Marksville board approves $871.51 sewer adjustment, tables new-appearance rule; OKs Pike Street closure for Bubble Fest

The Marksville Board of Works and Safety on Feb. 24 approved a sewer bill adjustment of $871.51 for the property at 1375 Maple Court, voted to close Pike Street for the Bubble Fest fun run on Aug. 16 and tabled consideration of a formal standard that would require some sewer-adjustment applicants to appear before the board.

The adjustment and the street closure were taken under separate motions during the board's regular meeting. The adjustment was granted after the homeowner at 1375 Maple Court explained repairs and timing; the Bubble Fest application was approved with conditions for crossing-control staffing at intersections.

The homeowner, identified in the meeting as Brianna of 1375 Maple Court, told the board she and her family first contacted the city in September after noticing an increased bill and were told the issue appeared to be on the household side. "I had called the city in September when I noticed that my bill was a little bit higher," Brianna said, and said the family postponed repair work until they could pay for excavation and pipe replacement. A private plumber later repaired the line and the adjustment application was submitted.

Board members made and seconded a motion to grant the $871.51 adjustment for 1375 Maple Court; the motion carried with the board voting orally in favor.

After that item, the board discussed whether to require applicants to appear in person for sewer-adjustment hearings in certain circumstances. Several members said they preferred a clear standard that could be applied uniformly. Suggestions included requiring an appearance when a delinquency exceeded two billing cycles or when an address was on a second or third adjustment within a 12-month period. The board asked legal counsel to draft a resolution spelling out any standard. The board voted to table the policy discussion until the next meeting so that a resolution could be prepared.

The board also approved three additional sewer adjustments presented later in the meeting; the amounts were read aloud by staff in the record but not recorded in a standardized numeric format in the meeting transcript.

On the special-events item, staff member Porter presented a street-closure application for Bubble Fest 2025, proposed for Saturday, Aug. 16, closing Pike Street from the venue to Home Avenue and back. The event representative said the route will return participants through a celebration area and that families with strollers are expected. The board and staff discussed traffic-control plans: the city recommended crossing-control personnel "one on each side" at each crossing; staff noted some minor cross alleys would not require staffed stations. The board approved the closure application and asked the applicant to provide the required crossing-control staffing and to sign the updated application form, which now includes signatures to document board approval.

The board called for a roll on routine minutes and other consent items earlier in the meeting and adjourned with the next scheduled meeting on Monday, March 10.

Ending: The sewer-adjustment approval and the Bubble Fest closure take effect as the board records them in the minutes; the proposed appearance requirement will return at the next meeting after city legal staff drafts a proposed resolution for the board to consider.