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VALLEY — The Valley City Council on Monday authorized Mayor Leonard Riley to seek terms for a bond  for an estimated $5 million. The money will be needed for infrastructure improvements such as water, sewer service and drainage. There’s also the need to keep resurfacing city streets. The mayor will make a recommendation, but the council will have final approval.

The city has already made major investments in the development of an industrial park on the city’s west side. An above-ground water storage tank has been constructed in the Rehobeth Heights neighborhood, and new water and sewer lines have been installed in the park. The city has also received grants for the East Alabama Water, Sewer and Fire Protection District to install what’s needed to get the new John Soules Foods plant up and running.

Riley said the city needs to act on a new bond fairly quickly.

“The interest rates will probably be going up,” he said. “We would like to get this done while they are still low.”

There will likely be some tax applied to the new bond.

“We can’t do over $10 million without it being taxed,” Riley said. “We earlier approved $8 million.”

In addition to the work at the John Soules Foods site and at the industrial park, there’s also some needs that have to be met for new housing subdivisions off Combs Road. New lines and a lift station will have to be installed.

In other action on Monday, the council confirmed the costs of cleaning up two nuisance properties, one on School Street in River View and another on 29th Boulevard in Shawmut. The School Street property belonging to Eloise Dubuc and Amber Parsons cost $1,551.31 to clean up. The 29th Boulevard property belonging to Richard E. England cost $1,169.69 to clean up. Liens have been placed on the two lots to recover the city’s costs for doing this.

The owner of the Shawmut site thanked the council for taking the action.

“It’s great,” he said. “I’m not overwhelmed with trash anymore. I will start paying on what I owe.”

The council approved the sale of several lots that were taken in condemnation actions.

Each sale was approved following the first reading of an ordinance. The rules were suspended to sell a lot on GI Street in River View to Quinton R. Foster for $700 and a lot on Columbus Road to Kewanna Dooley and Mario Dooley for $4,000.

Approval was also given to the sale of some property on 58th Street to Spurgeon A. Heard, who had previously purchased two lots at that location. Only one of the lots had been recorded.

The council’s action includes the second lot that had previously been paid for.

The council approved an expenditure in the amount of $1,050 to cover the cost of renting tables for a recent art show sponsored by the Valley Arts Council. The money comes from the arts council’s operating budget but needed council approval.