Marshall council approves park board members

Work continues Tuesday, Oct. 6, on the Lafayette Avenue railroad crossing just south of Boyd Street in Marshall. Union Pacific Railroad has been removing tracks through the north part of Marshall.
(Eric Crump/Democrat-News)

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Council members approved two ordinances amending city codes.

The occupational, or merchant, and cigarette license regulations were amended to increase license fees from $25 to $50.

Regulations on the purchase of alcoholic beverages were changed to increase the price of a license to sell liquor by the drink from $375 to $450.

"All of our license fees have not been increased for probably 10 to 12 years," City Administrator Charles Tryban said Tuesday, Oct. 6, so now it is time to update them.

In her report, Mayor Connie Latimer asked council members to confirm her appointment of Harry Ming to the seat on the park board vacated by Jess Young in August. The council also approved the reappointment of current board member Olive Malter. Both terms will expire in May 2012.

In committee reports, council member Dan Brandt, of the municipal services and personnel committee, spoke about work being done at eight old Union Pacific Railroad crossings on city streets, where the tracks are being removed.

"That project's going really well, and it's going to be nice when we get them done," he said.

Tryban said Tuesday that the railroad company decided to remove its tracks, and now the city must fix the streets.

"We have to rebuild the track area ourselves," Tryban said.

The road repairs will be paid for out of the city's street fund, he said, but a cost estimate is not yet available.

Bill Anderson, with municipal services, said work has already begun on the track areas just north of Eastwood Street on Jefferson Avenue, Lafayette Avenue, Allen Avenue, Odell Avenue and Brunswick Avenue.

Yet to be done are the crossings just north of Eastwood on Lincoln Avenue, Banquet Drive and Lyon Avenue, he said.

Anderson said he plans to wait until harvest time is over to begin work on the track area at Lyon Avenue, which is near a grain elevator.

In his regular report, Brandt said 741.4 tons of solid waste were collected in September, down slightly from last month's 758.3 tons. Recycling collections totaled 69.5 tons, higher than the 62.8 tons collected in August.

In September 2008, 759 tons of solid waste and 74.8 tons of recycling were collected.

Activity at Marshall Memorial Airport was also down compared to August, 244 aircraft versus 352.

In September 2008, the monthly aircraft total was 391.

Council member Ron Duvall, of the community development and code committee, said a total of $508,242 in construction occurred in the month of September.

Permits issued numbered 35, and 57 percent of the work was new residential.

It was "still another slow month, but I've got hope," Duvall said.

In August, there was about $330,000-worth of construction in Marshall.

All council members were present at the meeting.

The Marshall council will meet again Monday, Oct. 19, at 5:15 p.m.

Contact Sydney Stonner at marshallbusiness@socket.net