On Tuesday night the Manhattan city commission finished its final legislative session of the year.
The commission voted to change how the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau awards money for studies with a cap of $5,000 set before having to be ratified by the city commission. Other changes include a now quarterly briefing by the director of the CVB, and chair of the CVB advisory committee. A city commissioner will now also sit ex-officio on the advisory committee to improve oversight by elected officials.
Parks and Recreation will be selling both season passes, and a ten-punch card for the upcoming swimming season. Old passes will be grandfathered in for the upcoming season, and then become expired after the end of the year. Season passes will be $45 for the first ticket, and $35 dollars for the second, and will alternate between $45 and $35 one for one thereafter. Popular options such as the $1 dollar twilight swim will also be on the program for the upcoming summer.
After an executive session the commission voted to approve a settlement of an eminent domain case with Featherfield Farms LLC. Initially a court appointed appraiser awarded 1.5 million dollars to the farmer, but the city appealed the decision. The settlement entails a $206,000 payment back to the city by the farm in return for access to irrigation wells in form of an easement by the city and an unused 40 acre portion going back to the farmer.
