The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, the 20th day of October, 2014, at Walcott City Hall. Mayor John Kostichek called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present were: Tim Koehler, Virgil Wayne Latimer, Lisa Mengler, Jackie Puck, and Jacob Puck. Absent: None. City employees present: Jeff Blake, John Brockmann, Lisa Rickertsen, and Tom Schirman.

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

Consent Agenda. Latimer moved and Koehler seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices and minutes from October 6, 2014. Jackie Puck abstained due to absence from meeting. Motion carried.

Audience. Kevin Toft, Gene Meyer, Janice Dawson, and Joe Hahn.

Kevin Toft : Swap Meet on City-Owned Property. Kevin Toft, Scott County Sno-Seekers, stated they are looking for a fixed location for their annual swap meet, held on the first Sunday in November each year. He stated they are no longer able to use their past location and they have a temporary site for this year but would like to utilize a location in Walcott, preferably Victory Park, for following years. He stated set-up would start around 7:30 a.m. and they are done by 1:00 p.m. They provide toilet facilities, garbage cans, clean-up, and their own food trailer. Brockmann expressed concerns about vehicles driving on park due to the condition of the grounds. It was discussed that Council could approve closing sections of the side streets around the park, allowing for the truck and trailers to park around the park instead of on the grass. Toft stated they have approximately 200 : 250 people throughout the meet and 30 : 50 vendors. No objections to the request were expressed. Rickertsen will place this on the next Park Board agenda and on the November 17th council agenda.

W. Bryant Street Project Paving Improvements Project.
Payment #4. Koehler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to approve the revised payment #4 to N.J. Miller, Inc, in the amount of $162,797.49, as recommended by the City Engineer & Public Works Director. Motion carried.

Realtor Contract. Koehler moved and Mengler seconded to approve the contract (listing agreement) with Mel Foster Real Estate Services (Agent Nick Bert) with a condition that excludes the brokerage fee for the potential buyer that contacted City Hall prior to the council interview with Nick Bert. Motion carried.

TIF Rebate Payments. Jackie Puck moved and Latimer seconded to approve semi-annual TIF rebates in the amount of $27,882.01 to Iowa 80 Truckstop Inc. ($1,249.47), Ossian Walcott Investments LC ($7,261.71), JDW Holdings LLC ($4,196.55), T & C Storage ($359.60) and Sterling Partners I LLC ($14,814.68). Motion carried.

Police Department Report. Chief Blake presented a project worksheet for a squad car camera. He stated a grant from the Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau will pay $4,500 for the new Explorer. Discussion was held on the next steps regarding the residence at the Mobile Home Park that allegedly has more than four dogs, which is prohibited by City Code. Blake reported on the results of the average speed limit following the traffic study he did on Walcott Road (old Hwy 6).

Public Works Department Report. Brockmann reported on recent issues with the storm sewer blockage on W. Bryant Street and sewer backup on Durant Street. Mayor Kostichek questioned the status of the E. James Street water main replacement project. Brockmann stated the remaining block of watermain may not get replaced until next spring and he plans on seeding the project area next spring, allowing time for the dirt to compact.

City Clerk Report. Rickertsen reported requests for proposals were submitted to the three architects, Downing Architects, Gere-Dismer Architects, and SGGM Architects, as discussed at the last meeting, and the proposals will be reviewed during the November 17th council meeting.

City Attorney Report. Attorney Schirman reported on his memo and proposed Resolution prohibiting firearms or other dangerous weapons on or in city-owned property. Chief Blake stated it is in the best interest for the City to have a policy. The policy will be placed on the November 3rd agenda and staff will obtain costs for signs.

Mayor Report. Mayor Kostichek questioned the status of the wastewater treatment plant staffing. Brockmann stated he is working on it.

Questions/Concerns. Mengler questioned the status of the request from Andy Willey, Night Owl Wireless, to place his equipment on the city water towers. It was reported that no contact has been received from Willey following the September15th meeting when he was asked to return with a proposal regarding the financial benefits/value to the City. Jackie Puck questioned what constitutes a "front yard" and requested the definition be reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission during their next meeting.

Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to adjourn at 7:07 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 6th day of October, 2014, at Walcott City Hall. Mayor John Kostichek called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present were: Tim Koehler, Virgil Wayne Latimer, Lisa Mengler, and Jacob Puck. Absent: Jackie Puck. City employees present: Jeff Blake, John Brockmann, Josh Geigle, Lisa Rickertsen, Linda Rivers, and Tom Schirman.

Mengler moved and Latimer seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Consent Agenda. Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices, minutes from September 15, 2014, minutes from September 22, 2014, and the September 2014 financial reports. Motion carried. Rickertsen stated the invoice from S & V Fencing was $550 higher than approved at the last meeting due to additional length in fence.

Audience. Donna Housley, Gene Meyer, Kent Arp, Janice Dawson, Josie Dietz, Larry Koberg, and William Belz.

Geno's Project. Kent Arp discussed the approach from Walcott Road (old Hwy 6) to the Geno's project. He stated they felt leaving a portion of it gravel would be a safety hazard. This approach (road shoulder) is the section between the property line and the current road, which is city right-of-way (ROW). Proposals were presented for both blacktop and concrete. Chief Blake expressed safety concerns with the entire ROW being hard-surfaced, without a defined driveway along Walcott Road. Following further discussion, Mengler moved and Koehler seconded for the City to concrete a portion of the ROW on Walcott Road, and pay Concrete Central, not to exceed $8,241. Motion carried.

Attorney's Report. Attorney Schirman reported he was working on a weapons policy for City Hall.

Vision Committee. Larry Koberg and Josie Dietz were present on behalf of the Vision Committee. The Committee recommends including hanging flower baskets on the decorative light poles, in conjunction with the North Main Street Enhancement Project. Koberg stated the Committee understands it's a big project that requires time and maintenance and they will pursue civic organizations to determine financial commitments. Following further discussion, the Committee was asked to further research costs, including plants, equipment and labor, and bring back to a future meeting.

Prairie View Park Tree Donation. Rickertsen reported the Park Board recommended approval of the donation from the Warnecke family of a Bur Oak tree at Prairie View Park. Mengler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the memorial donation as presented. Motion carried.

W. Bryant Street Project Paving Improvements Project.
Resolution 2014-33, Approval of Change Order #4. Koehler moved and Latimer seconded to approve Resolution 2014-33, as recommended by the City Engineer and accepted by the Public Works Director. Roll call ayes: Koehler, Latimer, Mengler, and Jacob Puck. Motion carried. This change order amounts to $2,500.00, bringing the project contract amount to $709,186.70.
Payment #4. Mengler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the payment #4 to N.J. Miller, Inc, in the amount of $163,747.49, as recommended by the City Engineer. Following concerns expressed by Brockmann with a few items being paid, Mengler and Jacob Puck withdrew their motion and the payment request was tabled to the October 20th meeting.

Street Committee Recommendation. Latimer stated that the Street Committee (Latimer and Jackie Puck) met with Brockmann to view a driveway approach on S. Rowe Lane that was recently poured during the street improvements project that the property owner had complaints about it. He reported the Committee agreed they felt there were no problems with the approach as poured. Latimer moved and Jacob Puck seconded to leave the driveway approach for the residence at 244 W. Durant Street as is. Motion carried.

Fire Department Report. Geigle reported the new truck should be completed by the end of November. He also reported three individuals were approved for membership by the department. Mengler moved and Latimer seconded to approve the member reinstatement of Ken Adomat to the Walcott Volunteer Fire Department. Motion carried. Jacob Puck moved and Koehler seconded to approve Jeff Blake and Adam Hill as EMS members of the Walcott Volunteer Fire Department. Motion carried.

Building Department Report. Rivers reported the nuisance violation at 402 W. Cedar Lane Drive has been cleaned up.

Realtor Selection. Mengler moved and Koehler seconded to select Nick Bert, Mel Foster Commercial, in regards to marketing the property at 1113 N. Main Street, and request a written contract from him. Motion carried. Rickertsen reported a phone call was received last week in regards to a party interested in viewing the property. City staff will show the property prior to approving a contract with Bert.

Municipal Building. Discussion was held on selecting an architect to develop plans for a proposed municipal building on the lot at 101 S. Main (SE corner of Lincoln & Main Streets). Following discussion, Koehler moved and Mengler seconded to request fee based proposals from the three architect firms interviewed in 2012 (Downing Architects, Gere-Dismer Architects, and SGGM Architects). Motion carried.

Police Department Report. Chief Blake reported on an email received from a resident who expressed concerns regarding safety and speeding on E. James Street. He reported on the traffic study he did in the area and stated another speed limit sign needs to be installed. Following discussion on the speed limit on Walcott Road (old Hwy 6), Blake stated he would have a traffic study done to pursue lowering the speed limit to 45 MPH.

Public Work's Report. Brockmann reported on the status of the W. Bryant Street project, salt contract, and new handicap ramps on E. James Street.

City Clerk's Report. Mengler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the FYE 2014 Annual Financial Report. Motion carried.

William Belz. William Belz was present to state his objections to the ordinance prohibiting pit bulls in Walcott. Mayor Kostichek responded he knows Belz is passionate about his dog but the City Council has already voted to keep the ban in place.

Questions/Concerns. Koehler questioned Chief Blake regarding the residence at the Mobile Home Park that has more than four dogs, which is prohibited by City Code. Blake responded he will pursue enforcement with the City attorney.

Koehler moved and Mengler seconded to adjourn at 7:38 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.

October Newsletter