April 4, 2011

City of Walcott April 4, 2011

The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, the 4th day of April, 2011. Mayor Pro Tem John Kostichek called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Other council members present were: Koberg, Koehler, and Puck. Absent: Couper and Dietz. City employees present: L. Rickertsen, J. Brockmann, T. Schirman, J. Blake, and J. Hahn.

Koehler moved and Koberg seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Consent Agenda. Koberg moved and Puck seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices and minutes from March 21, 2011. Motion carried.

Audience: Jim Ulrich, Austin Burt, Randy Moeller, and Janice Dawson.

Handicap Parking Request. Jim Ulrich requested the council reconsider installing a handicap parking sign in front of the rental property at 100 E. Lincoln Street. Council members stated the request was considered at the last council meeting and the council felt there was ample parking adjacent to the residence. Following further discussion, Kostichek moved and Koehler seconded to request the landlord provide a handicap parking area for the tenant. Motion carried.

Walcott Day 5K Run. Austin Burt presented the proposed route for the Walcott Day 5K run on July 16, 2011. Concerns regarding the route were discussed. Koehler moved and Puck seconded to table the proposed route until the next regular meeting. Motion carried. Burt will meet with the Police & Fire Departments, prior to the next meeting, to determine the best route.

Red, White, & Blue Parade. A request was made from a band playing at the Walcott Coliseum during "Music Fest" on June 24 – 25 to have a parade on June 25th at 10:00 a.m. The theme for the parade will be "Red, White, and Blue", displaying as many American flags as possible. The band, Julie Lee/White Rose Band, would like to promote this as the start of a small city parade displaying the most American flags. Koberg moved and Koehler seconded to approve the proposed parade on June 25th at 10 a.m. with the route to be approved at a later date. Motion carried.

Approval of Beer Permit & Sunday License for Walcott Unified Fund (W.U.F.) at Victory Park. Puck moved and Koehler seconded to approve the beer permit & Sunday license. Koberg abstained due to conflict of interest as he is on the W.U.F. board. Motion carried.

Approval of Beer Permit & Sunday License for Walcott Unified Fund (W.U.F.) at Wescott Park. Puck moved and Koehler seconded to approve the beer permit & Sunday license. Koberg abstained due to conflict of interest as he is on the W.U.F. board. Motion carried.

Council Vacancy. Rickertsen reported Council Member Dietz submitted his resignation for his council seat on March 23, 2011. Kostichek moved and Koberg seconded to accept the resignation and proceed with filling the vacancy by appointment. Motion carried. The council will make the appointment during the Walcott City Council meeting on May 2, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. Applications for the vacancy are available at Walcott City Hall and online at www.cityofwalcott.com. Applications must be submitted to the City Clerk's office by 1:00 p.m. on April 29, 2011. Dietz was thanked for his five years of service on the City Council and he will be greatly missed.

Street Project Engineering. Proposals were received from Verbeke-Meyer and Shive-Hattery for engineering fees on the North Downey Street and the W. Bryant Street proposed reconstruction projects. Koehler questioned if the proposals were equal as one of the firms did not provide as much detail. Brockmann stated he spoke with Jon White who confirmed the scope of services. Koehler moved and Puck seconded to approve the apparent low quote for both projects, Verbeke-Meyer, contingent on receiving a more detailed scope of services. Rickertsen cautioned the council that if bids for the W. Bryant Street project come close to what the estimate is, it may deplete both the Road Use Tax and Local Option Sales Tax Funds in the next fiscal year, and no other street construction projects may be able to be constructed within the next few years. The N. Downey Street project will be constructed with Tax Increment Financing funds.

Resolution 2011-15. Approving Addition to the Personnel Policy. Puck moved and Koehler seconded to approve Resolution 2011-15. Roll call ayes: Puck, Koehler, Koberg, and Kostichek. Motion carried. This addition is for the purchase policy.

Ordinance 452-11, Amending Solid Waste Collection Fees. Koehler moved and Kostichek seconded to approve the second reading of Ordinance 452-11. Roll call ayes: Koehler, Kostichek, Puck, and Koberg. Motion carried. This ordinance increases the refuse rate from $10.24/month to $11.74/month ($1.50/month increase) beginning with the July 1, 2011 bill. This is the first increase since July 2002.

Ordinance 453-11, Adding Chapter 126 Entitle RAGBRAI : Miscellaneous Permits & Requirements. Following discussion, Koehler moved to introduce and approve the first reading of Ordinance 453-11. Seconded by Kostichek. Roll call ayes: Koehler, Kostichek, Koberg, and Puck. Motion carried.

Fire Department Report. Chief Hahn reported the Fire Department voted not to proceed with installation of a surveillance camera in the back meeting room. Koehler questioned the status of the building expansion project. Hahn stated the architect should be done with the plans in 3-4 weeks. Discussion was also held on the roof and Koehler recommended a separate bid for the roof.

Public Work's Report. Brockmann reported on the following: letter of thanks for snow removal clean-up with the IDOT, spring street cleaning program, and wastewater treatment plant equipment repairs.

City Clerk's Report. Rickertsen presented a draft of the hazard mitigation plan for Walcott which would slightly differ from the Scott county multi-jurisdictional plan. Koehler moved and Koberg seconded to approve the plan as presented.

Questions/Concerns. Austin Burt questioned if the City logo could be used with the 5K race materials. Council consensus was to allow the use of the logo. Kostichek questioned the status of the RSRP (Residential Sidewalk Repair Program). Rickertsen reported the Building Official is already in the process of preparing a list of areas in need of repairs and the RSRP program will be on the next regular agenda.

Koberg moved and Puck seconded to adjourn at 7:29 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.

_________________________________ ______________________________

Mayor Pro Tem John Kostichek Lisa Rickertsen, City Clerk

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