Council accepts resignation from longtime city worker

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Winds of change are sweeping across the City of Mt. Pleasant offices.

Not only will city hall be moving a few blocks east in several months from its current location to the civic center/library complex, but a longtime city employee will not be making the move with her co-workers.

Tammy Detrick, who has served as deputy city clerk for the past 39 years, submitted her resignation to the Mt. Pleasant City Council during Wednesday?s meeting.

Detrick?s last day on the job will be July 29.

Detrick will be replaced by Lori Davis, who is currently an administrative assistant. Davis has worked for the city since 2006 and began her duties in her current capacity on June 14, 2010, as a part-time worker.

Davis will be paid an hourly salary of $20.43, which will increase to $20.84, effective Dec. 18, 2016.

Taking Davis? place as administrative assistant is Hannah Guck, who formerly worked for the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance. Guck?s starting hourly salary is $14.00, increasing to $14.50 on Jan. 11, 2017.

Other agenda items had the council accepting the Green and Landon streets road repair projects. Jim Warner, of Warner Engineering Associates Inc., the city?s engineering firm for the projects, said he thought the work went well. ?The contractor did a fantastic job and we had very few complaints.?

Warner also told the council that Mapleleaf Drive is now open from Grand Avenue to Harvey Drive and construction workers are removing existing pavement on Mapleleaf from Harvey Drive to Iris Street.

Council members approved the first reading of a proposed ordinance to reduce the front yard setback requirements for the agricultural residential reserve zoning district from 175 feet to 75 feet.

Jack Swarm, city planning and zoning administrator, said the ordinance is needed to correct a clerical mistake made in 2006. ?When the ordinance was adopted in 2006, the setback was incorrectly listed as 175 feet,? Swarm said. ?The previous ordinance had 75 feet as the setback.?

The mistake was recently discovered when a home was being built in the South Briarwood area.

Rick Mullin, city public works director, said that placement of asphalt overlays on several city streets has been delayed until after Aug. 1.

The council also passed a resolution approving the transfer of funds from the TIF fund to pay for the North Cherry Street sidewalk improvement program. The resolution indicates that the council wishes the project to be certified as TIF debt and is required by the city auditor.

City Administrator Brent Schleisman said the state requires city governments to report how they are using TIF funds. He said the recently completed project, which extends sidewalk from Cherry Street to Walmart, fills a need in the city. ?It is a great project, I am glad we did it. It makes that area a lot safer.?

Mayor Steve Brimhall, in concluding remarks, said the city is continuing to consider other projects. ?Hopefully, we will be able to do (repair) a few more streets,? Brimhall said.

Council members will meet again in regular session Wednesday, July 27, at 5:30