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Council’s March vote on 4th Street causes confusion

By Estuardo Garcia - | Oct 17, 2007

A City Council vote on Fourth Street in March has caused some confusion recently.

At the Oct. 8 council meeting Duane Nible said he wasn’t sure why the council hasn’t moved forward with the Fourth Street phase three project since the council already acted on it at a previous meeting.

Nible was referring to a March 12 council meeting where Brian Kingsley of BG Consultants, the city’s engineering firm, and Butch Rodgers, the city’s superintendent, brought a design to the council that had moved a proposed sidewalk from the north side to the south side of Fourth Street between Village Street and the bridge. The design also included new electrical poles on the south side.

At that March meeting, Council member Jason Ward made a motion to “move forward with this design except we leave power poles on the north side to minimize the potential easement acquisition on the south side and we direct Brian and Butch and the city administrator to move forward with that plan with,the sidewalk on the north side to that point (Village St.) and south side from that point on.”

The motion was seconded by Jim Truesdell and was approved 4-1. Then council member Velda Roberts, voted against the motion.

Roberts said at that time she didn’t believe the council had voted to start the construction, but she was confused at what the council voted on.

“After that meeting Butch Rodgers and Brian Kingsley went to the room on the side of the council,” Roberts said. “I went in there because I wanted to make sure I understood how that came vote came across.”

Mike Yanez, city administrator, also said he did not take that motion to mean that the city was going to start tearing up lawns.

“The council directed the engineers and the staff to go draw up a new plan and go take it to the public,” Yanez said.

The confusion might come from the way the motion was worded

For example, during an Aug. 8, meeting council member Tom Putthoff made a motion to “approve acceptance of the revised Fourth Street project design and that staff be directed to present the project design to the residents.”

This allowed Kingsley a chance to set up an open house meeting with residents on the south side of Fourth Street.

Yanez said the council hasn’t moved to finalize engineering plans to get bids ready for construction. He also added “anything the council does they can undo and if they want they can make a motion that can clarify a position.”