FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Clerk Planning/Zoning Police Public Works Treasurer
The total population for the Village of Bellaire based on the 2000 Census is 1,164. Bellaire’s 1990 Census count was 1,104.
To inquire about open board positions, just call the Village offices at 231-533-8213. An application for appointment can be submitted by mail, fax or in person. To obtain an application, you can pick one up at the Village offices or download the form: Board application, complete it and submit it to the Village Clerk’s Office.
The Village of Bellaire does not require a municipal business license. You may want to check with the Zoning Administrator and learn the regulations for your zoning district.
You can find all County, State and Federal officials and their contact information in the Government section of this web site.
The Village of Bellaire follows a fiscal schedule for villages set by the State of Michigan, whereas, Budget/Fiscal years begin on March 1 and ends Feb 28 the following year.
All Bellaire Village residents 18 or older who have registered to vote at least 30 days prior to the election may vote.
You can register to vote at the Michigan Secretary of State office or by using the Federal Mail-In Voter Registration Form. Voter registration must be completed at least 30 days prior to an election. Important! If you register to vote by mail and are under 60 years of age, you must vote in person for your first election in the Village of Bellaire.
No. An original signature is required to register to vote.
No, once you are registered to vote in the Village of Bellaire, you do not have to re-register.
When you move or when you change your name as a result of marriage or a legal action.
Your voting precinct is listed on your voter registration card as “polling location.” Currently, all Village elections are held at the Village Hall, 202 N. Bridge Street, Bellaire, Michigan.
An original signature is required to obtain an Absentee Ballot, so you must request an application to be mailed to you by calling the Village Clerk’s Office (231) 533-8213. Complete and sign the form and submit it back to the Clerk’s Office before 2:00 PM, on the Saturday before an election. Voted ballots must be received at the Village Clerk’s office by 8:00 PM on Election Day.
Anyone meeting the following criteria is eligible to vote by absentee ballot:
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Emergency Phone: 911 |
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Address: |
Business Phone: |
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202 N. Bridge Street P.O. Box
557 |
Phone: (231) 533-5678 |
Patrolman: William Drollinger
Patrolman: Zack Light
Office hours for the Bellaire Police Department vary from month to month, based on a rotating schedule. We try and have an officer available from 8a-4p on most weekdays, which is consistent with the hours of the village government. The Bellaire Police Department will usually have 20 hours of coverage per day.
After the receipt of any ticket, an individual has 10 days to take care of the ticket through the District Court. Parking ticket prices vary as do most other fines for traffic offenses. If not handled within the 10 day period, the court can suspend an individuals drivers license through the Secretary of State.
The Bellaire Police Department no longer handles any fingerprinting for volunteer or employment purposes. The Antrim County Sheriffs Office will handle all fingerprinting with respect to employment and volunteering. The State of Michigan now requires fingerprints to be done by “livescan”. Livescan is a digital fingerprint machine, and the sheriff’s office is the only place in Antrim County that has one. The State of Michigan charges a fee for the use of the livescan (approximately $70)
The Bellaire Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in Antrim County that will help with vehicle unlock. As long as you sign a liability waiver, we will do our best to get you into your vehicle quickly. If we are unable to gain access to your vehicle, we will call a locksmith and have them respond to your location to gain access.
Yes. The Michigan Department of Transportation keeps statistics on any and all accidents that occur on Michigan roadways. Make sure to report the accident before leaving the scene, by calling 911. Additionally, most insurance companies like to have a police report before they will process an insurance claim.
You are not required by law to report the accident, but again most insurance companies will request that you have a police report before handling the claim.
I am considering hiring a new employee but would like to know if he/she has a criminal
Local law enforcement can only run individuals criminal history through the investigation of a criminal complaint. Citizens can obtain criminal history information through the ICHAT website for a fee. This website is a government website that many schools and church’s use to obtain information on their volunteers.
Yes. Even though the Bellaire Police Department patrols the village and handles complaints within the village limits, all the village police officers are deputized by the Antrim County Sheriffs Department. Our main focus is to patrol and protect the village and its residents, but on many occasions we will respond to complaints and suspicious situations outside the village..
Yes. We have an online form that if submitted will allow officers on both the day and evening shifts to monitor your home for any suspicious activity. Information regarding any guests, maintenance work, pets and vehicles left in the drive is useful to include. Feel free to call the office and talk with an officer as well.
Yes and no. With any animal issues, whether it is barking dogs or animals running at large, we would prefer that you contact the Antrim County Animal Control. They are located in Bellaire, and maintain the animal shelter as well. The animal control officers are better equipped to handle dogs and cats than most police officers, and in most cases are familiar with problem animals. If animal control is not available, feel free to call for a police officer. We will try and catch any dog or cat and will then take them to the shelter.
Come to or call the Village Offices to fill out a form for new service. Tap In fee is $1492.00 for a standard 3/4" line. If the service is larger than 3/4” you must check with the Water Supervisor regarding fees. The DPW will inspect the tap in and the cost is included in the tam in fees.
What services are included in my Village utility bill?
The bill you receive from the Village includes water, sewer and sludge removal fees as applicable to your address.
The Village sends out utility bills every month. Each bill covers the previous months’ usage. Bills are generally mailed out the 18th of each month and are due by the 10th of the following month. For example, a Village utility bill mailed April 18th covers the period from March 15th to April 15th and is due by May 10th. If the bill is not paid by the due date, a 10% penalty will be added. Bills that are 30 days past due are sent a shutoff notice and the water is turned off at the residence on the 10th of the following month. For example, if your bill is due March 10th and is not paid by March 30th we will send you a shut off notice. If the bill is not paid by April 10th we shut off your water. Once your service is terminated, you must bring the bill current (two months) and pay a $30.00 turn on fee.
Why is my utility bill higher than my neighbors?
Each bill is based on actual water usage, and every family uses water differently. You cannot base your bill on your neighbor’s. If you have questions about your usage, call or stop in at the Village offices and we will try to answer your questions.
The Village must be notified when you sell your property. If we know in a timely manner, we can get an actual water reading and at the next billing period you will receive a bill for the actual amount you owe. Plus when we are notified, the bill can be put into the new owner’s name. If we are not notified, the bill continues in your name and there is no way to go back and tell which portion of the bill belongs to you and which portion should go to the new homeowner. The new owner also needs to contact us to verify the information we have.
During regular business hours (M-F, 8-4 PM), call the Village Offices @ 533-8213 to report your problem to the Public Works Superintendent. A public works employee will come to your residence to check for backups in the sanitary sewer main by the road. If the Village' sanitary sewer main has a blockage the Village will clear the path. After business hours contact the Village Police Department and they will contact a Village employee to follow up. If the Village employee confirms the Village's main line is not blocked, you'll need to call a plumber. Residents are responsible for the sanitary sewer lateral from their home to the Village' main line, of which is usually located in the center of the street.
At what physical location is a homeowner responsible for the Village’s water and sewer lines?
The homeowner’s responsibility for the water line begins at the water shut off. The homeowner’s responsibility for the sewer line is all the way to the sewer main, which is usually in the center of the street.
Under the direction the Department of Public Works Supervisor there are four employees. Two work mainly for the water department and motor pool, one splits their time between water and sewer and motor pool and the Wastewater Supervisor and during the summer the Village hires additional part time staff to help during the season.
Total street mileage in the Village of Bellaire is 2.58 miles of major streets and 7.17 miles of local streets.
No, but Antrim County does, just northeast of the Village limits.
The Village has three under body blade trucks, one side plow, two front plow pick up trucks, one loader w/bucket and blade and one sidewalk tractor.
The Village uses approximately 250 tons of salt each year depending on the weather.
There are four wells in the Village of Bellaire that supply water to the Village.
Who is your largest water user in the Village?
The largest water customer are the Antrim County Buildings.
Yes, the Village has employees who carry certificates for water and wastewater operations. They have continuous courses they attend to keep their licenses up to date.
All wastewater goes to a final lift station at 501 Court St. It then travels to our lagoons and treatment plant for treatment.
We don't pick up trash, but we do provide a drop off site at the DPW for brush from within the Village limits. There is a $500 fine for dumping brush from outside the Village limits
You must contract with a private waste hauler. The Village has no public trash service
No parking between 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Overnight parking is only allowed in the marked spaces at the south end of the Riverview Parking Lot off Bridge Lane. All violators will be ticketed and towed.
Top | Top of Public Works FAQs
Does the Village have an assessor?
Yes, the Kearney Township assessor also serves the Village of Bellaire as the Village assessor. Dave Grimm is the Village assessor and he can be reached at 231-533-8719 at the Kearney Township offices. Homestead classification is used for the purpose of assessing school taxes. The Village doesn't collect school taxes so any questions pertaining to homesteads should be directed to Dave Grimm for Kearney Township and Robert Logee for Forest Home Township.
Current tax rates for general operations is 10.994300; the street rate is 3.000000 and the sewer rate is 3.000000. The sewer rate is applied to the general obligation bonds used for the construction of the Village sewer system.
Village taxes are mailed the first week of July and are due by September 14th of each year. The Village turns all unpaid taxes over to the County Treasurer by October 1st each year. Once these taxes are turned in, payment needs to be made to the Antrim County Treasurer's Office at P.O. Box 520, Bellaire, MI 49615. You may want to call (231-533-672 ahead for the total amount due because if turned in late a fee is assessed.
Your taxes are calculated by multiplying the tax rate by the taxable value (TV) of the property.
The Bellaire Village Council determines tax rates.
Taxable value is the value used to calculate your tax bill. Although your assessed value will increase with the market, your taxable value is capped – meaning it can only increase 5% or consumers price index, whichever is lower. Once a home is sold, the cap is removed and the new taxable value is usually about half of the purchase price or the current State Equalized Value (SEV) on your parcel.
Real property is all land, buildings and attachments. Personal property is any property that isn't real property. Personal property taxes are levied only on property that is used in business.
There is no formal payment plan for taxes. If you cannot pay the entire bill by the due date, pay as much of the bills sections as you can by the due date. After the due date a penalty will be added to the unpaid balance.
A 1% per month penalty is applied to your summer tax balance beginning on September 14th. Once turned into Antrim County, by October 1, there are additional penalties applied.
Village tax bills can be sent to the Village of Bellaire, P.O. Box 557, Bellaire, MI 49615. They can also be paid in person at the Village offices at 202 N. Bridge St., Bellaire, MI 49615.
Yes we do. The Village does charge a handling fee of 3% for the use of the credit card to cover administrative fees and site updates.
I have never received a tax bill, what should I do?
Contact the Treasurer's office by phone at 231-533-8213 or by email at vlgbellaire@charterinternet.com.
Contact the Treasurer’s office by phone at 231-533-8213 or by email at vlgbellaire@charterinternet.com.