The Burlington Jct. City Council approved Christmas events during its regular meeting on November 14.

The West Nodaway kindergarten and fifth grade classes will conduct their annual Christmas caroling at 8:40 am on Thursday, December 7. City Hall will be one of the participants.

Santa will visit the community building on Saturday, December 9 for a pancake breakfast hosted by the junior auxiliary girls. Children who sit on Santa’s lap will receive a coupon from the city council that will be good at one of the businesses in town.

Mayor Justin Plymell and Alliance Local Manager Dennis Chitwood met with the rural water committee, answering concerns and clearing misconceptions. The city will begin selling water to rural water on January 1, 2018, according to the original contract which included a 20,000 minimum water amount. The contract stated that rural water will pay 90 percent of the base rate that the city of Maryville charges to the district.

The city council positions for Darby Grace, Richard Cook and Mayor Plymell are up for election this spring and will be placed on the April 3, 2018, ballot. The filling dates for interested candidates will be from Tuesday, December 12 through January 16, 2018.

The council discussed whether or not to ask for an increase in the street tax on the April ballot. Currently, the tax is 30¢ per $100 of assessed valuation. Neighboring towns are as high as $1.25 per $100 of assessed valuation.

During the finance report, Plymell stated the income was right on track. There were some Christmas decorations purchased for the upcoming holiday season.

The city’s audit was completed on November 9 and staff stated it went well. They have not received the official results yet.

Staff has submitted the application for the Department of Natural Resources’s Clean Water Small Community Engineering Assistance grant. The funds will help the city make necessary improvements to the lagoon and treatment center.

Chitwood reported that all of the samples from the water and sewer plant came back as safe. The ditch work and tube replacement project is finished and came in under budget. Staff has been scarafiring streets and repacking them.

On October 10, there was a water main break repaired by Johansen Drainage and Tile, Rulo, NE.

Total net water loss for the month was 10 percent, down from the 14 percent water loss the city saw in August.

There was a broken sewer main along Roseberry Avenue. Professional Wastewater Services, IA, was onsite at the time working on the tube project and repaired 30 feet of pipe. No sewage was leaked.

Johansen Drainage and Tile will replace the three water meters this week.

Maintenance staff has been locating water valves for the distribution center and mapping their locations. Most of them are located underneath asphalt.

There was some discussion about adding a pole light or a light on the outside of the city hall building.

Chitwood will gather an inventory of street signs, parts in storage and estimates so the board can begin the process of updating street signage, making it easier for the ambulance to find locations.

It was approved to give city employees a $200 Christmas bonus.