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City okays holiday gifts for employees
By Connie Michelich
At Monday night’s Auburn City Council meeting the council approved its annual holiday gifts to city employees but this year
there is a new twist.
Full-time employees will be given a $100 gift certificate to the Auburn business of their choice. Part-time employees will receive
a $50 gift certificate.
This will help Auburn businesses which will in turn help the city with sales tax revenues.
In other business, the council accepted the resignation of Rachel Elmore from a full-time dispatch position. With this resignation
there are two vacancies, a full and a part-time position.
Police Chief Bruce Centko reported that he would be conducting interviews this week for those positions and a full-time police
officer position. He also reported that the police applicants have already passed the physical testing conducted recently.
Interviews will then be conducted December 15 by the Police/Administration committee representatives, Tom Berola, Chris
Warwick and Mike Gillock or John Tanner. The interviews need to be done as soon as possible as a new PTI class will begin at
the beginning of January.
Two ongoing nuisance problems were also discussed. Dean Main, who lives at Rose and Washington, and Eric Hergenrother,
who resides in the 100 block of North Seventh Street, were asked to attend the November 16 city council meeting but did not
appear.
Berola said the problems still remain. He reported Hergenrother has an appliance in his front yard and Main has a trailer full of
junk in his yard.
City attorney Raylene Grischow referenced a letter she sent to both parties in early November where she informed them they
were in violation of city ordinances. She also stated that if their intention was to own and operate a junk yard they would need to
petition for a zoning variance or have the property rezoned.
Berola voiced his concern that this would be a recurring problem. The council agreed and voted 5-0 (Svetlik, Gillock, Kessler
absent) to give the parties two business days to eradicate the problems or they would be fined $100 per day. From that point,
there will not be a two day waiting period before the fines will begin. If the fines are imposed and not paid, the utilities will be shut
off.
Another issue involves a house where utilities have been shut off for non-payment of fines. Beth Sheff, who resides on North
Eleventh Street, has had no utilities for some time because she had not paid fines she incurred for nuisance violations. She
recently wrote a letter to the council asking for leniency. She has already been given a reprieve on fines twice in the past but the
council will not do so this time. Sheff will be given 30 days to pay fines and restore utilities or further action will be taken.
In other matters
-- Rod Johnson will ask Martin Engineering for a man- hour estimate for the Kennedy Road project;
-- Atty. Grischow is drawing up easement documents for utility easements for the Kruse Enterprises building;
-- Mayor Powell announced a city birthday, Kathy Thomas, eight years;
-- the council set a Tax Levy Ordinance (1298-09) hearing for 6:55 p.m. Monday, December 21, preceding the city council
meeting.
The next Auburn City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, December 21 at the city hall.
By Connie Michelich
At Monday night’s Auburn City Council meeting the council approved its annual holiday gifts to city employees but this year
there is a new twist.
Full-time employees will be given a $100 gift certificate to the Auburn business of their choice. Part-time employees will receive
a $50 gift certificate.
This will help Auburn businesses which will in turn help the city with sales tax revenues.
In other business, the council accepted the resignation of Rachel Elmore from a full-time dispatch position. With this resignation
there are two vacancies, a full and a part-time position.
Police Chief Bruce Centko reported that he would be conducting interviews this week for those positions and a full-time police
officer position. He also reported that the police applicants have already passed the physical testing conducted recently.
Interviews will then be conducted December 15 by the Police/Administration committee representatives, Tom Berola, Chris
Warwick and Mike Gillock or John Tanner. The interviews need to be done as soon as possible as a new PTI class will begin at
the beginning of January.
Two ongoing nuisance problems were also discussed. Dean Main, who lives at Rose and Washington, and Eric Hergenrother,
who resides in the 100 block of North Seventh Street, were asked to attend the November 16 city council meeting but did not
appear.
Berola said the problems still remain. He reported Hergenrother has an appliance in his front yard and Main has a trailer full of
junk in his yard.
City attorney Raylene Grischow referenced a letter she sent to both parties in early November where she informed them they
were in violation of city ordinances. She also stated that if their intention was to own and operate a junk yard they would need to
petition for a zoning variance or have the property rezoned.
Berola voiced his concern that this would be a recurring problem. The council agreed and voted 5-0 (Svetlik, Gillock, Kessler
absent) to give the parties two business days to eradicate the problems or they would be fined $100 per day. From that point,
there will not be a two day waiting period before the fines will begin. If the fines are imposed and not paid, the utilities will be shut
off.
Another issue involves a house where utilities have been shut off for non-payment of fines. Beth Sheff, who resides on North
Eleventh Street, has had no utilities for some time because she had not paid fines she incurred for nuisance violations. She
recently wrote a letter to the council asking for leniency. She has already been given a reprieve on fines twice in the past but the
council will not do so this time. Sheff will be given 30 days to pay fines and restore utilities or further action will be taken.
In other matters
-- Rod Johnson will ask Martin Engineering for a man- hour estimate for the Kennedy Road project;
-- Atty. Grischow is drawing up easement documents for utility easements for the Kruse Enterprises building;
-- Mayor Powell announced a city birthday, Kathy Thomas, eight years;
-- the council set a Tax Levy Ordinance (1298-09) hearing for 6:55 p.m. Monday, December 21, preceding the city council
meeting.
The next Auburn City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, December 21 at the city hall.
Issue Date: Dec. 10, 2009
