Council revisits tree removal
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By Jennifer Kellner
The Mount Ayr city council heard from several members of the public and set Beggar’s Night at their regular meeting Monday, September 22.
Public forum
There were three citizens in attendance to address the council Monday.
Ed Minnick was the first to address the council about the $20 capital improvement fee that was recently added to all resident bills. Minnick owns a lot located at 802 E. Washington Street where no permanent housing currently exists, in addition to his residence.
“I really think they need to rethink the sewer deal. If it ain’t in a building being used, that’s gonna hurt anybody wanting to buy a property,” Minnick said. “It ain’t a lot of money, but you can’t use water, so why you need the sewer, and I ain’t even sure the sewer’s even hooked up there.”
Assistant city administrator Brandy Anderson noted that the new capital improvement fee was a result of the recent change to city ordinances, and is charged to every property owner.
Andrew Iannotta was the next to address the council about the payment dropbox located outside of city hall.
He was questioning what processes and procedures are in place to ensure that payments dropped off there are applied to residential accounts.
“We had a check delivered by the dropbox, September 2,” Iannotta said. “My wife dropped off a check there between 6:15 to 6:30 [p.m.], and that check has disappeared,” Iannotta said. “So I have some concerns around how the dropbox functions as a safe place to pay a bill, because there’s no accounting for it.”
He was concerned there is a gap in the process and asked the city to consider putting additional measures in place.
Christiana Overholtzer also addressed the council regarding use of an alley to the north of the prior Tyler Insurance building.
Overholtzer would like to use the alley as a drive-thru for a future bakery/coffeehouse.
She plans to have her business up and running next spring or summer.
Later, during regular business, the council approved Overholtzer’s request to use the alley. While they briefly discussed designating one-way traffic, and other potential concerns, no additional action was taken Monday.
Closed session
Council members began their meeting by going into a closed session with the city’s attorney. No immediate action was taken after returning to open session, although they noted there were upcoming items on the agenda.
Tree removal
The council reviewed the most recent tree removal proposal from Wright Contracting for the removal of:
40 trees on the east side of Loch Ayr Lake
27 trees on the west side of Loch Ayr Lake
28 trees in the City of Mount Ayr right of way within the city limits.
Wright’s proposal noted “Some of the trees at the lake were excluded to accommodate the budget and allow for tree removal in town. The main focus at the lake will be the trees on properties and the more heavily navigated roads.”
Council members were in agreement that this approach was a good place to start.
The council plans to discuss further tree removal options at their Monday, October 27 meeting.
Beggar’s night
Council member Chandra Poore suggested holding Beggar’s Night on Friday, October 31. It was noted that the SOS Beggar’s Bash will be held on Sunday, October 5, and Tingley will be holding their annual Halloween celebration on Saturday, November, 1.
Council members briefly discussed possible conflicts and which hours would work best.
Halloween was approved as the designated trick-or-treat day with porch lights on from 5 to 7 p.m. on October 31.
Other business
In other regular business, the council approved:
A fire zone building permit submitted by Trails End Saloon to add a patio outside the bar behind the building located at 113 N. Taylor St;
An agreement with DA Davidson to assist with potential issuance of General Obligation Bonds for downtown improvements around the square;
A $43,119.25 payment to Caliber Construction for work completed on the W. Madison Street project.
A request from Nida Solliday to place a memorial bench on the sidewalk in front of the Ringgold Outdoor Alliance (ROA) basketball court on the east side of the square.
Administrator Update
Administrator Brent Wise reported that the G-Works software transition is still causing problems for the city and affected residents who have received inaccurate utility bills. They are still working with the G-Works support team to resolve technical issues.
