Mona council reviews CIP priorities, presses for more frequent valve maintenance and follows up on fix-it notices

Mona officials used part of the Sept. 23 work session to review a draft capital improvement plan (CIP), reiterate the need for a confirmed maintenance schedule for water-system valves, and follow up on outstanding city nuisance "fix-it" notices.

Public Works and council members said a valve maintenance schedule is needed to prevent failures that could cause major street flooding. One councilmember said the current suggestion that valves be exercised every five years is insufficient: "I'd like to see it more than every 5," the councilmember said, recommending a two-to-three-year cycle for exercising valves and testing PRVs. Staff said the work was typically contracted (one vendor named in the meeting was Claybald) and that they would seek a regular maintenance contract and a confirmed schedule.

On the capital improvement plan, staff walked the council through short- and medium-term items. The council and staff noted that top-priority projects (described in the CIP packet as already underway) would remain in the near term, while medium-term items — including drum-screen replacement and controls at the sewer plant, Main Street lighting and piping, and the gas regulator work along Main Street — would require prioritization and budget decisions. Staff asked councilmembers to individually rank CIP items and return them to staff so the council could hold a follow-up work session to set a formal priority list.

Councilmembers also discussed code-enforcement fix-it notices. Staff said one nuisance case on Main Street had been filed with the courts as a misdemeanor and that other complaints were still in the 30-day compliance window. A councilmember volunteered to speak with a property owner in one active case before escalating enforcement and asked staff to coordinate next steps with the city attorney and with Alicia (code enforcement staff).

Other small items covered during the session included a scheduled park pavilion expansion (plans and estimate provided) and tabling a valve-maintenance agenda item because the staff lead was absent. No formal votes were recorded on CIP priorities or enforcement actions; staff will collect council priorities and return with a focused work session.