Per a recommendation by the planning commission to permit smaller homes in Butler, the city council agreed but they must meet the same building code requirements (slab, foundation or basement) as any other permanent residential structure and may not be smaller than 600 square feet in size. Homes on a trailer, for example, will not be allowed.
At this juncture, the existing ordinance will be modified as opposed to creating a new ordinance, and will include the fact that they may be placed on any residentially zoned property regardless of lot size.
Container type homes, although not currently allowed, may be added to the mix as the council has 'left the door open' to considering them in the future. In the meantime, if anyone has questions please contact city hall.
Another hot topic for the council is the disposition of the old Butler high school as it desperately needs roof repairs which will cost more than initially estimated. The building currently houses the thrift shop, a quilting shop and the gym is used for multiple reasons by civic groups and others leaving the council with the burning question of how much money should be put into a building of its age?
While $10,000 was budgeted for repairs, it appears that a simple patch job won't be enough. Concerns are that there could be much more needed to return it to solid structural integrity as well as keeping it dry inside, bringing some to question whether it should be demolished or not. Others questioned asbestos concerns, however Mayor Henry pointed out the building should be mostly asbestos free for the most part since the boiler was removed many years ago.
Needless to say, this will be an ongoing topic for the council for some time to come and it will likely be discussed further in the April 15 meeting.
In other news, street repaving/repairs is in the works for this summer however Prospect street will have to wait for now.
It will require the asphalt be completely removed and roadbed reworked which as of now would cost in the neighborhood of $2.7 million, putting it on the back burner until a new plan can be made. Streets that will get attention as well as other projects this year will be revealed in an upcoming edition of the News-Shopper.
The replacement of a generator at the wastewater treatment plant could be primarily paid for by a grant, as noted by City Administrator Corey Snead. As of now, about $750,000 is available through Kaysinger and some funds could also be used to purchase a newer tanker truck for the fire department. Snead mentioned that he is looking into other grants for decorative purposes around town, including new planter boxes for the square.
The vandalism needs to stop. Just recently a new porta potty was placed at South park and in short order it was set on fire. Councilman Scott Mallatt offered his opinion about better parenting and then asked police chief Wheatley if action is being taken by the juvenile office for the offenders. The answer was yes, but it seems that no restitution is ever made, leaving the vendor for the units on the hook to recover the cost. Further, if it doesn't stop, the units could go away altogether.
The new AMI system which will remotely read water and electric meters should be fully on line "very soon" and will not only provide an online portal for customers but will speed up notification of outages so city crews can get to work as soon as possible. Once the system is fully operational, the city will provide more information to the public regarding use of the website and other details.
The new Casey's store in west Butler will officially open by the first week of May and it's possible the two existing stores will be closed permanently, leaving two more empty buildings to be dealt with. Whether or not this actually happens will be totally at the discretion of Casey's corporate and the city of Butler is making every effort possible to sway their decision.
Remember the Butler city council meets on the first and third Tuesdays, 7 pm at city hall. The public is highly encouraged to attend.
