Water washes through first 'lunch'

A group of McCook residents joined Mayor Jerda Garey at Sehnert's Bieroc Cafe for lunch, Friday to discuss some of the concerns they have about the community.

Much of the talk centered around water conservation and how the city can help the community deal with the drought conditions facing the area and rising water costs for McCook residents.

Discussion included ways to cut water usage through xeriscaping and household conservation.

Garey said she believes the city and other community agencies need to get involved in teaching the public about ways to save water.

Lori Bryan of McCook also asked the Mayor what the city could do to address the growing meth lab problem in the area.

Garey said she would like to see more information published on the danger signs of drug labs.

The mood was light during the beginning of a conversation about how the city will pay for the $1 million remaining on the loan to pay for the air base property. Some wags threw tongue-in-cheek suggestions around the table such as a city-wide lottery, and a city mandated "bake sale on every block" before the conversation turned serious.

Participants discussed how a property tax levy would affect each of their property tax bills and visited about the city sales tax and the possible use of that money to offset property tax levies.

Garey said she hoped to make the "Lunch with the Mayor" event a regular part of her responsibility as the city's top elected official.

"It gives people a chance to come to me and share their concerns on a wide range of issues," she said.

While a specific date has not been announced for the meeting, Garey said she hopes to go around to different "coffee klatches" that meet at different businesses around McCook to get input from the people of McCook.