The council approved with the absence of two voting members — Mayor Harold Rainwater and councilman Jeff Baier. The city’s legal adviser, attorney Robert Gullette, was also absent.
After budget talks, police chief Bill Craig presented the city council with a Wilmore police activity report.
The report listed emergency responses, criminal reports filed and arrests from Jan. 1-Jan. 31 fielded by Wilmore police. It also showed the department’s current open cases.
“This is something I plan on doing every month,” Craig said. “It’s not all-inclusive because there are some things that are not entered on here.”
The missing data were calls of duty outside what the Kentucky State Police records, Craig said.
According to the report, Wilmore police responded to 62 emergency calls, received 15 criminal reports and made one arrest, charging the person with DUI. Most calls made were in relation to a suspicious person or car (14), and most reports made were theft by unlawful taking (6).
Craig added that anyone can go to www.crimemap.com to get the information for themselves.
“I think it’s helpful information,” councilman Lynn Cooper said. “I think the citizens of the community need to know what the level of crime is, and if there is something happing in their area, they need to know.”
Council also heard from Dave Carlstedt, director of utilities and public works, on sign retroflectivity and the Wilmore streetscape improvement and pedestrian mall project.
As far as the signage, Carlstedt said a recent amendment to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices defined the standard of road signs and requires cities do street-sign inventory to ensure that they are retroflective. He recommended to the council that they use the management-plan template provided by federal government and said he would be e-mailing it to them so they can become familiar with it before the next council meeting.
“The end result is that every sign that has to do with traffic flow has to be very reflective,” he said. “The literature all says three-times more accidents happen after dark and seniors, more so than young people, struggle with signs that are not reflective.
“It’s supposed to ultimately reduce municipal liability and protect cities from being sued.”
Carlstedt also talked to the council about a streetscape bid running in The Jessamine Journal’s Thursday, Feb. 9, edition.
The Wilmore streetscape improvement and pedestrian mall project is a $3 million plan to re-do several streets and create a walkway through Asbury University.
The council moved to put both items on future agendas.
In old business, the council heard from engineer John Horne on a plat located on South Maple Street.
Representing Charles Crouse Sr., Horne stated that he would like the city to make a proposal to close down a plat in Asbury Estates.
Crouse dedicated the land to the city in 1965 and it was original zoned for a roadway and playground, Horne told the council.
The land right-of-way of Johnson Court is not expected to be used for those purposes, Horne said, and by “closing” it, the land would revert back to Crouse, who owns the surrounding land. Horne asked that the council send a letter to Crouse with their intent to close the property so he could begin working on surveying the plat.
“There’s no negative impact to the city,” he said. “It’s all positive.”
The council agreed to put the item on the Feb. 20 agenda and have a first reading of an ordinance to close the property.
