During last week's regular meeting of council, which was called to order on Nov. 21, the town's handling of the first major snowfall was discussed. Aside from a few minor criticisms, it seemed like councilors received mostly positive feedback from residents concerning the cleanup effort, which took place over the weekend of Nov.10. During the discussion, councilors praised town workers for their hard work in getting the streets cleaned-up and safe for drivers. Mayor Shirley referred to the "quality comments" he received after the snowfall.
At the beginning of the meeting, a representative from the Carlyle Golf Club was in attendance to request that council administer a portion of its funds. The reserve fund would allow for a more sustainable spending process, was the representative's rationale. Council unanimously agreed to the request and is putting together the paper work for the fund.
Tax enforcement was also discussed during the meeting. One issue dealt with a commercial and the other residential property. The commercial property was deliberated and a tax enforcement decision made. The residential property, on the other hand, posed more of an ethical problem for councilors and decisions regarding the matter were put off until the new year.
Ongoing complaints over the state of the back lane running parallel to the east side of Main St. were also discussed. Maintenance crews were unable to fully repair the lane, according to councilors, due to shallow gas lines. The lane will have to be surveyed before it can be fully repaired according alderman Melvin George.
The Chief Administrative Officer briefed council on the financial report ending Nov. 16, 2012. The town's surplus increased by over $200,000 since Oct. and as a total sum exceeded the $600,000 mark.
Councilors discussed the cost of water. Mayor Shirley made a brief comparison to other jurisdictions and was of the position that Carlyle is not overcharging its residents and that the town is in fact on the lower end of the scale in terms of water costs.
Contracting work for the expansion of the sewage lagoon was brought up during the meeting. Out of the companies listed, J.J. Trucking seemed to stand out as having the overall capacity and good reputation necessary for carrying out this type of project.
Ways of dealing with the widespread abuse of parking regulations near the intersection of Main St. and Railway Ave. was deliberated. All were in favor of implementing stricter regulations to deter drivers from cluttering the main artery.
Finally, an unusual guest was present throughout the meeting. From a distance it looked like a robotic claw out of science fiction film. It was the water pipe that was damaged near the Carlyle Elementary School earlier in the month. After the meeting, councilors commented on the curious nature of the damage and measures the town has in place to inform residents about such situations.
