Cornell City Council; Sixth council seat will remain vacant until election time
By Ginna Young
There’s an open seat on the Cornell City Council, after it was vacated by the resignation of Aimee Korger in September. What to do about that was discussed at a meeting Oct. 6, with three options available to the council.
“You could hold a special election to fill it,” said city administrator Dave DeJongh. The other options are to appoint someone from the community or to wait until the regular spring election, and allow the public to choose who will represent them.
Ashley Carothers, council member, said she thinks a special election is a non-needed expense, to which the other members agreed. Council president Steve Turany asked if there had been any interest expressed in the open seat and DeJongh said no one has approached him.
Mayor Mark Larson said he would like to see a new member elected by the people. Council member Bill Kvapil said he is all for it, as long as it’s legal to operate with just five filled seats.
DeJongh said as long as they have a quorum, it’s completely legal.
“That sounds good,” said council member Floyd Hickethier. “If anybody’s really interested, at election time, they’ll run.”
Larson also did some switching around, to cover the spots Korger filled on committees. Turany agreed to go on the Planning Commission, while Carothers became the chair of Public Health and Safety. Hickethier said he’d sit on the Library Board, with Kvapil moving to a seat on Public Health and Safety. Council member Terry Smith filled the last slot, for Buildings, Parks and Recreation.
Members also approved hiring Nicholas Burzysnki for the open city works operator position, on recommendation of the Finance Committee.
They also approved a bonfire at the Mill Yard Park where the annual fireworks display is shot off, for Friday, Oct. 14, from 10 p.m. to midnight, after the Homecoming football game. Students from the school agreed to return to clean up the area the next morning.
“It’ll be a small, controlled fire and we’ll have some of the fire department there to help keep it safe,” said school representative Grace Harycki.
Members also agreed that signs and arrows can be put up ahead of the riverwalk project that is in the works, as part of Ice Age Trail updates, since rerouting is being looked into.
“I think, eventually, it will follow the riverwalk trail to Thomas Street to hit the Old Abe Bike Trail,” said DeJongh The markings are called “blazing” and will be done in advance of the trail.
“They should mark it anyway,” said Kvapil. The 2013 police squad is no longer a problem for the city, as it sold for $3,400 on the Wisconsin Surplus Auction. The funds from the sale went toward the 2022 squad, which is currently in the department’s possession, but is an unmarked unit while they are awaiting the arrival of materials.
Glenn Rehberg, police chief, said Cornell got way more than they expected, but that just shows how crazy the used car market is. The tires the department had also sold.
“The guy drove from the east side of the state to pick them up,” said Rehberg.
Residents can get their yards in order with fall clean-up week, Oct. 24-28, where the city works department will pick-up yard waste only, such as brush and small diameter limbs. Leaves and grass can be placed in bags, but residents are reminded not to rake them into the street gutters.
If residents choose not to place the leaves or brush at curbside for pick-up, they can haul the yard waste themselves to the designated piles behind the city shop.
