Zach Walker, who lives just outside the Linn Valley city limit on 2400 Road, urged the Linn Valley City Council to attend the Linn County Commission meeting on April 1 to share their views on the permit requested for another quarry on that road. (Roger Sims/Linn County Journal)
By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com
LINN VALLEY – At the Linn Valley City Council meeting on Monday, March 25, Mayor Lewis Donelson said on Monday, March 25, that he did not have a nomination to fill the council post vacated by Brenda Muncy.
A two-term veteran of the council, Muncy submitted her resignation shortly after the Feb. 19 council meeting, a month after being sworn in to a third term in office. She was easily re-elected to her seat last November, drawing the most votes of any candidate.
Muncy attended the council’s March 11 meeting but sat in the audience.
Donelson offered to nominate her again for the post, but Muncy said she wanted to take time to consider the offer. She did not attend the meeting on March 25.
In a separate interview, Muncy said there were many reasons she tendered her resignation but she declined to give specific reason. She did suggest, however, she might be wanting to retire from public office to have more time for herself.
After the mayor said he had no nominations, Councilman Dan Donham asked if the mayor was taking applications for the post.
Donelson said he wasn’t, however, he was reaching out to people who might want to volunteer. He said he was aware of people who might be interested in the post and that Linn Valley wasn’t so big that the city needed to take applications.
Wendi Cyr, who was selected by the council at its March 11 meeting to replace retiring City Clerk Karen Siffring, was sworn in to her new post. Immediately after swearing in her successor and changing the nameplate on the city clerk’s desk, Siffring left the meeting and Cyr began taking minutes.
And while Siffring is no longer city clerk, she will remain on payroll as finance clerk until her retirement in July. She was included on a list of city officials in a resolution outlining who could sign checks for the city. That resolution was unanimously approved.
The council also heard a request by Zach Walker, who owns property at the intersection of 2400 and Valley roads, which is outside Linn Valley city limits. Walter asked the council and residents to attend the Linn County Commission meeting on April 1 when the commission is set to vote on a conditional use permit for a quarry operation on 2400 Road just east of the U.S. Highway 69 overpass.
The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission on a split vote recommended earlier in March that the commission approve a permit for a new quarry operation there. There are already two other existing quarries close by, including the former Wade Quarries operation and a quarry on ground owned by Youth for Christ that is used as a youth camp.
Walker noted that the dust, noise, and damage to roads should be of concern to Linn Valley residents.
Donelson agreed, saying that everyone who uses roads in that area have a story to tell about trucks hauling rock there.
The council also considered a resolution that would amend the city codes. The changes included updates to how building permit fees are paid as well as an update on projects that do not require a building permit.
Donelson said that the resolution wasn’t ready to be voted on. He has expressed concern that since culverts for driveways were removed from the list of projects needing permits, many have been installed improperly.
Several items were removed from the projects that required a building permit in an attempt to reduce the number of inspections the city needed to make, and that included culverts. While it was generally agreed that those culverts that would be paved over needed to be inspected, there was some discussion about whether those covered by gravel would need to be inspected.
Council member Robert Suppenbach also questioned a provision that allowed the building inspector to authorize a refund of up to half of the amount on building fees $200 or less if a refund was requested in writing no more than 60 days following the issue of the permit.
Suppenbach said he wanted clarification as to who would qualify for a refund.
The issue was tabled until the April 9 meeting.
Council member Donham said it had come to his attention that the concrete apron on the entrance by the water tower had a 12-inch hump, making it impossible for some heavy water-project trucks with lower ground clearance. He said the only way to fix the problem was to tear that area out and re-pour it.
Donelson suggested that the city look at using the back gate to the development, and Council member Richard Gravelle suggested using dirt as a temporary filler to smooth the hump out enough to allow those trucks to pass through.
Donham said that perhaps a temporary area on the side of the existing hump could be constructed.
The mayor also noted that the city’s animal clinic will take place on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at City Hall. The staff from Louisburg Veterinary Clinic will be on hand to administer vaccinations for dogs and cats as well as inserting microchips for identification purposes. All resident dogs are required to have a city license.