Council discusses chickens, roads and stolen golf carts

COLFAX — The City Council held its monthly city council meeting Monday, June 17, discussing the good of the city, chicken ordinance, department updates and public comment about road issues.

During discussion of the good of the city, City Administrator Chris Mathis said that the Association had their national check-in this month.

“They’re doing really well compared to a lot of Main Street association all across the United States,” Mathis said.

Mayor Jim Retzer agreed that it was good to hear how the downtown association was coming along. “When you don’t get the feedback you know never know the actual level,” he said, noting that it was pretty impressive to hear.

City Council member Anne McCrae said that the Chamber of Commerce continues to have their Thursday night mingles on the second Thursday of each month, “Those have been well attended,” she said.

A member of the Church of Latter Day Saints mentioned that they are looking for a service project, and to let them know if the city can think of something that they might need help with.

Chicken ordinance

In unfinished business the city council addressed an ongoing topic of the chicken code.

Mathis said that at the last city council meeting May 6, they talked about going back to the planning commission, and she wanted to give the council the chance to read the code and see if they still want to take it back to the planning commission. “There’s been nothing changed that I know of,” she said.

Council member Crystn Guenthner said that she was hoping in the last motion to send it back to the planning commission to look at “maybe making it a little more equitable for the small lot sizes that Colfax does have,” she said.

Mathis responded that the one they looked at and read was not the full code. “The one you were looking at was really the 2015 code and this was done and reviewed in 2021,” she said, adding that if they wanted to look at it again they could table it to the next meeting.

There was discussion about not sending the code to the planning commission and Retzer said that they would table it until the next city council meeting.

Department updates

During department updates Police Officer Erica Warren mentioned that the Police Department was looking into a couple cases, including the golf cart case from Sunday, June 16, and upcoming road work that would be taking place.

“Stat-wise we are trending a little lower than we were last year,” Warren said, “Tickets were higher and we had hit training harder.” Warren noted that they have been focusing on training as a department.

Colfax Public Works Director Matt Hammer updated the council on road projects on Morton and Tyler Street.

Hammer stated that they had ground up the old asphalt on the streets and graded it out so it’s smoother than it has been for several years.

“They will still have to come back in and do quite a bit of work on that, but they’ve made progress,” Hammer said, noting that it will take some time.

Hammer said that Morton and Tyler still need paved and the next roads they will be working on with a date still be determined are Sumner Street, First, Second and Third Streets which will be worked on with an excavator.

“We’ve got two more street projects this summer as well,” Hammer said, “There will be an atto seal and that will just recoat most of the streets in town.”

Hammer said there’s also another project called a chip seal and Whitman County will be doing that one.

Road projects, Hammer said, are expected to be finished September or October.

“During these projects cars will have to be removed from the streets, and we will put out a notice beforehand on the exact dates,” Hammer said.