The Mount Pleasant City Council met in regular session Wednesday night.

Mount Pleasant residents who have the City pick up their trash will pay 50 cents more for the stickers to put on their bags of garbage.  Since 2010 the green stickers have been $1.50. Beginning July 1 the cost per sticker will go to $2.00. The City Council passed the final reading needed to approve the increase.

Jones Contracting was the low bidder on the Madison Street reconstruction project. And while the bid of $836,777 was 36% over the budget, the council still went ahead and authorized Mayor Steve Brimhall to sign the contract with Jones. City Administrator Brent Schleisman said all the bids were higher than expected but the city has the funds to do the project. He did also say the City received good bids for two other street projects.  Work on Madison Street will involve a complete tear out and rebuild from Jackson Street east to Adams Street.

In other news from the Council meeting held Wednesday night…the Council gave approval for a new roof on one of the buildings at the Public Works storage facility on East Henry Street. Wieler Builders of Bloomfield will do the job for $12,700.

Following a public hearing, the Council approved the first reading of a proposal to change off-street parking in residential areas.  Currently, you can’t have a paved area for parking in certain areas of the front and side yard of your property.  But since people have this anyway, it seemed more sensible to amend the ordinance to allow hard surfacing of certain areas other than the front yard.

Another first reading was approved at the Council meeting last night. This is for a proposed ordinance to allow an approved non-profit organization to trap, neuter and release feral cats in the community.

The Southeast Iowa Symphony presents its largest musical gathering of the season with its concerts on the weekend of April 23^rd and 24^th featuring singers from throughout the region and Marilyn Minford McCoid Young Artist winner Ethan Sexauer of Mt. Pleasant.

The feature orchestral work is original ballet score by the Russian Composer Igor Stravisnky entitled Petrushka.  This colorful ballet music is written to accompany the macabre story of puppets being brought to life and death at Russian equivalent of Mardi Gras.  This is the largest work SEISO has performed years with expanded woodwinds, brass, solo piano, 2 harps, and percussion in addition to the strings.

The concert opens with Mt. Pleasant resident Ethan Sexauer performing the 1^st movement of the famed Mendelsohn Violin Concerto.  Ethan is a junior in Mt. Pleasant public schools.

The regional SEISO chorus will be featured on Brahms contemplative Song of Destiny and will be directed by Iowa Wesleyan University Choral Activities Director, Blair Buffington.

The chorus will also perform a work commissioned by and performed by the SEISO in 1992 as part of the Iowa Wesleyan Sesquicentennial celebration.   St. Paul, Minnesota composer Janika Vandervelde’s Polyhymnia is a positive, glorious, and uplifting work celebrating life and music.

Tickets to the Masterworks Series concerts in Burlington, Ottumwa and Mt. Pleasant may be purchased at the door or on our website www.seiso.us.  Adult tickets are $20. Children/student tickets (aged 0-22) are free.  There is no reserved seating.

Make the most of your concert experience by attending the ‘Prelude.’  Music Director Robert McConnell will be on hand 45 minutes before each performance to talk about the programmed music in depth.  ‘Prelude’ is supported through a grant from the Charles W. Rand Memorial Lecture Fund in Burlington and is offered free of charge to all audience members.

If you have questions, please contact the SEISO Office at seiso@iw.edu.  More information is available on the SEISO web site at www.seiso.us.

Henry County Jail

In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.

Date:   ____4-14-2022_____

  27    Henry County Inmates

 50_    Out of County Contract Inmates              

 77  Total