With Worthing Mayor Brad Hazuka out sick, commission chair Sheri Lund called the April 22 meeting to order.
Heather Taylor with KW Realty reported that the city had received an offer of $20,000 for the two lots the city has for sale on Joel. The city was asking for $40,000 for the lots. The commission decided to counter with $30,000 for those lots and not pay any of the buyer’s closing costs.
In open public speaking, a handful of citizens asked questions. One wanted to know if the city was broke since they were moving money around to buy a tractor. Lund said they were using that money from parks to maintain them. Commissioner John Ganschow said they are using money from the garbage fund for the down payment and then each year’s payment after this year will come out of parks. He thanked the commission for the clarification. Commissioners thanked him for coming to ask questions.
Another resident who has lived in Worthing for 25 years reported a lake of water in his yard and $10,000 worth of damage to his basement. Where it is supposed to drain is blocked and he would like the drain hole cleaned out and put in some concrete. Maintenance lead Jake Haar said the drain there does not hook into any city system and gravel roads in town should have a ditch. Haar and Ganschow will look at the problem and come up with a solution with the homeowner.
Scott DeWitt said that drainage in Worthing sucks. Ganschow said drainage, along with many other issues, have suffered from many years of neglect and now they have to play catchup. Lund said the drainage plan is high on the priority list for the city.
Bernard Zahn asked who owns the land in the industrial park. Commissioners said the Worthing Economic Development group does and that the city will get in touch with them about a large, deep pond on that property.
DeWitt, planning and zoning chair, along with planning and zoning member Jim Miles updated the commission on the recodification proposals they have that the city will consider at the May 6 public hearing and meeting. No one attended their April 15 public hearing on those proposals. The main areas they are looking at include fences, accessory buildings, multi-buildings on one commercial lot and their bylaws. They also talked about tiny homes and how they can prohibit them in the city.
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