Butler City Council voted Thursday to approve the first reading of an ordinance to refinance its $1.88 million loan from the Butler County Infrastructure Bank to save $82,500.

Council members unanimously voted in favor of the first reading of the ordinance to refinance the $1,885,000 loan borrowed in January 2019 for the Main Street streetscape and Sullivan Run flood control projects.

Anthony Ditka of the Dinsmore law firm told council the county commissioners are planning to refinance the bank loan borrowed to fund the infrastructure bank to get a lower interest rate and want to pass the savings along to the city and Cranberry Township, which also borrowed from the infrastructure bank.

The current interest rate is 1.97%, but interest rates fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the loan can be refinanced at 0.56%, he said.

At that rate, the city would save about $9,300 a year or $82,500 over the remaining term of the loan.

“Sounds like a no-brainer to me,” Mayor Ben Smith said. The city has about eight years left on the loan, he said.

Ditka asked council to approve the second and final reading of the ordinance at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Safe sidewalks

Council approved a no-cost contract with Precision Safe Sidewalks to evaluate the sidewalks in the city and identify those that violate regulations.

Councilman Jeff Smith said sidewalks with a gap larger than three quarters of an inch between slabs of concrete are in violation of city regulations.

He said the contractor will give the city a cost estimate for repairing or replacing all the sidewalks with violations, but property owners, who are responsible for the sidewalks at their properties, can hire their own contractors.

“It's definitely a safety issue,” he said.

The company will begin work in two weeks in the Institute Hill neighborhood and then proceed to other areas, but might not complete the evaluations this year, he said.

Pool memorabilia

Council is also giving residents an opportunity to buy some memorabilia from the old swimming pool at Butler Memorial Park.

Jeff Smith said about 90 locker baskets, which people used to hold car keys or other belongings while they went swimming, will be offered for $5. Information on buying the baskets will be posted on the city website.

The city applied for a $100,000 grant to demolish the pool and pool house, which closed in 2004.

Residents have been asking if they could buy souvenirs from the pool following news of the grant application, he said.

The old mushroom water feature in the kiddie pool is being sold for $300 for use in a public park in Lawrence County, he said.

Taxes, contract

Council approved an ordinance aimed at helping some businesses save some money.

The ordinance exempts new businesses from paying mercantile and business privilege taxes for their first three years in operation and completely exempts businesses with sales under $10,000 from paying the mercantile tax.

In addition, council approved releasing a request for proposals for a three-year garbage and recycling collection contract for 2021-2023 with an optional two-year extension. Proposals must be submitted to the city by Oct. 12.

The current contract with Waste Management expires at the end of this year.

Jeff Smith also said he obtained a $2,500 grant from a foundation to buy four computer tablets to use to help residents fill out census forms. The city will own the tablets after the census is complete, he said.