SHULLSBURG – According to Mike Reuter – the city’s inspector, a citation was sent to a resident for non-compliance of the property maintenance ordinance and the council approved to go forward with the abatement process.
    The initial notice of non-compliance was sent Oct. 13, then sent out a second notice on Nov. 9, then spoke to the occupant of the home on Nov. 17, and according to Reuter, “that didn’t go well.” After that a citation was issued on Dec. 1 and the court date was pushed back to Feb. 1. “I went back to the residence, Tue., Jan. 5”, Reuter said, “and nothing has been done to clean the junk, it may have gotten worse.”
    The next step is an abatement, to go in and clean it up and charge the offending home owner $500 plus fees. The Health Department has been there, but they didn’t find anything that the city could act on. Emmett Rielly made the motion to go follow through with the abatement process, after the Feb. 1 court appearance.
    In other business:
    • The council approved a bid from Employers Mutual Casualty and Tom Black for $17,156, which insures replacement cost on buildings and portable equipment and actual cash value on vehicles, for one year from January 28. This after the council got out of Local Government Property Fund, which is closing as of January, 2018.
    • Under committee reports, it was noted that Fred Blackbourn & Sons delivered a new tractor to the street department and had a training session.
    • Approved a contract with Teasdale Reality, to list the city’s industrial lots.
    • Approved the purchase of chemical pumps from Hawkins Water Treatment for $8,950, for the water department.
    • Approved the purchased of SCADA software from B&M Technology, for $9,275 for the waste water treatment plant.
    • Tabled action on upgrading the city’s website. The website is now “frozen in time” and cannot be updated or changed with the current web software. The software is from 2005 and needs to be upgraded or replaced. Any money spent on this is not budgeted and will need to come out of the designated fund balance.
    • Approved the sale of the 1995 International Truck for $5,500 from the street department.
    • Approve a operator license for Laura M. Jenkins.