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Peabody council approves budget, street projects are a ‘go’

By SUSAN MARSHALL

Staff writer

Peabody City Council opened its regularly scheduled meeting Monday night with a public hearing to approve the 2009 budget. Although half a dozen people attended, none had any comments or complaints about the proposed budget. With Mayor Ed Slocombe and Councilman Tim Peterson absent, the budget was approved on a 4-0 vote.

APAC Paving representatives, Jim Ralston and Tom Stivers were present to discuss upcoming street projects. Council members approved a plan to recreate Eighth Street between Maple and Elm, and to widen and resurface Pine Street from Fifth to Seventh and Sixth Street from Pine to Elm. Older culverts on all of these streets will be removed and replaced as deemed necessary.

Ralston and Stivers discussed options for a time frame to complete the work. They will present a firm bid with options for council to vote on at the next meeting.

In other business, the council:

• deferred a discussion of the nuisance property at 805 Plum until more information could be obtained from the homeowner about an asbestos test.
• heard that a bid has been received for the demolition of a house at 710 N. Walnut, but the resolution to proceed is still with the city attorney for review.
• reviewed information from Integrated Solutions about cadmium monitoring at the former sewer site. ISI will not be able to test on the property until after soybean harvest.
• heard from health and safety officer Tammy Whiteside that she has contacted several people about mowing violations. Council members also discussed nuisance conditions in the 400 block of Pine. A homeowner there was cited in 2007 for violations. City ordinance provides for immediate action to abate the nuisance if additional violations occur within three years. Whiteside was instructed to send the homeowner a letter of notification.
• heard from interim Main Street director Shane Marler that a sign directing travelers to downtown Peabody will be reinstalled soon on U.S.-50. Marler also reported that Main Street would be working with the park volunteer group to host a series of monthly concerts in the downtown area. He noted he has begun the paperwork for a grant to build a rest room at Santa Fe Park. The grants are available through the state Main Street organization.
• heard from councilman Larry Larsen that a memorandum of agreement, a job description, and contract of employment between the city and Peabody Main Street have been developed and would be presented to the PMSA board of directors, Peabody economic development committee, and then go to the city council for final approval.
• heard from city administrator Jeff Benbrook that he is preparing to send certificates of assessment to the county clerk. The certificates are for services assessed to a property owner that remain unpaid. The county clerk will apply those amounts to the homeowner’s property tax bill so the city can recoup its charges for mowing, cleanup, etc.
• entered an executive session for the purpose of discussing personnel. No action was taken on return to open session.
• heard from councilman Peggy Phillips that she received a letter from Dr. Dale Hague requesting some repair work to the parking area in front of his dental office. The city repaired a water leak there a year ago and the surface was never resealed. Water pools in the area of his patients’ handicap parking place. Council approved the request and asked that it be fixed before the end of the week.

Please see PEABODY, PAGE 4