City attorney Madison Touchstone provided the alderman some additional insight on procedures necessary to annex the Deer Creek community located on the east side of I-49, north of 18 highway.
"A voluntary annexation would go pretty smoothly" she started "There are about five steps, barring any major objections." She went on to list them, which included a petition (by the city), followed by a signature page (residents of Deer Creek), gathering of property descriptions which need to be notarized, newspaper legal notices, followed by a public hearing, a necessary waiting period and ultimately final approval by the board of aldermen.
While the consensus is that most, if not all of the 25 property owners will agree to the annexation however, there are some variables. First being that if a landowner does not wish to be annexed, they may file an objection or otherwise choose not to participate which could come with some caveats.
One being responsible for their share of costs related to sewer system issues, for example. "If a major repair was needed to say, a sewage lift station, and the cost was (example $175,000) they would need to kick in their portion which would be 1/25th of that." Otherwise the city will cover those who chose to go with the annexation.
Other questions arose about animals. City Administrator Ryan Wescote said that those with animals would be grandfathered in however, once those are deceased, anyone living there would be subject to regular city codes.
More about the annexation likely will be discussed in the upcoming June session- residents who wish to learn more should make it a point to attend.
The discussion turned to feral cats which is an issue in most towns around the area. "I'm not seeing it" said alderman Jeremy Bridges "I'm not sure it's as big an issue as we're making it?"
His comment followed a lengthy discussion about options as noted by Wescote, all of which are costly. Euthanization is about the same as neutering, running about $150. It is guessed that there are about 80 feral cats in town making either proposition a bit costly.
No, the new animal holding facility located near the water plant won't contain them as there is no top on the cages. Additionally, regulations say only one animal per cage run, which it not a viable option either.
"My dream would be to have them registered with an ID and when we pick them up, simply have the owner come and get them" added Wescote. He went on to say that the cat problem seems to be confined to three primary areas of town and more about that was likely discussed in closed session.
At this juncture the subject was tabled for a future session until more information gathering can be done.
In other news, City Administrator Wescote announced that the city's investments are doing pretty well as they are currently at about $182,000 and projected to end around $200,000 for the year. He also said that he is working on a grant for a small command center to be used by Emergency Services.
The upcoming budget was discussed, Wescote said there have been only a few minor adjustments made to the proposal and the aldermen have plenty of time to go over everything and make final approval next month. In the meantime, the public is invited to give it a look, it is available online here https://adrian.municipalimpact.com/annual-budget.
A zoning change was approved for property located south of 8th street, west of the railroad tracks. The current owner is looking to make it more palatable for a buyer to which Wescote added that by making changes like this, Adrian is clearly becoming more attractive to those who want to join the community.
As the alderman voted to renew a membership with Kaysinger Basin, it was asked if the membership is beneficial to which Wescote stated that the membership helps greatly with grants and disaster mitigation plans.
Library trustees Ruth Ann Ferguson and Patti Bruto are looking to retire and the community wishes to thank them for their time and dedication. Cindy Kendrick and Lisa Widner are recommended to replace them, each serving three year terms.
Adrian Lion Joey Bailey approached the aldermen in request of an additional day for their fireworks sale permit as the 4th falls on a Friday this year and the Lions wish to extend sales through the next day. Approval was given and it is likely the ordinance will be modified for similar circumstances in the future.
Adrian is currently short a police officer, there are possibly candidates available from the academy however, anyone wishing to fill the position should contact city hall.
Anyone who hasn't been to the park lately should go take a look as there are new water fountains, lighting and a lot of other nice improvements that have made recently.
