Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com
Published - Sunday, May 18, 2008
City Council updates municipal code
The Tomah City Council took care of several items on Tuesday at its first regular meeting since reorganizing after the April elections.
Council President George Wright ran the meeting in place of Mayor Ed Thompson, who is in Ireland with members of his family. Wright opened a public hearing regarding an ordinance to adopt and enact a new code for the city. No one from the public spoke at the hearing and the ordinance was approved.
The ordinance was a housekeeping issue for the City, which has spent several months in a recodification process. Multiple meetings and discussions were held between city officials, the municipal attorney and the code book attorney during the process. Minor changes were made such as chapter numbers have changed and outdated items were removed. An example given in a City Staff Committee Preparation Report is the requiring of whitewashing of chicken coops. This item has been removed from the code. The general content of the ordinances remain the same. Due to the length of the code book and the cost to duplicate it, a copy is on file in the city clerk’s office at City Hall for anyone interested in reviewing the new code book.
The council also approved the construction of a new Police Vehicle Impound Lot and a $13,000 appropriation for the project from the city’s Contingency Fund. The current impound lot, which is located at the VA Hospital, will no longer be available due to a construction project.
*Waste treatment impound lot
Ken Patterson, Director of Public Works, has offered a location at the Wastewater Treatment Facility to construct a new impound lot. The project will involve removing sod, laying eight inches of gravel, and moving the fencing from the impound lot at the VA Hospital to the new location.
“It is more than just putting up a fence,” Patterson said. “In reviewing the cost of gravel and fuel, I think this is a pretty good price.”
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