City Administrator Ryan Wescote reported that the 8th street project is in the wrap-up stages as work is to be completed soon that will widen the turn radius for drivers in some key areas. He also said that the 1st street sidewalk project is moving along as requested information has been submitted to MoDot leaving the city to wait for a response before moving further on with the project.
Wescote said the city's investments are still doing well despite ups and downs in the market. Currently Adrian has about 4 million invested, drawing what is considered a very reasonable amount of interest.
It was recently discovered that there are a handful of residents whose property sits just outside the city limits but are connected to the city water system. While the majority of consumers outside city limits get water from the Bates 5 district, it appears the few in question were connected during a previous administration and have been charged an amount that is approximately 1/2 of what those in city limits pay.
A discussion was held on how to bring those rates up to par and the overall consensus was to do it in incremental fashion to avoid 'sticker shock'. Currently, those inside city limits pay $27.98 for the first 1,000 gallons and those outside pay $16.45. After the first thousand, those inside pay $13.50 per thousand; those outside pay $10.00 per thousand. The discussion was tabled and will be reviewed in an upcoming aldermen session.
There have been some minor changes regarding zoning that affect the costs and rules associated with building/structure modification within city limits. It is recommended that anyone preparing to do construction get details from the city's website, then contact city hall if you have more questions.
With that, a minor change was made regarding fence heights at street intersections. As of now, the max height of a wood or vinyl fence is limited to 3 feet which also applied to chain link fences, which are easier to see through. The change now allows for a 4 foot chain link fence.
The Flock camera discussion was formally laid to rest following much news and social media exposure leading some to question use of the cameras. One citizen appeared as a guest with basic questions about the cameras which were answered by Administrator Wescote and the Aldermen as follows:
1. The cameras do not 'follow' anyone as they travel through the city of Adrian. They only capture a photo of the vehicle and license plate information which is stored for 30 days before being automatically and permanently deleted.
2. The cameras will only automatically notify authorities if that vehicle was reported stolen or the owner has outstanding wants/warrants.
3. The cameras cannot by accessed by the public and do not store any more information than the photo with some basic information as mentioned above. Only city of Adrian police and other police agencies (with permission by Adrian) can see the information.
4. It was noted that any type of technology can be 'hacked' and used for nefarious purposes however, the Flock system is very secure and is used in hundreds of thousands of locations throughout the U.S. and have been very instrumental in solving many crimes.
5. Wescote noted that if only one officer is on duty the cameras enhance overall policing as they cover areas where the officer is not present, adding to overall protection.
6. The city of Adrian is not/will not sell any information that the cameras acquire. With that, Wescote added that a very high percentage of the camera footage will never been seen by a human.
7. Previously, questions arose that some Aldermen were not aware that the cameras had been purchased and put in place. It was quickly noted that the city administrator was granted permission to make some operational decisions without consent of the alderman, to which all agreed. With that, Wescote offered an apology for any confusion regarding the matter and will make clearer such decisions in the future.
8. A rumor that the cameras were paid for by the Bates County Sheriff's Office is untrue, according to the administrator who said they were indeed paid for with city funds.
In other news, the Adrian police report for December outlined some 219 calls for service that resulted in 8 citations, 2 arrests and 13 incident reports.
Fire Chief Gary Dizney reported that two members of the fire department are in training to receive EMT certification. Future discussion will be held regarding if reimbursement will be paid to the personnel.
Remember, the Adrian Board of Aldermen meet on the second Tuesday, 7 pm, at city hall and the public is highly encouraged to attend.
