Lawrenceburg’s Board of Works, Utility Board and City Council met on Jan. 5 and approved routine minutes and a set of administrative actions while taking up several items with community impact.

The Board of Works approved an agreement allowing dredged material from the Tanners Creek boat docks to be placed on a private landowner’s property, after staff and engineering consultants said the draft agreement includes protections for both the city and the owner. The agreement specifies that, once deposited, the material becomes the landowner’s property. The board voted to approve the agreement.

At the Utility Board meeting, Director Rob Schneider described a property license intended to let a newly contracted vendor install and maintain police-department cameras and scanners on utility poles, noting four camera locations primarily along U.S. 50. The utility board approved the license agreement so the vendor can service the equipment. The board also voted to reject the current rate-case counteroffer and directed staff to renegotiate for a higher settlement and return with a revised proposal.

During the City Council session, officials provided an update on a senior-housing project at the Durban Plaza parcel: the Florida Collins group that received tax credits is preparing a site plan, and city staff said the developer will present the plan to the council when it is complete. Council members described the city’s primary contribution as transferring the parcel of land; one speaker characterized the value as "a little over $1,000,000." No final land-transfer paperwork was recorded in the meeting minutes; the council said it will review the developer’s site plan when it is submitted.

The council also confirmed a slate of board and commission appointments and reappointments, including representatives to the planning commission, Main Street Association, school endowment and redevelopment commission. Mayor and council appointees named in the meeting include Bill Snyder (to fill a vacancy), Tim Denning, Jean Fouch and others. The council adopted Resolution 1-2026 (the performance/resolution related to the earlier MOU) and approved payroll and claims once properly certified.

A member of the public asked where dredged material would be placed; staff replied it would go "down behind Kroger's" in a small area. A commenter described the material as "good clean fill," which staff said would be used for fill. Council members also praised recent downtown events and the new pavilion for increasing foot traffic and business for local restaurants; parking capacity was raised as a concern during public comment.

Votes at a glance
- Approved: minutes of prior meetings (Board of Works, Utility Board, City Council).
- Approved: MOU/performance-related resolution (Resolution 1-2026).
- Approved: dredge-agreement for Tanners Creek material placement on private property.
- Approved: property license agreement permitting a new vendor to install/maintain police cameras on utility poles (four camera locations noted).
- Approved: motions to review and approve claims and payroll (once certified).
- Approved: reconfirmation of multiple board and commission appointments; Bill Snyder named to replace Jim Crook on a specified board.
- Approved: Utility Board motion to reject the current rate-case counteroffer and authorized staff to renegotiate and return with a revised offer.

What’s next
City staff said the Florida Collins group will return with a formal site plan for the Durban Plaza senior-housing project; the council will review that plan in a future meeting. Utility staff will return to the board with a renegotiated rate-case settlement for consideration.

(Reporting based solely on the Jan. 5 public meeting transcript.)