January 3, 2023 Minutes
City of Walcott
January 3, 2023
The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Tuesday, the 3rd day of January, 2023 at Walcott City Hall. Mayor John Kostichek called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present: Everett Bieri, Kirk Koberg, Lisa Mengler, Harry Knutsen, and Jacob Puck. Staff present: Lisa Rickertsen and Paul Stagg.
Approval of Agenda. Knutsen moved and Koberg seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Consent Agenda. Rickertsen reported on the resolutions listed in the consent agenda. Mengler moved and Bieri seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices, Resolution 2023-1, Designating the North Scott Press as Official Newspaper, Resolution 2023-2, Authorizing Certain Payments Before a Council Meeting, and Resolution 2023-3, Establishing the Standard Mileage Rate Reimbursement. Roll call ayes: Mengler, Bieri, Puck, Koberg, and Knutsen. Motion carried.
Minutes from December 19, 2022. Puck moved and Bieri seconded to approve the minutes from December 19, 2022. Motion carried with Mengler abstaining due to absence from meeting.
Fire Department Report. Replace Unit #6- 1997 EMS Truck. Walcott Fire Department members, Chief Korry Kraft, Joe Hahn, and Ben McKibbin, were present to request approval to purchase a new truck from Ward Apparatus at a cost of $604,583. McKibbin reported they sent the request for bids to six companies but Ward Apparatus was the only one that submitted a bid. Letters were received from three other companies, one stated they were unable to submit a bid due to the market volatility and timelines requested and the other two were not able to submit a bid based on the truck specifications. Mengler expressed concerns on the cost, lack of bids, and her responsibility to the taxpayers when spending city funds. Mayor Kostichek questioned if anything could be removed from the truck and the members responded the truck is already “bare bones” and they will transfer the current equipment to the new truck. He also questioned the size of the truck and Hahn stated it will be built to fit into the current building. Koberg expressed several concerns, including the cost, number of bids, and funding. Discussion was held on the current funds available, potential grant requests, and timelines. After a lengthy discussion, Knutsen moved and Koberg seconded to approve the purchase of a truck from Ward Apparatus at the cost of $604,583 to replace Unit #6, with the Fire Department submitting a grant request this spring. Motion carried. Hahn stated Ward Apparatus will pay for travel expenses for three inspections during the chassis and box construction, one to Michigan and two to New York, at no cost to the City.
Public Works Department.
- Replace Air Compressor at Water Plant. Stagg presented a project worksheet to replace the air compressor at the water plant. He stated he only obtained one quote because it’s the same brand as the three air compressors at the sewer plant and A-L-L Equipment services the air compressors. Koberg moved and Puck seconded to approve the purchase of an air compressor as presented (from A-L-L Equipment at a cost of $7,840.24). Motion carried.
- Replace 2009 GMC 2500 with 2023 Ford 2500. Stagg presented a project worksheet to replace the 2009 GMC 2500 with a 2023 Ford 2500 from Stivers Ford through the state bid contract. Stagg stated the truck does not include a utility box, but he intends to purchase one. Mengler moved and Bieri seconded to replace the 2009 GMC 2500 with the purchase of a 2023 Ford 2500 at a cost of $43,095 from Stivers Ford, which is the state bid. Motion carried.
City Clerk’s Report. A budget meeting was scheduled for January 12th at 5:00 p.m.
Sterling Partners I LLC – TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Program Application for New Warehouse. No representative from Sterling Partners I LLC was present. Rickertsen will contact the City’s TIF attorney regarding concerns if the TIF application request meets the urban renewal plan requirements. Mengler moved and Puck seconded to table until the next regular meeting. Motion carried.
Council Member Comments. Puck questioned the deteriorated condition of the rental property accessory building (garage) along Main Street. Discussion ensued regarding rental property and dangerous building regulations. Koberg’s comments included his frustration with the narrow width of E. Lincoln Street by the school. Stagg stated it was not designed for parking on both sides in that area.
Knutsen moved and Koberg seconded to adjourn at 7:38 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.