Council Helps With Cleanup Of Inn Keeper

The City Council of O'Neill met in regular session on Monday for its January meeting, with Council members Quauna Wheeler, Tim Gleason, and Susie Kramer absent.

The council addressed the request by a group of local community investors to tear down the old Inn Keeper building and asked the council to lessen the tipping fee for disposing of the waste from $50 per ton.

Council member Buffy Walsh expressed her concern about lowering the rates and setting a precedent when other projects requiring waste hauling come before the council. Council member Kayla Burdick stated she thought lowering the rate for this project would be wise as the Inn Keeper facility has sat vacant for so many years and has been such an eye sore and blemish on the community. Burdick said that lowering the tipping fee might encourage further development by showing that the council would be willing to work with people looking to improve properties by being flexible. Walsh still held that the council should keep the rates the same because anyone will come to the council and ask for the same treatment. The council discussed that the tipping fee decision should be made case-by-case.

The council also asked how much waste would be dumped potentially. Jim Gotschall and Tony Emme were at the meeting to answer any questions about the project. Emme said that in talking with John Prouty, he estimated that the project would be 300 tons or more. The council asked Kevin Seger, the city's waste manager, about their room at the landfill. Seger commented that they have the room, but at some point, they will have to think about making a new area to dump into. The council agreed to give the group a lower rate of $35 per ton and said they would discuss the flexibility of the rates at the next meeting.

The council next discussed consideration of selling three properties that the city owns. The properties are a parking lot west of Kersenbrock Dental, the old Water Tower lot and the Wellhouse Property at Kipples Trailer Court. The council decided not to sell the parking lot, and the other two properties will go out for sealed bids.

The council approved street closures for the Chamber of Commerce events for the year's events. The council then approved the bills before adjourning for the evening.

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