Politics & Government

Ditch Projects on Poplar and Bentley Move Forward

City Council voted to complete ditch repairs this year on the two streets that also were slated for repaving.

Ditches along Poplar and Bentley will get a makeover this year after all.

On Monday the voted 6-0, with one alderman absent, to keep the city’s road repaving program on track by completing ditch repairs along those two streets.

A split council two weeks ago after Ward 7 Alderman Halil Avci led several other councilmen in objecting to city spending practices. The 2013 budget originally contained $758,800 worth of ditch projects on residential streets.

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After that meeting, Ward 3 Alderman John Poteraske suggested , the two streets that were also slated for repaving in 2012. Ditch projects along those streets will cost the city $223,800.

Immediately before Monday’s vote, Avci said that he continues to oppose the overall structure of the ditch program, though he doesn’t have problems with individual projects.

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“I just wanted to mention that even though it’s only two projects, I find it hard to support any ditch projects until there is some agreement to resolve this problem of the ditch program as a whole,” he said.

Nonetheless, Avci joined the present aldermen in voting to approve the two projects.

The city plans to schedule a committee-of-the-whole meeting as soon as May to discuss future plans for funding the ditch program, Mayor Kathleen Weaver said.


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