On-line bill pay is coming, no fall cleanup

Customers of The City of Aledo will soon be able to pay their utility bills on-line, City Administrator Janice Green told the Aledo City Council at Monday night’s Oct. 5, 2009 meeting. “We have one step to make that happen,” she said.

The city’s web site, www.aledoil.org, tells about city services and also publishes meeting agendas prior to city council meetings.

The council also discussed the fact that there is no fall cleanup budgeted this year.

“How come we’re not having it?” asked Alderman Dick Hunter. “There are not too many (city) services that the public benefits from,” he added.

 Alderman Rich Maynard wanted to know if the city could purchase some large dumpsters, to put up for fall cleaning, but no action was taken along those lines.

Public Works Director Steve Moller said that large dumpsters would cost the city $305 apiece. “It was an administrative decision at that time (to not have a fall cleanup).”

“I always felt that $10,000 was a lot to spend,” said Maynard.

“I suppose it is an awful lot of money,” said Moller. He said that he has heard that areas outside the city limits have begun to take on a lot of debris.

Alderman Randy Mattson said, “A lot of stuff that gets picked up (during city cleanup days) isn’t from the city,”

Moller said that there has also been talk about recycling being cut back. “Paint and e-waste is looking like it might be going away.” Recyckers are no longer accepting glass.

Green told the council that there has been more interest in Tax Increment Financing, with several more applications given out. The TIF committee is holding a meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Alderman Rich Maynard suggested the committee “might want to talk about parameters (limits) for TIF.”

The council will also begin working on next year’s budget, with the city administrator. Budget workshops are set for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 20 (Tuesday) and Oct. 22 (Thursday).

Public Works Director Moller spoke about a drainage issue brought to him by Matt Jungmann, who lives at 1003 NE 3rd Ave. “There is a drainage problem throughout Sponsler’s addition,” he said. A 10-foot easement through a dry dam area underneath 5th Avenue is part of the problem. There was a letter of understanding signed in 1989 between the city and residents of Sponsler’s, according to Moller. There is eight-inch drain tile that goes to a creek line. “In June we dye tested. Our water was flowing to the eight-inch drain tile,” he said. The amount of rain this year has led to the soil being supersaturated. “We have been monitoring that area,” said Moller.

He said that part of the problem might be that the earth has shifted there. “The line is flowing there. I understand Mr. Jungmann’s concern. It’s just a low lying area there. It’s doing what it’s supposed to do,” he added.

One solution might be cleaning out the dry dam, according to Moller. “We haven’t cleaned that dry dam out for 20 years,” he said. He wants to get the area down to a rock bottom. “So far this year we’ve cleaned it out three times.”