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BELOIT CITY COUNCIL – Wednesday, April 6, 2022

By Terry Bailey

The Beloit City Council conducted their bi-weekly business meeting Wednesday night, April 6th. All Councilors were present except for Jamie Meier. Also in attendance were Mayor Tom Naasz, City Manager Jason Rabe, City Attorney Katie Schroeder, and City Clerk Amanda Lomax.
City Administrator Jason Rabe provided the Councilors with an update on the various major projects in which the City is involved. He said the Water Treatment Plant project is experiencing the regular difficulties of such projects governed by State oversight. He believes there may be a delay in the letting of bid, but with the accelerated cost of everything in the world of building things, a delay may not be necessarily a bad thing.
Councilor Tony Gengler posed a question, "We have been working with a certain dollar amount for the cost of the new Water Treatment Plant and pipeline from the Lake. What happens if, when the final bids are received, the dollar amount is far in excess of our original working dollar amount?"
Rabe responded, "Let's hope that does not happen. But the way inflation is going, who knows? There are a number of contingency activities that could come into play to help in such a situation. It might take some doing, but I believe we can make it work out in the long run."
Rabe reported the work on the new ballfield at the Sports Complex is moving right along as well as the work at the Solar Farm.
The next segment of the Safe Routes to School sidewalk building program is out for bids.
Lifeguards at the Chautauqua Pool are still a concern according to Rabe. He said, "We can make it work with the number we have but we could use a few more." He encouraged anybody who has interest to contact Lynn Miller at the Parks and Recreation Department.
Economic Development Director Emily Benedick announced her office in conjunction with the Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce is working on a County-wide mural project. Murals are the new activity for the attraction of tourists. She said they hope to have at least one mural placed in each of the seven towns in Mitchell County. Benedick said their website will kick off an advertising campaign on April 18th. Property owners interested in participating in the mural project are encouraged to contact her office.
Benedick told the Councilors that she has plans to apply for Dane Hansen grant funds to pay for the city entry signs that will be placed on the major entry avenues to the City of Beloit.
The Council approved Ordinance 2308 regulating water protection fees. City Attorney Schroeder said this was paperwork to clean up the language that did not get in the Code Book.
The Council approved the renewal of the City's liability insurance. The cost of the policy has risen but so has the value of all the City's properties. For example, the previous value of the Water Treatment Plant was thirty-one million dollars, and it is now valued at 46 million dollars.
The Spray Pad lease at Moritz airport to Well's Flying Service in the amount of $1,200 was approved.
A pavement contract for the runway at Moritz Airport in the amount of $284,016 was approved. Under the cost sharing agreement, the City's share will be $41,800.
A Blue Cross/Blue Shield Placemaking, Multimodal pledge agreement was approved. This will pay for improvements at the south end of Mill Street to facilitate pedestrian traffic flow on the the Walking Bridge over the Solomon River and into the Chautauqua Park.
A Special Event license was approved to the Prairie Winnies for an event to be held on May 5-8 in the Chautauqua Park.
A Special Event request for a family reunion to be held in the White Building on April 16th was approved.
A Special Event license for a class reunion for the Class of 1972 to be held at the Shelter House in the Chautauqua Park was approved.
The business meeting was adjourned, and the work session was called to order.
City Attorney Katie Schroeder told the Councilors she was working on Judicial Tax Foreclosures. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that some properties belong to deceased people and their descendants are unknown. The drastically limits the number legal remedies possible to solve the delinquent tax problem.
Rabe informed the Council of an interlocal agreement developed between the Technical College, Mitchell County, and the City of Beloit for maintenance work at the Technical College. The College would pay for materials and the City and County would perform work such as street resurfacing and curb replacement. It was viewed as a mutually beneficial agreement.
Rabe told the Council that the Kyle Railroad was performing repair work on railroad crossings. Kyle has requested that the City close the railroad crossing on Popular Street. The railroad believes with crossings at Brooklyn Street and River Street there are ample opportunities for people to make their way north and south across the tracks. No decision was arrived at this time and action will be taken at the next Council meeting. The public is invited to make any comments for or against possible closing.

 

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA