By Lexi MooreMembers of the Hills Fire Department met with the Hills City Council and representatives from Martin Township to discuss payment of an outstanding bill.In October the department purchased breathing apparatuses from a fire department equipment supplier using money they received through a FEMA grant.A representative from the company attended the meeting on Tuesday night to discuss a discrepancy in the bill. He said the department owed an additional $3,850 for the purchase of seven air bottles. This portion of the bill exceeded the amount of funding the department received through FEMA.Hills Fire Department member Mark Top handled the negotiations with the company and said he was promised seven free bottles if the department purchased a three-year service agreement.The representative explained to the parties involved that there had been a miscommunication during the negotiations. He was unwilling to take back the equipment because it had been used by the department.He offered to decrease the bill by $1,000, an offer that was not accepted by either the city or the township.After a lengthy discussion, township and city officials offered to pay half of the outstanding balance, owing $962.50 each. The company representative accepted this offer.Both Hills and township officials agreed to allow the department to donate old breathing gear to a department in the mutual aid area.Debris must be removedGeorge Reining appeared before the council regarding a letter he received following the January meeting.The letter reflected the city’s decision to require Reining to remove all debris from his property, including concrete.Reining, who lost his home to a fire in November, had asked the council to consider letting him bury the concrete from the basement rather than hauling it from the property. This would save him considerable expense.Reining said he just wanted his opinion to be heard. "I will pack the concrete three, even four feet below ground level and then cover it with dirt."Council members voted to stay with their initial decision to require all debris to be removed.However, they did mention that if George found a buyer for the property who didn’t care if the concrete was buried, he and the buyer could appear before the council to discuss the issue.Following the vote, Mayor Jim Jellema said, "George, I know that everyone at this table sympathizes with you. We are not doing this to hurt you – we just have to think about what is best for the town."Legion renovationsHills City Council members plan to get quotes and begin work on renovations in the American Legion building on Main Street.Interior painting and improvements to the lighting have been scheduled for spring.The city is considering adding a new water heater to the building. Currently the building does not have hot water in the bathrooms. The council asked City Clerk Connie Wiertzema to contact Hansel Plumbing to fix the problem.Replacing the sidewalk on the east side of Main Street is also being considered. The sidewalk has frost cracks and is missing pieces in some areas.The cost of replacing the sidewalk would be shared by the city and Main Street business owners based on the footage in front of each building. March meeting changeThe City Council March meeting will be on March 6 at 6 p.m.The regular meeting date, March 14, is the same night as township elections.
