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During his first month in the new
position, he has met with utility companies, landowners, potential
investors, development specialists, business leaders here, and
mayors and economic development leaders in other towns. He is also
looking for businesses already in the community who want to expand.
He said he is "taking the mantle of
economic leadership deadly seriously" and plans to update the
council regularly. He invited council members to be in touch with
him at any time and asked them to let him know what the city expects
from him and what the Economic Development Council can expect from
the city.
In the past, council members have
occasionally complained that, although they fund the EDC in the
amount of $25,000 annually, they were not being kept informed about
what the organization was accomplishing. The city is also facing a
budget crunch and will soon be in discussions of funding for the
next fiscal year, which begins May 1.
Mayfield invited council members to
hear a full report on his activities at a joint meeting tonight with
the Logan County Board, to be held in the chamber of commerce
meeting room at 7:30 p.m.
Others who addressed the council were
Joe Miller, general manager of the Illinois-Missouri branch of
Environmental Management Corporation, which manages the city's sewer
plant, and Pat O'Neill of the Logan County Board.
Miller gave a pitch to the city to
consider allowing EMC to manage the street and alley department.
Department head Don Osborne will be retiring in late August or early
September, and no replacement has yet been named.
Miller said he thought EMC could
provide cost savings to the city and asked permission to look over
the department so he could prepare a report. He said EMC has saved
the city of Monmouth about $300,000 annually by managing its public
works department.
There would be no cost to the city for
the survey, Miller said.
Alderman Benny Huskins said he was not
in favor of privatizing the city's street and alley department, did
not feel it would save money, and thought it was "a slap in the face
to a department that has been here a long time."
He assured Miller that he would vote
"no" on any proposal to privatize.
None of the other council members
present voiced an opinion on the proposal.
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Newly elected county board member
O'Neill, who is head of the animal control committee, reported that
the department is operating well.
"We have all new people out there and
13 new ordinances and procedures," he told the council.
He said he plans to have Saturday hours
for the shelter at 1515 N. Kickapoo sometime in the future, so it
will be more available to families who would like to adopt a pet.
He has also talked to several no-kill
shelters about placing animals that in the past have had to be
euthanized. A Peoria shelter will take some of the dogs the Logan
County shelter cannot find homes for but won't take all of them.
"We will never be a no-kill shelter,
but we will be a low-kill shelter," he said.
He also said he would like to take
animals to show-and-tell days at local schools to educate children
about how to manage pets and to promote spaying and neutering
animals.
In answer to a question from Alderman
George Mitchell, O'Neill said the shelter still does not have
arrangements for disposing of wild animals such as raccoons.
"Hopefully our budget will warrant more
employees and more hours," he told the council. "We are seeking
volunteers too. It's super out there, and I'm not done. People in
Logan County will be proud of our place."
O'Neill said the council would get
monthly reports on activity in the animal control department.
In other business, the council approved
spending $900 to purchase equipment to allow collection of sewer
payments by credit cards and ATM cards. MasterCard, Visa and
Discover cards will be accepted.
The council also received copies of
testimony given by Mayor Beth Davis to the Illinois Commerce
Commission regarding the proposed water rate increase. The city has
hired the law firm of Troy A. Fodor of Springfield to protest the
13.5 percent increase Illinois-American Water Company has proposed
for Lincoln.
The city of Streator has joined Lincoln
in the protest. Illinois-American is asking to raise Streator water
rates by 39 percent.
The Illinois
Commerce Commission will take testimony and determine whether or how
much the rates should be raised. Any raise approved will not go into
effect until late next summer.
[Joan Crabb]
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