GROVETON — Groveton City Council members discussed numerous issues over the last few weeks, including sewer line problems, budget issues and cell phones.
At an emergency meeting on Aug. 26, the council discussed sewer issues on South Vickery Avenue, as some residents were experiencing problems with the sewer backing up. Additionally, there are three manholes full of sewer that could potentially cause other issues, such as flowing into the street.
While the council approved pumping sewage and transporting it to another manhole, they discussed repair bids from Durus and Matthew Evans Construction.
The estimate given by Durus was $158,000, which included removing the existing sewer line and replacing it; Matthew Evans stated he could work daily at approximately $4,000 per day and would first dig to assess the situation and update the council of his findings.
Council members approved the bid from Evans.
Then at a Sept. 8 emergency meeting, Matthew Evans gave the council a summary of his findings. He told the council that while the first and third manholes are in good condition, but the line connecting the second and third manholes had collapsed due to poor soil.
The council approved a plan for Evans to replace the line and use a stabilizer, at a cost of $13,500, and it would take 2 to 4 weeks to complete. Council members approved the plan and earmarked $60,000 from the city’s special projects funds to cover costs.
•At a meeting on Sept. 3, the council discussed the budget for the new fiscal year, with some slight modifications to line items such as legal costs.
There was some discussion about city cell phones and the related costs.
In a related matter, the council approved keeping the property tax rate at .91, a rate that has been the same since the 2023 fiscal year.
In other business, the council:
