Mellott resigns, LaFoy appointed to fill vacancy
By SUSAN MARSHALL
News editor
Peabody Mayor Ed Slocombe appointed Leslie LaFoy Monday night to fill the city council seat left vacant by the resignation of councilman Delbert Mellott. Mellott submitted his letter of resignation, effective immediately, on Sept. 26.
Mayor Slocombe and the remaining council members formally accepted the resignation at the beginning of council business and LaFoy was appointed to immediately to fill the vacancy.
She will serve until April 2009.
Council members reviewed eight nuisance properties during public hearings designed to give property owners a chance to present their cases. Three owners were absent, one met the abatement deadline and was removed from the list, and the other four were given additional time to make necessary changes and become compliant.
Council approved motions to have the city abate the nuisance of the three absentee property owners and bill the owners for the work. Abatement could cover anything from cleanup to demolition.
Revisions are being made to two city ordinances. Ordinances regarding grass and weed violations and the ordinance that addresses building permits are going through some changes to make them more specific.
The notice of violation for grass nuisance will contain a more complete explanation of the responsibilities of all parties.
The property owner will be responsible for any grass or weeds that grow in the gutter, curb, and to the mid-line of any street or alley adjacent to the property.
In the future the city will send only one letter per calendar year in regard to a grass nuisance. Once a property owner has received that letter of notification, the city will be entitled to abate the nuisance without further notice. The city will mow and bill the property owner.
The wording regarding building permits will be more specific in the future. The ordinance will read as follows, "
The ordinance will be printed in the Peabody Gazette-Bulletin and probably will be included in a monthly newsletter that accompanies the water bills.
"I want to emphasize that residents needing a building permit should first come to the city office and APPLY for one," said city administrator Jeff Benbrook. "We need to see the application to make a determination if the project can continue after we look at property lines, easements, set backs, location of utilities, and proper anchoring.
"NO permit is issued until after the application is approved," he said. "Applying for a permit is the first step."
In other business, the council:
— completed a review of three separate sets of plans for the new sewer project furnished by project engineer Al Reiss. All of the sets are duplicates of the plans sent to the city in 2003 rather than the "as built" plans requested by council. A list of 11 discrepancies were noted and the list will be forwarded to Reiss.
— approved installation of one new street light on Newell Road between Ninth Street and U.S.-50 highway. The light was installed on an existing pole. No other lights will be added at this time because of financial restraints.
— heard from city administrator Jeff Benbrook that a public notice will be placed on the city web site and in the newsletter about property owners maintaining free and clear access to alleys.
— agreed that vacant mobile homes will now be treated as nuisance properties.
— agreed to advertise for a city maintenance worker to replace Curtis Gray who resigned to take a position with Reliance Energy.
— received a copy of the letter of agreement, between the city, USD #398, Peabody Main Street, and Peabody State Bank for fund-raising for water tower lettering.
— approved changes to the right-of-way to allow ingress and egress across the cardtrol property of Mid-Kansas Cooperative that is adjacent to the new city shop. MKC will review the agreement.
— heard a review by Benbrook of the city's third quarter financial status. A similar report will be provided at the first meeting in November and December to help keep council members familiar with decisions about year-end expense issues.
