The Ravenwood City Council, at its meeting Tuesday, approved its budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year and is planning to build a new shelter house for the park, which got new equipment.
Currently, the city has $425,000 in the bank, combined from all funds, minus around $30,000 in water deposits from customers. They have an estimated $100,000 in surplus funds, minus what the council approves for projects in the coming year. In the near future, they are about to pay off some water bonds so that they will have more money down the road to spend on needed projects.
Anticipated figures are subject to statewide reassessment as well as interest rate changes; interest rates are expected to be cut at some point given that the economy is slowing.
Ravenwood is under a new mayor, Ed Wiederholt, who was sworn in January after Bryan Sobotka resigned. Wiederholt was elected to a full term April. He said that with the streets being in better shape than they were, they could take on projects like the shelter house and needed repairs on the north wall of the new City Hall, which the city acquired from the bank a few years ago.
Costs for the shelter house were estimated at $8,000. The council received two bids for the north wall, from Midwest Pro-Roofing at $6,500 and Boswell Construction at $7,500. The council awarded the bid to Boswell Construction, with councilman Wayne Boswell abstaining.
Maintenance man Ron Sobotka said he was worried about the current backhoe. “It’s broke down on me twice,” he said. “I don’t want to be in the middle of a main break and have it quit on me.” The council budgeted a ballpark figure of $30,000 for a new backhoe, $8,000 for potential repairs, and $1,500 for rock. The mower also has had issues, but the council figured they could get by another year with it. They budgeted $40,000 for miscellaneous capital projects around town.
The city purchased new chemicals from USA Bluebook for use in its water plant.
The city received an inquiry about fluoride in the water system. The city does not use fluoride in its water system.
Wiederholt reported getting hold of someone at the MODOT. They will look at Route O, which is falling apart. The DOT, after taking on a lot of projects in 2023 and taking on a lot fewer last year, is taking on what they say is a record number of construction projects in 2025.
Sobotka reported that Roadbuilders would come soon to do street work. Two tubes at Route O are running over. A tube at Bill Stephenson’s is full and clogging. There is a standing water program near the Post Office.
Water superintendent Jerry Lager reported 18 new water meters were coming. He cleaned 20 feet of ditch near the plant.
The city replaced a barricade which was damaged from an accident.
The council voted to renew a CD which was about to come due.
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