By Jerry Lindsey, Assistant Editor.
The Morrison City Council convened on Monday, January 12, 2026, without Aldermen Bruckner, Tichler and Buckwalter In attendance.
Much discussion followed the subject of replacing the Waste Water Treatment Plant blowers, at a cost of $226,672.74. Shane Osborn, Superintendent of Utilities, explained the need to emphasize that the current blowers were of unsatisfactory quality, and were failing after only eight years of service. He noted that the equipment should be very dependable for a period of 20 to 25 years. The Council approved the replacement blowers by a 3 to 1 vote, with Mahaffey voting against the purchase.
At the City’s request, Morrison freelance graphic designer Gracen Harmon presented designs for re-branding Morrison identifications. She offered for consideration various artwork recommendations and theories behind the offers, for signage and identification on materials submitted by the City, such as letterheads, invoices, and various communication literature. City Administrator Brian Melton noted that the current signage needs to be updated, and time is right for adding the new identification as these signs are prepared. Council chose a design of preference in anticipation of seeing the final presentation soon.
The current parking concerns on Main Street entered the agenda discussions, and opinions of all Aldermen were voiced. Currently, no Ordinances exist that define how long a vehicle may remain in the Main Street parking locations. Vehicles are filling spaces for long periods of time, that could be used for patrons seeking to visit the local businesses. Options discussed by the Council included the possibilities of setting hours where no parking is allowed (2:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.); seasonal hours; no overnight parking at all. The subject was tabled with the option to revisit the topic at a future Council meeting.
The final action of the evening included the approval of a property setback variance at 106 Prospect Street to allow for construction of a garage.