City Administrator Austin Edmondson
The Minonk City Council approved the appointment of Austin Edmondson as the new City Administrator at the council's normal Monday night meeting. Mr. Edmundson has 16 years experience in small city government and will have a salary of $72,500. He is moving to Minonk from Kentucky.
Carolyn Development road repair work
The council did not approve the low bid of $!23,328 to repair the entrance to the Carolyn Development at the I-39 intersection. Councilman Todd Cremer said he didn't understand from the bid as to what kind of work will be done. He thought the bid was rather high for the type of work to be done. He wanted to see if local contractors can have a chance to bid on the project.
Councilman Nick Caverra said it wouldn't be fair to the bidders to reject the bids and then rebid the project since future bidders already know what bid they have to beat. He said this issue has been discussed for months and the council should have enough information to take action. Shawn Maurer of the Farnsworth Group said the original estimate for the project was $100,000 but the project will require considerable traffic control which increased the cost.
Mayor Bill Koos asked Mr. Maurer to reject all bids and resubmit the bids so that they can be reviewed by the June 20th meeting.
Water tower painting approved
The council approved a bid of $196,000 to paint the Minonk water tower. Mayor Koos said the tower will not be in use for 7 weeks while it is being painted and water will be obtained from temporary storage tanks. The color of the tower will be off white.
2016 MFT program
The council approved the funding of the MFT (Motor Fule Tax) program in the amount of $47,345 for street repairs such as seal coating and filling pot holes. Mayor Koos said part of the MFT money is being set aside each year to accumulate a reserve for the $400,000 Chestnut Street paving project that will be upcoming next year.
Minonk Lanes TIF 2 application
The council approved a request by Minonk Lanes for TIF 2 funds to help pay for the resurfacing of the bowling lanes at the facility. The project cost is $35,530 and the TIF award is for 50% or $17,665 payable in 2 installments over 2 years at $8882.50 each. Minonk Lanes Manager Al Snow said the resurfacing has never been done before and it will carry a life time warranty.
Drone ordinance
Councilman Ronald Marshall suggested the council consider setting up a drone ordinance by checking with other towns to see what they are doing. Councilman John Marcoline said he has been contacted by 2 residents complaining of drones near their home. Mr. Marcoline said he doesn't think the City should allow the use of drones unless they request their use in advance and specify their usage. He said he can see where drones may be used by contractors during building projects. Councilman Russell Ruestman said the State already has laws on drones and why should the City spend money on an attorney to draft a drone law that is superseded by the State. Councilman Caverra agreed saying we can't make the City laws any stronger than the State laws on drones.
Taste of Minonk
Minonk businessman Bob Hakes asked the council for approval to close West Fifth street at Chestnut between the hours of 4 and 7 pm during a Taste of Minonk event to be held this summer. He said the event will take place at the empty lot next to Grosenbach's Grocery and that more details will be made available later. Mayor Koos told Mr. Hakes to get together with City Administrator Edmundson to finalize the details.
In a related event, Councilman Marshall told the council the Minonk Businessmen's Association is planning to erect a steel Christmas Tree in the empty lot next to Grosenbach's Grocery during the Christmas season. Mr. Marshall said former Minonk resident Ed Shirley is planning on building the Christmas tree in 10 foot sections and will eventually be 30 feet high and strung with lights. There will be a permanent pad built for the tree which can be taken down after the Christmas season and be replaced with a picnic table.
City Council comments
Councilman Marcoline said he was requested by some citizens to have the City erect signs for the Nature Trail at the north edge of Minonk. He said one of the signs requested would show a map of the trail. Mayor Koos said it could be done.
Mr. Marcoline said the Filger Library has received glowing results in a follow-up evaluation by Edge Assessment in which the library had a score of 700 out of 1000 which was a big improvement over its last score of 500 and well above the average of 451.
Councilman Ruestman said the City should sell the lot of the former Masonic Temple at the corner of Sixth and Walnut instead of leaving it set empty.
Public Comments
Minonk resident Bill Bane said there should be an additional handicap parking space next to Grosenbach's Grocery since the store is now attracting a lot of business. He also said the city should develop the empty lot next to the grocery store and include a stage area for summer activities. Mayor Koos said the Minonk Businessmen's Assocation is working on a plan to develop the lot and will be working closely with the council.