City council approves higher budget
Peabody City Council unanimously passed the 2003 budget at its Aug. 26 meeting.
Mayor Kevin Ensminger noted that the group had spent a considerable amount of time on the budget this year to keep from having to raise the mill levy very much.
"Last year, it (the mill levy) was 62.071. We had to go up some this year," he said. "But it's not a big hike."
The new mill levy will be 62.319 and the council approved the ordinance giving it the power to make the change, 5-0.
Peabody water treatment operator, Darren Pickens, told the council that the city would have to sign off on the water rights to the well at Maple and 7th streets and the school would have to pick up the water rights to the well if the sale of the well property is to go through.
He also explained that the city has the option to keep the water rights on all other wells in effect for a period of five years. If, after that time, no water has been pumped from the wells, the state will reclaim the water rights.
The city is interested in keeping the Brooks well at Locust and 8th streets, but is in the process of closing the others. Pickens told the council that if it intends to keep the Brooks well active, the state wants the well house painted. The council agreed.
Sewer project
During the CDBG public hearing on the sewer project, the council heard from engineer Al Reiss. He presented the council with a list of costs for three different types of sewer plants. The council did not take action on any of the proposed types.
Keith Timmermeyer, owner of GMLS Industries, was present again to hear Reiss' proposals. Timmermeyer's business is on the property which adjoins the proposed sewer plant. He has just erected a new building on the property and is concerned about how odor from the raw sewage will affect his business, employees, and property values.
Timmermeyer told Reiss and the council that the county tax assessor told him that a sewer plant in such close proximity would lower his property tax.
He said that since the last meeting (when he was assured that the 500 foot separation between his building and the lagoon was sufficient to prevent an odor problem), he had spoken with numerous officials from KDHE, Rural Development, and other government agencies.
He said they all told him they found it "odd" that there was less than a quarter of a mile separating his business from the sewer plant.
David Leifer, an associate of Timmermeyer's, told the council that he felt someone had dropped the ball in regard to zoning.
"What's the point of having zoning regulations, if things like this are going to happen?" he asked. "We went through all the proper channels to get permits and such, but no one told us this sewer project was in the works."
He noted that GMLS Industries has adequate space and could have located the new building somewhere else if they had known that the city was planning to put a sewer right next to it.
Councilman Randy Dallke said he also had to talked to KDHE head, Bert Zehr, who noted that when KDHE did the site analysis the building was not there. Dallke said Zehr planned to come to Peabody to look at the site and consider Timmermeyer's complaint.
Reiss reminded the council that Peabody has been granted two time extensions on the project already. He also told Timmermeyer that the city chose the property next to GMLS because none of the other sites they considered were available for purchase.
Yoder told Timmermeyer that the mayor and council members had spent considerable time in the last two weeks looking at other possibilities for sites, but that so far the other sites were either unsuitable or not for sale.
Ensminger asked that Timmermeyer not give up yet. He said that they would continue to try and reach an agreement.
Doug Gillet, Maxine Ulsh, and Irvin Ulsh also were present. They all own land adjoining the proposed sewer plant.
Reiss agreed to leave the plans and blue prints for the sewer project at the city office.
Due to some typographical errors in the resolution to apply for the grant, the resolution was not signed and a special meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 3 to make corrections.
Nuisance properties
Archie Riggs was present to request an extension on the demolition of two nuisance structures on two properties he owns on north Olive Street. He sited poor health and the lack of help for not meeting the initial deadline.
On a motion by Gard the council agreed to extend his time until Sept. 30, 2002. The motion carried, 4-0-1 with an abstention by Dallke.
Ensminger instructed Harms to try and a find a community service organization that might be willing to assist Riggs in the demolition.
Other business
The council voted to extend Gary Markham's employment time until Nov. 29, to replace culverts for Gary Hilliard, Gary Roach, and Tammy Whiteside, to place a temporary water meter on the Marshall Warehouse property, to provide dirt for Scott Weber for a dam he is building to prevent erosion along 9th Street, and to send letters to homeowners about trimming overgrown trees.
A well permit was approved for Gary Roach, a water conservation plan was approved and put in place in case of drought, and a fuel contract with Mid-Kansas Coop was tabled pending more information on quantity stipulations in the contract.
City clerk Cindy Harms was instructed to contact the Burlington-Santa Fe railroad about complaints from the school district concerning the condition of the Maple Street crossing.
Harms also will contact the Methodist church about some concrete it dumped illegally several months ago.
She will contact Audie Strotkamp about attending a meeting to answer any questions the council might have about his services.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be Sept. 9.
