City offers credit for holiday decorating
Staff writer
Marion residents who wish to decorate their homes for the Christmas season can qualify for a $10 credit on their city utility bill.
Marion City Commissioners Monday approved the credit at the request of City Administrator Dave Mayfield.
Mayfield said the credit is good during the month of December and will be applied during the January billing cycle. The city has utilized the $10 credit in past years to encourage outside holiday lighting.
"Residents need to come to city hall and request the credit in person," Mayfield said. "This cannot be done by phone."
In an unrelated action, the commission voted to schedule a public hearing on a Rural Development Loan application which, if funded, would finance a mandated water plant upgrade. The commission also voted to publish the notice of public hearing.
The public hearing is set for 4 p.m. Dec. 1 at the city office prior to the regular weekly city commission meeting.
Mayfield told commissioners he and Linda Holub, city clerk, met last week with Dale Yager, a Rural Development representative regarding the loan/grant application for the water plant upgrade.
"The engineers are getting their report ready. Very little changes need to be made (from a previous report)," Mayfield said.
The city's portion of the loan/grant application process will be finished with the completion of the engineers report, publishing of the public notice, and after the completion of the public hearing, Mayfield said.
"Once the completed package is submitted Mr. Yager said it will take approximately 90 days for Rural Development's attorneys to look it over," Mayfield said. "We should know if we'll qualify for a 45 percent matching grant sometime in April.
"So, we're moving forward," Mayfield added.
In other matters, the commission:
— Voted to retain the city's current engineering firm, Bucher, Willis and Ratliff. The company has been representing the city in the water plant upgrade process in past loan and Community Development Block grant applications.
Mayfield said the reappointment is one of the requirements for the Rural Development Loan/Grant application.
— Approved warrants amounting to $30,305.60 and payroll amounting to $22,290.04.
— Announced that city offices and departments — except for the police department — will be closed Nov. 27-28 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
"There will be no trash pickup those days," Mayfield reminded.
— Heard from Harvey Sanders, director of public utilities, that all street paving work was completed Friday. He also noted that paving work at the airport would not occur until the spring.
In an unrelated matter, Commissioner Larry McLain asked if a tree, located in Central Park, was leaning farther over Main Street than previously.
Sanders said he had changed the location of a street light which illuminated the leaning tree.
"It was way too dark in the park the way it was lighted before," Sanders said.
McLain quipped that he thought perhaps the light had been moved so people could see the tree fall.
Sanders agreed that the tree was leaning and that he and Mayfield had decided the tree should be removed.
"I hate cutting down trees, but I feel it's a safety issue," McLain said.
— Marion City Librarian Janet Marler told commissioners it was Children's Book Week. A special event for children was planned at the library Monday night. Also, the library is celebrating "100 Years of Color" (anniversary of crayons) with a coloring contest.
In an unrelated matter, Marler told commissioners about problems the library's computers have had in keeping Internet connections.
After discussion with commissioners and Michel Soyez, police chief and the city's technical representative, it was felt the problem might be in the router.
Marler was advised to contact Great Plains Computer and determine if they have a complaint router.
