The Austin Chamber of Commerce has requested the downtown fire area be boarded up, a topic to be discussed Monday by the City Council.

A Jan. 15 fire ravaged a number of Main Street buildings, but owner Maria Leon has yet to clean up, despite the city’s calls for her to do so. The council will now discuss the possibility of boarding the buildings up for the time being, at a cost of roughly $3,000.

The council will also receive a confidential update on the June 23 court date from attorney Craig Byram. On that day, the city and Leon are scheduled to air their arguments at the Mower County Courthouse.

Discussion on the fire area will happen during the work session, which immediately follows the regular council meeting at 5:30. Also to be discussed during the work session is the chamber’s request to the city to not raise taxes or fees.

Sandy Forstner, executive director of the chamber, wrote in a recent newspaper column that the city should “tighten its belt” by trimming costs and acting efficiently. Forstner cited spending increases by the state, and levy increases by the county and city, as unsustainable.

A memo written by city administrator Jim Hurm states that city has been tightening its belt for some time, citing a decrease in General Fund employees funded by property taxes and Local Government Aid as evidence.

Hurm goes on to write that the chamber and city should work together to convince the state that Austin needs reliable funding in the form of LGA to keep property taxes low.

Regular council meeting

Before the work session, the council will discuss flood planning, among other agenda items.

First on the docket is a proposed resolution to authorize an environmental site assessment at the former Budget Oil at 501 Oakland Ave. E. This site has been targeted as a potential acquisition as flood mitigation plans go forward, and the assessment would provide an update on any risks associated with the property.

The council will also look at two bids to perform a cultural resource survey, which is required for the city to qualify for a requested $2,500,000 federal grant that would go toward flood work on North Main.