Albany City Council, in the absence of Mayor Nicky Smith due to illness, held its regular monthly meeting last Tuesday evening at city hall with five council members present. Councilman Tony Delk was also absent for the meeting.

Once again, the council voted to appoint councilwoman Tonya Thrasher to chair the session in the mayor’s absence.

The council had a limited agenda, with primary discussion being the water tank proposed for the Duvall Valley area in eastern Clinton County, setting the 2016 year tax rates, and other minor items of business.

The council first re-addressed the low water pressure problems around the Bald Rock area near Duvall Valley, which occurs primarily during the summer months and usually in the late afternoon/early evening hours.

The council recently voted to have a water tank installed in the area that will hopefully fix the problem and Kenneth Delk with the city water department informed the council that an estimate of approximately $51,000 had been obtained for installing a 5,000 gallon tank at the location.

Delk said that Monarch Engineers had submitted the proposal to the state’s Division of Water for approval and by the next meeting of the council, they should be ready to proceed in having the tank installed.

Part of the pressure problem is believed to evolve around the number of poultry houses in the area that require a large of amount of water usage.

Delk also said water usage figures had been calculated at the water department, showing that the area, which supplies 663 customers, used 13 million gallons of water, while in the same two-month period, two other areas in the city, which also includes commercial businesses as well as residents, used 7.7 million, an over five million difference in the two areas.

Delk agreed to periodically check the meter at the location over the month to determine the usage and about the only question concerning council members was whether or not a 5,000 gallon tank would be sufficient. However, engineers have apparently determined that size tank should handle the water flow.

Once the Division of Water gives approval for the project, the actual work on installing the tank can begin and the council may take official action of some type at its October regular meeting.

The council then addressed the issue of the 2016 city tax rates. City Clerk Melissa Smith asked if the council wished to consider increasing the property tax rates by two percent over the current rate. However, no motion to that effect was made.

With little discussion, the council, on a motion by councilman Brad Thrasher, voted to keep the tax rates unchanged, at 18 cents per $100 assessed value on property tax and 20 cents per $100 value on personal, or tangible property. The rate has remained unchanged for a couple of decades. The motion to keep the rates as is passed unanimously.

The council then opened bids of a 1998 Ford F150 pickup truck that had been declared surplus property. The council had set a minimum bid of $300 on the vehicle.

Three bids were received on the vehicle, but two were discarded because they were under the $300 minimum advertised. The council, on a motion by Leland Hicks, did vote to accept the high bid of $403 submitted by Gary Wallace.

The only other discussion was an invitation the council had received to attend the annual Clinton County Farm Bureau membership meeting that was held last Thursday and councilwoman Tonya Thrasher asked police chief Ernest Guffey if it would be okay to again block off a street for the annual downtown Trick-or-Treating and reminded council members about the upcoming ribbons to be placed in business windows next month in remembrance of Aleigha Duvall.

The next regular meeting of Albany City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, October 4 at 5 p.m. at city hall and is open to the public.