Salem city officials deciding fate of ?nuisance? properties

By Grace King, Mt. Pleasant News

SALEM ? Nuisance properties are gathering attention in Salem.

The abandoned lot at 206. N. Main was one of the nuisance properties discussed at the Salem City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 3.

During public comments, Randy Stewart, of Stewart Services requested updates from the council on that property. The council said they would ask the city attorney to come to a meeting later this month to give a progress update on that and all other nuisance property issues.

Jumping into business, city council member Mary Hoyer brought up the rebate the city received from Alliant Energy, saying it is much lower than expected. The rebate is calculated based on total energy savings and usage of run time.

At this time, Hoyer said the city does not have the finances to make upgrades. The council will continue to look into other grants and rebates to help lower the cost of the city?s electricity usage each year.

Dave Poland, with Two Rivers, presented the insurance review and quote with the city council.

On the agenda was the reading of tree removal bids, but because of confusion before the meeting, the bids were opened beforehand. City council member Chris Feehan motioned to have the companies rebid the project. Bids were to be sealed and delivered to city hall by April 10.

In other news, the council voted to adopt an ordinance regarding ATV?s in similar context to the City of Rome.

The next Salem City Council meeting is Tuesday, May 1.