At the September 11 Canton City Council meeting, nuisance properties were the topic of discussion. The council discussed multiple nuisance properties that have either been warned or cited.
One of the main properties involved belongs to Danny Whalen, who did attend the meeting. Whalen will be appearing in court on October 8 to enter a plea for 2018 misdemeanor charges that are along the same property issues. City Clerk Brock Bergey told Whalen that the community had commented on how his effort to cleaning up for Canton Day Off was an improvement from before. Whalen said they can press new charges if he does not clean up the property, but the council did empathize that it will just become another cycle. There were a couple of other nuisance properties, such as Torgerson, who has been cited; the Scrabeks, where there has still been no response; Popplewell, who is in charge of the old school; plus a few more that were noted during the meeting.
Another meeting visitor, Dave Kimber, was looking to get a building permit. Kimber plans to build a garage that will be 40 by 60 feet and 12 feet tall. The garage will be set back and the same height as the surrounding houses.
Another big topic of the night was the winter street parking policy. There will be a change to their parking on main street during the upcoming months. Canton will be taking in Mabel’s policy and using the same ideals. There will be alternate side parking, so plows are able to clean the roads easier, also for those who do not follow the alternate side parking will result in a warning, then if not fixed there will be a ticket. There will be a public hearing for this policy on October 9 at 7 p.m., pushing back the city council meeting to start at 7:30.
Other business in brief
•Fencing, used for a contained area for children and dogs, for the Bradfords was approved.
•There was a $2,000 donation from the fire department accepted by the council that will be donated to PERA.
•The 2020 tax levy was a little behind, vote to put in a 10% increase was passed.
•The council went over the August police report; afterwards Bergey brought up an officer possibly coming to one of the upcoming meetings.
•There will be a Mabel-Canton School Board, City of Mabel, and City of Canton joint meeting, with at least one representative from the Canton City Council present, on September 18 at 6 p.m. at the Mabel-Canton media center.
•There was another bill for electricity added to the financial report. The new “welcome” sign, which will be up in a couple of weeks, is where this bill comes from.
•Mayor Johnson spoke about the Mitson House and the repairs it will need. The wallpaper is peeling because of the humidity, there is water damage to the ceilings, and the biggest concern is the electrical (because of the age).
•Jon Nordsving brought the maintenance building’s furnace to the council’s attention. It makes noises while running and isn’t working at it’s best anymore. Carl Ernst said to get a price range and it will be discussed more.
•The council decided to wait to see the outcome of the court decision for the owner of ZZ Tap before suspending or revoking his liquor license. He has been charged with two felonies, and the council wants to see the court’s decision so it is clear on what they should do with the license.
•“Infants Remembered in Silence” was also discussed. Canton’s name will be added to a list with other cities who recognized this association.
•Charlie Warner requested to go over the noise ordinance. It was brought up that some people may be afraid to file a complaint because they feel their anonymity will be uncovered. Council expresses that people need to file complaints and will need police to step in and enforce.
The next Canton City Council meeting is on October 9, at 7:30 p.m.
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