Staff writer
Monday evening, Peabody City Administrator Mac Manning presented the mayor and City Council with a tentative calendar for extra meetings from May to August to review the budget for 2013.
In August, the budget will have to be accepted by the City Council, published in the official newspaper along with a public hearing notice, and then filed with the county clerk.
However, before those official deadlines are met and the budget is approved, the mayor, council, department heads, and Manning will meet to review how the city will spend its money in 2013.
Discussion and work sessions with the finance committee and the governing body all are open to the public.
“Anytime three or more council members gather to discuss city business, it is considered a meeting and is open to attendance by the public,” Mayor Larry Larsen said. “Residents of the community are welcome at the budget work sessions.”
A list of budget meetings is available at the city office.
In other business:
- Peabody Police Officer Justin Weerts tendered his resignation from the Peabody Police Department as a full-time officer, effective April 22. He will continue to serve as needed in a part-time capacity.
- The council entered two executive sessions of 20 minutes each to discuss personnel. No action was taken on return to open session.
- Sharon Kessler, who lives at 903 N. Elm, was present to talk to the council about the sewer backing up into her basement on March 29. She called a plumber who came to her home and told her the city’s sewer system had caused the problem. Kessler’s bill was $99 and she was asking the council to pay some or all of it. Manning told the council the problem was likely caused by debris from the car wash. The council agreed to pay Kessler’s plumbing bill.
- Manning reviewed the Workman’s Compensation Insurance Audit Refund with the council. The refunded amount was $348.
- Manning suggested the council rethink the trash pickup process involved during cleanup weeks. Waste Connections is not willing to provide personnel to man the roll off bins at First and Olive streets, so city employees will be assigned that duty. He told the council that in the future he would like to eliminate the curbside pickup and have people haul their own trash to the manned bins. After discussion about the difficulty that elderly or handicapped individuals would have, the council agreed to discuss the situation again before the fall cleanup, but leave spring cleanup as it has been in past years.
- Manning said Marion County Road and Bridge Superintendent Randy Crawford had announced that work could begin on Peabody Street about the middle of May and should be completed by the first of June.
The next meeting of the Peabody City Council will be at 7 p.m. April 23 in the Peabody City Building.