Olney City Council Meeting Summary - March 25

The Olney City Council convened Monday, March 25. Mayor Phil Jeske, II and Mayor Pro-Tem Rue Rogers was present along with city council members Tommy Kimbro, Chuck Stennett, Harrison Wellman and Terri Wipperman. The City Administrator Neal Welch and City Secretary Tim Houston were present. No citizens were present for the Citizen Comment Period.

City Council accepted the tax resale bid from Maxine Gonzales for 405 W. Groves Street for $1100.

For item 6 on the agenda, councilmembers approved the expenditure of funds to purchase and move portable buildings to the new city shop. $3,000 was approved for the purchase of two buildings, and an additional $3,000 was approved for the setup. City Administrator Neal Welch said the purchase is lower than completing renovations to the existing shop.

City Administrator Neal Welch said regarding item 7—city hall improvements—he is still reviewing bids to find the best value for making the needed updates to the city hall building. The proposals under consideration so far range between $29,000 and $32,000. Councilmembers took no action.

Councilmembers approved item 8—the contract for maintenance on Lake Road. Welch said there is not enough money to repair the entire road so the contractor will fill holes with gravel once a month and scrape the street once a month after the rain as required to minimize potholes.

No action was taken on item 9 as there was nothing to report for Seismic Testing as the Municipal Airport, but a full report will be presented at the next meeting.

No action was taken on item 10—agreement with an environmental engineer for municipal airport stormwater plan. The council discussed the agreement underway with Air Tractor who has agreed to cover the cost of the testing since they are required to test also.

City Secretary Tim Houston presented reports on the city financial accounts. Highlights from his report included information on sales taxes, YTD revenue collected and budget spending. Houston reported that sales taxes are doing better at a rate of 20 percent compared to last year. Also, he stated the city has collected 55 percent of the revenues budgeted for and has spent 38 percent of funds in the budget so far this year. Regarding Ad Valorem taxes—taxes on the assessed value of real or personal property—the city is $5,000 from achieving its goal. Houston says he expects they will meet or surpass the goal.

Visit the city’s website for a comprehensive review of the meeting minutes. The city council meetings are held every second and fourth Monday in City Hall at 6 p.m.