City council approves TIF funding at special meeting

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

There was plenty of paperwork passed that in turn could allow a plethora of city projects to soon be completed.

If the funding comes through.

That’s what the Charles City Council accomplished at a special meeting held in advance of a planning session on Monday at the council chambers at City Hall.

The annual TIF (tax increment financing) certification report was approved and associated funds were requested to be reimbursed for the upcoming fiscal year.

“We’ve reached a “TIFing” point,” Mayor Dean Andrews punned, after it was agreed that the special meeting would be adjourned.

Several amendments, agreements and internal advances were all authorized on a night where spreadsheets and numbers took center stage.

“Basically we took action tonight to set up new development agreements with Charles City Area Development Corp. and Charles City Community Revitalization group,” said City Administrator Steve Diers. “Anytime you do any type of expenditures that you want to use TIF funds to pay for, you have to amend those projects into the plan.”

TIF funds requested for urban renewal projects for Riverside, SW Bypass and Park Avenue were all approved and are for three fiscal years — 2020, 2021, 2022.

The deadline for certification for TIF funding is Dec. 1.

The total amount for the Riverside indebtedness that was certified totaled $756,572. That included $69,000 to Community Revitalization and $50,400 to the CCADC for annual support. Community Revite also received $90,000 over the course of three years for its Culture and Entertainment project, as well as $75,000 for its facade program.

The Carnegie Art Center’s Replacement and Patio Project was allocated $85,000; $196,800 was part of the TIF indebtedness that included projects that were approved for the CCCR and CCADC in 2014 and 2015 for the Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019. There was also a city administrative fee for $24,000. An amount of $190,372 was a correction to decertifications from previous years in FY17 ($5,921), FY18 ($97,834), and FY19 ($84,118).

The SW Bypass TIF totaled $259,250. That included a county and city match of $52,500 for a CCADC contribution that adds up to $105,000. The SW Bypass TIF also featured $36,250 for a Cambrex forgivable loan, $100,000 for the SW Development Park Storm Water Project, and an $18,000 city administrative fee.

The Park Avenue plan’s total is $32,100, with an annual support sum of $23,100 and an administrative fee of $9,000.

The planning session discussed the city’s comprehensive plan, which is essentially a road map for how the community sees itself developing over the next 10-15 years.

“They’re have been a lot of hands on this document,” said Diers. “The community input was impressive.”

The plan has been in the works for more than three years and is nearing a finish line upon council approval.

Restaurant recruitment, bike trail development and faster broadband internet were just some of the top priorities that were gleaned from focus groups that were set up by NIACOG (North Iowa Area Council of Governments). An online survey was also conducted to come up with the plan.

“The biggest things now is, use it,” said Mayor Andrews.

Water Department Superintendent Cory Spieker discussed creating a model for its water distribution system. An accurate model of the system would help establish optimum operating efficiencies for the two pressure zones.

City Engineer John Fallis recommended SEH to develop a model of the water distribution system. SEH submitted a not-to-exceed fee of $22,000, which was the low bid among four consultants contacted.

Spieker also discussed work on the Water Department’s security cameras and radio systems. Work was quoted by Primex for $12,919.

The Housing Department made a change order on the South Terrace Window Replacement Project. The order was for labor and materials for spray foam insulations around the window.

During his city report, Diers mentioned that 18 Christmas lights are not currently working on Clark and North Main Streets. MidAmerican Energy did underground wiring on the lamp posts this summer but did not run the wiring to the top of the poles.

“We just weren’t told. We didn’t know we had to do it. So we went to plug them in and nothing worked,” said Diers. “If we would have known, we probably would have had their subcontractor do the work or at least arranged to have the work done this fall when the weather was decent before holiday season.”