A special meeting of the City Council of the City of Walcott, Iowa was held on Thursday, March 19, 2015, with Mayor John Kostichek calling the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Council members present were: Tim Koehler, Virgil Wayne Latimer, Lisa Mengler, Jackie Puck, and Jacob Puck. Absent: None. City employees present: John Brockmann, Lisa Rickertsen, and Tom Schirman.

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

Audience: Jill Hernandez and Lon Warnecke.

Municipal Building Project. Brockmann stated the site next to the current City Hall was the past Municipal Building Committee's first choice and there is plenty of room to expand. He feels the Committee's second choice, 101 S. Main Street, is the worst location as it is next to the railroad tracks and the location at 1113 N. Main Street is nice but is located next to anhydrous tanks. Neighbor, Jill Hernandez, stated she is now interested in selling her property adjacent to City Hall. Attorney Schirman reported on the options for the City including negotiating a sale or transfer of property. Koehler stated the only reason for the meeting is because of the recent concerns expressed by Cen-Pe-Co.

Mengler moved and Koehler seconded to go into a closed session under Iowa Code Chapter 21.5 (1) (J) to discuss the sale of particular real estate at 5:54 p.m. Roll call ayes: Mengler, Koehler, Jackie Puck, Jacob Puck, and Latimer. Motion carried. J. Brockmann and audience left the council chambers and the following employees were authorized to remain: L. Rickertsen and T. Schirman. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to close the closed session and resume the special meeting at 6:06 p.m. Roll call ayes: Mengler, Jackie Puck, Jacob Puck, Latimer, and Koehler. Motion carried.

Jill Hernandez returned to the meeting. It was stated a letter needs be sent to Cen-Pe-Co, responding to their written communication regarding building a City Hall at 101 S. Main Street. The following concerns were discussed if City Hall would expand at the current location instead of building at 101 S. Main Street: acquisition costs of adjoining properties, demolition costs, salt shed demolition/relocation, and architect fees expended. These concerns were not previously pursued since the first step to build at the Committee's first choice was to acquire adjoining property and the City couldn't get past that step due to the owner's refusal to sell. Mengler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to proceed with having Attorney Schirman contact Cen-Pe-Co regarding adjoining property acquisitions, demolition costs, value of property, and architectural fees expended to date. Motion carried.

Koehler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to adjourn at 6:35 p.m. Motion carried.

All motions were unanimous unless noted.

The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, the 16th day of March, 2015, 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: John Brockmann, Lisa Rickertsen, and Tom Schirman.

Audience. Verlyn & Josie Dietz, Jill Hernandez, Renae Christopher, Michael Christopher, John Friede, Kendall Mattson, Donna Housley, Randy Moeller, Jason Holdorf, and Joe Quick.

Approval of Agenda. Jackie Puck moved and Mengler 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 March 2, 2015, and the February 2015 financial reports. Motion carried.

Main Street Enhancement Project.
Bridge Railings. Discussion was held on the bridge walkway railings and whether or not to leave the east bridge walkway railing as is or update to the new IDOT (Iowa Department of Transportation) standard railing if the west walkway is added. The cost to update the east side to the IDOT standard railing is approximately $13,000 – $14,000. Discussion was held that the west side walkway is a project alternate and must meet new IDOT standards. Council consensus was that both bridge railings should match. Mengler moved and Koehler seconded to proceed with having both bridge walkway railings meet the new IDOT standards. Motion carried. If the west side bridge walkway is not included in the project, the east side railing will remain as is. Discussion was held regarding the new sidewalks included in the project.
Lighting Options. Information was presented regarding two styles of light options from Alliant Energy and three styles from the project engineer. The options presented from Alliant were for HPS (high pressure sodium) lights since LED lights for decorative poles are not available from them at this time. Their poles do not come with electrical outlets, flag mounts or hanging basket mounts and it was unknown if Alliant would allow the City to add them. It was mentioned that the poles from Alliant Energy were not as attractive and are considerably taller than the options from the engineer. Mengler stated that the visual enhancement to the Main Street corridor was one of the main purposes of the project with inclusion of hanging baskets on the decorative poles. The options presented from the project engineer included LED lights, decorative pole bases, double hooked planter mounts, and flag pole holder mounts. A precast location for an electrical outlet can also be added. The poles from Alliant Energy would be installed by Alliant Energy at no cost and would be maintained by them for a monthly fee. Discussion was held on the installation cost differential, the difference in pole/light options, and the value of paying for the higher priced poles. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to include the Prairie fixture, an option presented by the project engineer, in the plans and specifications. Motion carried.
Contract Amendment. Discussion was held on the contract amendment from Missman for the engineering services for the structural services of the west bridge walkway expansion. The west bridge walkway was added as an alternate to the project after the initial engineering contract was approved. The amendment also included services for temporary construction easement acquisition. The total amendment is at an hourly rate, not to exceed $39,200. Following discussion, Koehler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to approve the contract amendment with Missman. Motion carried.

RAGBRAI Committee Report. Joe Quick reported on two possible themes for this year's RAGBRAI event. Discussion was held on having a similar route as 2011, which includes going around Victory Park, but this year wanting to go on E. Bryant Street, S. Grove Street and then Memorial Road. Concerns were expressed regarding the Post Office access and street conditions. Following further discussion, Jackie Puck moved and Koehler seconded to have the RAGBRAI Committee come up with the best route for the community and businesses. Motion carried.

Spring Clean-up. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to schedule spring clean-up day on Saturday, May 2nd 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.

Approval of Right-of-Way Application for Iowa Network Services. Jacob Puck moved and Latimer seconded to approve the application for Iowa Network Services. Motion carried. This is for a fiber optic conduit in the right-of-way on Blue Grass Road/70th Avenue.

Public Works Report. Brockmann reported on cleaning rocks from yards due to snow removal, issues with the used snow plow truck that was recently purchased and stated he started on the water leak at Wescott Park.

City Clerk's Report. Rickertsen stated a hearing request regarding a nuisance abatement has been received. The hearing was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on April 6th.

Mayor's Report. Mayor Kostichek stated he was glad to see citizens attending the meeting and voicing their concerns. He thanked Joe Quick for co-chairing the RAGBRAI Committee.

Questions/Concerns. Audience members questioned the proposed police department vehicle purchase. Mayor Kostichek responded that the topic has not yet been brought to the council table for discussion. Jackie Puck related concerns from a resident that their neighbor was feeding stray cats and it was attracting wild life to the neighborhood. Puck questioned if it was against city ordinances or if it could be added to the code book.

Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to adjourn at 7:04 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 2nd day of March, 2015, 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, Josh Geigle, Lisa Rickertsen, and Tom Schirman.

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

Public Hearings. Mayor Kostichek opened the public hearing on the FYE 2016 Budget.
Public Hearing on FYE 2016 Budget. Rickertsen stated the tax levy will remain at $10.12002 per 1,000 tax valuation on regular property. She stated the budget includes $2,336,948 for proposed capital projects. No written or other oral comments were received. Jackie Puck moved and Mengler seconded to close the public hearing and open the public hearing on the rezoning at 101 S. Main Street. Motion carried.
Public Hearing on Rezoning at 101 S. Main Street. Rickertsen stated the Zoning Administrator felt it would be beneficial to lighten the zoning on this lot to from M-1 Light Industrial to C-2 Central Business District (commercial) since it is located in the central part of the community and across the street from residential and an assembly building. She also reported that most industrial businesses may not be able to locate on this lot due to buffer requirements from residential. Rickertsen reported that the zoning change was not recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission. Brett Marshall, attorney representing Central Petroleum Company (adjacent property owner), was present and stated they oppose the rezoning. Council questioned audience member Bernard Brus, who is a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission, why the majority of the Commission members did not agree to rezone the lot. Brus stated they felt it was best to leave it zoned industrial at this time, especially since it's next to the railroad, and it could be rezoned to commercial at a later date. Mengler stated more types of businesses could locate on the lot if it was zoned commercial. Discussion ensued and it was stated that some of the other concerns from the Planning & Zoning Commission were not relevant to the zoning request. Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to close the public hearing. Motion carried. Jackie Puck moved and Mengler seconded to resume the regular meeting. Motion carried.

Consent Agenda. Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices and minutes from February 16, 2015. Motion carried.

Introduction of Audience. Paula Schneckloth, Gene Meyer, Dennis Moran, Bernard Brus, Jason Holdorf, Jill Hernandez, Jim Paulsen, and Brett Marshall.

Alliant Energy. Paula Schneckloth, Alliant Energy representative, introduced herself as the City's new account manager. She stated rebates may be available for current and future projects.

Tree Removal : W. Bryant Street Project. Discussion was held on two trees that were removed at 334 W. Durant Street during the W. Bryant Street project. Mayor Kostichek expressed regret to Jim Paulsen for any misunderstandings.

Resolution 2015-11, Approving the Adoption for the FYE 2016 Budget. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to approve Resolution 2015-11. Roll call ayes: Mengler, Jackie Puck, Jacob Puck, Latimer, and Koehler. Motion carried.

Ordinance Amending the Official Zoning Map. Mengler stated she feels it's in the best interest of the City to rezone because this lot would be more appropriately used for commercial purposes rather than industrial. Mengler moved to introduce and approve the first reading of Ordinance 477-15. Seconded by Jackie Puck. Roll call ayes: Mengler, Jackie Puck, Jacob Puck, Latimer, and Koehler. Motion carried. This is the first of three readings to rezone the lot at 101 N. Main Street from M-1, Light Industrial, to C-2, Central Business District.

Liability/Property/Worker's Compensation Insurance Renewal. Rickertsen recommended renewing the IAMU Safety Group Insurance Program with EMC Insurance Company, utilizing local agent Brent Arp. Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to renew the insurance with EMC Insurance Company. Motion carried.

Fire Department Report.
Light Bar. Chief Geigle presented a project worksheet to replace the light bar on Rescue 6 that is malfunctioning. Latimer moved and Mengler seconded to approve the replacement, at a cost of $2,399 from Alexis Fire and Equipment. Motion carried.
High Pressure Jaws System. Geigle reported they found a used rescue system, for extrication purposes, to place in the new truck, Engine #3. This system would be compatible with the tools on Rescue #6 truck. Funding for the purchase would be from the Fire Department Donation Fund. Jacob Puck moved and Latimer seconded to approve the purchase in the amount of $12,500 from Howell Rescue Systems. Motion carried.
Geigle also reported that Engine #3 was selected to be featured in a nation-wide magazine, Fire Engineering, sometime within the next 12 months.

Main Street Enhancement Project. Various styles of decorative lighting options were reviewed. A few options were ruled out and costs will be obtained for some of the remaining options. Mengler stated the Walcott Day Committee donated $3,200 towards the hanging baskets for the new light poles.

101 S. Main Street. A special meeting to discuss the lot and project will be scheduled for a future date.

Public Works Report.
WW Grade lll Operator. Brockmann stated the part-time certified operator, Randy Reimers, will be working additional hours at the plant and Scott Brockmann will continue to be at the plant full-time. Brockmann stated it would not reduce the overtime hours since the plant is in operation seven days a week. Brockmann stated coverage is available for the plant if S. Brockmann takes time off.

City Clerk's Report. Rickertsen stated the Iowa Department of Transportation estimates that Walcott will receive an additional $26,895/year from the gas tax increase. These funds are deposited in the Road Use Tax Fund for street repairs, maintenance and pavement improvements projects.

Questions/Concerns. Joe Quick arrived and reported they had a RAGBRAI meeting. Information will be posted on the City's website when more details become available.

Jackie Puck moved and Latimer seconded to adjourn at 6:58 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.

March 2015 Newsletter