SCOTT CITY TO PAY FOR WATER PROJECT

SCOTT CITY -- The city will make the final payment for the water and sewer line extension project to the Nash Road industrial area after city council members have a chance to inspect the area, it was decided Monday at a Scott City Council meeting.

The project has been inspected and approved by the Department of Natural Resources and by the city's Public Works supervisor.

Councilman Jerry Cummins told the council Monday he would like a chance to inspect property where the lines were installed to see if it had been restored to its prior condition before a final payment of about $28,000 is made.

A slight leak in two of the water lines will be fixed by the end of the week, said Mayor Larry Forhan. The leak was apparently the result of faulty connections in two lines, and will cost $200 to $300 to fix, the mayor said. Forhan said Public Works Director Harold Uelsmann told him the pipes needed to be secured by surrounding them with a concrete barrier.

In other business, the council discussed whether an administrative sergeant is needed in the police department. Jim Oldham held the position before being laid off three weeks ago. Forhan said Oldham was laid off because of budget constraints.

The city is also short one police officer, and the council planned to review applications in a closed session Monday night.

Reserve Police Chief Lloyd Young, in a report to the council, said refresher training for reserve officers in the areas of driving and public relations is under way. The mayor ordered the officers to receive the training at the council's last meeting.

Young said each officer had completed a defensive driving course under the direction of field training officer Bobby Wooten. He said Wooten also accompanied the officers on several police calls.

"We have this training for both the regular (officers) and the reserves," Young said. "It will be an ongoing thing."

The council also decided against doing away with study sessions that take place before their regular meetings. A suggestion was made at the council's last meeting by Forhan to forego the study sessions and replace them with separate committee meetings.

In a related matter, council member Brenda Moyers said she was against the mayor's suggestion to no longer require department heads and the city attorney to attend the regular council meetings. She said City Attorney Frank Siebert and Uelsmann should attend the meetings "for their expertise and advice."

She maintained Siebert should be present to administer legal advice on city matters.

"It seems like you've removed the very people who give us assistance" in decision making, she told Forhan, who said he did not object to again requiring Siebert and Uelsmann to be at the meetings if that's what the council wanted.

The council the voted 5-3 to require only Siebert to attend one meeting per month.