City council votes to move Beggars Night to Saturday, Nov. 1
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by Jeff Snyder
During the regular city council meeting October 27, the council covered a variety of topics. Among the most important was a proposal to move the annual Halloween Beggars night to Saturday night November 1. The discussion was centered around the Mount Ayr High School’s football team that advanced in the playoffs due to last Friday night’s victory. It was felt that moving the beggars night to Saturday would allow supporters of the Raiders and their families to travel to the game while allowing for the younger family members to have their night as well.
Additionally the council discussed the proposed addition of a storm siren to be placed at the Loch Ayr Reservoir location. The site selection was recommended by the Ringgold County Emergency Management department. Earlier in the day City Administrator Brent Wise attended the Ringgold County Board of Supervisors meeting asking on behalf of the council to see if a cost sharing arrangement could be considered by the Board.
The board discussed the request, but ultimately decided that there was no surplus budget available to help offset the costs of the siren at this time.
Wise reported the response back to the council. The council ultimately decided to go ahead with the siren placement despite the budget strains. The cost to the city would be roughly $5,500 or 15 percent of the total siren cost.
In other city related issues, the placement of new stop signs at a variety of locations throughout the city was discussed. The Council debated the placements of known problem spots in town but decided to table the issue pending the results of an inquiry with the Ringgold County counSheriffs Department. The council felt it was important to consider the actual facts related to these intersections and not just rely on speculation.
Several additional housekeeping issues were covered including an additional payment to the Caliber company for the work conducted on Madison Street earlier this past summer. The council agreed to release $46,009.97 to Caliber while retaining $14,732.36 as a hold back awaiting a certificate of completion.
Finally, the council was given another update regarding the cities GWorks vendor relationship. The city continues to struggle with the information being generated by Gworks, which is the company Gworks whose software assists in the creation and distribution of city utility bills.The city has logged numerous hours pouring through billings and invoices in an attempt to correct ongoing errors in the system. Wise applauded the cities residents for their patience with the issue. The city will continue to work on the problem and vowed not to further embroil the people with these issues.
The city also set a public hearing date for a budget amendment that will help to identify and notify townspeople of accounting reconciliations that are pending. The date is set for November 24, at 6 p.m.
Lastly the city, due in large part to Brandy Anderson, seems to have secured a new home for a dog that has been under the cities care since September. A rescue group in Creston posted the young dogs picture on their website and a new potential owner has been identified.
