Charles City’s new brush-grinding contract could include big fee boost

By Mary Pieper, Special to the Press

The Charles City Council on Monday approved a one-year agreement with T&W Grinding Services to grind the brush at the Shaw Avenue Dump, despite concerns about a fuel surcharge provision that could cost the city an additional $10,000.

T&W has been grinding the brush for the city for a decade.

The new agreement calls for the city to increase the amount it pays T&W from $24,000 a year to nearly $26,000 a year.

However, City Administrator Steven Diers said the biggest change is in the language regarding fuel surcharges.

The original 2012 contract stated the city did not have to pay a fuel surcharge as long as the price of diesel stayed under $4 a gallon. Due to the huge rise in diesel prices, T&W requested a new threshold of $2.50 per gallon, with the city being required to pay a 3% additional charge for each 25-cent increase over that amount.

Council member DeLaine Freeseman said decreasing the fuel discharge threshold to $2.50 “just bothers me personally” because diesel prices haven’t been that low for years. He said he wishes T&W had simply increased its contract price by $7,500 instead.

Diers said he asked officials from other cities in Iowa about their arrangements for brush grinding, and learned almost everyone has a contract with T&W.

The city of North Liberty tried some other options, but ultimately went back to T&W, according to Diers.

“They’ve done a good job. I can’t debate the price of fuel,” said council member Keith Starr.

Diers said he will continue to look for alternatives so the council will be prepared to decide whether to stay with T&W after the new agreement ends next year.

In other business, the council approved an agreement with 120Water to help the city comply with new federal regulations on lead and copper levels in water lines.

All water systems must complete a number of steps by Oct. 16, 2024, to meet the new requirements.

120Water will assist the city with an inventory or all its water lines, as well as lead and copper replacement, funding strategy and more.

The city will pay 120Water $18,000 a year for each of the two years of the project.

The council discussed funding possibilities for the work the city will have to do to comply with the new lead and copper regulations.

“I know there has been some chatter about the possibility of federal infrastructure funding being available specifically for this, but I haven’t heard anything more about that,” Diers said.

Also on Monday, the council:

• Heard an update from Diers about the Hartwood Inn. He said the owner, Gilbert Stable, still wants to rezone the motel from commercial to multi-family residential so he can switch to long-term rental housing.

When Stable first approached the city last year about his proposal, he was invited to attend a planning session to talk about his plans for the property. However, he never did so.

Diers said Stable has apologized for this, and has promised to come to the council’s Aug. 10 planning session.

The council asked Police Chief Hugh Anderson to gather statistics on the number of public safety calls originating from the Hartwood Inn compared to other hotels/motels in the city, as well as the number of rooms in each of the establishments.

• Approved an agreement with Barry Mackey that will allow him to keep and repair a rental property he owns at 701 Milwaukee St. that was damaged in a fire in February instead of having it be deemed a nuisance property in need of demolition.

The property is a house that had been turned into a multi-family dwelling. Once it is fixed up, Mackey plans to rent out apartments again.

Mackey has agreed to pay the city $16,070 in cash, which is the amount of the fire reserve established by his insurance company for demolition costs.

If the work on the property is substantially complete by July 1, 2023, the city will return the money to Mackey. If not, the city will use the funds to demolish the structure.

• Approved agreements with the following non-profits for financial contributions for 2022-23: Crisis Intervention, $2,000; Charles City Arts Center, $3,000; Depot, $2,500; and TLC, $33,333. Each agreement states the public purpose for the funds contributed by the city.

These contributions were approved in March as part of the budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. However, the city held off on distributing the money because of notice by the Auditor of State office requiring a statement of public purpose for funds cities give to non-profits.

Once the organizations sign the agreements, the city will give them the funds.

• Approved a monthly payment request of $262,742 to Portzen Construction for the new water resource and recovery facility (WRRF) project.

• Appointed Scott Kendall and Rachel Mack to the Charles City Library Board.

• Approved closing an additional block of Main Street from Blunt to Ferguson, as well as the 600 block of Cedar Street, on July 28 for RAGBRAI.

• Changed the date of its next planning session from July 27 to July 25.