Lebanon City Council Discusses Tax Levy, Trick or Treating

By Sean Ditch

Lebanon held its second city council meeting of the month on Monday, October 23rd. It started with Mayor Cheri Wright proclaiming October 24th World Polio Day, in association with Rotary International, in the town of Lebanon. 

It was then followed up with audience participation, where John Wright, citizen of Lebanon was following up with more information on comments he had previously made at prior meetings about decorations for Christmas. He had brought up the chamber of commerce who had been responsible for replacing light bulbs on the buildings, as well as lanterns previously purchased for decorations. He stated he would need permission from the city to hang them with what he called the bucket truck to install the lanterns. He expressed as well when it was time to take them down, they would be stored by the chamber. 

A concerned citizen shared her displeasure of chairs and folding chairs being on the south side sidewalk on brick street that were attached with zip ties to nearby benches. She thought it was “ratty” and said it was not a good way to present the town of Lebanon, especially for a town called “historic”. She also thought if they’re to be put out at day time, they should be taken out at night time. 

Another citizen spoke up about how he attended the previous meeting to discuss more about the need for a legitimate flag pole in front of city hall. He also expressed that he wanted to see a state flag as well as a POW flag, and asked why there was little progress made to the lack of a real flag pole instead of a pole made of PVC pipes.

RJ Smith, a citizen of Lebanon, inquired about the possibility of painting a pedestrian crosswalk next to a sign, which was close to where he and his family resided. He shared that he understood the streets department may already understand the area as the road has loose gravel and may not keep the paint on the road for a prolonged period of time. He wanted to know if the sign could flash to better alert drivers nearby. RJ’s wife Kimberly, who was also in attendance, shared how the town had, during covid, a live stream of the council and committee meetings, and she wished that would be something the city could provide again in the future.

In the committee reports, streets and alleys recommended approval of Lebanon School District #9 usage of streets for the 2023 Homecoming Parade on December 1st of this year. Those streets would include parts of Monroe, St. Louis, Pearl, and Schuetz St. The parade route would start at 2:00 PM instead of 1, with street closures starting at 1:30. The council voted unanimously on the matter.

Treasurer Larry Wilson Jr. presented that the committee recommended approval of a 4.75 increase of the tax levy and to move forward with the writing of a resolution approving said increase. On the writing of said resolution, the committee voted 5-1 on the matter with alderperson Dale Trinka abstaining his vote. The resolution will be voted on at the November 13th 2023 city council meeting, then sit on the counter for 20 days, and then the 2023-2024 Tax Levy Ordinance will be presented for approval at the December 11th council meeting.

Trick or Treating for Halloween will take place on Tuesday, October 31st from 6:00-8:00 PM; the council voted 6-1 on the matter. A motion was made for future times of trick or treating to be made by mayor proclamation instead of council vote, which was seconded, and the council voted unanimously to have the time for future trick or treating to be made by mayor proclamation. 

The next city council meeting will take place on Monday, November 6th, at 6:30. All are welcome to attend.