Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Plans November Election For Tax (cont)

en a grant from the Horace C. Cabe Foundation for $200,000 to do the work. Smith said the architect will be paid $15,000 for the work he did, which puts the renovation costs at $221,000 with the low bid.

The building committee will be called together to see what changes can be made to the original plans.

A separate improvement project for city hall, Smith said, will be done with money left over from the energy grant the city received earlier in the year for improvements.

This project will be to enclose the front of the building, creating an airlock entry to the facility.

The council approved the annual millage ordinances. These are not new taxes, Smith said, but taxes the city has been collecting for years.

One is the 5 mill tax which goes to the city's general fund, while the other is the 4/10 mill tax for the firemen's pension fund.

No one's taxes will go up because these millages were passed by the council, Smith said.

The council also agreed to allow members of the Gurdon Fire Department to try and find a used truck for the rescue unit.

The GFD can spend up to $12,000 for the vehicle.

A resident had approached the mayor about putting a recreation center in what is known locally as the old church house.

Initially, Smith denied the request, but brought the issue before the council for its decision.

Smith said a rec center at this location was shut down in 1991, following a murder there.

Another rec center located in the same area was denied a business license a few years ago because of problems it created.

Smith pointed out this building does not meet city code, nor does the structure meet the criteria for a recreation center.

Childres said if the council allowed the center to open, there would be nothing but trouble.

The council agreed such a center is not needed in Gurdon and took no action, thereby killing the issue.

A budget committee was formed with all department heads being required to serve on it. Hughes and Philip Giles agreed to serve as representatives from the council.

The meeting ended on a sad note as Smith read a letter of resignation from administrative assistant Mary Burns.

Burns will be leaving the city's service to work with the new Structural Interlocking Panel Systems, Inc. (SIPS).

She offered to train a replacement and help on special projects.