East Central Reporter

City of Neoga City Council met May 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Helm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Those present were Commissioners Williams, Schabbing, Edwards, Letizia, and Mayor Helm. Others present were City Clerk Brenda Evans, City Treasurer Diana Foor, Police Chief Andy Schabbing, Superintendent of Public Works Shawn Durbin, Billie Chambers, and Tom Strohl.

Commissioner Letizia asked Mayor Helm if the Council could have a moment of silence in honor of Mayor Marty Hartke. Mayor Helm asked everyone to honor Mayor Hartke in a moment of silence.

MINUTES

After reviewing the regular session minutes from April 22, 2024, Commissioner Edwards made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Williams. Ayes, Commissioner Edwards, Letizia, Williams, and Mayor Helm. Commissioner Schabbing abstained. Nays, none. Motion carried. 4-0.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Tom Strohl addressed the council regarding the following concerns/suggestions:

• Building remodel- Mr. Strohl told the council that he has concerns about remodeling the two buildings downtown when the police department already uses the Community Center for K9 training and the nurse’s room would work great for the evidence room. Strohl said he didn’t know how many rooms were rented at the Community Center, but he thought the building should be able to address all the city’s concerns.

• Neighborhood vehicles – due to the number of streets prohibiting neighborhood vehicles, some areas of Neoga are not accessible using a neighborhood vehicle. Strohl asked if the Council would update the ordinance.

• Sidewalks – Strohl said that several sidewalks have areas that need repairs. Strohl asked if the city could use student labor or part time man power to repair the sidewalks.

• Overgrown properties – Mr. Strohl told the Council that there are several residential homes that have not been maintained and need major attention. For areas such as along Rt. #45, the city employees need to purchase an old style sickle bar to use with the mower.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS, MAYOR HELM

SEAMLESS FIBER SERVICE

City Clerk Evans explained that the city has Mediacom for internet services at the city building and police department but uses Cumberland Internet at the Community Center. Evans said the price is great for Cumberland Internet at the Community Center, but it is not very reliable. Due to that problem, we have problems with the cameras and door locks at the Community Center. Evans said she has spoken with Seamless Fiber and the cost to have Seamless Fiber will be as follows:

Community Center $50 / mo.

Public Works $50 / mo.

Municipal & Police Dept. $175 / mo.

Evans explained the speed at the municipal and police department will be twice the speed as the public works and community center. After a brief discussion, Commissioner Edwards made a motion to have Seamless Fiber installed at all three properties. Commissioner Letizia seconded the motion. Ayes, Commissioner Edwards, Letizia, Williams, Schabbing, and Mayor Helm. Nays, none. Motion carried. 5-0.

GARAGE REPAIRS

Superintendent Durbin informed the council that the garage at the Community Center needs major repairs. Durbin presented an estimate for the material in the amount of $3,400.61 and said the public works employees could repair the building themselves. Commissioner Williams made a motion to purchase the materials to repair the garage at $3,400.61. Commissioner Letizia seconded the motion. Ayes, Commissioner Williams, Schabbing, Edwards, Letizia, and Mayor Helm. Nays, none. Motion carried. 5-0.

PAINTING THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING

City Clerk Evans presented an invoice to the council from Rick’s Painting for painting the community room and hall way at the Municipal building. Commissioner Schabbing said that she felt the painting could have been done by the public works employees. City Clerk Evans agreed; however, it would have taken longer due to working it into their schedule which would have disrupted parties that had booked the back room. After a lengthy discussion, Commissioner Edwards made a motion to approve the invoice in the amount of $1375. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Williams. Ayes, Commissioner Edwards, Letizia, Williams, and Mayor Helm. Nays, Commissioner Schabbing. Motion carried. 4-1.

FINANCE, COMMISSIONER SCHABBING

TREASURER’S REPORT

After reviewing the treasurer’s report, Mayor Helm ordered that the treasurer’s report be filed in the City Clerk’s records.

LOAN PAYMENT

City Treasurer Foor explained to the council that the USDA loan balance on April 1st had a balance of $1,075,000. Because of the balance being over $1,000,000 this would force the city into a higher-level audit. A higher-level audit will take longer and be more expensive than the lower-level audit. With that said, it was recommended to make a payment before the May 1st due date to bring the balance below the $1,000,000. Foor said a check was sent for $100,000 from the sewer account to bring the balance down and to save the city money and time on the audit. Commissioner Edwards made a motion to approve the payment of $100,000 to the USDA loan. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Letizia. Ayes, Commissioner Edwards, Letizia, Williams, Schabbing, and Mayor Helm. Nays, none. Motion carried. 5-0.

PUBLIC PROPERTY, COMMISSIONER LETIZIA

PURCHASE OF NEW COMPUTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS

Superintendent Durbin informed the council that the computer that the department uses for daily reports quit working and is not able to be fixed. A new Dell computer & monitor will be $1,019.48. Commissioner Edwards made a motion to purchase the computer & monitor for $1,019. 48. Commissioner Schabbing seconded the motion. Ayes, Commissioner Edwards, Letizia, Williams, Schabbing, and Mayor Helm. Nays, none. Motion carried. 5-0.

WATER TOWER REPAIRS

Superintendent Durbin told the council the concrete pad under the leg of the water tower is crumbling apart and needs repaired. According to an estimate that Durbin received, the cost will be approximately $12,300. It was recommended that he obtain additional estimates.

SEWER LINING / WATER LINE GRANTS

Engineer Beckman informed the council that if they would like to apply for sewer lining or water line grants now is the time to start documenting problem areas. Beckman recommended taking pictures of standing water, collecting letters from residents with sewer problems and keeping records of phone calls.

ITEP BIDS

Engineer Beckman updated the Council that the bids were opened on the ITEP project, and there was only one bidder. McCarthy Improvement Company’s bid came in at $1,130,147 which is approximately $60,000 higher than the estimate was in 2020 when the city applied for the grant. However, the state has changed from 80/20 grant to 90/10 grant so the city’s portion of the project will be less than previously expected. There will be a resolution at the next meeting to award the bid.

STREETS AND ALLEYS, COMMISSIONER EDWARDS ROCK PILE

A lengthy discussion was held regarding moving the rock pile located in the north parking lot on Chestnut Avenue. It was the consensus of the Council to leave the pile at it’s current location, until the businesses downtown are closer to opening.

HEALTH AND SAFETY, COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS

TIRE & HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM

Commissioner Williams reminded everyone about the City-wide cleanup on Saturday, May 18th from 8-11 a.m.

Commissioner Williams informed the Council that City Clerk Evans has spoken with the county about hosting a tire & hazardous waste program as a county wide project. According to Evans, they will talk to the County Health Department Administrator and get back with us.

OTHER BUSINESS

Chief Schabbing said that the police have sent several ordinance letters to property owners regarding nuisance violations and information regarding the city-wide cleanup. He hopes this will help get some properties cleaned up. Also, Friday will be the last day of school.

Superintendent Durbin said that he received additional funds from Cumberland County for larvicide. Commissioner Williams asked if Durbin could address some of the ditches that are still holding water and broom all the streets in town.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

Commissioner Edwards made a motion to move into executive session for Personnel Section 2 (c)(1) – employee hiring, firing, compensation, discipline, and performance and Sales or Lease of Real Estate – Section 2 (c)(6) – Limited to actual setting of price for sale or lease. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Schabbing at 8:12 p.m. Ayes, Commissioner Edwars, Letizia, Williams, Schabbing, and Mayor Helm. Nays, none. Motion carried. 5-0.

RECONVENED AND ROLL CALL

The meeting was reconvened at 9:00 p.m. by a motion from Commissioner Letizia and seconded by Commissioner Edwards. Those present for roll call were Commissioner Edwards, Letizia, Williams, Schabbing, and Mayor Helm.

ADJOURNMENT

Commissioner Edwards made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:01. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Williams. Ayes, Commissioner Edwards, Letizia, Williams, Schabbing, and Mayor Helm. Nays, none. Motion carried. 5-0.

https://neoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Minutes-May-13-2024.pdf