A public hearing was held Tuesday night for the proposed bond issue for the Water Treatment Plant and Utility Department Building in council chambers.

“The purpose of this is to hear public comment,” City Attorney Brian Bower said.

However, no one was present at the hearing. Every time the council has had a public hearing, hardly anyone has shown up, Council Member John Winnett said.

“I don’t understand it. You’d think more people would be interested. We’re spending their tax dollars,” Winnett said.

At the City Council meeting that night, the council awarded a bid to replace the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters at the water treatment plant for $22,579.20 to Calgon Carbon Corporation.

The filters, which are installed every year, will go in the old plant. The filters, made of charcoal, filter out different products in the water. The filters must be installed within 30 days of the ordinance being passed.

“We expect they will be done in two weeks,” Interim City Manager Dean Barber said. “There will be a noticeable taste improvement every time we change this. There will be a huge difference.”

In other business, the council passed an ordinance to change two parking spaces on the Square at the corner of Seventh Street and Jackson Avenue and Seventh Street and Monroe Avenue to handicap parking spaces.

Also, the council placed on file for public inspection the ordinance in Deer Run Subdivision which would allow parking restrictions on Yearling Court and Deer Run Trail. The residents had complained about this, partly because of mail boxes being blocked for mail delivery.

In addition, the council proclaimed March 2002 as American Red Cross Month.