At Monday’s Centerville City Council meeting, a discussion was held regarding the need to reduce accumulated comp and vacation time by city employees.

Mayor Marsha Mitchell said there are many city employees who have accumulated many hours and those hours need to be brought under control.

“I have suggested setting a date for employees to use whatever they can and then after that date, lose the hours and not accumulate any more,” said Mitchell.

Council members Mike Zintz and Rob Lind both said they thought 18 months would be enough time for employees to use their excess time and council members Moe Carter and Bill McAfee agreed. The council voted to set the end of calendar year 2009 as the cutoff date for employees to use the excess hours.

Tracy Miller, administrator of the sewer grant, told the council the construction phases are complete and by June 30 all the paperwork on the project will be closed out.

The council considered the Washington Street situation, where half the road is vacated and half is not. Zintz suggested the council retain ownership, noting it has no value and is nothing more than a ditch.

“We might perhaps later put some grass or plants on it to control erosion,” he said. The rest of the council agreed to make no changes.

The council voted to approve a $5,000 donation toward the new shelterhouse at the city park and set a public hearing on a budget amendment for the FY08 budget for the next regular meeting, May 19 at 5:30 p.m.

City Clerk Kris May reported that Hy-Vee and Bratz have complied with their tobacco complaint settlement agreements and paid their fines (for selling tobacco products to minors) but nothing has been received from Ron Adams. May sent a letter stating Adams was to appear at a public hearing May 5 and he did not appear. The council voted to have the Adams conviction stand and take steps to collect the fee.

Police Chief Dan Howington said the police department is going to try to get back to doing some of the things it used to do in the community.

“For one thing we are going to hold a bike rodeo at Lakeview and present a bike safety program. Our goal is to keep kids from getting hurt on a bike this summer. There will be a bike safety talk to each grade level and we are going to stress helmets, lights and other safety measures,” Howington said.

“We’d like to get a new bike to give away at the rodeo. Everyone who participates would get a raffle ticket for it.”

He also stated that parents are very important in making sure what the kids learn is carried out after the rodeo. “They have to help by reminding the kids about safety,” he said.

Howington added there is a Neighborhood Watch being organized on Drake Avenue.

“We plan to get one area up and going and then work on another three or four.”