In action at a regular meeting Monday, the Alba City Council forged ahead with a plan to commit the majority of the American Rescue Plan grant to fund the installation of a radio-read water use monitoring system.

The system, as described by Water Department Manager Paul Kelbe, will make water usage monitoring much more accurate and timely, resulting in increased city revenue and a reduction in water loss. The council voted unanimously to put the wheels in motion to improve Alba’s water monitoring and will soon solicit for bids to provide the system components. 

The initiative will not expend all of the federal funds, and discussion ensued regarding the possibility of adding isolation valves to segregate the Holly Street water lines. Other water system improvements, such as replacing the 1½-inch water line serving the east side of the central business district, were also discussed.  

Mayor Don Heinert reported that he had used his mayoral discretion to commit $5,000 to repair the roof and gutter system on city hall. The roof, which is shared with the police department, leaks in several places and requires immediate repair.

Alderman Larry Jones represented a resident by voicing concern about the condition of Cooper St. Kelbe reported that he had closely inspected the street, which skirts the western edge of the city boundary. He reported that the street is rough due to a number of surface patches which had been applied over the years. The road, however, was not pot-holed. 

Alderwoman Tammy Kirkpatrick offered that she could not support expenditures on smoothing road patches when there were many other roads in Alba which require repair due to pot-holing. In related action, however, the council unanimously approved transfer of $7,800 – unspent election allocations and excess building repair funds -- for street repairs.

The meeting began with a public forum to describe the actions completed during the recent drainage improvements project. As no members of the public were in attendance, the public hearing was immediately closed. 

Three separate actions were approved by the council which will facilitate the next round of infrastructure improvements funded through state grants. The council approved two resolutions to document the need for state funds and approved a citizen participation plan. The three documents were a part of the next grant application.

Lengthy discussions regarding policing policy dominated the balance of the meeting. The discussions ranged from procurement policy to actions taken to abet speeders. While no action was taken on the issues, it was agreed that a special meeting will be called and precede the regular meeting on Tuesday, July 5. The issues will be discussed in executive session at the special meeting. 

All council members were present Monday.