In a response to the winter weather in Winona, the scheduled Jan. 16 Board of Aldermen meeting was rescheduled to Jan. 23. Undeterred by the challenges of the last two weeks, the gathering began with a roll call and the approval of the minutes from the preceding Jan. 2 meeting.
Guests Vicki Roberts, and Riley and Gloria Ghoston were scheduled to speak, but were unable to attend.
Ward 3 Alderwoman Sylvia Clark spoke on behalf of Riley and Gloria Ghoston about the road conditions on Railroad Avenue. The discussion included the recent pothole patches made for road repair and an ongoing issue with water on the street.
Street Superintendent Kenneth Beavers said that there is not a proper drainage system on the road.
“Water is eating the road up,” Beavers explained. “There used to be a drain between some of the houses, but the ditches filled in.”
Adam Kirk, the city attorney, said that plans to fix this issue had been discussed in the past, but were never placed into action. Mayor Aaron Dees, Clark, and Beavers planned to meet the following Wednesday, Jan. 24, to discuss the previous plans further.
Beavers was next on the agenda. He shared that the animal control officer and the code enforcer, Vidal Anderson, has submitted his resignation, with his last day will be Jan. 31. Applications are being accepted for this position until 5 p.m. on Feb 9. Applications can be picked up from City Hall.
The Board voted to accept Anderson’s resignation. Ward 1 Alderman Mickey Austin made the motion and Ward 2 Alderman Travis Johnson seconded. The vote was unanimous.
Next on the agenda was Water/Wastewater Superintendent Frank Faulkner, who was not present. Mayor Dees spoke on water issues on his behalf.
“We have the water leaks all fixed,” Mayor Dee’s explained. “We had some major water outages through the ice storm, but they have been fixed. I know they worked until 1 a.m. on one of them.”
The mayor then announced the water boil notice for Middleton Road, Old Legion Lake Road, Westland Heights, Highway 82 Bypass, and North Mission Road. This notice has since been lifted.
After Mayor Dees presented, Ward 5 Alderwoman Linda Purnell had the floor. She first expressed that she wanted to obtain a copy of each department’s budget for the year. Purnell explained that the reason that she does not vote in favor of certain matters is because the budgets are not explained and presented.
City Clerk Monica Turner then explained that she is actively addressing account balancing issues within the new accounting system. She is diligently working to identify and rectify these errors to ensure a seamless transition into the 2023-24 fiscal years.
Kirk then clarified that in the past, two separate accounting programs were used. When an attempt to merge these systems into one was made – as suggested by the accountant – disruptions and discrepancies occurred.
In the meantime, Turner will get each department’s budget balances for Alderwoman Purnell and the other members of the Board.
Purnell raised another concern about a local church that gathers at the Community Center for Sunday services. With the church being a non-profit, she did not see that it was fit for them to have to pay the mandated $150 for rent. Following a discussion among the Board members, Purnell made a motion for the church to resume using the Community Center, but with a reduced rent to $50 instead of the previous $150. Clark seconded the motion, which was approved unanimous.
Clark was next on the agenda. She addressed the need to condemn three houses on Alice Lane. She will provide Kirk with the addresses for these homes, initiating the condemnation process.
Clark’s second point of order was old city trucks that are sitting on Greensboro Street. Beavers will be working to get the area cleaned up and trucks moved.
Lastly, Clark addressed concerns regarding potholes on Cameron Street. The Board discussed that the road is being ruined by the log trucks heading to the Kilgore Sawmill. Despite the “No Trucks” signs having been posted on the road for 30 days, trucks continue to use the road. With this being the case, if trucks are seen driving on the road, they can now be fined. This is being looked into further. Once the trucks cease using this route to reach the sawmill, plans to pave the road will be initiated.
Ward 4 Alderman Charles Harris then addressed concerns regarding the county and city dumps. Harris said that the county dump is currently restricting city residents from dumping trash. He proposed implementing similar regulations at the city dump, limiting dumping privileges exclusively to residents of the City of Winona.
The Board agreed to investigate the matter further. If it is confirmed that City of Winona residents are no longer able to use the county dump, the Board has proposed a motion to amend the current ordinance. The amendment would restrict dumping at the city dump exclusively to City of Winona residents and also involve hiring someone to monitor the gate. Harris made the motion and Clark seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
To close the meeting, the Claims Docket was approved. Harris made the motion and Johnson seconded. All council members were in favor, except Purnell.
