Burlington Jct. City Mayor Justin Plymell presented the city council with a preliminary budget during the regular meeting May 14.

Plymell estimated the total income for next year at approximately $370,000, with $250,000 coming from water sales, $24,000 from KCP&L Franchise, $21,000 from gasoline tax and $75,000 from taxes.

The total estimated expenses were listed at $366,500. Some of the larger expenses include the $110,000 annual payment to Alliance Water Resources for street and water treatment plant maintenance, approximately $30,000 in utilities, $28,500 for payroll, $17,000 for insurance and $70,000 toward the bond payment.

Also included in the budget is approximately $45,000 for street overlay projects. The city will not collect funds from the newly-passed tax until December. Therefore, it will be the summer of 2019 before funds are available for major street renovations, Plymell said.

The council looked as some estimates on street resurfacing, and after discussion decided they want to tackle the worst streets in town in the next renovation. Alliance staff will create a map of the worst areas and present it at the next meeting.

A member of the Hoof and Horn Saddle Club addressed the council about the large electricity bills their building had this winter. He stated he found half eaten bags of potato chips and coffee pots that had boiled dry along with other things. The club will install a padlock for the door to keep people out. Alliance staff will also shut off the water to the facility beginning in November, winterizing it, to cut down on cost.

Another resident asked the council to work out a deal on a delinquent water bill for a property he was interested in buying. The issue was tabled until next month.

There are still no individuals who have stepped up to plan Town and Country Days. Plymell suggested he would call each organizational group in the community and ask that they appoint one member to serve as a representative on a Town and Country Days planning committee. The council agreed.

The far west garage door needs to be replaced. Staff provided council with two proposals; council wants to pursue additional estimates and the matter was tabled.

Staff informed council there is a resident who was discovered bypassing the water meter for a lengthy amount of time. Staff has notified the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Department.

Alliance Local Manager Dennis Chitwood provided council with his report. The net water loss was 7.5 percent, down drastically from 20 percent in April. Staff performed a flush of the distribution system, running 163,933 gallons of water. The flush cleared residential water in the trouble area for approximately 30 days, and now the water is discolored again. Chitwood suggested they might need to dig up the line and take samples to find the problem.

Staff replaced a fitting at the water treatment plant. Several problem areas in the streets have been ripped up and repacked. All bacteriological samples came back absent for coliform and were in compliance.

The lagoon lift station pipe, pump contactor and motor protection switch need to be replaced. It was approved to have Allied Systems Incorporated, St. Joseph, handle the repairs for $2,069. Alliance did not have the equipment necessary to handle the issue in house.

Chitwood requested changing testing venues to Midwest Laboratories, Omaha, NE. He feels they give better, more detailed reports on the samples than the current testing facility. The testing fees are the same as the current company, with the addition of a small charge for the bottles, and Chitwood goes to the lab regularly which would save shipping costs. It was approved.

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