Truancy at Butler schools is possibly a bigger issue than previously thought. It was reported that just over 1 in 5 children do not attend school regularly, and until now, no one was actively enforcing the policy. Policing truancy does not fall under the jurisdiction of the juvenile office or child services; it has now fallen into the hands of the Butler police department. Exactly how enforcement will be done will be covered in upcoming meetings- it was noted that solving the problem will take all of us, starting with parents being more proactive.
Purchase of a vehicle for the code enforcement officer was approved. Nothing fancy, the cost of the truck being purchased is $3,800 and will be bought with cash on hand.
Council members mulled the fact that customer service from Century Link is quite poor. Billing errors and resolutions to problems seem to fall of deaf ears (pun intended). Calls to the Century Link representative do not seem to produce any results, and unfortunately, Century Link has a monopoly in Butler which leaves no alternative.
Cost of insurance for city buildings is an ongoing discussion. It is the responsibility of the city to determine replacement values, etc., not the insurance company. Council members are on the fast track to get the assessments done as soon as possible.
The senior taxi service will discontinue December 31st. It has been determined that liability primarily, has been the deciding factor in discontinuing the service. It is hoped that an independent company or organization can step forward and fill the need.
The city's relationship with Kaysinger is on the rocks. Lately its been crickets in terms of hearing anything from them; no returned calls or other communication. The city pays for their service for help with economic development and it was suggested that the Kaysinger rep be invited for a sit down discussion with council members before any decisions are made.
The council voted to suspend the $500 fee that was previously paid to House of Hound, as they have stopped accepting dogs from animal control. Animal control now has their own facility and it seems to be working out pretty good in terms of finding homes for the animals.
Citizen's Bank of Butler will now be taking in city bank deposits, this decision was made as Citizen's offers a higher rate of return than other bids submitted.
All city departments are working on their budgets and have been asked to submit a 5 year plan.
Councilman Brown has been getting complaints from residents regarding power issues, it seems that the power blinks or stays off for a time quite often. He proposed a study be done to find some type of resolution.
Quality issues with the Christmas lights on the Butler square has prompted discussions with the manufacturer, who volunteered to send replacement L.E.D. bulbs. Timing is everything- with the holiday season upon us, repairs need to be made now. Otherwise, the filament style colored bulbs will need to be put back in asap.
Remember the Butler City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7 pm at the Butler city hall. Get involved!
