Mayor Bill Koos cleared the air on the city's stance on a proposed
Enterprise Zone mentioned in an article on the Peoria Journal
Star. The following is a
statement made by the mayor made at the Minonk City Council meeting
last Monday night.
"Let me first preface my
statement by saying that the City of Minonk
sincerely appreciates and completely respects every opportunity to hear ideas
or plans that may have economic benefits to our community. All proposals made whether they be from the
private or public sector are each given careful consideration and review and
then acted upon accordingly and through the democratic process.
This brings me to the
February 16, 2006 issue of
the
Peoria Journal State.
Quote, “Minonk is asking
Marshall County to lend a hand in efforts to spark commercial
development at the edge of the small
Woodford
County city" end
quote.
And then again quote, "A group of
Minonk officials and business leaders are working to annex an area around the
Interstate 39 interchange into
Marshall
County.
The annexation would include a proposed motor
sports racing complex and is necessary to offer tax benefits to potential
developers” end quote.
As the Mayor of Minonk I would
like to clearly state for the record that the City of
Minonk has NOT initiated any proposals or
discussions on any matter concerning an Enterprise Zone.
The City of
Minonk was invited to this meeting with the
understanding it was for information gathering purposes only.
A way to learn about Enterprise Zones and
their benefits.
The presence of city
officials, (1) alderman, and the city administrator was to gather information
so we could understand the advantages and/or disadvantages of Enterprise Zone
tools being used by other communities.
Making assumptions by any and all parties in attendance at this specific
meeting that the City of
Minonk
was somehow promoting or giving an endorsement of the plan was totally
premature, and completely unwarranted.
As I stated earlier, the City of
Minonk
sincerely appreciates and respects any and all business proposals that may
benefit our community.”
Other news
In other action the City Council hired Nathan Steinwedel as a full-time police officer
for the City of
Minonk.
Steinwedel, who is from Peoria and was a part-time police officer
for the City, will receive a starting salary of $25,695.
The council approved parking on the east side of the alley between Chestnut Street and
Walnut Street
between 5th and 6th Streets. The area had been designated a no parking zone for over 25 years but was seldom enforced until recently.
City Administrator Trent Smith said that three
people will be interviewed on Tuesday, February
21, for a new EMS Chief. Smith also noted that the city-wide spring cleanup will probably be held on a weekend in the latter part
of April. The clean-up will be on
a Tuesday and Wednesday following the town-wide garage sale.