In Butler City Council new with the weather we’re having, we want to remind you that the city of Butler has a snow clearance policy, here’s what happens when we have a big snow…
To begin with, it’s only natural that they clean the busiest streets first. Some of our well-traveled streets come under the jurisdiction of the state, and so the city and state people cooperate in caring for business I-49 and 52, and route “H,” then the remaining streets will then be cleared, as quickly as possible.
Remember that a snow plow is not a piece of magic…it will clear snow nicely, but ice hugs the pavement and is very difficult to remove. For that reason, motorists must not trust streets to be immediately safe, just because a snow plow has been through. Watch for icy and other slick places. Use common sense when you drive.
In other Council news, the Council’s Finance Committee is still working on the final touches to the next city budget, with the fiscal year beginning April 1st. There’ll be a public hearing at the March 5th meeting so you can see the plan.
Many of you were awakened at about one a.m., February 14th, by Butler’s warning siren blasting away on at least one of the horns. Thankfully, it was a false alarm, but you should always pay attention until you know whether a siren is a real warning.
At any rate, upon consulting with Butler’s communications system contractor, it was determined that a card in one of the computers malfunctioned, causing the siren to sound. Repairs have been made, and that hopefully took care of the problem.
The Butler post office has contacted City Hall about the ongoing problems they’re having with people putting their electric bill in the wrong box. Your mail goes in the mail box, with postage, and your utility bill goes in the second box, which the City has put there for your convenience. And postage is NOT required there. The post office would like the city to consider moving their drop box to another location, to resolve the problem, and the Council is considering the request.
And Butler’s Downtown Improvement Project continues. A low bid of just under $358,000 has been approved by the Council, from a company named National Street scape. This is a matching fund, with Butler paying around 20 percent. Work is to begin within 30 days, with a 90-day span to finish their portion.
Code Enforcement Officer Jim Wheatley had seven nuisances listed this past month, for junk, unlicensed vehicles, and tall grass as problem. He gave out seven tickets…had four problem projects to handle, and noted that for last year, total fines amounted to $1,228.00 plus two days jail time given, and community service amounting to four hours, so far this year.
And a low bid of just over $13,000 was accepted by the Council from Deem’s Equipment, for a 72 inch, 3k6 horsepower lawn mower. The one other bid was by New Holland Tractor in Harrisonville.
The council said we have an opportunity to downsize Butler’s fleet of old and problem mowers, and to expand the quality of the machines with trade-ins.The low bid was within the City Council’s budget for the item. That’s the City Council picture to this time.
