The Minonk City Council approved several ordinances at their normal Monday night meeting that kept the development of the proposed raceway north of Minonk on track.  The ordinances approved by the council changed the zoning in Section Six from R1 (residential) to C1 (commercial).  Secondly, the property was subdivided so that the landfill located in Section Six will be excluded from the purchase of the land as it will be continued to be monitored by the Illinois EPA to ensure that compliance with its closure by the owners, USA Waste Management, is maintained.  Another ordinance was passed that stipulated that a 3% gate fee will be added to the admission price of all tickets sold at the raceway in Section Six and monthly remittances must be made to the city for the gate tax. Finally, the council passed the ordinance that annexed Section Six into the city.

The approval of the ordinances gives a green light to developer Randy Hellyer to proceed with the development of the raceway.  Operations Manager Joe Spence said the council's action was a huge step forward as it allows the raceway developers to take possession of the land and market a product to potential investors and racers.  Hellyer thanked the city council for their support.  He said that the people of Minonk will be proud of this facility as every effort will be made to make it a first class operation.  Hellyer said that half of the commercial lots are already sold and that real estate in Minonk has picked up mainly because of the proposed raceway.  He said that they expect to break ground for the raceway this fall and plan to have the drag strip and road track ready sometime next year.  The oval track will be completed the following year.

Council approves funds for park gazebo

The council approved a request to pay $1500 for the concrete foundation for the proposed gazebo in the Westside Park.  Jerri Sue Johnson of the Westside Park Pavilion Committee told the council that the committee has decided on the purchase of a vinyl gazebo to be built on the side of the old bandstand in the middle of the park.  Johnson said that the structure will cost $8700 which can be paid with funds left over from construction of the pavilion and from funds donated for the gazebo.  She said that $1500 is needed to pour a concrete foundation for the gazebo.  The concrete base will have the same color as the walls of the pavilion to provide a blending of the two structures.  The committee hopes to have the gazebo in place in time for the Fourth of July celebration.

Mayor delays appointment of Chief of Police

Mayor Bill Koos said that the re-appointment of Chief of Police Bill Butler will be delayed until the next council meeting on June 1.  The mayor announced the other appointments to the various committees.

Pavilion restroom maintenance addressed

Westside Park Pavilion Committee member Dave Uphoff asked if the city had a plan in place to maintain the restrooms at the city's parks.  Uphoff said he has received complaints about the filthy conditions of the restrooms at the pavilion.  He said he felt the city was obligated to maintain the pavilion after so many people donated their time and money to build the structure.  Mayor Koos said the maintenance of the pavilion will be addressed as will the problem of vandalism in the city's parks.

Cat problem

A resident in the trailer court in the 1000 block of Locust Street asked if there was an ordinance that covered the problem of feral cats and if it was ok to shoot the cats.  The resident maintained that there were over 30 cats running wild in his neighborhood and pose a nuisance.  Mayor Koos said that there is no ordinance covering cats at any government level.  Koos said that cats are not considered dangerous like dogs and, therefore, are not considered a danger to the public.  He did say that the Department of Health can be contacted to see if the cats can be considered a health hazard due to the accumulation of feces in the area.

ESDA awareness

ESDA member Ron Redenius asked the council to make the public aware of the services provided by ESDA personnel.  He said that ESDA does storm watches when tornado warnings are in effect, performs traffic control at major events like the Fourth of July and the Parade of Lights, and cleans up hazardous spills.  Redenius said that ESDA is looking for new members.  Mayor Koos said that he has asked the ESDA  staff to provide a disaster recovery plan in case of loss of communications within the city or a loss of city hall.  Koos said that a plan to save and recover vital city records must be developed.  The mayor also added that he plans to have ESDA involved in traffic control for the new raceway on weekend events.

Sewer problems voiced by resident

John Hawk of East Fourth Street asked the council to compensate him for $1500 he paid to have his sewer line dug up only to find that the sewer blockage was in the city's sewer line outside of his property line.  Hawk complained that he has had sewer problems since November 2003 but his complaints have fell upon deaf ears at city hall.  He said that he has been active in city volunterism and has tried to be a good citizen but has been treated rudely by the city in his attempt to resolve the problem.  Instead of trying to work with him, he said that the city threatened to bill him instead for any work done by the city involving his sewer problems.  Hawk said he has video tapes of all the work done on his sewer that proves the problem is with the city sewer lines and wants an apology from the city for their rude treatment.  Mayor Koos said that the issue will be brought up at the next city council meeting.

Other news

The city approved a resolution to adopt NIMS (National Incident Management System) as the requisite emergency management system in time of disasters or emergencies.  The adoption includes required training by public officials through seminars and online courses.  Failure to adopt this resolution would prevent the city from receiving federal disaster funds.

City Administrator's Comments

City Administrator Trent Smith said that he is waiting to get an estimate for a sound system for the council chambers as well as a system to record all council meetings.

The curbing has been finished on Maple Avenue.  The next step is to oil and chip the area next to the curb as soon as IDOT approves the MFT project.

A request for temporary speed bumps has been received for the north end of Veterans Park next to the baseball diamonds.  The bumps would be removed in the winter to allow for snow removal.  The price per 9 foot section is $109.00.