By: Jacob Kessler
The Metamora Village Council met on Wednesday, September 1st. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Council then moved to approve minutes from the previous meeting on August 16th followed by a reading of the bills and the solicitors report.
In old business, the council discussed the letter that was mailed to 271 Mill Street regarding tall grass. The letter stated that the issue had to be corrected within one week.
A discussion took place regarding what to do next since the issue had not yet been resolved and the deadline had expired.
It was decided to send a copy of the Village Ordinances through certified mail that states a $150 fine per day plus court costs could be applicable if the matter is not resolved. A deadline of August 13th was given due to it being the next meeting.
The deadline for Al Lehenbauer was also extended to the next meeting due to him trying to work something out with the Village.
Ditch mowing will be getting looked at regarding areas that have been getting mowed. Some areas are not the responsibility of the Village, and it will no longer be continuing.
A letter stating this will be drafted by the Solicitor. Council then moved hear ordinance 1061 regarding the hiring of Deborah Lietzke and declaring an emergency. A motion was made to suspend the rules which was approved followed by a motion for the ordinance which also passed.
Resident Ervin Witt was then given the time to address council. Mr. Witt was concerned with the state of the Village sewer system and his house.
He stated that, when it rains over 2 inches per hour, the plumbing in his house gets backed up with sewer and it comes up his drains.
He continued to say that he had Roto-Rooter come out and look at the system and they told him that his pipes were clean to the road. Mr. Witt also stated that he had approached council about this 14 months ago, but nothing had been done.
Discussions took place with council members and Mr. Witt who all eventually agreed to come into the house and put dye through the drains to see if there are any issues.
Richard Hertzfeld and Danielle Steinhauser from CT Consultants then addressed council. A proposal was made from the representatives to offer their services for engineering and grant writing.
Discussions took place between council and the representatives regarding plans to rebuild the East Pump Station and grant writing.
Council seemed very interested in moving forward with the company and approved a motion that was made to have CT Consultants make a proposal for the lift station.
In new business, the discussion that was going to take place regarding the 2022 Park-O-Rama was tabled. A local cub scouts’ leader had reached out and asked if anyone of them would be interested in speaking to the den.
One of the boys’ requirements for this year is to meet with a community leader to discuss current issues in the community. Council Member John Pupos offered to be the one to speak with the cub scouts.
In the Village Fiscal report, the American Rescue Plan Act grant was filed and approved for the first payment of $31,844.32 which was to be deposited within the week.
A motion was made to increase Expense Line B10-6-B-239-00 (Tree Maintenance) to include the $2,000 quote for removing the tree in front of 315 East Main Street.
The August 14th Chicken BBQ profit was $2,054.54. Timothy Meienburg, who is the State Auditor, requested that the mayor and council members fill out a questionnaire in order to get an audit plan finished.
The meeting was then adjourned at 8:11 p.m.
Jacob can be reached at jacob@thevillagereporter.com