City Council clears up confusion by passing new ordinance

HARTINGTON — The Hartington City Council Tuesday approved a new ordinance in an attempt to clear up two old ordinances that conflicted with each other.

The Council unanimously approved Ordinance 862, which amends current ordinances §6-204 and repeals all other ordinances or parts of ordinances that conflict with it.

Council members became aware of the conflict at an earlier meeting when representatives of 220 LLC spoke to the Council about the possibility of putting a housing development outside of the city limits on the northeast edge of Hartington.

The group would then like to buy water from the city and install their own water lines to pump it to the development.

The ordinances concerning the sale of city water were not clear, though.

The Council did not act on this proposal at their Tuesday meeting, but instead tabled it so Council members could discuss the matter further.

Also Tuesday, the Council approved a sign permit for Uptown Charm in downtown Hartington.

The Council also approved a building permit for Jerry Dendinger for a concrete slab next to his Hwy. 57 business location on the Northern edge of Hartington.

Hartington Economic Corp. Treasurer Brandon Baller met with the Council to share a report on Tax Increment Financing in the city.

The state requires a yearly report detailing all the TIFF projects in the city. Five lots in the WestField Acres Development have TIFF bonds.

Mayor Mark Becker said no action has been taken yet on hiring a new Economic Development Coordinator. He said the Council is still mulling over ideas for the job description.

Long-time Economic Development Coordinator Carla Becker resigned in May after 20 years on the job.