CLAYPOOL – Town council voted Monday to formalize an agreement to provide parking to tenants of a downtown apartment building. Council voted to designate four spots on the north end of Main Street for the use of residents of a building owned by Bev and Liz Heiman. The two women asked at the meeting why the agreement, which was reached several years ago between them and council, wasn’t spelled out in the winter ban on parking downtown from 4 to 6 a.m., which goes into effect for the first time this year. Council members indicated they remembered the agreement but that it didn’t occur to them to include it in any parking ordinances. “I was totally oblivious to the fact that we were excluding those four parking spots in the ordinance,” councilman Don Miller admitted. Council also indicated a willingness to formalize the agreement, provided the residents move their vehicles when the street needs plowed. President Niki Miller said initially that they probably wouldn’t take the issue up till next year, until it was pointed out that Liz Heiman won a seat on council in the election this month, which could complicate a vote. Niki Miller then asked for a motion and Don Miller motioned to honor the agreement, which was approved. Also Monday, Niki Miller addressed the drop in population that resident Dawn Vanneste brought up last month. Miller said she was shocked to hear the number of residents dropped from 431 to 293 in recent years, based on census figures Vanneste gave, and said she followed up with some research of her own. After walking around town, Niki Miller drew up a map of which residences, including homes, apartments and trailers, are occupied, for sale or uninhabitable. With 151 homes and three apartments, as well as several trailers, 16 empty homes and 13 bare grass lots, she arrived at a “guesstimate” of 402 residents, including children. “I wanted to make everyone aware, it’s not as dismal as it was put toward us,” she said. Council also took the last action needed on the 2016 budget, reducing about $29,000 in additional appropriations from several funds and then approving appropriations of $33,014 from funds in the 2015 budget for the 2016. Council approved the 2016 budget at $197,252 last month, a drop of about $25,000 from this year and $60,000 less than they expected to have next year.
