August 10, 2021 (Micca Terrell) During a Pleasant View City Council workshop held on July 22, council members discussed several important items, including $1.4 million in federal funding, a new flooding survey, possible changes to alderman elections, and a resolution to expand video recordings of city government meetings. American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds are part of federal COVID-19 relief monies, and there are strict stipulations on how the money must be used, according to Jill Niccolich, Pleasant View Alderman. It is not clear yet when the funds will be received, Niccolich said. Guidelines on what to spend the money on, and how to spend the funds, also still need to be received from the federal government. Council members also discussed the severe flooding that has been happening in Pleasant View. On the morning of the council’s workshop, members had just gotten back a survey that was done at the water company property down on the Highway 41-A side of Main Street. Niccolich said the town will be working on a retention type area there to help alleviate the flooding that happens along Main Street. “We know how devastating flooding can be and the town wants to do all we can to help the people and businesses that need it,” she said. Possible changes could be coming to alderman elections, once the U.S. Census Bureau numbers for Pleasant View are tallied. If the town’s population goes to 5,000 and higher, which the council expects to occur, there will be changes to the manner in which alderman elections are handled, Niccolich said. Changes would include the town being split into wards and candidates could only run in the wards in which they live, she said. “It’s also a possibility we could add additional aldermen. The way the mayor runs would still be a general election. But again, we will not know this until our census numbers come back to us,” Niccolich said. A resolution to require video recordings of all city meetings including Parks and Recreation board, planning commission, and strategic planning task force was considered by council members. Prior to this proposal’s discussion, the workshop and the city regular city meeting have been recorded on video. But this resolution would require it for all meetings. “It’s incredibly important with how fast our town has been growing that we give the community an opportunity to view the meetings and to see and hear what decisions are being discussed and decided on for the future of Pleasant View,” she said.
The resolution will come up for a vote on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. during the council’s regular meeting. In other business, Parks and Recreation is working to apply for a Blue Cross grant to help with getting the Community Park to the next stage.
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