The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, the 21^st day of March, 2011. Mayor Couper called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present were: Koberg, Koehler, Kostichek, and Puck. Absent: Dietz. City employees present: L. Rickertsen, J. Brockmann, T. Schirman, and J. Hahn.

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

Consent Agenda. Koehler moved and Kostichek seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices and minutes from March 7, 2011. Motion carried. Koberg abstained due to absence from meeting.

Audience: Jon White, Brent Puck, Mel Brus, and Janice Dawson.

Recreational Trail & Park Project. Engineer Jon White discussed the additional engineering fees incurred by Verbeke-Meyer for the Recreational Trail and Park Project. Discussion was held on the additional fees in the amount of $15,108. Following discussion, Koehler moved and Koberg seconded to pay Verbeke-Meyer $8,256.50 for the additional engineering fees as discussed. Motion carried. Mayor Couper asked White to look into some erosion problems at the project site near Rowe Lane and he thanked White for his work. White stated the contractor is waiting for drier weather so the project can be finished. White thanked the council and left the meeting. Committee Member Brent Puck reported on the following:

• Naming contest
• Potential ribbon cutting July 15^th
• Obtaining estimates for gazebo
• Signage/Donors
• Pond level controls
• Re-circulating pump : may not be needed

Discussion was held that there was not a clay liner installed in pond. The clay liner was included in the original bid but the requirement was removed during the construction phase and it was deducted from the project cost. Brockmann stated there was no good clay soil available on site for a liner. Discussion was held on removing a few blocks from the spillway as it is too high. Koehler suggested the issue needs to be on the engineer's punch list.

Vision Committee Report. Committee members, Koberg and Puck, reported the committee is working on a welcome sign on North Main Street and Main Street enhancement.

RAGBRAI. Mayor Couper reported the RAGBRAI committee met with city staff and a route has been determined. The route must be approved by council and submitted to RAGBRAI for their approval to insure it is a safe route. Koehler moved and Puck seconded to approve the route as presented. Motion carried. The route will come in off Walcott Road (200^th Street), south on Main Street, east on James Street, south on Henry Street, west on Otis, south on Main Street, and east on Memorial Road. This route will allow for the bikers to get to Victory Park where activities and refreshments will be until 2:30 p.m. and it will also allow E. Lincoln Street to remain open.

Fastpitch Tournaments. Larry Koberg reported on the upcoming fastpitch tournaments. The fastpitch invitational tournament will be held from May 27^th : May 29^th , Iowa Area ISC fastpitch tournament will be from June 17^th : June 25^th, and for the first time, the North American fastpitch association tournament June 3^rd : June 5^th. He also reported on a potential WAB (Walcott Athletics Board) tournament July 9^th & 10^th. Puck moved and Kostichek seconded to allow the fences to be installed at Wescott and Victory Parks on May 25^th and be removed on July 11^th at Wescott Park and partial removal at Victory Park with the remaining fence at Victory Park removed July 17^th. Koberg abstained due to conflict of interest. Motion carried.

Park Board Recommendation's.

• American Legion Memorial. Mel Brus reported the Legion would like to donate a Veterans Memorial monument to be placed in the new section at Welcome Park. He presented a drawing of the monument and area and stated they are looking for donations for the concrete pad, walkway, and lighting. Koehler moved and Puck seconded to approve the Park Boards recommendation to utilize the area at Welcome Park for a memorial donation as presented. Motion carried.
• Eastern Iowa Intensity Tournament USSA : 14. Kostichek moved and Puck seconded to approve the tournament for girls, 14 and under, at both parks on June 11^th : 12^th. Motion carried. The fencing will be up during this time and the tournament organizers will be charging admission.
• Lamp Shelter Roof Replacement. Kostichek moved and Koehler seconded to approve the low bidder, STP Construction, at a cost of $1,485. Puck abstained due to family conflict. Motion carried.

Sale of 1993 Ford 4X4 Pickup. Rickertsen reported three bids were received for the 1993 pickup. Koehler moved and Puck seconded to sell the 1993 Ford 4×4 pickup to the high bidder, Brockmann Excavating for $5,505. Motion carried.

Sale of 1996 Ford Crown Victoria. Rickertsen reported two bids were received for the 1996 car. Koehler moved and Koberg seconded to sell the 1996 Ford Crown Victoria to the high bidder, Chicago Motors Inc. for $807. Motion carried.

Summer Youth Program. Rickertsen reported the proposed rate for a six-week summer youth program with Scott County YMCA has increased by $5.40 per participant. Koehler moved and Koberg seconded to approve the 2011 Summer Youth Program with a fee of $60 per participant for residents of the Walcott community (inside city limits and Fire District #6) and charge the full cost of $186.30 for non-residents. Motion carried. The program will run from June 20^th : July 29^th.

Spring Clean-up. Kostichek moved and Puck seconded to have spring clean-up day on Saturday, May 7^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.

Fire Department Expansion. Brockmann presented two proposals for the expansion of the Fire Station. Koehler moved and Koberg seconded to approve the proposal with DRW Architecture for $4,400 for construction/design services and $900 for bidding services. Motion carried.

Resolution 2011-14, Authorizing the Issuance of $1,980,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series, 2011A. Puck moved and Kostichek seconded to approve Resolution 2011-14. Roll call ayes: Puck, Kostichek, Koehler, and Koberg. Motion carried. The refunding (refinancing) is for the balance of the 2006 General Obligation Sewer Improvements Bonds. With lower interest rates, the City will save approximately $50,000.

Ordinance 452-11, Amending Solid Waste Collection Fees. Koehler introduced and approved the first reading of Ordinance 452-11. Seconded by Koberg. Roll call ayes: Koehler, Koberg, Puck, and Kostichek. 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.

Public Work's Report. Brockmann reported they will start with park clean-up this week but it would be another week before opening the restrooms due to concerns with a late frost. Discussion was also held on curb damage during snow removal. Brockmann stated they will be repairing damaged curbs.

City Clerk's Report. Rickertsen presented a draft of a purchase policy. Council had no objections to the draft and requested it be in policy form for adoption at the next regular meeting.

Attorney's Report. Schirman reported on handicap parking requirements in business districts and stated he felt there is no legal responsibility to establish residential handicapped parking areas. Discussion was held on a handicap sign request at the northeast corner of Main & Lincoln Streets. Council consensus was that there is ample on-street parking available adjacent to the location, with the farthest distance being across the street. Puck moved and Kostichek seconded to decline the handicap parking request. Motion carried.

Mayor's Report. Mayor Couper reported on the following: a letter he received from Joe Taylor, Quad Cities Convention Bureau and the status of Police Chief Vaughan.

Questions/Concerns. Koberg expressed his concern with the installation of a surveillance camera in the back meeting room without authorization. Attorney Schirman reported on the legalities of camera recordings in public buildings. Chief Hahn stated that the camera is non-operational at this time. Mayor Couper ordered the camera to be removed and the issue will be placed on the agenda at the next regular meeting.

Koehler moved and Puck seconded to adjourn at 8:20 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 7^th day of March, 2011. Mayor Couper called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present were: Dietz, Koehler, Kostichek, and Puck. Absent: Koberg. City employees present: L. Rickertsen, J. Brockmann, and J. Blake.

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

Public Hearings. Mayor Couper opened the public hearing on the FYE 2012 budget. The proposed tax levy rate is 10.00 per $1,000 valuation on regular property. No oral or written comments were received. Koehler moved and Kostichek seconded to close the public hearing and open the public hearing on the proposal to enter into a loan agreement in a principal amount not to exceed $2,500,000. Motion carried. No oral or written objections were received. Puck moved and Kostichek seconded to close the public hearing and resume the regular meeting. Motion carried.

Consent Agenda. Koehler moved and Dietz seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices, minutes from February 21, 2011, and the February 2011 Financial Reports. Motion carried.

Recreational Trail & Park Project. The issue with the proposed additional services from Verbeke-Meyer was tabled until the next regular meeting.

• Resolution 2011-10, Approving Change Order #4. Puck moved and Kostichek seconded to approve Resolution 2011-10. Roll call ayes: Puck, Kostichek, Dietz, and Koehler. Motion carried. This Resolution provides for project additions and deletions with an overall deduction of $40,679.71, bringing the total construction cost to $878,251.53. Concerns were expressed regarding the completion delay and working days.
• Approval of Payment #5. Koehler moved and Dietz seconded to approve payment #5 to McCarthy Improvements Co., in the amount of $117,080.16. Motion carried. The proposed completion date is March 28, 2011.

Liability/Property Insurance Renewal. Rickertsen stated the renewal rates in April 2010 increased approximately 18%, mostly due to an increase for workers' compensation. The City recently received a cost reduction payment which represented approximately 9% of the 2010 premium. Rickertsen reported that she has reviewed the current property/autos/equipment with Brockmann. Kostichek moved and Dietz seconded to pursue renewing the liability, property, and workers' compensation insurance with EMC Insurance Company. Motion carried.

Ordinance 451, Adding Chapter 142, Recreational Trails. Dietz moved and Puck seconded to approve the third and final reading of Ordinance 451-11. Roll call ayes: Dietz, Puck, Koehler, and Kostichek. Motion carried.

Resolution 2011-11, Approving of the FYE 2012 Budget. Puck moved and Kostichek seconded to approve Resolution 2011-11. Roll call ayes: Puck, Kostichek, Koehler, and Dietz. Motion carried.

Resolution 2011-12, Adopting the February 2011 Supplement to City Code. Koehler moved and Puck seconded to approve Resolution 2011-12. Roll call ayes: Koehler, Puck, Dietz, and Kostichek. Motion carried. The supplement includes ordinances approved from January 2010 : January 2011.

Resolution 2011-13, Approving Loan Agreement and Bond Purchase Agreement. Dietz moved and Puck seconded to approve Resolution 2011-13. Roll call ayes: Dietz, Puck, Koehler, and Kostichek. Motion carried. The loan and bond purchase agreements are for refunding (refinancing) the balance of the 2006 General Obligation Sewer Improvements Bonds. With lower interest rates, the City will save approximately $50,000.

Police Department Report. Mayor Couper stated he has received and accepted the resignation from Chief Vaughan as the Police Chief. Kostichek moved and Dietz seconded to approve the resignation acceptance from Vaughan. Motion carried. Dietz expressed thanks for Vaughan's service and wishes him well in his next endeavor. Mayor Couper stated he has appointed a panel to assist him with interviewing for the position. The panel includes the following: Council Members Koberg and Puck and two citizens, Bob Potter and Kristal Koberg-Schaefer. Discussion was held on establishing a pay range for the position. Koehler moved and Puck seconded to allow the interviewing panel to use a range of $23 : $28/hour ($47,840 – $58,240) when discussing potential salary with candidates. Motion carried.

Public Work's Report. Brockmann stated he is assisting the Fire Department with obtaining costs for a possible building expansion. He reported he is obtaining a proposal from an engineer as well as a construction company that has an architect and engineer on staff. Koehler suggested he obtain quotes from other construction companies that staff architects and/or engineers so that the proposals are comparable.

City Clerk's Report.

• Grants. Rickertsen reported that the Park Board suggested writing a grant for the purchase of a skid steer to utilize at the recreational trail and other areas of town. Council consensus was to proceed with writing the grant application. Rickertsen stated she would be writing a grant for the purchase of a fireproof cabinet to house minute books.
• Handicap Sign Request. Rickertsen stated a request has been made for a handicap parking spot at the northeast corner of Lincoln and Main Streets. Discussion followed on private property, costs, and responsibility. Other communities will be contacted and further research of the ADA requirements prior to the next regular council meeting.
• Rickertsen reported she was contacted by the owner and a resident of the Mobile Home Park regarding safety issues with traffic coming from the north on Plainview Road (60^th Avenue). She reported that she contacted the County Engineer since the County is responsible for the west side of the road.

Attorney's Report. Schirman reported he requested a draft of a proposed ordinance from Mediacom for our franchise renewal that expires in 2012. He also stated he will be forwarding letters to county departments confirming that all surveys used to divide property, must be approved by the City prior to the county recording and accepting. There have been questions where parcel splits have been recorded without approval by the City.

Mayor's Report. Mayor Couper expressed his thanks to Chief Vaughan for his service and wishes him much success.

Questions/Concerns. Koehler stated the city should have a simple written purchasing policy. He suggested obtaining a minimum of three bids, maximum purchase amount, and whether or not the purchase is budgeted. Rickertsen will obtain samples from other communities prior to the next meeting. Puck stated she is enjoying her participation in the Citizens Police Academy.

Koehler moved and Kostichek seconded to adjourn at 7:35 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.