City of Athens City Council met March 11.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
Mayor Dowell welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order at 7pm at Athens City Hall. He thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. All stood, and Alderman Nichols led the pledge. Clerk Cindy McFarland called roll. Present were Aldermen: Larry Buhr, Ron Canterbury, Tom Croft Sr., Tom Herman, and Butch Nichols. Alderman Basso was absent. Also, in attendance were Linda Wasilewski, Joe Crowe, John Tobias, Chris Miller, Gary Richardson, Ryan Seifert, Mike Burg, Rachel Schlueter, Tami Schlueter, Ryne Crowe, Ellie Stuhmer, Robbie Bluett, Juliana Hackman, Jan Schmidt, and Matt Teplinsky.
The Mayor introduced Christopher Miller from the National Weather Service in Lincoln who was here to speak about the Storm Ready Program. He said that he would like to thank pro-active local governments like Athens for becoming a Storm Ready Community and showing a strong commitment to save lives and mitigate tragedy. Thanks to Mayor Bob Dowell, EMS Chief/ESDA Coordinator Mike Burg, and Fire Chief Joe Crowe, the application for Athens to be a Storm Ready Community exceeded the necessary requirements. Mr. Miller then presented the Storm Ready certification and sign to Mayor Dowell.
Motion made by Alderman Nichols, seconded by Alderman Herman, to approve the police, treasurers', water and wastewater, streets and alleys, fleet maintenance, and office manager's reports. Ayes: Buhr, Canterbury, Croft, Herman, and Nichols. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Buhr, seconded by Alderman Canterbury, to approve the February council meeting minutes and the payment of the February bills. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Nichols, seconded by Alderman Buhr, to approve Ordinance 01 2019, Friendship Alley Abatement. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Canterbury, seconded by Alderman Herman, to approve hiring Brian Lewis as the new Streets Department employee at $12 per hour. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Herman, seconded by Alderman Buhr, to approve June 29, 2019 as the date for the Salute to America Celebration and to purchase the fireworks display from Central State for $6000 to be paid from the gaming fund. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Nichols, seconded by Alderman Croft, to award the demolition & removal of the house at 401 S. Adams to Keppler Environmental Management for $9,450 (lowest bid) to be paid from the gaming fund. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Canterbury, seconded by Alderman Herman, to award the demolition & removal of the house at 410 S. Polk to Clancy Coleman Excavating for $9,936 (lowest bid) to be paid from the gaming fund. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Nichols, seconded by Alderman Croft, to approve the purchase of a 3-phase pump for the Sewer Department not to exceed $5,500 including labor. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Buhr, seconded by Alderman Canterbury, to approve the purchase of 84 new teeth for the Bobcat planer for $8.80 each for the Streets Department not to exceed $740. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Herman, seconded by Alderman Nichols, to approve the increase of Officer Zanon's salary to $18 per hour. All ayes. Motion passed.
Motion made by Alderman Canterbury, seconded by Alderman Nichols, to approve the purchase of the tree for the Tree of Honor Celebration to be held on April 27, 2019, not to exceed $700, to be paid from the gaming fund. All ayes. Motion passed.
Everything on the agenda for tonight was concluded and the Mayor asked the council if they had anything else to discuss or if there were any public comments. Mr. John Tobias was present to tell the community about the Athens High School Spring food drive. He introduced Rachel Schlueter from the AHS Leadership Committee who spoke to the council about the positive impact the food drive has on our community. Mr. Tobias asked if the community building here at the park would be available as a central drop off location for the community to drop off food the week of March 18-22. The food would then be delivered to the Food Bank on March 23. Mayor Dowell confirmed that the building would be available and said that the city would also be making a donation to the food drive. Many thanks were exchanged.
Next, Jan Schmidt said that she still has a water problem in her yard that she had spoken to the city about previously. She asked what was going to be done about the problem. Mayor Dowell said that the pipe in the area will be extended to the pipe on the other side, filters will be installed, and the area will be covered with dirt. Mayor Dowell said that legal papers will be drawn up and that he had already spoken to Ms. Schmidt's attorney.
Mayor Dowell thanked everyone for coming. Motion made by Alderman Buhr, seconded by Alderman Herman, to adjourn the meeting at 7:35pm. Motion passed unanimously.
https://www.athensil.com/documents/75/March_11_minutes.pdf