Hopkins approves proposed tax rate

At the August 9 Hopkins City Council meeting, the 2021 tax rate hearing was held and the $1.7871 tax levy per $100 of assessed valuation was approved.

The assessed valuation for the city of Hopkins is $3,569,121 for the current tax year, an increase of $128,165. The rate of $1.7871 is a slight decrease from the actual 2020 rate of $1.7911 per $100 of assessed valuation. Hopkins is expecting to receive $63,783.76 in tax income for the coming year.

Water Operator Chris Bird asked for and received permission to buy concrete-working tools and three yards of concrete to pour the concrete pad in front of the salt storage structure. He is going to ask Ron Cross for a roof bid. He wants to use the building for approximately 12 tons of asphalt. Then clean it out and use it for salt for the winter.

Bird needs to use eight to nine tons of asphalt to repair the water leak at Highway 246 and Third Street. He will need to apply for a permit from MoDOT to repair the highway. He will use two tons to repair a spot on school house hill and the rest in other places. He has not heard from Mid-America Road Builders, Platte City, about the street work scheduled to start in August. The company was unable to move a gravel pile which was dumped in the street in preparation of the road repairs. Bird moved it before the Hopkins Picnic.

He is looking at repairing a storm drain under the sidewalk in the 100 block of South Third. The drain has leaked for some time and the area under the sidewalk is hollow.

Bird is doing a title search on the buildings on the east side of Third Street.

A discussion was held on billing the owners of the buildings razed earlier in the summer on Barnard Street before attaching a tax lien to the properties.

Bird discussed the need for a small tractor and a dump truck. He said of the two, the tractor would get more use at a variety of projects where the dump truck would be used for hauling asphalt, gravel and salt.

Annexation of “the bubble,” ground located on the south side of Highway 246 and Highway 148, was discussed. Voluntary annexation would be easiest for the city to pursue and Alderman Allan Thompson will contact the owners. Bird had questions on whether the property was on Hopkins water or Rural Water and the necessity and cost of running water and sewer to the property. It is not known what use the property will be put to in the future.

The council approved a resolution to put the mayor, the president of the board and two council members as signatories on the city’s bank accounts. Currently, Mayor Matt Wray, Board President Jess Everhart can sign the two-signature checks. Thompson and Rick Gladman have been added as signatories and will go to Nodaway Valley Bank to sign the needed paperwork.

The next city council meeting will be at 7 pm, Monday, September 13.