By Sue Moore
The new Vicksburg village manager’s first meeting on the job with the Village Council was held in the Historic Village’s Township Hall in August, making history in several ways. The promise to tour the grounds and learn more about this resource to the community had been on the agenda long before it appeared that Jim Mallery would be assuming the top management spot.
The tour gave Ted Vliek, president of the Historical Society, a chance to pitch the benefits of having a place where history can come alive to people in the community and its many visitors. The Township Hall, which once served Brady Township, is small and provided an intimate setting for a village council meeting. Over 25 citizens crowded into the historic building on a hot summer night, expressing their gratitude that there was modern air conditioning operating at full speed.
Mallery stated that under his guidance the village of Vicksburg’s foundation would be “service to its people, as that is our only product. The staff of the village is always looking for ways to improve and earn the trust of the residents.”
To that end, the president of the village, Bill Adams, announced several citizens’ issues he and Mallery are working with: the village tax rate, the cost of village utilities, drinking water safety and billing policies and procedures. “What we know is that we will need to spend over $1 million on our water system over the next five years and $1 million on our sewer system during this same time frame. As a council, we need to make sure we have adequate monies to address these needs, that our appetite to spend money does not exceed our revenues and we know where our dollars are going to come from.”
Adams announced the formation of a financial steering committee to get a clearer understanding of the five-year financial strategy and rates for water and sewer services.