The September 5 Butler city council meeting may go on record as one of the shortest, lasting about 20 minutes.No guests, committee reports, board reports or public hearings allowed the council to get right down to business starting with approval of the purchase a small section of property from Jim Shubert. Long term plans include building a retention pond on the property that would help alleviate flooding issues in the area of Bear stop on west 52 highway; more information on this is expected soon.
City Administrator Mike West acknowledged that the 2023 street projects are completed and although the final cost was a little over the estimated $600,000, it was still within budget. Feedback from residents has been very positive as the repaving makes for smoother transitions around town. He also noted that complaints about water quality have been addressed, see the memo from public works director Trent Diehl at right. With that, a discussion followed about lower-than-normal water levels in the city lake that is part of the problem. Pumps on the Marias des Cygne river near Nyhart have been running pretty much non stop into the lake since late Spring. While city lake is still a bit low, overall it could be a lot worse and under these conditions, water quality can be greatly affected.
Fire Chief Jason Bennett said the new roof for the fire station is about 1/3 done and should be completed in short order. As upgrades go, the decision was made to go ahead and replace the rather antique gas heaters in the fire station with something modern and more efficient. Cost will be in the neighborhood of $22,600 for flame-less radiant tube heaters.
Work is ongoing for the ‘green space’ on the southeast corner of the Butler square as crews finished pouring a concrete slab to be used for picnic tables and more. Overall, the project is gaining moment and overall completion is expected soon.
The Butler police department reported that crime is on the uptick and officers have been quite busy- in fact, they recently took 130 grams of methamphetamine off the streets.
Remember the Butler city council meets on the first and third Tuesdays, 7 pm, upstairs at city hall. The public is highly encourage to attend.
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