The Hamilton City Council meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 7.
Visitors addressed the issue of the house near them on Alvord St. that had trees fall on the roof due to the recent storms. They said it is a mess, and the absentee landlord isn’t doing much to remedy the situation. Mayor Bo Casey said he would put that at the top of his priority list.
Debbie Summers of the Finance and Appropriations Committee brought up the subject of the engagement letter with Arnold, Behrens, Nesbit, Gray, P.C., who will perform audit responsibilities for the city, with a fee not to exceed $18,500. The Council approved engaging ABNG as auditors.
Brandon Wilson represented the Health and Safety Committee.
1. The police department handled 139 calls in June, for a total of 897 calls so far this year.
2. The list of old cars that Chief Boley has is now down to one. Wilson said he would talk to the property owner and that person will have one week to comply.
3. City Hall security – The back door has been installed and the panic button still needs to be installed.
4. The committee recommended that 4-way stop signs be installed at Ninth and Broadway and 12th and Walnut. There was a first reading of these proposals.
5. Mowing bids for properties with overgrown vegetation were approved as follows:
40 North Seventh St. – $160 by Plate LLC
610 Broadway – $100 by A-1
281 South Eighth – $50 by A-1
1971 Church St. – $100 by A-1
160 South 10th – $360 by Lobonte
Beverly Boone of the Buildings and Grounds Committee noted that there were several building permits pending approval: 1) a new wooden deck to be added to a residence; 2-3) one old fence to be removed and a new one put in its place at a residence; 4) a cement sidewalk to be installed at a residence; 5) a cement walk to be widened at a residence; 6) a new garage to be built at a residence. All these permits were approved by the Council.
Steve Schlatter of the Public Works Committee gave his report.
1) Storm cleanup had gone well in most cases, and Schlatter commended the citizens for following the directions in the storm damage policy. He also thanked the Hamilton Park District for the use of their grapple, and in return the Public Works had hauled off the park’s piles of debris.
2) There is a tree at the corner of 11th and Oak that is blocking the stop sign and the city will clean that up as soon as possible.
3) The department had flushed several hydrants in preparation for an inspection. He noted that the system had been designed well and is strong, so that past inspections have gone well.
4) A new laptop computer will be purchased for the street superintendent’s position, with an estimated cost of $1,000.
Tommy Buckert of the Economic and Tourism Committee reported on the finalization of plans for the Summerfest to be held on Aug. 12 (see pictures elsewhere on this page). He noted that each event sees improvements as the committee learns how to better handle the myriad of details associated with putting of such events.
He also addressed next month’s event, Marketplace on Broadway, to be held Saturday, Sept. 2. This is the second such event and the committee is working on improving each year. This year a bounce house has been added along with two musical groups. So far response has been excellent, with 35 vendors having already signed up.
The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21. These meetings are open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend.
