The Clarendon Board of Aldermen continued catching up on city business during the course of two meetings November 26 and December 2.
Last Tuesday, the board approved paying $7,369 for a sewer line at the Donley County State Bank for a situation that came up – literally – about seven months ago.
The bank at the intersection of US 287 and Kearney Street should have been connected to a new sewer line when the state reconstructed the highway in 1997. But according to Mayor Larry Hicks and Public Works Director John Molder, it was left connected to the old sewer line that was abandoned during that project.
Over 16 years, the bank’s bathroom filled up the abandoned sewer main and started backing up into the bank last spring. Hicks said the problem never should have happened and clearly wasn’t the bank’s fault, and the board agreed.
Also last week, aldermen held a detailed budget workshop, reviewing the fiscal year 2013 budget which automatically carried over to become the fiscal year 2014 budget while the board was non-functioning. City officials discussed which line items may need to be amended as the year progresses.
As part of the budget workshop, Molder presented a $14,000 plan to install a new waterline on three blocks of Fifth Street between Bugbee Avenue and Collinson Street. That is the only remaining cast iron line in that section of town, he said, and replacing it would hopefully take care of the few remaining reports of dirty water in that area. The project would also install two fire hydrants that are needed in that area.
This week, the board poured over a long list of reports and minutes that had not been approved since May.
Fire department representatives also asked the board to add a building located on Sully Street to the city’s liability insurance property. The department already houses fire trucks there and is considering buying the building from former fire chief Delbert Robertson. The added cost to the city would be about $625 per year, and the board approved that proposal.
Aldermen considered a proposal to buy a car to be used as an airport courtesy car and as an extra vehicle employees could take to training meetings and other errands. Mayor Hicks also said he would use the car every day checking on things around the city.
Alderman Beverly Burrow raised questions about whether the city had ever had this kind of vehicle in the past, and Alderman Doug Kidd asked about the liability to the city and the procedures that would be followed for people flying into the airport and wanting to use the car.
Alderman Will Thompson asked where the car ranked in priorities versus the city’s need for a new trash truck and new pickups for city supervisors, and Hicks said the car would be ranked below those needs. Thompson then recommended not taking action on the car until more pressing needs were taken care of.
The board took no action on this item, but several aldermen indicated their willingness to consider giving Hicks a mileage allowance on a future agenda.
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