Marmaduke council enforcing clean-up

Property matters remain a key discussion for the Marmaduke City Council. While most of the town's residences have been restored and cleaned since the April 2006 tornado, there are still some properties which do not meet city code.

"We're still working on cleaning up properties," city recorder/treasurer Betty Jackson said. "It's an ongoing process."

Monday night, the council discussed a particular property, located at the corner of Mill and Fifth Streets. With several letters sent to the property owner previously, the city plans to move forward with its efforts if no improvements have been made by the end of September.

Cleaning up has been a priority for mayor Steve Dixon, who stressed the importance of presenting a beautiful town when appointed to the position.

When Dixon took office in July, he named his main priority as "getting the town cleaned back up" and restoring the community's appearance to something more akin to what it was prior to the disastrous tornado.

As part of this procedure, the city is in the process of purchasing and installing new streetlights along the downtown area. Many of the previous lights had been damaged during the January ice storm and have not been in working order.

In other business, the Council:

* Voiced its support of the Marmaduke School District in the application for a federal grant to fully cover the expenses of installing new sidewalks near the school and surrounding residential area.

* Decided not to pursue purchasing a new backhoe after an evaluation showed the current backhoe is in good working order.

* Approved the treasurer's report for August.

* Approved the minutes from the August meeting.