Councilor Jim Wiens added, ?There?s no way to get across the ?Goessel river.? My wife made a comment that it would be a nice place to put a picnic table.?
Councilor Larry Lindeman said he had also suggested a bridge to the south. The council thought it would be nice to have a bridge at each place, although they acknowledged it would be harder to mow near the bridges.
Wiens offered to look into getting iron for the bridges. Dickerson mentioned concrete and lumber expenses. Jay suggested the council meet at the park for the next meeting to look at the two areas.
Councilor Duane Duerksen said the sand volleyball area is in a good location at the park because of the shade.
Police Chief Joe Base reported one notice to appear had been issued for a turn signal violation, one for speeding, one for a stop-sign violation, five for no proof of insurance and two for driving on a suspended license. One equipment warning had been issued. The department used the Hillsboro K-9 unit on a car stop.
Base listed the investigations for the month: one felony drug case, two misdemeanor drug cases, one burglary report, one theft report, multiple dog complaints, one suspicious activity report, one 911 disconnect, one accident and one criminal damage to property report.
The police department rendered the following services: three welfare checks, assisted Emergency Medical Services on two calls and provided service on two other calls.
The police served one search warrant, assisted by the Hills?boro Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Peabody Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol. Two arrests were made on drug charges.
Councilor Larry Schmidt said, ?I would like to thank Joe and all the police officers who took care of a problem? in town. He said he ?saw all the tactical training put to use…. I was real impressed.?
The council discussed police equipment and the need to update some items.
In other business, the council:
n discussed the Sept. 27 Harvest Festival. City Clerk Anita Goertzen said, ?This is not to take the place of Threshing Days.? It is in addition to Threshing Days.
The council approved the cost of putting this year?s date on the banner that will be hung across Main Street. It will cost about $90.
The council discussed the possibility of a parade in the afternoon but did not know if there is time to get a parade organized for this year. A fun run is scheduled for that morning and a golf tournament late that afternoon.
Goertzen said some groups will be serving food at the Harvest Festival.
n heard from Goertzen that the Threshing Days Spray Day ?seemed to be a success…. A lot of kids came out.?
n heard from Base, ?We went through Threshing Days without any problems.?
n heard that Dickerson has been working on the fence at the cemetery across the street from the city building.
?It?s been a lot of work,? she said, noting that it is almost done.
n heard that seven loads of dirt had been hauled out of the drainage ditch at the high school.
n heard that the dump truck was in the repair shop for brake work.
n heard that people have been happy with the asphalt millings that had been applied to the streets to keep dust down.
n heard Councilor Duane Duerksen ask about spraying for mosquitoes. ?It seems like they?re bad,? he said. Dickerson said she had already sprayed the previous Thursday.
n considered a request from Orville and Dorothy Krause. They received a property tax bill for a small piece of ground between Centennial and Kansas Highway 15that the city has been using for a street. They would like to deed it to the city. The council agreed to accept the land. Goertzen said she had contacted Bob Brookens, the city attorney, about the matter.
n discussed North Church Street. Goertzen, Jay, and school superintendent John Fast will meet to discuss ownership of that street.
n discussed street repairs that need to be made. Lindeman suggested, ?We need to repair State Street south of Main…. It needs some attention pretty quick…. It?s real bad.? Goertzen said the county needs to be called.
n noted on the city map that the city is crooked. Wiens thought it had to do with being close to the meridian.
n discussed use of the city building?s community room and noted how often it is used. The council expressed appreciation for the job done by Kelly Jost, who cleans the building.
?I think this building is very, very clean,? Dickerson said. ?I?ve been impressed.?
Although groups and individuals who rent the community room are supposed to clean up after they use it, Jost comes and checks and cleans the restrooms. She does not clean the library; the city is not responsible for providing cleaning service for the library.
Court Clerk Paula Flaming noted that it is convenient that Jost lives in town. Wiens asked about the bidding procedure.
n noted that the burnsite looks ?great.?
n tabled a discussion of the Standard Traffic Ordinance and the Uniform Public Offense code.
n approved the 2009 budget following a pubic hearing on the matter. Expendi?tures of $742,861 have been budgeted for 2009. Goertzen said the county sets the assessed valuation of the city, and that determines how much each mill is worth. The 2009 valuation is $1,902,463. Therefore, Goertzen said the mill levy will actually be a little lower than in the past, 55.636. She said the library is ?capped? at 10 mills. The council approved the proposed budget.
