expandable to 500), with a total cost of $26.63 million (including $20 million remaining from a 2019 bond); (2) an additional $5 million for a full-size gymnasium. For a $600,000 home, estimated annual tax impact is under $100 for question 1 only, or about $115 if both questions pass. The school is expected to open in fall 2027. No action was taken; the presentation was informational. The city manager offered to display materials at City Hall and link to the school district's website.
  • Resolution 2025-35 – Belgrade Safety Action Plan: City Engineer Joe presented the plan, developed with a Safe Streets for All grant and public input. The plan is advisory and had been posted for public comment since August 11 without any comments received. Councilmember Minicucci commented that reading the plan increased her awareness of traffic dangers. The council unanimously adopted the resolution. (Motion by Councilmember Minicucci, second by Councilmember Bell. Passed unanimously.)

Public Hearings

  • Ordinance 2025-9 – Zone Map Amendment for Ridgeview School Property: The council held a public hearing on a request to zone the Ridgeview School property in River Rock as EI (Educational and Institutional) upon annexation into the city. The annexation is for law enforcement purposes. No public comments were heard. The council unanimously adopted the ordinance. (Motion by Councilmember Minicucci, second by Councilmember Matamo. Passed unanimously.)
  • Ordinance 2025-10 – Zone Map Amendment for Belgrade School District Bus Barn Property: The council held a public hearing on a request to zone the bus barn property on Frontage Road as I (Industrial) upon annexation, also for law enforcement purposes. No public comments were heard. The council unanimously adopted the ordinance. (Motion by Councilmember Matamo, second by Councilmember Simon. Passed unanimously.)

Recess for Facility Tour

  • The council recessed to tour the HEC and KOA construction sites for informational purposes. No deliberation or decisions occurred during the tour. The tour lasted approximately 90 minutes. The council reconvened for reports and adjournment.

Other Business

  • Deputy Mayor announced a November ballot item for a charter change to extend the mayor's term from two to four years, potentially reducing election costs.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approval of Ordinances 2025-9 and 2025-10 zoning the Ridgeview School and bus barn properties.
  • Unanimous adoption of Resolution 2025-35 (Belgrade Safety Action Plan) as an advisory document.
  • Presentation of the school district bond request with no action taken; the bond will appear on the November 4, 2025 ballot.
  • Council recessed for a tour of HEC and KOA facilities; no decisions made.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

All right. I'd like to welcome everybody here tonight and call the September 15th council meeting to session. And if you would please rise and follow me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Roll call, please. Jim Simon. Here. Michael Meese. Here. Here. Here. Aaron Bell. Here. Renee Mademoiselle. Jason Duffy is absent. And Mayor Nelson is also absent. Move to excuse the mayor and council member Duffy. Second. Move by Councilmember Menicucci. Second by Councilmember Matamo. Is there any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed, same sign. Passes unanimously. Next up on the agenda is the public forum. So before starting your comments, please state your name and address and an audible tone of voice for the record. This is time for individuals to comment on matters falling within the purview of Belgrade City Council that are not already on the agenda. There will be an opportunity in conjunction with each agenda item for comments pertaining to that item. Please note that the council may not engage in discussion or response to questions during this time. However, at the mayor's discretion, the city manager may be asked to provide clarification on existing policy. And then please limit your comments to three minutes. So first call for public forum. Second call for public forum. Third and final call for public forum. Seeing none, we'll close the public forum and move on to the consent agenda. Which we have just the uh minutes from the workshop. I'll second. Move by council member Simon, second by council member Matamo. Is there any discussion? Is there any discussion? Is there any discussion? All those in favor say aye. All those posed, same sign. Passes unanimously. All right. Moving on to public hearings.

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