ELLSWORTH - With only a few warranty items still to be completed at the water treatment facility in Ellsworth, city council members accepted the project when they met for their September meeting. The action was taken based on the recommendation of the city engineer, Bolton and Menk, Inc.

The council also discussed a new water tower with Greg Sindt of Bolton and Menk, who said he would do a cost opinion for a new tower for $1,000. Sindt has talked with Kathy Showalter of PlanScape Partners, who felt the city should look at its objectives for the next five years. She offered to direct a discussion regarding the tower for $1,500.

The council voted to hire Sindt to do a cost opinion regarding the water tower and to hire Showalter to write grant applications for a new tower, which will cost approximately $680,000.

Other business on the September agenda included considering a request from a citizen to keep livestock. With one dissenting vote, the council voted to allow chickens in the yard at 1620 Delphi Street, with these provisions: no more than 10 chickens, no roosters, and permission must be renewed yearly, subject to no complaints having been filed regarding the chickens.

Like other city councils in the county, the question of the new voting method for the Hamilton County Solid Waste Commission was reviewed by the council. One option being considered is that no one member of the commission would have more than 45 percent of the vote, there would have to be at least three yes votes, and there would have to be a majority vote of the commission for approval of all action of the commission. The consensus of the council was that this would be a fair and reasonable voting method.

In the final action of the meeting, the council set Saturday, October 31, as the official date for Halloween activities in Ellsworth.