WILSON — At the Feb. 21 meeting of the Wilson City Council, former Wilson mayor and city council member David Criswell questioned current Mayor Mike Peschka regarding his due diligence and fact-finding on an issue Criswell brought before the council over a year-and-a-half ago.

“Over 18 months ago, I brought an issue before this council,” Criswell said. “An issue that brought out prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance about goats as well as very closed minds.”

Criswell noted that at a Jan. 4 USD 112 public meeting in the Wilson School gymnasium regarding the closing of Wilson Jr./Sr. High School, Peschka said he cared about due diligence and fact-finding.

“But due diligence and fact-finding are not only for our school board,” Criswell said. “They are essential for all organizations and all governing bodies, including the Wilson City Council.”

Criswell then asked Peschka how he conducted due diligence and factfinding for the issue Criswell had brought before the council.

“During that time, I gave you a lot of facts about my Mountains on the Prairie and Kansas Mountain Goats project,” Criswell said. “I gave you facts about goats, facts about the historic silo properties I’ve spent thousands of dollars cleaning up and want to develop into a business, facts about the false information spoken to you and the public by David Sells.

These facts that I gathered and provided to you in writing are my due diligence. My question for you, Mayor Peschka, (is) where is your due diligence?”

Criswell said Peschka was never interested in science, facts or being truthful with the public.

“You never separated fact from fiction and never performed due diligence on my issue,” Criswell said.

“Never. A dishonest mayor who lectures others but lacks the integrity to do the right thing himself. That’s you.”

“I’m not going to debate you, but I’ll give you a short answer,” Peschka said. “In January 2020, the council set new guidelines that said two goats per address. You voted in favor of it.”

Peschka then said the majority of residents who came before the council and spoke individually on that issue were against goats on Main Street.

“That’s what I based my decision on,” he said. “So, I did do due diligence.”

Peschka said his decision was based primarily on the city ordinance guidelines which state two goats per address and that he has never wavered from his thoughts on the matter.

“I would recommend that if you want to change that, then that’s what you should be arguing — change the guidelines,” Peschka said, “because all those facts do not change the city guidelines or the ordinance.”

In other business:

• Peschka asked the council to consider his suggestion in which the Wilson Economic Development Corporation would donate the Prairie Estates property to the city. Peschka said the city is better equipped to install the necessary infrastructure to develop the property, which the city annexed in 2019.

“There are no guarantees it would be developed,” Peschka said.

• After a 10-minute executive session to discuss non-elected personnel (police chief position), the council voted to give the interested candidate until the next council meeting, Monday, March 6, to decide whether he wants the job or not.

• Peschka said Wilson City Attorney Theresa Staudinger rewrote the agreement with Ellsworth County regarding the Wilson burn pile property. That agreement was submitted to Kirkham Michael & Associates, who presented it to the Ellsworth County commissioners. The commissioners approved the agreement; however, they approved the original agreement, not the revised agreement. Kirkham Michael has resubmitted that agreement to the commission, who are expected to approve it at the Feb. 27 meeting.

“It sounds like we’re pretty close to getting that wrapped up,” Peschka said, “then we’ll get moved to the new location hopefully in the next month or so.”

City Superintendent Joe Soukup said the city is not going to be doing anymore burning at the old burn pile.

• Approval was given to additional emergency work done to repair the Burns building in downtown.

• Approval was given to pay request No. 2 from the Kansas Department of Commerce for the housing grant in the amount of $42,200. In related matters, a payment of $1,250 was approved to the North Central Regional Planning Commission in Beloit and $2,500 was approved for payment of radon testing at the Frank residence. Also approved was a motion to extend the grant until March 31.

• City Clerk Susan Kriley said the last day for city office employee Cathy Smith would be April 15. Kriley said the city would begin advertising for the part-time position.

• Approval was given to pay Larry’s Auto Repair $809.25 for work on a Wilson Fire Department fire truck.

• Approval was given to sell the city’s water meter readers. Soukup said he doesn’t use them anymore since he reads meters using the side-byside Gator.

• Approval was given to purchase an 84-inch street sweeper from Steel Well Sales of Beloit for $10,750.

The next meeting of the Wilson City Council will be at 6 p.m. Monday, March 6, at city hall.