Safety Service Director outlines utility‑pole relocations and paving schedule; residents press for stronger housing enforcement

Safety Service Director Shane Dreger told the Alliance City Council on Nov. 17 that utility poles at Beechwood, Sawburg and West State have been moved and that underground work will occur before the end of the year, with the overall project expected to finish next August. Dreger said paving of the rough sections of West State is scheduled for spring and that leaf pickup’s second pass will begin the following Monday.

Council members pressed Dreger on whether additional preparatory work would be done on State Street (Edwards noted such work would substantially increase cost and Dreger said it would not be done). Members also sought updates on the McCaskey zoning and tax situation; Dreger said taxes were paid and that a zoning hearing had occurred but the outcome was not known to him at the meeting.

In public comment, resident Brandi Douthitt thanked Councilman Phillip Mastroianni for advancing infill housing discussion but asked that he not chair or serve on the committee when terms reset, citing concerns about appearances of unethical behavior. That request was recorded but no formal council action followed.

Resident Ben Bolog provided housing‑inspection figures for 2025: 94 inspections to date in 2025 (compared with multi‑hundred inspections in prior years), with seven properties vacant, 17 rentals and the balance owner‑occupied; of recorded violations, roughly 83% involved occupant actions and 17% were structural, of which 3% were landlord responsibility and 97% homeowner responsibility under their breakdown. Dreger said a report tied to an ordinance passed earlier will be delivered in January and that citation/enforcement data are generally generated and tracked by the city’s code staff.