The Jefferson Streets/Sewer/Sanitation/Water Committee met earlier this week.

The committee discussed establishing a sump pump ordinance. Information from other city ordinances were shared, which included having the sump pump inspected at the time that a house is sold to see if it dumps into the sanitary line which could result in a city infraction. However, most other cities allow for the sump pump to discharge into the streets as long as it isn’t a nuisance. A nuisance could be the discharge creating algae, ice or mold. A decision was tabled until next month’s meeting.

The committee then discussed four paving projects in the City. Bolton and Menk proposed preliminary plans to replace curb and gutter along North Vine Street from West Washington to West Reed streets, as well as North Wilson Avenue from Washington to Reed streets by the Hy-Vee property. The other two paving projects are the alley behind the Sierra Community Theatre and on North Mulberry Street from Highway 30. The cost is estimated at $213,500. Plans are to put the project out for bid later this summer with construction to be done in the fall.

Finally, the discussion took place about dumpster fees. During the discussion, it was mentioned to increase all residents water bills by $1 to help pay for the increased cost to chip the materials at the yard waste dump site. It was also mentioned to possibly increase the cost of recycling by $1. No formal action was taken by the committee on either topic.