OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Belgrade City Council Meeting - June 1, 2026

City Council & Boards — Monday, June 1, 2026
BodyBelgrade, Montana
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateMonday, June 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:03

All right.

0:04

I'll thank everybody for coming out tonight.

0:06

I'll call to order our Belgrade City Council meeting for June 1st.

0:10

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

0:18

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

0:26

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

0:35

Roll call, please.

0:37

Jason Guppy.

0:39

Here.

0:39

Mike Matthew McGee.

0:41

Here.

0:42

Jim Simon.

0:44

Here.

0:44

Michael Meese.

0:45

Here.

0:46

Christina Nicuchi.

0:47

Here.

0:48

Aaron Bell.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Renee Manimo is absent.

0:52

Would entertain a motion to excuse Deputy Mayor Matamo.

0:56

So move.

0:58

I'll second.

0:59

Move by Councilmember Simon, second by Councilmember Bell.

1:03

Is there any discussion?

1:05

All those in favor say aye.

1:07

Aye.

1:08

All those opposed, same sign.

1:10

Carries.

1:12

All right.

1:13

Next up on our agenda is the public forum.

1:15

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

1:22

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

1:30

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

1:36

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

1:41

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

1:47

And please limit your comments to three minutes.

1:51

So first call for public comment.

1:56

Me again.

1:58

Vivian Krauss, 904 Burke Court.

2:02

I just want to know whose responsibility is it.

2:04

I'm going back to Christine's weeds from when she brought it up.

2:09

Down on cruiser from Westwood down to uh 13th Street or the next street down.

2:16

The weeds are just on the side sidewalk and the side of the road and then in those holes they got.

2:22

Whose responsibility is that to pick that up, clean that up?

2:26

Okay.

2:28

That's what I want to say.

2:33

Could you describe that area again?

2:34

You said it was on cruiser from Jack Rabbit to uh it's from Westwood Drive there on the left.

2:41

It's on the left hand.

2:42

Yeah, it's going down cruiser.

2:44

It's on the left hand side, and it's right pastwood, the first three streets that are past 13th.

2:53

Okay.

2:55

But the weeds are up over the the sidewalk, and I understand the sidewalk is a is the city of Belgrade property, but I don't know who is responsible for that side of the cleanup on it.

3:10

Yes, would you comment on that one city manager?

3:13

Thank you, Mayor.

3:13

Um so first thank you for bringing that up, and um I'll I'd love to get with you after the meeting to make sure I fully understand what area you're talking about.

3:22

Um it is the policy and as code that sidewalks including the space from the sidewalk to the curb are maintained by the adjacent property owner.

3:34

There's very little actual um city-owned maintained area within the city for for that type of issue, but I'd love to connect fully to make sure that that's the case.

3:46

Okay but in general it's the adjacent property owner who is.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████21%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Procedural███████7%
Personnel Matters████4%
Code Enforcement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Belgrade City Council Meeting - June 1, 2026

The Belgrade City Council met on June 1, 2026, to address routine approvals, public comments, a subdivision plat, withdrawal from the city-county planning board, and an emergency declaration for water system failures. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the council minutes from December 1 and December 15, 2025, as submitted.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Vivian Krauss (904 Burke Court) inquired about weed maintenance on Cruiser Street from Westwood to 13th Street. The city manager clarified that sidewalks and the area from sidewalk to curb are maintained by adjacent property owners and offered to follow up on the specific location.
  • Riley McDonald (Front Five Architecture, owner of 11 East Main) spoke on behalf of a petition with over 1,200 signatures against the proposed downtown roundabout. He requested that the roundabout be elevated to a commission topic, that a community-based decision be made, and that more meetings and a voting opportunity be held. He expressed concern that the city's relationship with MDT may limit local input. The city manager responded that the roundabout is on a state-owned highway (MDT jurisdiction), that the city has been advocating for over two and a half years with multiple design iterations, and that citizens can voice concerns to the state Highway Commission.

Discussion Items

  • Preliminary Plat Approval – Yukon Commercial Minor Subdivision: Emily Martinez (planner) presented a request for preliminary plat approval of a 21.36-acre property into three commercial/industrial lots and one stormwater lot, located northeast of Frank Road and Jack Rabbit Lane. The planning board recommended approval on May 27, 2026, subject to standard conditions. Applicant Tom Berkeley thanked staff. No public comment. The council voted unanimously to approve subject to all laws and staff conditions.
  • Resolution 2026-9 – Withdrawal from City-County Planning Board: Brad Stein (senior planner) presented a resolution to formally withdraw from the Belgrade-Gallatin County City-County Planning Board, ending the city's administration of the extraterritorial planning jurisdiction (ETJ) after 50 years. The city manager noted this aligns with the Montana Land Use Planning Act and clarifies rules for annexation areas. The resolution includes an effective date of June 30, 2026. No public comment. The council voted unanimously to approve.
  • Emergency Declaration – Water System Well Failures: City Manager Cardwell reported catastrophic failures at well #8 (Lewis and Clark Park) due to sand ingestion, destroying the pump, and well #5 (Yukon Lane) where the water level dropped below the pump impeller, taking it offline. Well #3 also had a minor check valve failure. The city manager declared an emergency due to lost system redundancy. He requested $600,000 from water system reserves (currently ~$3M) for repairs and investigation: $500,000 for well #8 (new pump, sand filtration via glass beads) and $100,000 for a plan to fix well #5 (potential VFD installation or deepening). The city manager urged residents to follow irrigation restrictions to reduce demand. Public comment: Diana Perry (1013 East Gallatin Avenue) asked if other wells could be affected. The city manager noted it is too early to tell but that central wells are deeper and being monitored. The council voted unanimously to authorize the emergency expenditures.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
  • Yukon Commercial Minor Subdivision: Preliminary plat approved unanimously with conditions.
  • Resolution 2026-9: Approved unanimously, effective June 30, 2026, withdrawing from the city-county planning board and transitioning ETJ to Gallatin County.
  • Emergency Declaration: Authorized $600,000 from water system reserves for well #8 repair and well #5 investigation, with the city manager directed to proceed with emergency purchases.

Reports

  • Mayor reported attending the Bozeman Chamber Regional Economic Development seminar and a coffee chat with Montana Supreme Court justices.
  • City manager announced the departure of City Engineer Joe Hoke (moving to Billings) and Assistant City Attorney Adrian (returning to private sector), thanking them for their service.
  • Councilmember Menicucci noted concerns from the water quality board about well and septic system issues in the valley and the need for funding to study aquifer impacts.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at an unspecified time.

Meeting Transcript

All right. I'll thank everybody for coming out tonight. I'll call to order our Belgrade City Council meeting for June 1st. 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. Jason Guppy. Here. Mike Matthew McGee. Here. Jim Simon. Here. Michael Meese. Here. Christina Nicuchi. Here. Aaron Bell. Here. Renee Manimo is absent. Would entertain a motion to excuse Deputy Mayor Matamo. So move. I'll second. Move by Councilmember Simon, second by Councilmember Bell. Is there any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, same sign. Carries. All right. Next up on our 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 a 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 respond to questions during this time. However, at the mayor's discretion, the city manager may be asked to provide clarification on the existing policy. And please limit your comments to three minutes. So first call for public comment. Me again. Vivian Krauss, 904 Burke Court. I just want to know whose responsibility is it. I'm going back to Christine's weeds from when she brought it up. Down on cruiser from Westwood down to uh 13th Street or the next street down. The weeds are just on the side sidewalk and the side of the road and then in those holes they got. Whose responsibility is that to pick that up, clean that up? Okay. That's what I want to say. Could you describe that area again? You said it was on cruiser from Jack Rabbit to uh it's from Westwood Drive there on the left. It's on the left hand.

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