Claypool Passes 2016 Budget

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By Jordan Fouts-

CLAYPOOL – Town Council approved a 2016 budget of $197,252 Monday, a drop of about $25,000 from this year and $60,000 less than planned for next year.
The budget includes $149,752 in the general fund, $27,353 in motor vehicle highway and $14,000 in local roads and streets.
The street money likely won’t cover repaving of Graceland Avenue, an item on the town’s 2016 wish list, council members observed during the public hearing ahead of the vote. Estimates for the work given at the meeting ranged from $15,000 to $60,000.
Also Monday, council approved $1,800 for inspection of the town water tower inside and out. A camera will be used for interior inspection, which Utilities Superintendent Gene Warner noted is quicker and easier than draining the water. He added it’s been five or six years since the tower was last painted, and it may need a more thorough inspection at the 10-year mark.
Council also instructed Warner to buy signs this month to mark no-parking zones downtown. The winter season restriction, which bars parking from 4 to 6 a.m. to allow for snow plowing, goes into  effect Nov. 1.
And Town Marshal Lou Mediano said Claypool trick-or-treat hours are Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. The firemen will also be out at that time, council heard.
During public discussion at the tail of the meeting, resident Dawn Vanneste remarked on the one-third drop in population the town has seen in the past five years, based on census numbers, which she said scares her since the post office may eventually be forced to close. She shared feedback from real estate brokers on how Claypool might attract new residence, ranging from things they can’t fix – like the noise from trains barrelling through town – to things they can, such as rundown properties and junk cars.
Mediano said the town does have laws on inoperable vehicles, though if a vehicle runs and is registered, the homeowner can keep it anywhere on the property; and said unsightly homes can be covered under unsanitary property laws.[[In-content Ad]]

CLAYPOOL – Town Council approved a 2016 budget of $197,252 Monday, a drop of about $25,000 from this year and $60,000 less than planned for next year.
The budget includes $149,752 in the general fund, $27,353 in motor vehicle highway and $14,000 in local roads and streets.
The street money likely won’t cover repaving of Graceland Avenue, an item on the town’s 2016 wish list, council members observed during the public hearing ahead of the vote. Estimates for the work given at the meeting ranged from $15,000 to $60,000.
Also Monday, council approved $1,800 for inspection of the town water tower inside and out. A camera will be used for interior inspection, which Utilities Superintendent Gene Warner noted is quicker and easier than draining the water. He added it’s been five or six years since the tower was last painted, and it may need a more thorough inspection at the 10-year mark.
Council also instructed Warner to buy signs this month to mark no-parking zones downtown. The winter season restriction, which bars parking from 4 to 6 a.m. to allow for snow plowing, goes into  effect Nov. 1.
And Town Marshal Lou Mediano said Claypool trick-or-treat hours are Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. The firemen will also be out at that time, council heard.
During public discussion at the tail of the meeting, resident Dawn Vanneste remarked on the one-third drop in population the town has seen in the past five years, based on census numbers, which she said scares her since the post office may eventually be forced to close. She shared feedback from real estate brokers on how Claypool might attract new residence, ranging from things they can’t fix – like the noise from trains barrelling through town – to things they can, such as rundown properties and junk cars.
Mediano said the town does have laws on inoperable vehicles, though if a vehicle runs and is registered, the homeowner can keep it anywhere on the property; and said unsightly homes can be covered under unsanitary property laws.[[In-content Ad]]
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