Washington’s City Council met with a light agenda Monday evening. Council members approved a resolution authorizing Mayor David Rhoads to sign an agreement with the Daviess County Economic Development Foundation to oversee the construction of the Commons Project in downtown Washington.
In other business, the Council approved two amendments to ordinances. The first amendment brought city codes into agreement with state law in regard to granting tax abatements. The second amendment added a clerk’s position to the utility department for training purposes. Council members then heard the introduction of an amendment that corrected a long-standing error in the charges assessed for industrial waste going through the sanitation plant. The ordinances setting the charges dated back to 2007 and had two separate paragraphs, each stating a different fee for industrial waste received by the sanitation department. Some industrial waste customers were being charged according to one fee structure while others were paying the other. The proposed ordinance will correct the error.
After the council meeting, the board of public works and safety met. The Board approved an interlocal agreement with the County and the Economic Development Foundation to split the costs of the parking lots at the 4-H grounds. The Board also accepted the recommendations of building commissioner Jonathan Casper for awarding a bid on the destruction of two derelict properties. The contract to remove all structures and clear property at 1101 W. VanTrees was awarded to the low bidder, R&S Excavating. On Casper’s recommendation, the contract to demolish structures at 913 E. Main was awarded to Don Gress Construction. Gress was the second lowest bidder, but Casper was concerned about the size of the building to be demolished and its proximity to other structures. While R&S was again the low bidder, Casper suggested going with a company that had more experience on this project.
