City Auditor Karla Harmel announced that she is resigning from the auditor’s job. Her last day of work will be Friday, Sept. 9.

Harmel said that it is time for a change. She has served as city auditor since September of 2004.

“You have done a great job and will be missed,” said Mayor Dave Cichos.

She is reviewing her options and was not ready to say where she would be working at the time she made the announcement at the city council meeting on Aug. 1. She did say that she would be staying in Rugby.

Budget requests reviewed

The council reviewed the department budget requests for 2012 which totaled $321,625.00. This is not the total budget but just the requests for the year 2012 from various departments. The largest request was from the street department as they are asking for a payloader, a tandem truck, a used mechanical sweeper, and an increase in the budget to meet gas/oil price increases for a total of $195,000.00

The general fund is requesting a copier, funds for the reserve department, replacement of the 2006 Durango, police radio, DVD/TV Projector for the Law Enforcement Center and a chair lift for the pool for a total of $55,750.00.

The Armory is getting new flooring and is asking for $45,175.00 for a complete job. Weed control needs a new sprayer for a total budget request of $2,500.00. City hall needs new Black Mountain Software, training and a portable generator for a total request of $9,500.00. The sewer department has requested an increase in training, a tank for the jet machine, and a pressure washer for a total of $13,700.00.

The requests will be reviewed as the finance committee works on the 2012 budget.

In further action

A programming issue has occurred with the new water meter installation project. The city is asking for the public’s patience while they work on and remedy the problem.

The sidewalks near the schools and Ellery Park are looking smooth since the Safe Route to Schools project was completed. The project was paid for with a DOT grant of $150,000. The city will pay the remaining costs from the infrastructure fund and hopes to keep the total cost of the project including the grant under $200,000. This would mean the city’s share would be less than $50,000. Originally, the project, which includes some handicapped accessible street corners in addition to the sidewalks, was estimated to cost $268,000.

The council and Police Chief John Rose discussed the glitches in communications during the tornado warning in July. A power failure caused problems with communications. Both the city and the police department will work together to solve this problem. They did say that there is no “all- clear” siren in Rugby. The second siren heard just a short time after the warning was to call emergency/fire crews to an accident scene. It happened about the time the skies were clearing up giving some residents the impression that it was an all clear signal. At a committee meeting on safety issues, earlier, the city talked to law enforcement about signage designating the courthouse, armory, and Memorial Hall as shelters the public could use during a tornado warning, if needed.