KANOPOLIS — Seats shuffled as the Jan. 12 Kanopolis City Council meeting began.

Several council members were sworn in, a new mayor took office and council discussed a vacant seat.

Theresa Kyler, Levi Schneider and Tim Bobbett all took oaths as council members and Tom Wilkinson took the oath to serve as the town’s mayor.

Council elected Michelle Schwerdtfeger as the council president.

Even with the November election behind them, there is a vacant seat on the council. The mayor will make a recommendation to appoint a new member.

Once the new council was seated, it dove into an old, but familiar, topic: abatements.

Council approved an abatement for 206 S. Kansas Ave. The council gave the property owner until Jan. 16 to provide the federal ID number.

Jason Kramer said several vehicles are on his property because he works as a handyman and repairs automobiles.

“Have you completed a tax return for the company? 2025? 24?” Kyler asked.

“No,” Kramer said. He provided sales tax ID numbers, but was lacking additional paperwork.

“It has to have the one (vehicle) off the street, onto your property,” Code Enforcement/ Maintenance Supervisor Mike Bunch said. “It’s been sitting in the same place for 30 days.”

Bunch said city code dictates a vehicle must be licensed, tagged and able to run on its own in order to be on a property.

Kramer said his business address is the same as his home address.

“Even if you have a business, keep it clean,” Schneider said. “It’s an eyesore; you have good neighbors. It’s an eyesore and everyone’s tired of looking at it.”

Council discussed nuisance vehicles with another property owner, Logan Puchosic, regarding 308 N. Kansas Ave.

Bunch pointed out a few vehicles aren’t tagged.

Puchosic said a tag was stolen from one of the vehicles.

Wilkinson asked how long he thinks it will take to resolve the tag issue, as well as have the vehicles operable.

Puchosic estimated six months.

Schneider told Puchosic he wasn’t in “the hot seat.”

“We’re sending out warnings to everybody,” Schneider said. “They’re warnings now.”

Kyler lauded Puchosic for attending the meeting.

“When the notice comes out, it’s to let you know there’s something you need to do,” she said. “Come to the council to ask for some time. It’s starting the conversation with you.”

Schneider agreed. “Mike is sending warnings out,” he said. “You could have threw it in the trash and not came in here.”

Council also discussed 420 S. Iowa Ave.

The city previously worked with the owner to remedy safety issues, but Bunch said the property is once again out of compliance with city code.

“He’s got a hole in the ground bigger than this room, full of cinder blocks,” he said. “The hole at least needs to be covered up. If I’m doing it, I’m covering the whole thing up. I’m not hauling cinder blocks out of the hole.”

Following the discussion, council approved moving forward with Resolution No. 2025R-05. The owner had until Jan. 16 to provide additional paperwork before the resolution moved forward.

Council decided to table Resolution No. 2025-R-04 (420 S. Iowa Ave.) and Resolution No. 2020-R-06 (328 S. Kansas Ave.) in order to confirm the next steps. Once determined, council will hold a special meeting to consider the resolutions.

In other business:

• Construction on the new water tower continues. Schwerdtfeger said supplies are being delivered to her parents’ house.

Bunch said he would update the shipping address to city hall or the city shop.

• The council approved the GAAP waiver resolution.

• Council discussed and approved the city crew removing the tree in front of the Fort Harker Saloon.

Bunch said he intends to dig the stump out, then let the project settle before filling the area with concrete.

• Council approved a request from Greg Heller to use the community building March 14 while a movie about Fort Harker is being filmed.

The next regular Kanopolis City Council meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at city hall.