Taxi fare increase is on agenda
Monday, August 18, 2008 1:02 PM CDT
A resolution increasing the fares for the shared-ride taxi system in the city by a quarter will be on the agenda of the Watertown Common Council when it meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the council chambers of the municipal building.
The proposed rate increases for taxi rides are as follows: Adults from $2.75 to $3; children under 12 years old from $1.75 to $2; children with an adult to the same destination from $1.25 to $1.50; children between 12 and 18 years old going to the middle or high school from $2.25 to $2.50; elderly and disabled people from $1.75 to $2; prescription delivery per package from $3.50 to $3.75; and corner stop service from $1.25 to $1.50.
The changes in the rates are proposed to start on Sept. 1.
The rate increases are the result of rising gasoline and insurance prices.
Council members are also expected to act on resolutions approving the final plat and developer's agreement for the Heron Landing subdivision on the south side of the city.
The entire 172-acre Heron Landing subdivision is expected to include about 235 lots for single family homes, 58 duplex units and 98 multifamily units.
Heron Landing also consists of 7.6 acres for commercial purposes, 5.6 acres for public parks, 18 acres of wetlands and 26.3 acres for storm water management.
A resolution denying a request from a Watertown firefighter who is looking for the city to pay him a supplemental income beyond the required 90 days will be on the agenda of the council.
Firefighters Chad Butler is on temporary disability and has received payments from the city for 90 calendar days to make up the difference between his workers' compensation payments and his normal salary.
Butler has asked fire Chief Henry Butts to petition the city to continue these payments past the 90 required days.
Aldermen will look to take action on a resolution authorizing J.F. Ahern of Fond du Lac to install schedule 40 PVC piping at the wastewater treatment plant.
The current solids handling building centrate drain piping at the wastewater treatment plant is almost plugged with struvite, which won't allow the centrate to drain away. City officials said it is too expensive to try and remove the struvite from the interior of the ductile iron piping.
The cost of installing the new schedule 40 PVC piping will not exceed $15,000.
A resolution amending the bond schedule for possessing instruments used for controlled substances will be on the agenda of the council.
The resolution increases the forfeiture from $25 to $100 and the total deposit from $77.50 to $172.
Council members are also expected to take action on the first reading of an ordinance changing the process of how absentee ballots are handled in the city.
The ordinance proposes that all absentee ballots are kept at city hall and processed at a central location by election inspectors. The ballots would then be taken to the proper polling place, according to city Clerk Mike Hoppenrath.
Currently, when absentee ballots are turned in they are taken to the specific polling places and the inspectors at the tables open and process them just like the voter would be standing there, Hoppenrath said.
“This way the election inspectors don't have to deal with large numbers on a big election while everybody is trying to vote,” Hoppenrath said. “They (absentee ballots) would be processed here, opened here and then transported to the polling place and then counted.
“During a large election, sometimes poll workers can't even get to the absentees until the polls close at night and then they've got hundreds of them to open,” he added.
The absentee ballot request has to be approved by the state before the second reading of the ordinance can be acted on by the council.
Popular Searches
