Mt. Auburn board addresses spring projects

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MT. AUBURN — The Mt. Auburn Village Board held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 3 in the village hall.

The focus of most of the meeting was on the Festival of Lights being held at the large park. There were comments on how beautiful it looked, including new displays that were installed this year.

The board approved a motion from trustee Don Henricks for the village to donate $500 to the Festival of Lights to show their appreciation for the work being done by volunteers to not only make the park look nice for the holiday season but also to help allow the tradition to continue.

Village President Mike Whitehead reported to the board that there had been another water main break. The cost to the village to have it repaired came to roughly $3,000.

“Repairs on this water system are just eating us alive,” Whitehead admitted.

Whitehead noted that there had been another leak repaired in the past few days that they haven’t received a bill yet, noting that the village has spent around $8,000 on water repairs in the past month alone.

With rate increases expected in February by EJ Water Cooperative, Whitehead expressed some concerns about the village losing more money fiscally than they could handle. He notified the board that he would look at water costs and how much the village was losing in order to figure out what the board needed to do to resolve that issue head-on.

Trustee Bridget Willard brought up the issue of sidewalk repairs around the village. While no work will be able to be done until spring, Willard wanted suggestions regarding where the work should begin. In addition, she sought to see how much the village would be seeking to spend on such a project.

It was suggested that the board adopt a similar system to the sidewalks that they utilize for oiling and chipping roads in town. That would develop a system to put every sidewalk in the village on a rotation schedule, with the focus being on high-traffic sidewalks. The board will revisit the issue closer to the spring.

Another spring project on the docket is the replacement of the roof on the community building. The wood has rotted out and has been leaking. Whitehead noted that a quick patch job on the roof would get them through the winter. However, the board will need to look into hiring someone to replace the whole roof next spring.

Other items approved at the meeting were the revised employee handbook, the 2025 tax levy (which is increasing by 5%), a legal services agreement with Tiffani Baxter, meeting minutes from the health committee meeting, the treasurer’s report for November, bills for November, and minutes from the November 5 meeting.

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, January 7 at 7 p.m.

Listen to “Mt. Auburn Village Board Meeting (December 3, 2024)” on Spreaker.

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