On July 11 the City Council held a special meeting at which Brian Woodring with Utility Services, Inc., presented a proposal to repair the city’s water towers for a cost of approximately $500,000. Their proposal would repair the water towers and establish a service contract, which would allow the City to pay the project out over a five year period as well as keep the tanks maintained.

Here’s the full report from that meeting.

The City Attorney reviewed the contract and determined that due to the nature of the services, it would not be necessary to take bids on the work. To comply with all legal requirements, Utilities Services Inc. would be required to provide a bond. They indicated that would not be a problem. They also verified that the contract was drawn up based on the recommendation of licensed engineers. Under the contract, Utilities Services Inc. will be completely responsible for the care and maintenance of the water towers. The Council authorized the City to accept the contract, once it is updated with a bond.

Once the contract is signed, work will begin with the Burlington water tower in early Fall of this year. Burlington water tower has not been painted or refurbished since 1981.

Joe Meeks, Ward 3 Position 2 Alderman, announced the creation of a Facebook page to enhance public awareness of current issues in the City.

Meeks told MLive, “I feel Facebook can be used as an effective tool to engage our community. When I ran for City Council, it was on a platform of transparency and openness to connect with citizens, to really be out there and easy to reach. The opportunities that social media can create through its inexpensive and widespread use are endless. By helping gather public opinion, feedback, ideas, and feeding these back to those responsible for the policy-making process, it can help rejuvenate direct democracy.”

You can like the page by visiting www.facebook.com/monticelloward3.