There was plenty of business to tend to last week when the Elgin City Council met.
Four members of the council and Mayor Mike Schmitt took care of formal business, approving a budget for 2019/2020 and an accompanying tax levy.
The approved budget calls for a tax asking of $157,308, up five percent from one year ago.
The tax levy will be .392471, up two percent from one year ago. City Clerk Vicki Miller said the increase was due to sewer repairs, the proposed library addition, an additional salary for the deputy clerk as well as the water main project/sidewalk/cub & gutter project. There were no public comments regarding the budget and tax levy.
However, some items discussed during the regular meeting may soon create some public discussion.
Discussion was held on prohibited dogs which have been brought into the city limits. An ordinance banning certain breeds of dogs from being kept in Elgin was enacted several years ago.
That and an increasing number of unlicensed dogs in Elgin has prompted discussion of the city following through with prosecution.
To address the problem, the council instructed Miller to place signs at the post office and Dean’s Market to alert residents to the problem.
If the problem continues, City Hall will contact the Antelope County Sheriff’s Department to issue citations. If found guilty, the fines imposed will be much higher than the cost of a dog license.
In other action:
Increase — The city approved a motion to increase the water deposit from $100 to $200 so it would cover most quarterly totals. The request was made by a property owner who has had to pay the remaining bill for several renters when they moved out of town.
Amendment — The council approved amending a July 2018 contract with Advanced Consulting Engineering Services for water main improvements. The amendment calls for an increase totalling $23,500, pending clarification from City Engineer John Zwingman.
More money — An amount of just over $250,000 was approved for payment to A&R Construction for the Beech Street paving project.
Ordinance — Following a closed session which lasted 40 minutes, the council approved Ordinance #655 to set wages for City employees for the coming year.
The ordinance can be found on Page Eight of this newspaper.
Report — The sheriff’s report for July showed 101 hours and 33 minutes of patrol in Elgin.
