Belgrade City Council Meeting – July 20, 2026
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Belgrade City Council Meeting – July 20, 2026
The Belgrade City Council met on Monday, July 20, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting began with a pledge of allegiance, followed by a public forum, a proclamation, a consent agenda, a public hearing, discussion items, an executive session, and reports from council and staff. Key actions included approval of a zone map amendment, first reading of an ordinance changing council meeting dates/times, and completion of the annual city manager performance review.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the January 20, 2026, council meeting and a July workshop (date not specified) with correction of typographical errors. Motion by Deputy Mayor Matamo, second by Council Member Minacucci; passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Eric Holton (17 David Drive) requested elimination of the sidewalk on the west side of Collins Road during upcoming construction, presenting a petition from approximately 50 neighbors. He argued that the sidewalk would be inconsistent with existing development and that pedestrians could use the east‑side sidewalk. City Manager Cardwell responded that staff is exploring not installing the sidewalk but requiring grading for future installation, subject to stormwater compliance. He directed Mr. Holton to continue working with new City Engineer Chad Mosul.
- Mark Dobrinski (905 Ernie Court) expressed concern about traffic speed and volume on streets near his home (Jack Rabbit, Per Cruiser, Dry Creek, Bollinger). He counted 185 cars between 4:30–5 p.m. and 498 cars between 5–6 p.m., with minimal police presence. He requested increased enforcement during peak commute times (6–8 a.m. and 4–6 p.m.) to address speeding and distracted driving.
Proclamation
- Mayor Meece proclaimed August 1, 2026, as VFW Day in Belgrade, recognizing VFW Post 12112 (chartered in 2011) as the fastest growing VFW post in Montana.
Discussion Items
- Ordinance 2026‑5 – Zone Map Amendment (Second Reading): Senior Planner Brad Stein presented the request by RC Properties LLC to zone the McMillan property as Mixed Residential District upon annexation into the city, consistent with the Suburban future land use designation. The property is currently unzoned; the council discussed that zoning takes effect only after annexation. No public comment was offered. The council approved the second reading unanimously.
- Ordinance 2026‑4 – Council Meeting Date, Time, and Location (First Reading): City Attorney Kyla Murray presented a proposal to amend city code to change regular council meetings from Mondays at 7 p.m. to Tuesdays at 6 p.m., and to cancel meetings that fall on federal holidays rather than rescheduling them to the following day. The change was discussed at the council‑staff retreat and is intended to improve convenience and reduce conflicts (e.g., Monday holidays, Monday Night Football). The council set a public hearing for August 3, 2026, and approved the first reading unanimously.
- Executive Session – City Manager Performance Review: The council moved into closed session under MCA 2‑3‑203(4) to discuss strategy regarding litigation and personnel. After reconvening, Mayor Meece summarized the council’s positive evaluation of City Manager Neil Cardwell, noting high performance in organizational leadership, policy implementation, communication, and project management. Areas for future focus include community engagement, delegation, strategic planning, and work‑life balance. The council expressed confidence in his leadership.
Reports
- Mayor Meece reported on a successful “Reading with the Mayor” story time at the library and thanked staff for the July 3 America 250 celebration (block party and fireworks).
- City Attorney Murray announced that Jessica McKee of Billings has accepted the position of Chief Civil Attorney, starting in approximately 60 days; McKee will bring expertise in land‑use law and Malupa compliance.
- City Manager Cardwell updated the council on the water storage project: HDR Engineering has completed 60% drawings; a test well at the gravel pit site is authorized, with results expected by mid‑ to late‑August. Potential value engineering may allow drilling a high‑pressure well at the same site (instead of at Mayfair Meadows Park), reducing costs and accelerating capacity. The three‑million‑gallon storage tank is still expected to be complete in 2028, but well capacity may come online sooner. On the July 3 celebration, staff debriefed and unanimously agreed to repeat the event; efforts will begin soon to seek community donations for fireworks.
- FYIs: Council Member Bell reported from the Senior Center Advisory Board: the Senior Center served nearly 26,000 meals in fiscal year ending June 2026 (up from 9,300 in FY2017‑18). Membership revenue budgeted at $6,500 is expected to exceed $10,000, and a $50,000 donation supported the “Mills on Wills” program. Council Member Simon noted the Planning Commission meeting scheduled for July 27 was canceled.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent agenda (minutes) unanimously.
- Approved second reading of Ordinance 2026‑5 (McMillan property zone map amendment) unanimously.
- Approved first reading of Ordinance 2026‑4 (council meeting day/time change to Tuesdays at 6 p.m.) and set public hearing for August 3, 2026; passed unanimously.
- Completed annual city manager performance review with a positive overall assessment and identified areas for future focus.
- Jesse McKee hired as Chief Civil Attorney; start date in approximately 60 days.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 p.m. (estimated).
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to thank everybody for coming out tonight. I'll call our uh Belgrade City Council meeting to order and please rise and follow me in the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God and divisible with liberty and justice for all call, please. Jason Guppy? Here. Matt and Meeky? Here. Jim Simon. Here. Michael Meese? Here. Here. Aaron Bell? Here. Renee Matimo. Here. Thank you. All right. Next up 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 a time for individuals comment on matters following 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 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 forum. One and only one. Okay. Hi, my name's Eric Holton. I live at 17 David Drive in Belgrade. And actually, it's the Collins Road construction that I'm here to ask a question about. It's starting construction. I mean, I I've seen hints of it starting any day now. I don't know when it will. And sidewalks are not consistent with all of the developments on the west side of the street. If you drive through our neighborhoods, there's no sidewalks, there's no curbs, that's just asphalt and grass. And I actually have a petition here signed by everybody on the west side of that street, as well as all of the all of most of the neighbors that I can get in touch with to eliminate the sidewalk on the west side of the street. My question is who do I take this to? What's the next step? What do you think the chances are of doing that? Basically the only thing I'm asking, and the only change I'm saying is just don't pour the sidewalk on the west side of the street. And again, it's I mean the argument I've heard is that it's you know they want the city wants it there to be consistent with city, but to be consistent with the neighbors who are already there, putting the sidewalk in isn't consistent. Um that's my request, and again the request of like 50 people or so that live right there that don't want it. The other argument the other comment I've got about that is you know, if someone wants to walk up and down Collins, which people do today, it's very easy to walk across the street and walk up and down the sidewalk that will be on the east side of Collins Road. So if I could get an answer, I would I'm curious. I so I did check with um Chad Mosul, who uh when I talked to him, I don't know if he's here or not, um the new city engineer, I guess he yeah. Uh he said he was four days on the job when I talked to him last week. So brand new. Poor guy getting thrown into this.
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