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October 15, 2009

Cincinnati tries to cut expenses after unexpected activities

By Krystal Fowler - Lifestyle editor

The next mayor of Cincinnati will be taking a pay cut. The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to lower the monthly pay for the incoming mayor. Beginning Jan. 1, 2010 the mayor will make $75 a month, plus $15 for each meeting he or she attends. The position currently pays $150 a month, and has since the 1980s, according to Mayor Carl Adams.

The city is trying to cut expenses after spending a lot this year on unexpected activities such as a special election for mayor, an audit and hiring a lawyer during the cemetery controversy over the summer. Councilman Glenn Besse estimated those three expenditures would total nearly $10,000 when completed. Also, in comparison to other cities with more citizens and tax revenue, Cincinnati's mayor was paid much more. According to Besse, mayors in surrounding communities like Mystic, Moravia and Moulton received anywhere from $50 to $100 a month.

The council also set a special meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. to discuss Hall Engineering's plans to address problems with a lift station that caused a wastewater violation.

During the cemetery report councilman Besse discussed possibly having the city buy its own mowing equipment to take care of the cemetery. Mayor Adams raised the point that he thought mowing would take too much time away from the city man's other duties.

"You're going to take him from things he needs to be doing," said Adams. "This is a one man show. I just don't think we have the resources for the city to take on a task like that in the future."

The council took the idea under consideration. According to Besse, the city mowing the cemetery itself could potentially save money. He stated he thought the city could purchase a nice mower and trimmers with the money it pays a contractor in one year for mowing.

Besse also stated that money had been donated to put up another section of fence at the cemetery and also that another section of the old iron fence needed to have its base repaired.

The council also voted to hire Hall Engineering to preserve cemetery records, at an estimated cost of no more than $500.

Fire chief Rick Baker received approval to buy a new computer after the fire station's computer crashed and couldn't be saved. The fire fighters are also proposing a community service project to paint E-911 numbers for all homeowners in town who want them.

The council okayed the use of the community center free of charge by the fire fighters to hold bingo once a month. The bingo sessions would be used to raise money for different causes each month. A gambling license still needs to be received before the plans can go any further.

Mayor Adams also instructed Chief Baker to meet with people from Alliant Energy to decide what size of generator would be needed to enable the community center to be used as a Red Cross emergency shelter, which it has been designated as.

City wide trick-or-treating was set for Saturday, Oct. 31 from dusk until 8 p.m.

The next regular council meeting will be Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at Cincinnati City Hall.

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This week the Iowegian wants readers to think about the recent decision by the Centerville Municipal Waterworks Board of Directors to increase the fee for late payment of water bills. In a story published in Wednesday's Ad Express, board members announced a 10 percent late fee after two days late, a $50 red tag fee for accounts unpaid after seven days late and a $25 shut off fee, water service terminated after two weeks late. The board said the decision to increase the fees associated with late payment is to encourage customers to pay their bills on time. So, the question this week is, "Are these fees too much to ask for?"

A. Yes, they are.
B. No, they are not.
C. I'm not affected so I don't care.
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