PHILLIPSBURG — At the May 21 council meeting, Street Commissioner Wendell Harleman said he has begun mowing city property.

This prompted Mayor Shawna Newsom to remind residents not to sweep grass clippings into the street. The clippings clog the storm sewers, she said, and are also a hazard to motorcyclists.

The first letters notifying people of grass needing cutting will no longer be sent certified mail, she said, to save money. Any necessary second letters, though, will be certified.

She also reminded residents that council meetings are the third Tuesday of every month. Any changes will be posted 24 to 48 hours in advance, and notices will be on the door of the municipal building, at the post office, the gas station in the center of town, and Rick and Gail’s Carryout at the south edge of town.

“You can also check online,” she added.

On the subject of the Internet, Council Member Brandon Myers said he has finally made some progress toward a new website. The domain he had wanted, phillipsburg.gov, is unavailable to avoid confusion with Phillipsburg, NJ, but he said phillipsburgoh.gov will be approved.

Fiscal Office Michelle Phillips told council the lighting assessment will be on the second half of the property taxes this year instead of the first as it usually is.

All but one broken storm sewer has been repaired, Harleman said. One needed more extensive repairs than expected, but the extra $2,000 cost is still more than $1,500 below the other two companies’ estimates for the repairs.

Council approved the extra expense. He has an estimate for the remaining sewer, but since it is not in a high-traffic area and is not a hazard to traffic, this repair was put off for a while.

Village finances eased slightly, as Police Chief Mark Wysong, Sr., reported Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost had approved reimbursement to the police department for the Continuing Professional Training officers had undergone.

He also said he is continuing to search for affordable electric speed signs to place at the corporation limits of the village and intends to contact the mayor of Verona to find out where that village got theirs.

Robin Pekesten, a new resident, asked if it was legal to keep chickens and bees in the village and what was the policy on block parties.

As zoning office, Wysong said he could not address bees and block parties on the spur of the moment but encouraged her to email him. He said chickens were illegal, and the ones she had been hearing were kept by a resident living in Clay Township just on the other side of the village corporation line.

The next regular council meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, at the municipal building at 10868 Brookville Phillipsburg Rd.