The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, the 19^th day of March, 2012, at Walcott City Hall. Mayor Couper called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present were: Tim Koehler, John Kostichek, Lisa Mengler, Jackie Puck, and Jacob Puck. Absent: None. City employees present: John Brockmann, Lisa Rickertsen, Tom Schirman, and Jeff Blake.

Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Consent Agenda. Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices and January 2012 financial reports. Motion carried.

Audience. Denise Bulat, Kristal Koberg-Schaefer, Larry Koberg, Sharon Hesse, Brent Arp, and Janice Dawson.

Bi-State Regional Commission – Denise Bulat. Denise Bulat was present to inform the council of the services provided by the Bi-State Regional Commission. Bi-State serves as a forum for intergovernmental cooperation and delivery of regional programs. They are a local organization that assists member local governments in planning and project development. Walcott is currently a participating member with Bi-State.

Vision Committee : Kristal Koberg-Schaefer. Discussion was held on the request from the last meeting regarding participating in the Main Street Assessment program. Koehler moved and Mengler seconded to approve allowing the Vision Committee to solicit private funds for the program, with the City's financial participation up to $100. Motion carried.

Street Closure : E. Bryant Street. Kostichek moved and Jackie Puck seconded to close E. Bryant Street, between Main Street and Henry Street, on March 24^th from Noon – 5:00 p.m. Motion carried. The closure is for a fundraiser event for a local sports team.

Fast-pitch Softball Tournaments : Fencing. Larry Koberg was present and reported that there will be two fast-pitch softball tournaments this summer. The fast-pitch invitational tournament will be held from May 25^th : May 27^th and the Iowa Area ISC men's fast-pitch tournament will be from June 8^th : June 16^th. Koberg requested fencing both Wescott and Victory Parks for the tournaments, beginning on Wednesday, May 23^rd. Jackie Puck moved and Mengler seconded to allow the fences to be installed at Wescott and Victory Parks on May 23^rd and be removed on June 17^th at Wescott Park and partial removal at Victory Park. Remaining fence at Victory Park will not be removed until July 22^nd, the day after Walcott Day. Motion carried.

Park Board Recommendations. Discussion was held on the recommendation from the Park Board to charge a $25 reservation for the gazebo at Welcome Park and a $50 fee for the gazebo at Prairie View Park, along with requiring a $50 damage deposit for the gazebo at Prairie View Park. Following discussion, Mayor Couper referred the issue to the Park Committee, Koehler and Jacob Puck. The Committee will attend the next Park Board meeting; scheduled for April 4^th at 5:30 p.m. Discussion was also held on the recommendation to proceed with a grant request to purchase two defibrillators, to be located at the concession stands in Wescott and Victory Parks. Insurance Agent, Brent Arp, stated our insurance carrier had concerns that whoever is operating the defibrillator be trained. Chief Blake stated untrained public would be covered under the Good Samaritan laws. Jackie Puck moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve pursuing grant funds to place one defibrillator at each park (Wescott & Victory). Motion carried.

Spring Clean-up. Kostichek moved and Mengler seconded to have springclean-up day on Saturday, May 5^th from 2:5 p.m. Motion carried. This will be located at the Public Works building for Walcott residents only. No electronic, business, or household hazardous waste. Tires, appliances, and bulky items will be accepted at no charge.

Resolution 2012-13, Setting Employee Wages for FYE 2013. Mengler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve Resolution 2012-13. Roll call ayes: Mengler, Jacob Puck, Jackie Puck, Koehler, and Kostichek. Motion carried.

Resolution 2012-14, Approving Iowa 80 Site Plan & Partial Vacation of Drainage Easement. Rickertsen stated thePlanning & Zoning Commission recommended approval of the Site Plan, following two separate review meetings. Approval was received by the City Engineer and Attorney Schirman stated he had a quit claim deed for the vacation of the drainage easement. Kostichek moved and Koehler seconded to approve Resolution 2012-14. Roll call ayes: Kostichek, Koehler, Mengler, Jacob Puck, and Jackie Puck. Motion carried.

Review of Employee Handbook. This topic was tabled until the next regular meeting.

Ordinance 456-12, Amending Sewer Rates. Jackie Puck moved to introduce and approve the first reading of Ordinance 456-12. Seconded by Kostichek. Roll call ayes: Jackie Puck, Kostichek, Mengler, Koehler, and Jacob Puck. Motion carried. The rates will increase $.50 per 1,000 gallons of water usage, beginning with the July 1^st bill.

Review of City Code. This topic was tabled until the next regular meeting.

Public Work's Report. Brockmann presented his report including several project updates and the sludge removal plan.

City Clerk's Report. Rickertsen reported on the following:

Koehler moved and Jake Puck seconded to adjourn at 7:08 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.

The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, the 5^th day of March, 2012 at Walcott City Hall. Mayor Jim Couper called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present were: Tim Koehler, John Kostichek, Lisa Mengler, Jackie Puck, and Jacob Puck. Absent: none. City employees present: John Brockmann, Jackie Huston, Tom Schirman, and Jeff Blake.

Jackie Puck moved and Mengler seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Mayor Couper opened the Public Hearing on the FYE 2013 Budget. No written or oral comments were received. The levy rate will be $9.9999. Jackie Puck moved and Koehler seconded to close the hearing and resume the regular meeting at 6:02 p.m.

Consent Agenda. Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices and February 20^th minutes. Motion carried.

Audience. Joe Taylor & Margo McIinnis from the Quad City Convention Bureau, Kristal Koberg-Schaefer, Wayne Latimer, and Jason Holdorf. Joe Taylor thanked the Council for their donation and stated that Delia Meier agreed to allow them to place a Visitors Center at the Iowa 80 Truck Museum. There will be an "opening ceremony" on May 9, 2012.

North Lift Station Project. Following discussion, Kostichek moved and Mengler seconded to approve payment request #1 to Jim Schroeder Construction in the amount of $175,083.58. Motion carried.

Prairie View Park & Heritage Trail. Jason Holdorf presented the two quotes for landscaping design services and explained that the committee wanted to create an overall master plan for landscaping. A portion of the plan may be funded this spring with additional funding in the future. Koehler moved and Jake Puck seconded to approve Freeman Tree Farm to provide landscaping design services at a cost of $500.00. Motion carried. Mr. Holdorf also reported that Mickey Burt would be attending the CAT grant board meeting in Des Moines to clarify the requirement to refund a portion of the grant award. Remaining available funds for the project were discussed and Mr. Holdorf stated that they would have to scale back the expenditures if in fact the amount requested by the CAT grant administrative staff needs to be refunded. The Mayor and Council thanked the committee for their efforts.

Liability Insurance Renewal. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to pursue renewing the liability, property, and workers' compensation insurance with EMC Insurance Company. Motion carried.

Fence at North Water Plant. Brockmann presented a Project Worksheet with three quotes for fencing. This fence will replace an aging, damaged fence that the state requires for water plants. Homeland Security also recommends fencing to help ensure the safety of the municipal water supply. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to approve the quote from Sampson Fence to install a 6' chain link fence at the north water plant at a cost of $25,486.00 Motion carried.

Resolution 2012-11, Approving the Adoption of the Budget for FYE 2013. Kostichek moved and Jake Puck seconded to approve. Motion carried with unanimous roll call vote.

Resolution 2012-12, Approving Wage Increase for Chief Blake. Jackie Puck moved and Mengler seconded to approve. Motion carried with unanimous roll call vote. This increase is due to Blake's certification as a Field Sobriety Testing Instructor. Chief Blake reported on upcoming instructional schools.

Public Work's Report. Brockmann presented his report including project updates and sewer problems on West Lincoln Street.

Questions/Concerns –

Vision Committee-Kristal Koberg-Schaefer. Koberg-Schaefer wanted to clarify that the party interested in purchasing the property at 123 W. Walcott Road is still interested if the price goes down, however only wishes to donate the empty corner lot and not the lot with the building. She stated that the corner lot does have contamination but the DNR standards don't require anything to be done with it. The Vision Committee is requesting an assessment by Main Street Iowa that costs $2,500.00. They hope to solicit private funds in the amount of $2,400.00 and will ask the city to donate $100.00 towards the project. The assessment involves touring the city and interviewing citizens and staff to determine the potential success of applying for a Main Street Iowa grant. Since this item was not on the agenda, the Council expressed a consensus to allow the Vision Committee to proceed with private funding requests and place it on the next agenda for approval. The Vision Committee is also investigating the interest in a Farmers' Market and grants for plantings on Main Street. These items will be discussed at a future Council meeting.

Mr. Holdorf questioned if West Bryant Street would be improved this year and Brockmann responded affirmatively.

It was reported that there has still not been a response to the letter that was sent to the Mobile Home Park owner regarding the installation of a street light. Attorney Schirman will follow up.

Koehler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to adjourn at 6:45 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.