Lansing City Council accepts city clerk’s resignation and hires Elizabeth Carlson Jones as new deputy city clerk

by Julie Berg-Raymond

During its regular meeting Monday, July 1, the Lansing City Council approved City Clerk Katie Becker’s resignation, effective July 26, 2024. Becker informed the council that she has taken a job as the city administrator for the City of Riceville. The city clerk position is being advertised (see Page 26 of this week’s edition of The Standard).

The council also approved the hiring of Elizabeth Carlson Jones as the deputy city clerk, at a rate of $18.50/hour with a $.50 raise after 90 days.

STREET REPAIRS
During his report to the council, Street Superintendent Ken Ripp talked about the need for street repairs to South Front Street and said he had contacted five contractors about the concrete work, but no one was interested in the project. (Ripp mentioned that he had received a “ridiculous” bid of $99,000 for crack filling.) When asked about the possibility of city staff doing the work Ripp replied that, with a street staff of only two, it would be nearly impossible to accomplish.

Shaw Street was also mentioned as a “big area of concern.” On the west end of town just past the new Casey’s, Shaw Street is on the north side of Hwy. 9 and runs about five blocks to the area just below the swimming pool. All of the water from a large footprint of land extending up Whitetail Road empties into the narrow valley that comprises Shaw Street. Some very small-diameter culverts were replaced a number of years ago, as part of a FEMA project, with larger culverts which were still not able to handle the volume of water associated with a recent four-inch rainfall over just a couple of hours’ time.

To read the full article, pick up the Wednesday, July 10, 2024 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.