October 4, 2004
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City to adopt hotel tax increase
Monday, October 11, 2004 Posted 8:50 p.m.
The Minonk City Council was presented with a proposed ordinance that would increase the
Hotel Operators Occupation Tax from 3% to 5%. Mayor Mark Spencer said that the tax will
be passed on to the consumer at the Motel 6 at the I-39 interchange. Spencer said that the
owner of Motel 6 said the increase will not affect his business. City Administrator Trent
Smith said that the tax increase will increase revenue by approximately $2500 a year based
on present occcupation rates. Mayor Spencer said that this is a good way to get needed
revenue without having to tax local residents. Alderman Bill Koos asked where the revenue
would go. Spencer said that the money would go into the tourism fund which currently helps
fund projects like the Parade of Lights and the Fourth of July celebration. He added that
this will reduce the need to take money from the general fund for tourism. The council will
vote on the ordinance at its next meeting on November 1.
Kent Lumber building to be torn down
The chairman of the Public Works Committee, Alderman Matt Fink, told the council that
the committee has decided that the old Kent Lumber building at Sixth and Oak is not needed
by the city and should be torn down. Mayor Spencer said it must be decided who tears down the
building - the city or the lessee of the property. Alderman Ron Redenius said that Minonk
resident Joe Clark has offered to tear the building down for the lumber. City Administrator
Trent Smith said that the lessee should be given first chance to tear down the building.
Minonk resident John Hill told the council that it should require the lessee to honor his
contract and have the building torn down. Hill said there is a lot of concrete to be removed
and it will cost the city a lot of money to remove the building.
New trees delivered
City Administrator Trent Smith said that Jason Gerdes, a wholesale nurseryman from Harvard, IL, has
delivered 68 trees to the city today. Smith said the trees would be planted in the parks and along
the berms and especially along the new extension of Moran Street at the north edge of the city.
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