At last night's meeting, council members had to choose between pursuing a three or five-mill increase. A motion for the three-mill increase was made by Steve Strickland but did not receive enough votes to pass. A motion for five mills then tied with Norman Johnson and Devin Conner voting yes and Steve Strickland and Curtis Whittley voting no. Mayor Gary Minnich broke the tie in favor of the five-mill increase. The council set a hearing for the budget and to exceed the revenue neutral rate for Tuesday, September 8th at 6 p.m. This hearing will allow the public to learn more about the increase and weigh in on the issue before it's finalized.
After the vote, a discussion regarding the increase took place between the audience and the council regarding the increase. Mayor Gary Minnich says between the mowing the city has to do and delinquent taxes, they are out nearly $100,000.
After more discussion on the grass issue, City Attorney Seth Jones says it's not as simple as just giving someone a ticket.
In other business, the council approved Jones to draft a change to the city code reducing the limit on weed heights for a property to be considered blighted from 12 to 8 inches. The council will vote on the matter once the change is drafted. The council also set a work session with the Fair Board to discuss improvements at Logan Park for 6 p.m. on August 31st.
