Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Council To Study Proposals Before March

Prescott's city council gave the Nevada County Library $10,000 during its regular meeting Monday, February 16.

Allene Spencer and Gladys Kirby told council members of the financial woes experienced by the library including an estimated shortfall of cash for this year.

Spencer told the group the library has a daily attendance of 90 to use its services.

Council members were told some of the financial woes included the minimum wage being raised and the closing of the library in 1997 to bar code its books.

Council members found out during the meeting the library roof is leaking again. It was replaced two to three years ago by Friends of the Library.

Council member Donna Wingfield told the group the county should be responsible for the library's financial strain.

She reminded fellow council members the county turned down a request for surplus equipment for the Prescott Police Department which had been requested recently.

Mayor Howard Taylor told the council an inter-local contract was needed with the library since cities are not allowed to make donations.

Wingfield was the only vote against the measure.

Taylor presented the council a proposed ordinance to be discussed during the March meeting concerning the rezoning of wards.

Under the current plan, all city voters elect eight council members city-wide, which has been ruled unconstitutional in other cities.

Currently, the city of Prescott is divided into four zones with two positions in each zone available.

Election laws now require zones be numerically balanced as well as racially balanced.

Prescott's Ward One has about 1,000 voters and is made up from mostly non-minority voters.

Ward Two has 450 voters with over 50% being minority.

Ward Three has 307 voters with nearly 50% being minority.

Ward Four has 595 voters, with more than 50% of the voters being minorities.

Taylor's apparent proposal is to elect one council member from each ward by the ward vote only, and four council members elected by a city-wide vote. This would leave boundaries the same.

Council members recognized the current wards are not in compliance with the law, but existing boundaries will probably have to be changed to fall into compliance.

Wingfield told Taylor the ordinance was presented at the wrong time since filing for office begins March 17, the day following the next regular City Council meeting.

A proposal from Parks and Recreation director George Odom to repair restrooms at the McRae ball field on Fifth Street was not acted upon by the council.

Odom, along with parks committee board member Gary Lewis, presented the proposal which included designating the field for softball only.

The Parks Department will meet with area softball players to see if the field will be used enough to justify the $8,500 restroom tab.

Council members did approve a motion by council member Steve Crow to repair fences at Bemis field for $2,300.

This was part of the money to be used last year by the parks from the one-cent sales tax collection.

Council members will meet at 6:30 on March 16, 30 minutes before their regular meeting to consider closing a block of Chestnut Street.

The block on Chestnut will join property owned by Central Baptist Church, which is planning a new building project.

Chestnut is located to the south of the building, between Central and Oliver's One Stop.