Mulliken council moves ahead on old elevator lease, storm drain bids and equipment repairs

Mulliken Village Council approved several property and maintenance items at its May 12 meeting, including a letter of intent for a 12-month lease tied to the former elevator property, new rear tires for the village tractor, and zoning approvals for two homes and a driveway. Council also reviewed major sewer repair costs from a recent overflow and discussed possible grant help to reimburse the village.

The treasurer reported that the village submitted a request through the county emergency director for reimbursement tied to the emergency sewer discharge. The request was described as about $124,000 and included bills from several contractors and vendors connected to sewer repairs, cleanup, hauling and related materials. Officials noted the process would not be quick, but said they would work through it if more information is needed. Council voted to accept the treasurer’s report.

Council discussed sinkholes around storm drainage structures at Colfax and Main. A bid of $7,964 was presented to remove and repair four storm drainage structures, including curb and gutter work, masonry rings, backfill and concrete repair. Some trustees said they wanted more than one bid before approving the work, while others noted it can be difficult to get contractors to show up for this kind of job. The council agreed to seek two more bids and revisit the issue at the next meeting.

A zoning request was approved for a new home on Amy Lane for a resident identified in the meeting as Mrs. Boyer. The proposed building was described as 78 by 45 feet, with space for a motor home and a driveway off Jacqueline. The discussion also raised questions about who owns or maintains an overgrown section near the end of Amy Lane where a road extension had once been planned. Officials said they would look into the property records and determine responsibility.

Sidewalk concerns were also raised after the library contacted the village about uneven sidewalk slabs and possible trip hazards. Council members said Main Street has multiple problem areas and that full replacement would be expensive. Grinding down raised edges, lifting slabs or replacing limited sections were discussed as possible ways to reduce hazards while buying time. Officials said they would inspect and mark problem areas and consider bids if needed.

The council approved buying rear tires for the village’s larger tractor from Joe’s Tire for about $2,200 installed. A second estimate from Caledonia Farmers Elevator was higher. The tractor’s existing rear tires were described as old, cracked and leaking beet juice, and repair was considered poor value because the tires are deteriorated.

The largest discussion centered on the former elevator property and a proposed lease with a local business owner. Council approved a letter of intent for a 12-month lease beginning June 1, with possession of the westernmost structure for commercial use and storage or shop purposes. The village and the prospective tenant discussed cleaning up the site, using dumpsters, tracking labor and equipment costs, and later environmental testing before any longer-term decision about the property. The council also voted not to allow anyone onto the property to retrieve items, citing liability concerns.

For the cleanup, council approved using a local bidder’s 15-yard dumpsters at $400 each after reviewing prices from several companies. Other bids ranged higher, and availability was limited. The council initially discussed one dumpster, but the conversation indicated several may be needed as the building is cleared. The village is expected to pay for dumpsters and receive proceeds from scrap, while cleanup labor and equipment rates are to be handled in the lease or related agreement.

A county official spoke during public comment about two Eaton County millage renewals expected on the August ballot: one for 911 central dispatch and one for juvenile justice services. He said an existing county infrastructure millage is falling off and that the two proposals are renewals, not new programs. He warned that without the 911 millage, dispatch costs could shift heavily to local service providers, and said the juvenile justice millage helps draw state and federal support for required services.

Council also approved a front porch request for a home on Charlotte Street after hearing it would sit more than 30 feet from the curb. A separate request for a second driveway at a residence was also approved after discussion about whether the work had already begun and whether the surface would hold up over time. The meeting ended after those public comment and zoning items were addressed.

How this report was produced

This article was generated by an automated pipeline, and we think you should know exactly how. First, the audio of the meeting was converted into text by automatic speech recognition — software that infers words from sound, without a human listening along. That machine-made transcript was then read by Willbot, American2Day’s AI reporter, which condensed it into the report above. No human transcribed the meeting, and no human wrote this summary.