(PHOTO BY JESSIE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
ROUGH ROAD AHEAD … The state of Pelton Drive in Delta, seen here, was the subject of complaints from a resident who wanted to know when it might be repaved, something she said had not happened in 40 years.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Residents shared their concerns regarding multiple roadways in need of repairs during Monday’s meeting of the Delta Village Council.
In particular, they pointed out the condition of roads in the Enterprise Drive/Rogers Street area as well as Pelton Drive.
One resident of Pelton Drive reported she did not believe the street had been paved in 40 years, and said she would not pay to have her sidewalk repaired while it continues to be damaged by snowplows and nothing is done about the road.
She and her husband, having been rebuffed by other council members and village staff in the past, said they would be happy to at least get some kind of official update on when and how the street could be addressed – whether that was it being added to the village’s next five-year infrastructure plan or just having an estimate completed showing what the work would cost.
Council member Robert Shirer said the current five-year infrastructure plan spanned from 2022 through 2026, and meetings for the plan covering 2027 through 2031 wouldn’t be held until next year.
He said he would appreciate her coming to those meetings, once scheduled, to ensure the road would be included.
Later in the meeting, Law Director Kevin Heban pointed out that even if a road repair project is not part of an established, budgeted plan, there is still an opportunity for them to be completed by assessing the related costs or a portion of them to the adjacent property owners, who could pay such costs over a period of time.
Where property owners were interested in and willing to participate in such a way, he said it can help a repair occur sooner. “Just because it’s not in the plan doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Heban said.
WATER WOES
Interim Village Administrator Edward Ciecka reported to the council that he had found state code authorizing a reduction to the utility bill due from a woman who had suffered a water line break on her side of her water meter.
Because the water did not enter the sewer system, the village will be able to eliminate those costs from the affected portion of her usage, reducing her bill from more than $737 to about $344. In addition, she will be able to pay the remaining cost in installments over time.
Ciecka further reported that he looked into the possibility, raised and initially investigated by prior village administrator Andy Glenn, of installing equipment capable of providing ongoing meter readings to the village (as opposed to monthly readings) with notifications sent to residents when their usage became abnormal.
He said installation costs related to antennas would be roughly $57,000 with a further $10,000 cost for the customer portal, but balked at the ongoing cost of $15,000 annually, which he called “pretty steep.”
In later updates on village finances, Ciecka said in reviewing the wastewater fund that, while revenue projections were “right on target,” expenses were not.
“The operating budget that was adopted did not take in fully your expenses that are being incurred in that department,” he said.
According to Ciecka, covering costs in 2023 required a $160,000 transfer from the general fund despite the fact that the wastewater fund is supposed to be fully covered by its own revenues.
A further transfer from the general fund will again be required in 2024, Ciecka said, on a short enough timeline that he will have to bring an item to cover the transfer to the next meeting.
“Please knock on wood that we have no major equipment failures at wastewater like we did at the lift station on County Road 9,” he said. “It’s very tight right now.
FARMERS’ MARKET
Councilors temporarily balked at the reported request by the Delta Chamber of Commerce to use the parking lot at the intersection of Wilson Street and Main Street for the monthly farmers’ market, to take place from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
“I don’t think that’s gonna fly with the businesses on a Friday night,” Council member Lynn Frank said. Recommendations for other locations were posed, including the parking lot across from the administration building and the parking lot at the intersection of North Wilson Street and Palmwood Street.
Council members eventually agreed they didn’t oppose the use of the requested lot, but recommended chamber leadership check with businesses who would be affected prior to staging the event there. The chamber has already applied to the police department for an event permit.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council passed on second reading a resolution authorizing the village administrator to pay Delta’s share of the Fulton County engineer’s County Road H reconstruction project, an amount of roughly $55,000, or approximately 8 percent of the project total.
Heban reported on behalf of the police department that the department was losing a full-time officer effective September 13, and that the position had already been advertised.
It was reported that the village will be receiving a $9,250 reimbursement grant to cover costs related to the police department’s purchase of body-worn cameras.
The council voted to authorize local girl scouts to use a room in the administration building for a birthday party. The council ended the meeting by going into executive session “to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, or compensation of a public employee or official, or the investigation of charges or complaints against a public employee, official, licensee, or regulated individual.” No action was expected as a result of the session.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 13 at 401 Main Street in Delta.