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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Belgrade City Council Meeting - March 2, 2026

City Council & Boards — Monday, March 2, 2026

BodyBelgrade, Montana

SessionCity Council & Boards

DateMonday, March 2, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 27:57

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:08

Better turn on my mic.

0:10

I'll call our Belgrade City Council meeting of March 2nd to order.

0:15

And will you please rise and follow me in the pledge?

0:21

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:26

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:29

One nation under God.

0:31

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:41

Roll call, please.

0:42

Jason Guffey.

0:43

Here.

0:44

Matthew McGee.

0:45

Here.

0:45

Jim Simon.

0:46

Here.

0:47

Mike Meese.

0:48

Here.

0:48

Christine Minicucci.

0:50

Here.

0:50

Aaron Bell.

0:51

Here.

0:51

Renee Matabell.

0:52

Here.

0:57

Everyone's in attendance.

0:59

So moving right along.

1:00

So next section is the public forum.

1:04

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

1:09

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

1:17

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

1:23

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

1:28

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

1:35

And please limit your comments to three minutes.

1:38

So first call for public comment.

1:43

Second call for public comment.

1:52

Seeing none, I'll close the public forum and move on to our uh discussion agenda.

2:01

So first up is uminations and appointments to uh we have one seat available on the Belgrade Board of Adjustments and one for the Belgrade Police Commission.

2:16

Uh there was one applicant for the Belgrade Board of Adjustments, and I nominate um Carl Harold or Harold Carl, excuse me, uh, for that uh position.

2:29

And then for uh the Belgrade Police Commission, we had actually three applicants.

2:35

Um was actually a very uh difficult decision.

2:40

Uh but then I ultimately uh recommend uh Samantha Adams uh for that position.

2:48

Her her strong community ties uh with this community, I think will serve her very well on that police commission board.

2:58

So does the council have any questions for me before I'd look to see the applicants for any comment from them?

3:10

And I do see Samantha Adams.

3:14

Would you wanna before I open up for public comment?

3:16

Would you wanna come up and say anything to the council?

3:27

Sorry, short.

3:29

Um if I am appointed to this position, I um excited and committed to working with Belgrade Police Department and our community.

3:38

I look forward to supporting our officers while promoting accountability and community trust, fostering transparency, transparency, and strengthening the bond between our officers and our community that they serve.

3:52

Um I've been a part of this community for 25 years.

3:56

Um I have five kids here through all of the schools.

4:00

Um I've got two in the high school, I've got two in the middle school, and one in the elementary school.

4:04

So I'm very entangled in this community.

4:06

Um and I've been around and I've seen all of the ups and downs with Belgrade Police Department.

4:12

I've got a few friends in the Belgrade Police Department, so um I think that I could be a great asset there.

4:21

Thank you, Sam.

4:22

Thanks.

4:24

And then is uh Harold Carl here happen to be here tonight?

4:29

I don't think so.

4:30

Okay.

4:32

All right, with that I'll open up uh for public comment regarding uh the nominations to the Board of Adjustments and Belgrade Police Commission.

4:43

So first call for public comment.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural██████████████████████████████████████████42%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████21%

Personnel Matters██████████10%

Parks and Recreation████████8%

Economic Development████████8%

Fiscal Sustainability███████7%

Community Engagement████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Belgrade City Council Meeting - March 2, 2026

The Belgrade City Council met on March 2, 2026, with all eight council members present. The meeting included a public forum with no comments, discussion and unanimous approval of appointments and two resolutions, and reports from the mayor, city attorney, city manager, and council members.

Discussion Items

Nominations and Appointments: The mayor nominated Carl Harold for the Belgrade Board of Adjustments and Samantha Adams for the Belgrade Police Commission. Samantha Adams addressed the council, stating her commitment to working with the Belgrade Police Department, promoting accountability, transparency, and community trust. She noted her 25 years in the community and five children in local schools. The council unanimously approved the mayor's appointments.
Resolution 2026-2 – Intent to Create Lighting District 2446 (Prescott Ranch Phase 2): City staff explained that the district is already operational but no revenue is being collected; the resolution initiates the process to establish a special lighting district and set a public hearing. The council unanimously approved the resolution, scheduling a public hearing for April 7, 2026.
Resolution 2026-3 – Amending Master Fee Schedule for Library and Community Facility Rental Rates: Assistant City Manager Greg Tryon presented new rental rates for the community room (north half, south half, or both), senior center, kitchen, audiovisual equipment, and lost key fees. The goal is to allow online reservations and coordinate with the health department for permits. The council unanimously approved the resolution, scheduling a public hearing for April 7, 2026.

Reports

Mayor's Report: Mayor attended the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics, ribbon cutting for the Belgrade Art Gallery (highlighting local artists), and the Inside Belgrade Economic Development Series (attendance grew 50% from the first meeting). Upcoming events include the Montana League of Cities Executive Forum (March 4-5 in Livingston) and the National League of Cities Congressional Conference in Washington, D.C. (week of March 16).
City Attorney: No report.
City Manager's Report: City Manager announced the cancellation of the March 16, 2026 council meeting due to spring break and staff unavailability. City departments (manager's office, legal, HR) moved into the KWA building over the weekend; the school district welcomed them with a banner. Public works is progressing on repairing Oxditch One (engineering bid received) and resubmitting water right reassignments for wells 8 and 9. Budgets have been submitted; a conservative budget is expected due to tax rate structure changes. The city has officially closed on the grain elevator (Big Red). Initial inspections show the structure is sound but requires cleanup from historic fertilizer use. Councilmember Simon asked about the interior; the city manager offered to discuss after the meeting.
Councilmember FYIs: Councilmember Minicucci reported that the water quality board is hiring staff and securing office space. Councilmember Simon noted that the city-county planning board approved a modified sign code for the Foundry PUD, replacing multiple tall signs with a single 25-foot monument sign. Councilmember Matabell promoted the apple pie baking contest on March 14 (Pi Day) as part of the U.S. 250th anniversary celebration.

Key Outcomes

Appointments to the Board of Adjustments and Police Commission were approved unanimously.
Resolution 2026-2 (lighting district) passed unanimously; public hearing set for April 7, 2026.
Resolution 2026-3 (fee schedule) passed unanimously; public hearing set for April 7, 2026.
The March 16, 2026 council meeting was canceled.
The council adjourned unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Better turn on my mic. I'll call our Belgrade City Council meeting of March 2nd to order. And will you 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. Jason Guffey. Here. Matthew McGee. Here. Jim Simon. Here. Mike Meese. Here. Christine Minicucci. Here. Aaron Bell. Here. Renee Matabell. Here. Everyone's in attendance. So moving right along. So next section is the public forum. So before starting your comments, please state your name and address an audible tone of voice for the record. This is time for individuals to comment on matters falling within the purview of the 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 respond to questions during this time. However, at the mayor's discretion, the city manager may be asked to provide clarification on existing policy. And please limit your comments to three minutes. So first call for public comment. Second call for public comment. Seeing none, I'll close the public forum and move on to our uh discussion agenda. So first up is uminations and appointments to uh we have one seat available on the Belgrade Board of Adjustments and one for the Belgrade Police Commission. Uh there was one applicant for the Belgrade Board of Adjustments, and I nominate um Carl Harold or Harold Carl, excuse me, uh, for that uh position. And then for uh the Belgrade Police Commission, we had actually three applicants. Um was actually a very uh difficult decision. Uh but then I ultimately uh recommend uh Samantha Adams uh for that position. Her her strong community ties uh with this community, I think will serve her very well on that police commission board. So does the council have any questions for me before I'd look to see the applicants for any comment from them? And I do see Samantha Adams. Would you wanna before I open up for public comment? Would you wanna come up and say anything to the council? Sorry, short. Um if I am appointed to this position, I um excited and committed to working with Belgrade Police Department and our community. I look forward to supporting our officers while promoting accountability and community trust, fostering transparency, transparency, and strengthening the bond between our officers and our community that they serve. Um I've been a part of this community for 25 years. Um I have five kids here through all of the schools. Um I've got two in the high school, I've got two in the middle school, and one in the elementary school.

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