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Citizens, council voice opinions on city issues  Share
The issues that brought a nearly overflow crowd into City Hall for the monthly meeting of the Bridgeport City Council were quickly resolved with a polling of the council and showing of hands from citizens who attended the Tuesday night meeting. Proposed annexation of areas to be brought into the city limits were first on the agenda. After explaining reasons for both the proposed northern and southern expansions of the city, Mayor Max Schauf requested that citizens raise their hands for or against the measures. While it was an attempt to generate more income by providing those citizens with the city sewer service, the southern expansion to the residence of Chuck Holtz was quickly dissolved by citizen opposition. Those citizens do have city water, Schauf said. More citizen feedback resulted in a positive reaction to annexing the area north of the city to KBJ's fuel/convenience store. Schauf said that he would pursue it in order that the city could be collecting sales tax revenue ''instead of letting it go to the county.'' The individual polling of city council members on another issue squelched the contemplation of granting a package liquor sales permit to Casey's General Store. Robin Wirth, city business owner of a liquor sales business, requested that the council members be polled on the issue. ''Our money stays here. Casey's doesn't,'' she pointed out.
Robert Cusick, representing Neikirk Engineering of Mount Carmel, gave a report concerning the progress of the new water well and treatment plant project. He reported two bids for materials, a collective sum of $401.881.94, a savings of more than $83,000 according to the engineer's estimate. Although only 30 of 44 easements are signed, Cusick said that all contacts were now favorable to the proposed route of the pipeline from the Billett wells to the city. Permission has also been granted from the Illinois Department of Transportation for crossing Illinois Route One. Other road boring may need to be done on township roads. He expected that city workers would be putting pipe in the ground by mid-September. Mayor Schauf commended the enginerring firm for getting the easement work done in a record time of less than 90 days. The meeting will reconvene for the purpose of issuing bonds in the amount of $3 million for the water works and sewage system improvements at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 20. In other business, the council: - approved payment of $2,626.49 to Ambraw Asphalt for road maintenance. - approved changing employee insurance to Blue Cross & Blue Shield, effective September 1. The city will pay $325.88 per employee each month. There is a $1,000 deductible which will be honored from previous charges. - hired two part-time city employees, Cecil Carrie and Jerry Stevenson. - approved exercising its option to purchase an additional 10 acres for the water field at $5,000 per acre. This will give the city a total of 20 acres for the well field. - discussed equipment in need of repairs or replacement. - approved payment of $5,800 for the city's portion of reconstructing a ditch by Bridgeport Grade School. Barbara E. Allender is editor of the Bridgeport Leader.
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