December 16, 2024 Minutes

The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, December 16, 2024, at Walcott City Hall. Mayor John Kostichek called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present: Everett Bieri, Harry Knutsen, Kirk Koberg, Lisa Mengler, and Jacob Puck. Staff present: Adam Hill, Lisa Rickertsen, and Paul Stagg.   

Approval of Agenda. Mengler moved and Knutsen seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried.  

Introduction of Audience/Public Comments. Darryl Schwarz, Andrea Newcomb, Ethan and Skylar Roling, Joanne Pohl, Joe Quick, Kristal Schaefer, Jennifer and Jeremy Schaeffer, Brian and Lisa Garlock, Joe Hahn, and Ben McKibbin. Kristi Robinson, engineer with Veenstra & Kimm, was also in attendance. There were no public comments at this time.  

Consent Agenda. Puck moved and Bieri seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices, minutes from December 2, 2024, November 2024 financial reports, and Resolution 2024-57 – Establishing and Approving a Petty Cash Fund Policy. Roll call ayes: Puck, Bieri, Mengler, Koberg, and Knutsen. Motion carried.

North Grove Street Water Main Replacement Project. Knutsen moved and Mengler seconded to approve payment #1 to Eastern Iowa Excavating & Concrete, LLC (as recommended by the project engineer) in the amount of $146,059.73. Motion carried.

Appointments by Mayor. Mayor Kostichek re-appointed Jacob Puck as the Mayor Pro Tem and stated the council committees will remain the same. Mayor Kostichek appointed Jordan Gillund to the Park Board with a term ending 12/31/29. Mengler moved and Bieri seconded to approve the appointment of Jordan Gillund to the Park Board. Motion carried.

Appointments by Council.

• Fire Chief Appointment. Rickertsen stated the Fire Department members elected Joe Hahn to be the next Fire Chief.Puckmoved and Koberg seconded to approve the appointment of Joe Hahn as the Fire Chief beginning 01/01/2025 and ending on 12/31/25. Motion carried. 
• Planning & Zoning Commission. Mengler moved and Knutsen seconded to reappoint Mike Sissel to the Planning & Zoning Commission with a term ending 12/31/2029. Motion carried. 
• Zoning Board of Adjustment. Bieri moved and Puck seconded to reappoint Kristal Schaefer to the Zoning Board of Adjustment with a term ending 12/31/29. Motion carried.

Review of Recreational Trail Phase 2 Extension Survey Results. Rickertsen reported on the recreational trail extension survey results. It was noted there were 202 responses. Mengler thanked the residents that took the time to complete the survey. Following comments from some of the audience regarding the survey and their opposition to a trail being located behind their residences, Koberg moved and Mengler seconded to table action on the proposed recreational trail phase 2 extension until the January 6^th council meeting, allowing additional time to review the survey results. Motion carried.

Approval of Tuckpointing on Fire Department Building. Stagg reported the tuckpointing will be on the south side of the building, which includes the area around the 4 bay doors. He noted that the portion of City Hall was completed three years ago. Mengler moved and Puck seconded to approve the low bid from TNT Tuckpointing for tuckpointing the fire department building at a cost of $19,512. Motion carried. This cost includes replacing up to 125 bricks.      

Approval of Wulf Lift Station Pump Replacement.  Puck moved and Bieri seconded to approve replacing the non-serviceable lift station pump at a fee of $30,975 from Electric Pump. Motion carried.

Resolution 2024-58, Approving Letter of Representation and Appointment of Hopkins & Huebner, P.C. as City Attorney for the City of Walcott. Puck reported the Policy & Administration Committee met with two law firms and recommends appointing Hopkins & Huebner, P.C. as the City Attorney. Puck moved and Koberg seconded to approve Resolution 2024-58. Roll call ayes: Puck, Koberg, Knutsen, Mengler, and Bieri. Motion carried. Brent Hinders will be the lead attorney and the appointment is for a term of two years, beginning January 1, 2025. Rickertsen expressed thanks and appreciation to the current attorney, Tom Schirman, who has represented the City for the past 47 years.        

Discussion and Review of Potential Capital Improvement Projects. Stagg reviewed potential water, sewer, and street projects. Council agreed with Stagg’s rankings of the infrastructure projects, which will be reviewed again during budget discussions.

City Clerk Report.

• Set Public Hearing Date for FYE 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) Budget Amendment. Rickertsen reported a budget amendment is needed, mainly due to items which were budgeted for the last fiscal year and paid in the current year (FYE 2025). Puck moved and Mengler seconded to set the public hearing date for the FYE 2025 budget amendment for January 6, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. Motion carried.
• Discuss Amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan for the Consolidated Walcott Urban Renewal Area. Rickertsen questioned if the Council wants to pursue an amendment to the urban renewal plan to include the proposed new well project. Council consensus was to pursue an amendment to include the proposed well redundancy project.    

Council Member Comments. Mengler reported on the press release from Senior Housing Consultants, Inc., a Midwest firm that recently acquired Courtyard Estates of Walcott, now known as Better Living of Walcott. She welcomes them to the community and thanks them for their plans to invest in the property.  Management will be overseen by Better Living Management Services, a local senior living management company based in Solon, Iowa.

Mengler moved and Knutsen seconded to adjourn at 7:04 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.