Members of Mineral City Council agreed to send a letter to the Tusky Valley School District asking for a change in where the school buses pick up students. The decision was made after hearing from John and Holly Mosley at the Aug. 14 meeting of village council.
John Mosley said his daughter Ashley was nearly hit by cars three times last year when trying to cross state Route 800 to board the bus. He asked if it was possible to hire a crossing guard.
Mayor Laurie Green said the village is not in a position to pay for a crossing guard, and in the past, the crossing guards were nearly hit by cars many times. Council member Beth Nill suggested the Mosleys contact the Dr. Derek Varansky, superintendent, or Mr. Scott Pennell, the school’s transportation director, to request that the bus pick up students on the west side of High Street so they don’t have to cross the road.
Additional public comments
Susan and Richard Winkler, residents on Center Street, told council the siding on their garage was damaged by a brush hog operator Wednesday, Aug. 6. The Winklers have photos and other documentation regarding the damage.
Council agreed to compensate the Winklers in the amount of $300, which was the estimate they received for the repairs.
Resident Mark Montgomery told council he now has current license plates for all the vehicles on his property. He also asked if tree limbs can be trimmed on the northwest corner of Fair and Grant streets so he can get his motor home through.
Francis Adams asked council for a grace period to remedy some zoning violations. Adams said she has hired a contractor to help fix things, but he is so busy he can’t perform the work for a couple of months.
Adams also asked for a document outlining exactly what the violations are and what council wants her to do. Council agreed to provide Adams with a detailed explanation and to grant her the grace period needed.
Public meeting on income tax ballot measure
Council agreed to hold a public meeting to answer residents’ questions on the 2% income tax increase that will be on the November ballot. The meeting will take place Monday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. at the fire station.
Council member Rick Cain said the village needs to be prepared to show people exactly what revenue is taken in each year, how it is spent, and what council plans to do with the money generated by the income tax increase.
Green agreed, saying the village needs to be accountable to the public. She also said council members should be prepared to talk about all the services the village provides and what services are at risk if the income tax measure does not pass.
In other business
Reporting for the Parks Committee, Cain said Beth Nill had obtained an estimate of $44,000 from a landscaping company for grass seed and straw in the new park. Cain obtained another estimate from ACE Lawn and Landscape for $10,600, which includes grass seed and straw. Cain the village can get the straw and place it rather than paying ACE to do it, which would bring the estimate down to around $8,400.
Beth Nill reported for zoning, saying she addressed two neighbor complaints, one regarding junk outside and one about uncut grass. Nill also said when sending zoning letters, she is providing information on how to contact Harold Riley, who will remove junk cars for free.
In new business, Cain was given the go-ahead to contact two local realtors about placing the school property on the market to bring in some revenue.
Council passed a resolution by emergency to reallocate $3,200 within the general fund.
Mineral City Council meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 5 p.m. at village hall. All meetings are open to the public.
