The resolution to approve early retirement for Chief of Police Bill Butler was tabled by the Minonk City Council until the next council meeting on June 30 because one of the documents needed for the resolution was not signed.  An agreement in which the city would buy Butler's last year of retirement would cost the city $44,450 if payments were spread out over 5 years.  However, depending on Butler's replacement, the city could save money by hiring a new Chief of Police at a lower salary. Mayor Bill Koos said that the appointment of Butler was extended until June 30 when the council meets again to discuss the early retirement resolution.

Storm water Discussion

Bob Coclasure from the Farnsworth Group, engineering consultants to the city, gave the council a primer on storm water planning.  He said the state is encouraging cities to develop a long term plan for storm water.  After the 1950's sewage and storm water were transported in the same line.  Since then any new development requires separate pipes for sanitary and storm water.  Coclasure said that infiltration and inflow has caused average daily flow in the sewer system to increase because of run off from rain water and other surface water.  The state wants to eliminate sewage going into creeks during large rainfalls.  Sewer systems are designed to handle 5 or 10 year rainfalls.  Extreme rainfalls cannot be handled by most sewer systems creating backup onto city streets which is something most cities accept because it is too costly to develop sewer systems for 100 year rainfalls.

Coclasure said that it would cost the City of Minonk over $1 million to put in a 42 inch pipe to upgrade its sewer system to discharge storm water away from the sewer pipes.  Mayor Koos said that the biggest problem in the city is at Fourth and Locust because that is the lowest point in the city.  Koos said the city is budgeting to fix this problem.  He added that he wants the public to be aware that there is no easy answer to the city's flood problems and that the city is setting aside money each year to address this issue.  The city is budgeting $30,000 this year for future sewer projects.

Council rejects request for sewer work reimbursement

The council rejected a request from John Hawk to be reimbursed $1500 for sewer work done on his property.  Hawk stated that the sewer line was clogged with tree roots on city property and he had to pay a contractor to dig up property to find the plugged tile.  However, Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire said that the city went well beyond what was required of the city as city workers spent time excavating the city main line and replacing the sidewalk.  Hawk said that he had a video of the work done that defined the problem.  The council decided not to view the video and decided against Hawk's claims.

Cattails to be removed from Motel Six pond

The council accepted a bid to clean out the retention pond next to Motel Six at the I-39 exchange.  Hofstatter Material & Service of Metamora will be paid $7,727.92 to pull out the cattails lining the perimeter of the pond and replace with riprap (small rock).  Mayor Koos said that the city was originally going to use the hotel tax to put in a fountain in the pond but the pond was become overrun with cattails and that situation had to be addressed first.

Other news

The council approved a request by Laborer's Local 996 to solicit donations during Father Day's weekend, June 18,  for the benefit of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida.

Steffens 3-D was awarded the bid for the oil and chip projects this summer for the amount of $16,583.60.  The work will be done on the Moran Street extension, the city hall parking lot on Chestnut Street, and the west side of Maple Avenue between 7th and 8th streets.

City Administrator Trent Smith said that the state now has a statute that includes cats in the category of animals running at large.  Smith said that the city can create an ordinance that would allow the city to capture or take in feral cats but they must be held for 72 hours and then either released or destroyed. In addition, the council will have to decide if it wants to create a place for holding the cats.