It was another nearly three hour meeting, with lots of decisions made and some deferred. President Reggie Manville was back, after a three-meeting absence. Employee benefits were discussed and a vote was taken on Linda Manville’s proposal that employees begin contributing 20% toward their health-care premiums. This motion was voted down three to two (Reggie Manville, Ken Holmes, and Joyce Gatrell voted no; Diane Jenks and Linda Manville voted yes). Absent from this meeting were Jennifer Wilkins and Matt Stapleton. The question of whether Reggie Manville, a member of the employee relations committee and the husband of one of the employees, Laura Manville, should have recused himself from the vote due to conflict of interest.

Corey Toms, the new DPW assistant, will start work on Monday. Apparently there was some communication glitch whereby no one formally told Toms he had been hired right away, so instead of starting in two weeks from the hire date, it will be three.

The safety/parking situation along M-22, especially near the Duck’s Head, was discussed. A preliminary plan was drawn up to create better visibility from side streets entering 22. Council discussed asking MDOT to reduce the speed limit to 25 through the Village and add crosswalks.

Council voted to get a commercial appraisal and survey of the Old Library Building and its lot in preparation for possibly selling it. This evening’s meeting was actually a public hearing on that subject, but no notice was posted in the post office, just in the Record-Patriot, and only the usual-suspect members of the public were present for discussion. Joyce Gatrell herself, a member of the municipal buildings committee, seemed confused at the beginning of the meeting, saying she didn’t know the hearing was tonight.

More listener notes to come …. —Emily Votruba