Mulliken council approves sewer fund loan, catch basin repairs and discusses county millages

Mulliken Village Council approved the May 11 meeting minutes and accepted the treasurer’s report, then moved money between funds to cover sewer expenses. The treasurer said the sewer fund needed cash to pay a chemical-related bill and proposed an interest-free loan from the Major Street fund. Council approved loaning $70,000 from Major Street to Sewer, with repayment expected after tax revenue comes in within about three months.

The loan means some street work may be delayed until late summer or early fall. Council members said the Major Street fund had enough balance to cover the temporary transfer, but also noted the move could slow planned work connected to Colfax and Ames.

Council then took up bids for catch basin work on Colfax and Ames. Members discussed verbal quotes that had not been submitted in writing, then reviewed a written bid from SIS for just under $8,000 for all four catch basins. Council approved moving forward with that written bid.

A sewer outfall pipe near the lagoons was also discussed. Village officials said a blockage had been found about 12 feet deep, with roots leaving only a small portion of the pipe open. The council did not approve a final repair that night, but members discussed getting pricing and trying to complete the work before the next pumping season because the village may not be allowed another emergency discharge.

Maintenance concerns centered heavily on the sewer system. The village’s maintenance lead criticized IAI over delays and excuses related to lagoon valve replacement and pump work, saying the delays had cost the village extra fuel and time. Council members discussed demanding a clear plan, possible refunds or credits, and whether another contractor may be needed if the work is not completed.

The village’s small lawnmower is also in poor condition, with officials saying it uses oil and breaks frequently. Council discussed getting bids for a commercial zero-turn mower, while also seeking per-mow pricing in case the village needs outside help to finish the season. The maintenance report also noted tractor tires were installed, scrap was removed from the former Hoover property, and some money had been recovered from scrap and contents.

County 911 officials presented information on the Eaton County 911 renewal and restoration millage. The deputy director said the millage supports countywide centralized dispatch, staffing, training and emergency response technology. He said the proposal is not a new tax, but a renewal and restoration to the original millage level after rollbacks.

County officials also spoke about Eaton County’s budget problems, pension obligations, service cuts and plans to rebuild county services. The county controller said the county is working to stabilize its finances, restore services where possible, and help local governments defend their tax base in tax tribunal cases. Officials also discussed upcoming or proposed funding connected to roads, juvenile justice, opioid settlement grants, parks and possible infrastructure grants.

A district court judge and county officials urged support for the juvenile justice renewal and restoration millage. They said the youth facility keeps local juveniles closer to family and services, helps the county draw matching funds, and is cheaper than sending youth to facilities in other counties or states. They said the proposal is a renewal and restoration, not a new program.

Public comment focused largely on the former Hoover property and a possible lease of part of the property. A resident questioned whether the village was moving too quickly and whether the lease opportunity should have been publicly advertised to create more competition and value for taxpayers. Council members responded that the property needs cleanup, the lease had not yet been signed, and the prospective tenant was expected to help clean up and use part of the property.

Council members also discussed concerns that the prospective tenant did not attend the meeting to sign the lease. Some members said the village had already decided to allow him in and wanted the lease finalized, while others said his absence raised concerns and that the board should receive copies of the lease. No new final action on the lease was clearly taken before adjournment.

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.