Mulliken council tables $33,650 lagoon repair proposal; discusses sewer costs and village property

The Village of Mulliken Council met Monday, October 5, 2026. Members tabled a proposal to repair eroding banks and replace overflow pipes at the wastewater lagoons, leaving the matter for a future meeting. The proposed work would backfill two narrow banks between lagoons and install four crossover pipes. The existing pipes date to 1972, and erosion has left some sections of bank only six to eight feet wide, according to the discussion. Members said the work would ideally be completed before spring high water, and that it could be done in winter.

The proposal was listed at $33,650. Council members discussed the limited balance in the sewer fund and other outstanding sewer expenses before agreeing to table the proposal. They also reviewed costs for a repaired outfall pipe that runs beneath Eaton Highway. The work addressed roots and damage in the pipe; members said the line was working again, while discussing additional charges beyond the earlier approval. The transcript contains conflicting figures for the total and prior payments, so the final amount was not clear.

The council approved the September 14 meeting minutes. It also reviewed and approved the treasurer’s report after questions about entries in the monthly transaction list. The discussion clarified that a recurring charge from Elon Financial Services was for the village’s Visa card. Members also discussed payments connected to mowing and tree service, and asked about a CSX crossing item described as an annual meeting.

Maintenance topics included preparing two village buildings for winter. Members agreed that the water should be shut off for the season and discussed having a plumber winterize the plumbing before freezing weather. A plumber had been contacted to look at the work. They also discussed removing a refrigerator and possibly turning off electricity after the water systems are secured.

Members raised an outstanding bill from IAI related to a replacement project, including charges they said needed explanation. Dennis Kepitis and another council member planned to meet with the company to review the bill and determine a figure to bring back to the council. No resolution or payment was approved during this discussion.

A resident raised concerns about sidewalk sections on James Street that the resident said had not been fully replaced, as well as weeds that needed repeated spraying. A trustee said they would look at the sidewalk and add it to the list for review. The maintenance discussion also covered the limited spraying completed during the summer and other work at the lagoons and along fences.

Residents and council members discussed the former mill property, including cleanup, possible costs, safety concerns around holes in a building, and whether the property could be marketed for sale. One resident asked for a clearer long-term plan given the village’s financial constraints and lagoon needs. Members discussed removing trash and getting the site ready, but no specific plan or spending decision was approved. A separate concern about clutter on porches led to discussion of limits in the current ordinances and enforcement.

The council also discussed the upcoming Trunk or Treat event. The Mulliken area library was expected to participate on October 22 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; members discussed handing out candy and a haunted house. The meeting then adjourned.

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.