The Meeker Town Board of Trustees this week, for the third time since May, has set a public hearing for the proposed annexation of property around the Meeker Lake.
During their meeting on Monday, the Trustees unanimously agreed to hold the hearing at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 23 at the Meeker Town Hall.
In their meeting in June, they had set the public hearing for 6 p.m. July 26 which is next Monday. In this week’s meeting, the town’s legal counsel James Hodgens took full responsibility for not getting notices out to the property owners and providing the legal notice that is required to be published.
“It’s my fault,” he told the board. “Pick a date and I’ll get it out,” he further advised them.
Vice Mayor Donna Weber asked him, “you promise?”
Hodgens replied, “yes.”
She had stated just before that exchange, “This isn’t going to be good. We’re going to hear about it.”
During their meeting in May, the Trustees had set the public hearing for 6:30 p.m. on June 28.
Town Administrator Dickie Walton has said proposal is to annex eight square miles around the Meeker Lake area.
The annexation would include all of Section 19, part of Section 20, all of Sections 23, 24, 25, 26, 31, 35, 36 and part of 32.
Town officials said there are approximately 348 property owners within the boundaries of the proposed annexation.
Hodgens explained each one of those property owners has to be notified of the public hearing within a minimum of 14 days and a maximum of 30 days of the public hearing.
Walton has explained previously, “The proposed annexation the town is seeking is to protect our borders.”
The Trustees, on another issue, also voted unanimously to combine the Town Treasurer and Town Clerk position. They then voted for the current Town Treasurer Dale Smith to step down due to the combination of the Town Clerk/Town Treasurer position.
Mary Conner, who already is the Town Clerk, officially on Monday night became the Town Treasurer as well.
Trustees voted to increase Conner’s pay by $400 per month due to combining the positions.
The Trustees also voted to amend the ordinance regarding the change to read the “town clerk and the town treasurer are officials of the town and their offices shall be combined.”
The Trustees also voted to accept the resignation of Trustee Rick Hill. He had submitted his resignation last week.
In a one sentence written statement, he wrote, “I, Rick Hill, am resigning as Town of Meeker Board of Trustee effective immediately on July 15, 2021 at 11:05 a.m.”
Hill was elected in 2019 to serve on the Meeker Town Board.
Mayor Jeff Wilbourn said following the meeting the Trustees have 60 days to fill the vacant position.
The Lincoln County Election Board office confirmed Tuesday the Trustees have 60 days to appoint someone to fill the position until the next municipal election. Otherwise, a special election will be needed to fill it.
In other business, the Trustees:
Voted to have an ordinance changed on an itinerant vendor as to when the application has to be made to the town clerk-treasurer.
Voted to rescind an item on the June 21, 2021 agenda regarding the dates of the next payroll cycle changing it from June 26 through July 2, 2021 to be dated July 6. This was in relation to when pay increases for employees took effect.
They then voted to correct it to read beginning with the next payroll cycle of June 19 through July 2 to be dated July 2.
Later, meeting as the Public Works Authority, they voted to make the same changes.
Voted to remove Dale Smith, Town Treasurer from all checking accounts and later meeting as the PWA took the same action.
Changed the employee handbook to include Juneteenth (June 19) as a federal holiday and the Trustees will still decide whether to close City Hall for Christmas Eve and Columbus Day if employees are willing to use their vacation to take those days off.