by Mari Radtke
At the regular meeting of the Marcus City Council held Monday April 13 resolutions necessary to advance the updates and repairs to the water treatment plant were approved. An engagement letter with Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. to act as bond counsel for the USDA loan notes was approved. In order for a city to borrow money, public approval is necessary. A public hearing on the matter was set for Monday May 11. If no compelling reason is provided to council to not borrow the funds and make adequate repairs to the water treatment plant, council will vote on issuing $13,320,000 in water revenue Capital Loan Notes. A public hearing for the proposed Marcus 2027 fiscal year budget was also set.
City Clerk Robin Harvey reported that the trail has won a $240,000 grant. The next phase is estimated to cost just under $1 million. She also reported that she plans to apply again next year “so the grants can be stacked.” A FEMA grant is under consideration to fund a generator for the fire department allowing it to serve as an emergency shelter. A notice of intent was filed keeping the option open. A 15% match is required.
Harvey explained how the wage allocation for city employees will undergo changes. Specific wages will be applied to specific departments going forward. The change is internal and will not affect the final spending.
Dan Ohlendorf, Marcus Economic Development, reported that the greatest need to grow Marcus is housing development.
Police Chief Brian Flickeid reported to council the arrest of Travis Ehrig following the execution of a search warrant jointly with Cherokee County Sheriff’s department. Ehrig is a registered sex offender. He is charged with Grooming, a Class D felony; Enticing a Minor, a Class D Felony; Dissemination of Obscene Material to a Minor, a Serious Misdemeanor. Ehrig is being held on $10,000 bond in Cherokee County jail.
Flickeid also shared outreach activities to the Cherokee County Supervisors with Cherokee County Sexual Assault Response Team. The Supervisors then proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Cherokee County. Officer Stephens held an educational program at the Marcus Library for awareness of online activity and to help prevent incidents of online abuse and access to children, a circumstance with growing incidents reported in the immediate area.
A suspect in a 2023 child endangerment incident, Teresa McDanial was arrested on a warrant. She turned herself in a bonded out. This came after a lengthy investigation into an incident of serious injury to a child in her care.
Several items of business were discussed at length. Specific updates to the employee handbook need to be addressed in order to clarify proper procedure and compensation to employees. They also considered and the discarded formulating a purchasing policy for the city.
During May “Chaulk the Walk will be held along the Marcus Trail for Mental Health awareness. A lengthy discussion of constructing pickle ball courts was held. It will be revisited in future meetings. Council along with public works Doug Dreckman, it was decided that holding off on repairs to the water plant will not work. He reported several leaks. The roof at City Hall also is in need of replacement. A brief discussion of the condition and replacement options was had.
Marcus Planning and Zoning provided ordinance change recommendations to council affecting swimming pools. The recommended changes were adopted with 2nd and 3rd readings waived.
Marcus’ [nuisance] enforcement officer also recommended adopted the 2024 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code into its ordinances. It passed and 2nd and 3rd readings were again waived.