The question of when to pull the trigger on a project to clean Lake Mitchell sparked debate at the most recent Mitchell City Council meeting. A vote is slated for next year, but some worry that might be too late.
The $25 million loan proposal would dredge Lake Mitchell, which has faced algae blooms for decades.
However, the community faced questions on the timeframe for action. Some council members pushed for a September special election, and others eyed a June 2024 vote.
Council member Marty Barington questioned what comes after pushing the issue down the road.
“Another eight months of dead time is just that much more – this thing is gonna die," Barrington said. "If the public is all for it, then we need to find out yes or no, sooner than later, and it helps out with budget for us through September 19, so if it does happen to fall to the public, we need to take different action.”
The city’s preexisting lake fund has less than $2 million in it. That total raised flags for councilmember Mike Bathke.
“I just don’t understand how we didn’t save more money – we knew this was coming for how many years, and we don’t have more money than that? I did second this motion to change the date for the election because I haven’t sat through a budget hearing yet," Bathke said. "I want to know where the city is at. It just baffles me that we haven’t saved more money. We’ve been talking about this in my notes for ten years."
Ultimately the question of the date for a vote proved a battle, with mayor Bob Everson and council president Kevin McCardle trading barbs during the meeting. McCardle alleged he did not receive accurate information regarding the timeframe for a potential vote.
The 5-3 vote puts fate of the project is in the hands of Mitchell voters, but that tally won’t take place until June of 2024.