Ione will be setting their eyes on government surplus in the latest approved purchase by the city. In a 3-0 vote, the council gave the green light to City Manager George Lee to pursue obtaining a vacuum truck through online auction not to exceed $75,000. In their monitoring, Lee had been looking to make the purchase, however each time the auction price would bid past his $50,000 set limit. The need to purchase their own equipment is meant as cost savings over the $97,000 spent over the last two years for hiring a plumbing company to pump their sewer drains on a regular basis. One staff member is already trained on the equipment and will be training other city staff on its use. In closed session the council voted 3-0 on pursuing a lawsuit on its first item, a case that will be named at a later date once it is filed. At the close of the meeting Rhoades presented a map of the Howard Park area, describing water lines feeding the park from US Mine’s property that have been previously blocked off due to the Wildflower development. This was his answer to critics on social media claiming the company owed a substantial amount of money to the city for water use.
Written by Melissa Ray