Council discusses Riverside, treatment plant work

Published 9:50 am Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The Austin City Council discussed a proposed $100 million capital improvement plan for the city of Austin during its work session Monday.

The city’s annual update of its 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan calls for $100,022,000 to be spent on city improvements from 2014 to 2018. Those improvements include $2 million in upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which council members approved earlier this year.

In addition, the plan calls for $1 million in renovations to Riverside Arena, which was built in 1973, according to Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Kim Underwood.

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In other news, the council:

—Struck down a motion to bring to Austin a League of Minnesota Cities-sponsored program to educate residents on how city government works. Council Member Janet Anderson had worked on the issue for the past two months and told the council it would cost between about $575 to almost $900 to bring in speakers to share how Austin’s city government works in a seminar with interested residents. The council voted 4-3 against the proposal during its work session.

—Decided to revisit a rental ordinance by the end of the year. Council Member Steve King said he had received numerous calls about rental properties over the past few months and wanted to re-examine the issue. The council voted earlier this year to drop discussion on a potential rental ordinance.