Synopsis of the Morrison City Council Meeting

By LYNNETTE FORTH | For The Prairie Advocate News

MORRISON – A public hearing was held before the regular council meeting of the City of Morrison on January 28, 2013. The hearing was to discuss the low to moderate income survey that residents were recently asked to fill out.

Due to the positive response by citizens, the city will qualify to apply for a Community Development Block Grant. A spokesperson from Fehr Graham and Associates was present at the meeting to answer any questions that were asked. The grant will be for $450,000.00, but can only be used for infrastructure in the city.

Following the conclusion of the public hearing, council members continued with the regular portion of the meeting. The consent agenda was approved which included:

January 14th 2013 regular session minutes

January 17th 2013 Budget Discussion Minutes – A special session was held to discuss the budget for 2013-2014. Administrator Wise asked the council for suggestions of what they would like to have accomplished in their respective wards. Some of the suggestions included: street maintenance, Route 30 bridge, list of loans/bonds, increase revenues, keep Waterworks Park, cemetery roads, downtown littering, public works storage, and several others. The next meeting date has not been confirmed yet.

Bills Payable in the amount of $331,925.80.

Request for street closure-Emmanuel Reformed Church – The church is holding a car show on June 29th. They are requesting the use of street barricades on Morris Street and the Alley behind the church from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Items for Consideration and Possible Action included:

Request for Relief of Utility Bill for Stephanie Becker – At the last meeting, Decker asked council members to relieve her of a large water bill, that she feels she should not have to pay. Council members discussed the matter, and could not reach a conclusion previously. Becker and the water works department had conducted testing, and were unable to find a problem. Following a vote by council members, Becker was relieved of $255.00.

Resolution #13-02-Resolution of Support and Commitment of Funds – The City of Morrison will submit a grant application to the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity for a Community Development Assistance Program grant to complete waste water system improvements. The purpose of the grant application is to request funding that will be used to reduce the problem of inflow and infiltration of storm water into the city’s sewer system. Council members approved the resolution to match the funds of the grant by 25%. The project is expected to cost around $2.2 million.

Resolution #13-01-Adopting and Approving Amendments to the City of Morrison Personnel Policy Manual. Council members posed questions on several items before approval.

An Executive Session was held for the purpose of: purchase or lease of real estate 5 ILCS 120/2 © (5).

The next regular meeting is scheduled for February 11th at 6:30 p.m. in the Whiteside County Board Room. Public members are urged to attend and welcome at all meetings.