City Council bids fond farewell to 2019

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Council is officially on break until after the holidays.

Goodbyes and well wishes were sent at the regular meeting on Monday to outgoing council members Michael Hammond and Dan Mallaro, who did not seek re-election last month.

Their current four-year terms expire on Jan. 1, 2020, and Mayor Dean Andrews honored them with appreciation awards.

“Having been on the City Council before, I know the amount of work that you put into it. You guys both took it very seriously and put the time in that needed to be,” said Andrews. “We appreciate the service that you’ve given to Charles City and wish you well in your future endeavors.”

Prior to the final council meeting of the year, newly elected council members Keith Starr, Phoebe Pittman and Phillip Knighten were sworn in. Starr was re-elected in November for his third consecutive term on the council, while Pittman and Knighten begin their first terms, taking Hammond’s and Mallaro’s seats.

The council voted to adjust the indemnity coverage and no longer pay the premiums for the city worker’s compensation policy with provider EMC for full-time Charles City police officers and firefighters.

EMC’s position is any indemnity benefits it paid to police officers and firefighters were in error.

EMC will only offer medical coverage for those full-time positions and not pay indemnity/partial coverage through the Municipal Fire/Police Retirement System-411 (MFPRSI).

The council passed a resolution that will allow the city and the Floyd County Soil and Water Conservation District to team up and hire a watershed coordinator position associated with Iowa Partners in Conservation Grant to work on a sponsored project.

Charles City was awarded close to $1 million for the sponsored project, to provide technical assistance to the Charles City Watershed Management Plan in the Upper Cedar Watershed.

Approximately $435,000 of that federal grant money would be directed to staff a position to oversee the various watershed projects. Just over $500,000 of that total will be used for the urban and rural best management practices in and outside of the city.

Another resolution was passed to allow that grant money to help fund the coordinator perform water quality monitoring services for the sponsored project.

The proposal is from the Iowa Soybean Association and the coordinator would work directly with the Floyd County Soil and Water Conservation District to monitor up to 15 sites sampled 10 times per year.

Annual cost to provide the work is $10,400 over the length of the grant, which is for five years. The total cost would be $52,000. The coordinator will also work with landowners to assess nutrient levels and water flow. The city administrator hopes to have the coordinator hired by January.

Mayor Andrews also announced the resignation of Cheryl Erb, Danny Wilson Jr. and Jeff Marty from the city Broadband Commission. Each member was appointed to the newly formed Charles City Telecommunications Board of Trustees.

“We’ll still continue with the commission but we’ll have to approve three new members to that commision,” said Andrews.

Other action taken at the meeting is as follows:

• The council passed a resolution to amend the Southwest Bypass TIF plan to include the Croell Redi-Mix project. A second resolution was also approved to set a public hearing date of Jan. 20, 2020 for consideration of a development agreement between the city and Croell. The agreement is for a tax rebate not to exceed $225,000. It is anticipated that approximately $45,000 in taxes will be rebated annually, with the exception of the first year. The plan is based on a five-year, 85% rebate.

• The council voted to deny a petition by homeowners who live on 195th Street in Charles City who wanted to start the process of de-annexation and to be severed from the city. Three households were listed in the petition – Samuel and Julie Offerman, Shirley Keiser and Casey Mallory.

• The third and final reading of an amended ordinance to include the special use of a garage as an accessory structure to a principal building was approved and adopted.

• The second reading to vacate a portion of the alley of the Bartz Addition was also approved. A third and final reading will be up for council approval on Jan. 6, 2020 – the next planned regular council meeting.