By Jim Reece -  

The Ione City Council OK’d a notice of completion for work on a Main Street project that several citizens, including a council member, called a problem project. City council members Jerry Sherman and Jim Ulm excused themselves from the meeting, due to owning property adjacent to or involved in the project, which was to repair drainage along Main Street. Sherman, before leaving city hall, address the remaining council members from the public podium, and said the work was supposed to improve the drainage. “I think the City will find that it did more damage than good.” Sherman owns a rental property on Main Street. City Manager Kim Kerr said that if the project was found to be improperly engineered, then the city would have to address the matter later. Mayor Andrea Bonham, Vice Mayor Lee Ard and Councilman Skip Schaufel voted 3-0 to approve Resolution No. 1688 to accept the work and authorized the filing of the Notice of Completion.