Members of Brandenburg City Council got a glimpse of projects to push forward during their regular meeting Monday (1/12) evening.
Mayor David Pace updated council members on pending grants for three projects that city leaders have already been awarded funding but has been delayed due to various situations. He said that he had met with the Lincoln Trail Area Development District on the grant for the new Mooreman Road water tower. The city will have to begin the project before December or they will loose the grant funds. The project has been stalled due to a difference of material costs for the new elevated storage tank. City leaders and company representatives have been attempting to find a compromise on the material pricing due to price changes between the time when the grant application was submitted and when the funds were awarded.
Other projects include replacement of water line along Old Ekron Road between Lusk Drive and Broadway Street; and scala radio equipment for the water and sewer treatment plants. The mayor is currently updating the project information that will be presented to the council.
In other business, city leaders provided a grim report on this year’s Christmas By The River. The event was well attended with 14,535 vehicles during the 37 day event. The donation box received $5,945.50, which was $2,846.50 less than $8,387 of donations collected during 2024. Mayor Pace said this year’s donations averaged 39 cents per car. Pace said that the future of the event could in question depending upon the final utility costs and the calculation of man power and other costs related to the event.
City Clerk Amy Haynes said the addition of a QR code brought in about $200 for the event. She said the majority of the line item for Christmas By The River shown during the year is related to sponsorships for more specific items during the Saturday kick-off of the event. In previous years, the donations generally covered the electric bills to power the displays. City leaders are expected to review the final costs and explore other ways to enhance revenue in order to keep the twenty year old event alive.
In other business, Police Chief Brian Haag reported his department opened 83 case files and worked 107 accidents in 2025. He is expecting to provide further detail report of the department’s activities to the council next month. Council members were updated on the progress of the the occupational tax receipts, which showed some improvement in reporting in the second quarter. The city continues to work with businesses that are struggling to understand or who have not properly reported. Mayor Pace said the process continues to be worked out and is making progress. The council plans to conduct a work session possibly to be held in February, to discuss ideas of what the occupational tax funds will be used for in the city. City leaders will begin developing the proposed budget in April.
You can watch the entire meeting in our “On Demand” section.
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