Colona puts off food pantry agreement - Quad-Cities Online

Colona puts off food pantry agreement - Quad-Cities Online

COLONA — The city hasn’t quite finished with an issue that came to the council’s attention a year ago from its public works committee.

Instead of going to a vote Monday, terms of a new food pantry lease were tabled to a future meeting. Mayor Rick Lack explained he wanted to give the pantry’s board a chance to look over the lease at its Saturday meeting.

 “They may have some suggestions after their board looks at it,” he said.

 The proposed agreement would require liability insurance. Ald. Mike King asked whether the food pantry carries insurance now. “That may be something we have to look at,” said the mayor.

 Ald. Larry Swemline at first asked why it was needed now if the parties went 30 years without such protection, but then he seemed to change his mind, saying it would protect both the city and the pantry.

 “Their biggest concern, as I explained, is no one will guarantee, at some point, the building might not be sold. We can’t guarantee that, but we have no plans at this point,” said Mayor Lack.

 The city had the pantry and the senior center appraised last year.

 Aldermen also approved changes in the policy involving water shutoffs for late bills, raising the shutoff fee from $30 to $75 and a posting fee from $5 to $25. No action was taken on city ordinance referring to the issue.

 Ald. Mike King said if the policy and ordinance weren’t aligned, residents would be “going to the library” cross-referencing the two. “The ordinance supercedes the policy,” he said.

 Public works director Rick Crew offered an estimate of five hours' labor for the city to shut off water to an average of 20 people and said winter’s cold makes the process take a long time. “In weather like this, you’ve got to go dig up the ice and chip the earth," he said.