Leonard Ellis, manager of the city-owned tree farm, had been told by previous inspectors that the tree farm was located appropriately. But the new inspector has asked that one row of trees be moved.
Ellis and the council will each write letters to the Corps of Engineers to verify the applicable rules. If necessary, the row of trees will be moved before the next inspection.
The council will contact the Zoning Board and Economic Development Committee about an open position on the Zoning Board. Gary Nesser had volunteered for the position after learning about it from a current member, but councilors believe the board should provide the names of interested parties.
Everyone on the previous list presented by the Zoning Board has turned down the position.
Councilor Bryan Harper asked Fire Chief Tim Parmley if the fire department could use a donated vehicle for fire training. Harper is a salesman at Irv Schroeder County Motors Inc. in Hillsboro and the dealership has been discussing donating some vehicles.
Parmley said he?d definitely accept the donation and briefly spoke about the Marion County fire-training facility currently under construction.
In other business, the council:
-
passed Resolution 2007-03 in support of long-range plans for U.S. Highway 50. A letter of support will be sent to the project committee that had sent representatives to a previous meeting.
-
received a bill from the Harvey House for replacing grass destroyed by city weed spraying. The council debated whether to pay for the accidental overspray because the grass is on the city?s easement. In the end, the council decided to pay $75 toward reseeding the portion of the lawn at the tourist attraction.
-
will consider an incentive program for people wanting to buy buildings to open businesses downtown.
-
will hold a Standards Board meeting to discuss abandoned structures and trailer houses in town.
-
clarified that raises had been given to hourly maintenance personnel only; evaluations will be given to salaried employees before any other raises will be given.
-
received paperwork from the owner of property adjoining a disputed city street. It will be forwarded to the city attorney to determine exactly where the property line is located.
-
asked that the police delay purchasing a replacement spotlight at a cost of around $120.
-
heard that the suspension of the trash truck was inadequate for the size of the new box. The situation has been leading to excessive wear on the suspension. Replacement will not be addressed because a trash truck purchase is planned for 2009.
-
will begin giving warnings to people who throw excessive grass clippings into the street when mowing.
