City Council gives kids a taste of city business

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Council had a younger crowd than usual for its regular meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

Kicking off the meeting with a proclamation for Catholic Schools Week, the council heard from Immaculate Conception students Lorissa Barry, Myles Griffin, and Grace Kendall as they shared their experiences at IC and what they’ve learned recently about city government.

“Our kids got to hear what you’re really in charge of,” said first grade teacher Shelby Schwartzkopf.

After the mayor read a proclamation for Catholic Schools Week, the kids stuck around to see the council in action as members handled appointments, public hearings, ordinances, and resolutions.

Following a second proclamation declaring January as National Mentoring Month, the city reappointed Brandon Franke, Jen Burton, and Joel Farnham for new terms on the housing board. Jeff Otto and Cory Mutch were also reappointed to the Parks and Recreation board.

Moving into old business, the council held a public hearing before approving an agreement to transfer city property on Shaw Avenue.

Purchased as part of the wastewater treatment center expansion, the city has been in possession of a house at 302 Shaw Avenue that it has maintained since 2022 and is seeking to be rid of.

Recently, the city was approached by real estate agent Jared Hottle, who expressed interest in the property. Hottle has agreed to not only take the house off of the city’s hands, but will be arranging for moving the structure to another empty city-owned lot at 1800 Rolfing Street.

The city has agreed to sell both properties for $1 for the sake of getting rid of the maintenance cost of the property and benefit of having an effectively new three-bedroom house in the community.

It is anticipated that the house will be moved around July or August and be ready for the market by September.

The council also held the third reading of an ordinance that would established a utility franchise fee as part of the upcoming renewal of the city’s franchise agreement with MidAmerican Energy.

The franchise fee will add a 5% surcharge to electric and gas revenue, which will go from the consumer through MidAmerican Energy, and ultimately to the city as way to bolster city revenues.

“We’re trying to diversify our revenue source away from property tax,” said City Administrator Steve Diers.

The franchise fee will replace the already existing 1% Local Option Sales Tax, effectively resulting in a four percentage point increase to utility bills.

Following the third readings of the ordinances, a public hearing date was set for Feb. 5.

The council also approved the adoption of the city’s urban revitalization plan, which incentivizes property owners in Charles City to improve or develop their properties by providing a 10-year exemption for taxes on the assessed value of the improvements for projects that increase a property value by at least 10%.

With the resolution approved, the city will start developing application forms and informational packages that can be distributed with building permits.

In other business, the council approved the final payment to Lodge Construction for the completion of the Mill Race Parking Lot Project. Funded by sponsored project dollars dedicated for water improvements, the total cost of the project came in at $544,257.62, running over the original bid by $49,239.62 due to differences in material costs and additional repair and replacement work that was done as the project progressed.

The council also approved the final payment to Municipal Pipe Tool for the completion of the 2023 Sanitary Sewer Lining Project, totaling $200,195.25.

“It’s not quite as flashy as a parking lot, but it’s one of the necessary things we do to keep things flowing,” said Mayor Dean Andrews.

For upcoming projects, the council approved the preliminary plans for repainting the Charles Street water tower.

Due for a new overcoat, the water tower will be repainted and updated with new equipment and safety upgrades. With preliminary plans approved, a public hearing and bid letting will be scheduled for February.

Finally, the council agreed to retain the services of Napoli Shkolnick Law to participate in a class action lawsuit concerning the use of per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS). Identified as “forever chemicals,” a class action lawsuit has been filed against corporations that have been accused contaminating water with their production.

It costs nothing for the city to sign on with the lawsuit and will enable the city to qualify for settlement funds to help pay for treatment costs if it turns out to be necessary. The city has never tested the water for PFAS, but will be doing so later this year.