As Mayor Cindy Shanks opened the September 14 Canton City Council meeting, she took the opportunity to thank former clerk Brock Bergey and give him credit for the role he played in the city recovering from misdeeds by his predecessor. She admitted to being unprepared at the special meeting held in late August where the council had accepted Bergey’s resignation. “Everything … [Read more...]
Houston County approves contract with Spring Grove for law enforcement services
Houston County Commissioners approved the Houston County and City of Spring Grove inter-agency agreement for the city’s law enforcement services at the September 13 commission meeting. The agreement is on the City of Spring Grove’s meeting agenda for next week, Tuesday, September 20. Sheriff Mark Inglett explained, “Exhibit A closely defines the services that we will provide. … [Read more...]
Museum proposed for Houston’s old community center
Shelly Jerviss appeared before the Houston City Council at the September 12 meeting to ask permission to explore the possibility of creating a museum in the old community center. Representing Jim Skree and herself, Jerviss explained the museum would be a non-profit run on grants and donations. It would collect the history of the city, accept items for display, and only hold … [Read more...]
Rushford approves draft purchase agreement
At the September 12 meeting, the Rushford City Council unanimously approved a draft purchase agreement for the former Farmers Win Cooperative site in the heart of downtown. The council reviewed the proposed purchase agreement in a closed meeting before the start of the regular meeting. According to City Clerk Kathy Zacher and a draft provided at the meeting, the focus of the … [Read more...]
Rushford Village approves contract extension; digs into budget
At the September 6 meeting, the Rushford Village Council heard details of offers for garbage and recycling collection contract extensions. Jeff Holmquist, sales manager for Harter’s Quick Clean-Up, was on hand to discuss the options. As the current contract will expire in February 2023, the village wanted to explore the option of no longer owning the rolling carts as a way to … [Read more...]
Fountain council approves preliminary levy
The Fountain Council approved the preliminary tax levy for 2023 at the September 7 meeting. While the final levy can ultimately be less than the amount approved, it cannot be higher. The final levy will be approved in December. The total preliminary levy was $231,142. The represents $123,142 for general tax levy, $65,000 for the sewer fund $35,000 for Capital Improvement, and … [Read more...]
CUP to repair Root River levee approved
Houston County Planning Commission held a meeting on Thursday, August 25, 2022, to review a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) Environmental Services from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to repair a levee along the Root River in a flood plain district in Hokah Township. The CUP application states, “fill material for the repair will be obtained from on-site, previous ag fields … [Read more...]
Kingsland hears options for gym roof repair
During the Kingsland School Board meeting on September 7, the board heard from Brian Miller, representing the Garland Company. Miller showed pictures from 2020 and 2021, and explained that the windstorm in 2021 partially lifted the roofing, which allowed the insulation to be shifted around, resulting in an uneven roof surface. He said this causes pooling of water, which will … [Read more...]
Preston discusses 2023 budget
The first draft of the 2023 budget was reviewed and discussed at the city council’s September 6 meeting. City Administrator Ryan Throckmorton noted some of the challenges they faced, including the fact that the administrator position cost is no longer split with Preston Public Utilities. The revenue coming to the city from the utility in 2022 for that position was nearly … [Read more...]
Houston School goodbyes and hellos
As the new school year began, it was time for the Houston School Board to welcome their new assistant principal, Angela McQuinn, as she attended her first school board meeting September 1. McQuinn has her office in the East Building and serves as the principal onsite for the Summit Learning Center, but also works in all the other brick and mortar buildings of Houston School. … [Read more...]