Mayor back in his seat at City Council meeting

After six months of treatment for a rare form of cancer, Mayor Dennis Berry was back in the saddle at the regular McCook City Council meeting Monday night.

It was the first time a full council was present for about five months.

"Welcome back, we're glad you're here," said Council member Colleen Grant during Council Comments at the close of the meeting.

Berry thanked city staff and the council for keeping things running smoothly in his absence.

The council approved without discussion several regular agenda items Monday night, including an ordinance amendment concerning unsafe buildings and modifying a zoning ordinance for telecommunication towers on school property.

On its third and final reading, the council approved an amendment that adds standards in determining when a unsafe building or public nuisance should be repaired, altered, rehabilitated or removed.

An amendment to the The City of McCook zoning code was approved on its second reading, that corrects a previous amendment that inadvertently prohibited school districts from having communication towers on their property. An agreement with the city currently allows the towers and the mistake was discovered when officials at McCook Elementary began making plans to build a 75-foot tower at the back of the school.

Currently the McCook Public Schools have two towers, one at the elementary and another at McCook Senior High. The taller tower at McCook Elementary is needed as tree foliage currently hinders communication between the two schools.