REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
January 16, 2017
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, January 16, 2017 at 7:31pm in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Larson, Kragnes (7:35pm), Nefzger, Wulfekuhle. Absent – Sandhagen.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 1/3/17, claims list of 1/4/17 – 1/16/17, the November 2016 Treasurer’s/Clerk’s Report & Budget Report, and the renewal of a native wine permit for Touch of Elegance. Roll call, all ayes, carried.
Treasurer's Balance for Fund Accounts as of November 30, 2016: General $286,507.11; Streets $204,370.76; Debt Service ($2,087.33); Water Utility $321,921.69; Water T&A $25,479.07; Sewer Utility $233,495.06; Landfill/Recycling $119.61; Yard Waste $11,266.67; Bolger Fund $180,449.71; TIF $42,413.76; Local Option Tax $41,234.69; Storm Water $7,327.78; Downtown Project ($26,951.94); Franchise Fees $42,994.56. November Receipts by Fund: General $30,610.27; Streets $15,046.47; Debt Service $700.63; Water Utility $2,873.56; Water T&A $50; Sewer Utility $3,214.65; LF/Recycling $661.42; Yard Waste $124; Bolger $50; TIF $262; Local Option $11,962.92; Storm Water $113.48; Franchise Fees $4,474.11. Total Receipts $70,143.51. November Disbursements by Fund: General $37,182.90; Streets $6,345.31; Debt Service $21,696.19; Water Utility $1,764.29; Water T&A $523.84; Sewer Utility $21,542.23; LF/Recycling $32.00; Bolger $2,050; TIF $14,565.32; Downtown Project $292.50. Total Disbursements: $105,994.58. Investments: $1,285,113. Bank Balance $2,653,654.20. Balance with Library Funds $2,744,954.67.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes to approve, carried.
Upon Mayor Wenthe’s request, moved Larson, seconded Nefzger, to appoint Becki Wissmiller to the Recreation Board. All ayes, carried.
Administrator/Clerk McGrane updated the council on the progress of implementing online payments for utility bills. There were a few more issues Convenient Payments and Jayhawk Utility Billing were correcting, but hopefully everything should be up and running in the near future.
Police Chief Pisanti advised the council the police have been helping people as needed due to the icy conditions and would like to encourage people to stay off the roads in icy conditions. There was a tow-ban in Fayette County and the police department assisted people who slid off the roads in Fayette by providing them a ride to their Fayette homes or to a safe place in town.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger, to discuss new business incentives. All ayes. Mayor Wenthe advised McGrane reached out to different cities and Upperexplorerland to provide some ideas on incentives that other cities are doing. Some ideas included TIF (Tax Increment Financing), Fayette’s downtown is a TIF district, tax abatements, revolving loan funds/low interest loans, chambers that offer incentives, and water and sewer incentives. Upperexplorerland also provided information on programs that can assist women, individuals with minority status, disabled veterans and individuals with disabilities in starting a small business in Iowa. Larson advised he spoke to some people in the community and the feedback he received was for the city to offer a low or no interest loan to assist new businesses in getting started. There was discussion about UIU giving grant money to new businesses in the past and most of those businesses who received the money are no longer here. After further discussion, Wenthe advised we do have the Bolger fund that we could use for a low interest loan, since it would be paid back. Wenthe advised when the council goes through the budget, we should set aside funds for new business incentives. It was a consensus to table the matter.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger to approve the Fayette Community Library Board minutes from December 14, 2016. All ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle to approve the Recreation Board minutes from January 9, 2017. All ayes, carried.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Kragnes to discuss and approve the Personnel Committee meeting minutes from January 12, 2017. Wenthe advised the Personnel Committee did address some of the auditor’s requests. All ayes to approve the minutes, carried.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Kragnes, all ayes to have Zach Mannheimer with Iowa Business Growth provide a presentation via speaker phone. Mayor Wenthe met Mannheimer through Dennis Murdock, the CEO of Central Iowa Power Cooperative. Mannheimer was the founder and first executive director of the Des Moines Social Club, which is an old Firehouse that was renovated into an innovative arts and entertainment venue in Des Moines, Iowa. UIU asked Mannheimer to put together a concept of how the university could best work with the community to see some economic development and cultural/recreational growth. Iowa Business Growth has traditionally done 504 commercial lending as well as new market tax credit appropriations. The company has recently started creative place-making, which is geared specifically in how to take a community and build their economic and population output through cultural and entrepreneur ideas. Mannheimer’s focus is on rural communities in the state of Iowa and how to attract and retain young people to a community and build economic development. Mannheimer has recently done work or is currently working in the Iowa communities of Algona, Fort Dodge, Earlham, Council Bluffs, Dubuque and Mason City. He is in the process of looking for a few more projects to work on for 2017-2018. Dennis Murdock introduced Mannheimer to the city of Fayette and UIU. Mannheimer came up to Fayette a few months ago to tour UIU and the city of Fayette and discuss what the opportunities and challenges that the residents of Fayette are looking at as well as the students. Mannheimer shared a few ideas of what he would address in Fayette including the recent closing of the restaurants in town and the vacant downtown lots. If UIU and/or Fayette would hire Iowa Business Growth, the end goals would be to determine how to get students more involved in downtown Fayette and vice versa, how do we create more student programming at UIU, how do we upgrade Fayette’s economic ability, how do we upgrade Fayette’s population growth, how do we make Fayette a strong community that is well positioned for the next 30 years, how do we make Fayette stand out, and how do we get more people to move or work in Fayette and start new businesses. They would start with a visioning process which would include getting the community engaged in ideas. They would then take the concepts and look at every possible variable, put them through a feasibility model to see if they can be economically feasible, can they be sustained and if so, what is the best thing to do and where could they find the capitol dollars to make it work. The city would then be provided a full comprehensive, actionable report, which would be a very specific plan of what to do. The community and UIU would need to work together and there would need to be a better partnership between both for it to be successful. Mannheimer mentioned that Fayette has one of the nicer Opera Houses in the state of Iowa and he feels it is not being utilized as much as it should be. After the presentation by Mannheimer, Mayor Wenthe told the council that Mannheimer presented a proposal to UIU, but it was mostly geared at UIU and not the community as a whole. The university informed Mannheimer they would want to include the community to make it more of a joint project, if they decided to go ahead with the proposal. The proposal was for $40,000, but Wenthe thought UIU would commit to half of the cost and there may be some other community members that may be interested in sponsoring some money towards this proposal as well. Wenthe would be willing to share the proposal with the council and the council can decide if they would be willing to pay for 25% of the cost. There was brief discussion and concerns if the proposal only included ideas. Wenthe advised the proposal would include part of the implementation of the project. Wenthe advised he will provide more information to the council so they can determine if it is something they would be interested in.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger, all ayes to discuss bids for the 2017 Water Improvement System on Madison St. and Jones St. and a motion for a tentative award. The project was budgeted for in FY16 and again in FY17 and would include replacing a 2 inch water line on Madison St. that was originally intended to be used only for Waste Water Treatment, but since then service lines were run from houses along Jones St. and Madison St. to the 2 inch and/or a 4 inch water lines. A new 6 inch water line will replace the 2 inch and 4 inch water lines in this area as well as connect the water line from Madison St. to the Jones St. water line. The Iowa DNR requires a 6 inch line for replacing water mains. This will provide better water pressure to the houses in the area and allow the city to install a new fire hydrant. On January 12, 2017, five bids were opened and read by Jon Biederman of Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental at Fayette City Hall. The estimate and bid totals were as follows: Engineer’s estimate - $128,646.25; Ray’s Excavation LLC of Edgewood, Iowa - $111,275.75; Skyline Construction Inc. of Decorah, Iowa - $119,062.99; Bacon Concrete LLC of Postville, Iowa - $169,879.40; Summers Enterprise Inc. of Masonville, Iowa - $170,851.55; and Tschiggfrie Excavating of Dubuque, Iowa - $222,788.55. After reviewing all the bids, Fehr Graham recommended the council award the construction contract for the project to Ray’s Excavating LLC per their proposal. There was some discussion with the council if blacktop or concrete would be used. McGrane advised he can get further information and that there could be change orders during the project if any changes were decided on by the council. Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger, to award the construction contract for the project to Ray’s Excavating LLC per their proposal, subject to receipt of the Iowa DNR Water Supply Construction Permit, all ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger, to approve Resolution 2017-01: Resolution revising and updating the job description for the City Administrator/Clerk. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve Resolution 2017-02: Resolution revising and updating the job description for the Chief of Police. Some of the suggested changes were based off of the last city audit. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Wulfekuhle, to discuss Resolution 2017-03: Resolution amending the City Personnel Policy, Section 3.3 Vacation. Wenthe advised the council requested the vacation policy be looked at when the council was in the process of hiring City Administrator/Clerk McGrane. The personnel committee provided some direction on amending this section which is included in this Resolution. McGrane advised he thought of some other changes after he drafted this version which would make vacation fall on a fiscal year basis as recommended by the auditors. McGrane will make the revisions and present it at the next council meeting. The council discussed that the auditor had also pointed out the city needs to make sure they are following a fiscal year instead of calendar year for sick leave/personal leave. McGrane asked for recommendations on how the council would like to correct the issue. Larson suggested giving all employees up to twenty (20) hours of personal time, which is half of the forty (40) hours employees may earn each year for personal time, if they have earned the time, to use between now and June 30, 2017. Then on July 1, 2017, we enforce the current policy and continue to follow it on a fiscal year basis. McGrane advised he will put this item on the February 6th, 2017, agenda. Moved Kragnes to table the item until the suggestions discussed were updated in the resolution.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Kragnes, to approve Resolution 2017-04: Resolution adding the current cash health compensation to the current salaries of the library director, assistant public works director and city maintenance worker. After brief discussion, three voted aye, Larson nay, motion carried.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Kragnes, to discuss approving vacation carry-over from 2016 to 2017 for Linda Adams, Adam Hildebrand, Gerald Hildebrand and Rich Pisanti. This is another item that the auditor recommended. Nefzger would like to see this passed, but adding that employees only carry-over up to two hundred (200) vacation hours and the city pays out the remainder of the vacation hours to the employees who have earned more than the two hundred (200) hours. Only the library director and the public works director would be paid out the remainder hours because they are the only two employees who have earned more than the two hundred (200) hours. Nefzger would also like to include that employees may no longer carry-over hours once they reach two hundred (200) hours. There was brief discussion on sick leave hours and other personnel policy items. Moved Nefzger, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the carry-over of vacation hours from 2016 to 2017, not to exceed a maximum of two hundred (200) vacation hours, for Linda Adams, Adam Hildebrand, Gerald Hildebrand and Rich Pisanti, and the city pays out the remainder of the vacation hours to the employees who have currently earned more than two hundred (200) hours. The employees may no longer carry-over vacation hours once they reach the maximum of two hundred (200) hours, unless they submit a letter to the City Administrator/Clerk to be placed on the next council agenda and provide a valid explanation of why they should be able to accumulate more than the maximum of two hundred (200) vacation hours. The council will then determine if the request is granted or denied. All ayes, carried.
There being no further business, moved Nefzger, unanimous, to adjourn at 9:12pm.
Regular Council Meeting
January 3, 2017
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, January 3, 2017, at 7:30PM in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Larson, Nefzger, Sandhagen, Wulfekuhle. Absent - Kragnes.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Larson, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 12/19/16 and the Claims List of 12/20/16 – 1/3/17. On roll call, all ayes, carried. Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Nefzger, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried.
Mayor Wenthe scheduled a finance committee meeting for Monday, January 16th at 6PM. It will be the first meeting to start going over the budget for fiscal year 2018. Wenthe also had spoken with City Administrator/Clerk McGrane earlier today about drafting a list of available downtown commercial properties/buildings, either for sale or for rent, with the permission of the owners, that the city may use as a marketing tool. The list will help if anyone hears of anyone looking into starting a business or buying an existing business or store front. We will have Sam Whitehead, the Fayette County Economic Director, provide assistance with the document as well. Wenthe would like to have a draft at the next council meeting, if possible.
City Administrator/Clerk McGrane advised the council that Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) and himself finished completing the CDBG grant applications for the downtown project and submitted them to the state on December 22nd, 2016. McGrane is continuing to work with Convenient Payments and Jayhawk Utility Billing to finish setting up online payments and automatic bank withdrawals. City Hall finished the utility bills a little earlier than normal and were able to mail the bills on December 22nd. On Tuesday, December 27th, McGrane met with Jon Biederman with Fehr-Graham Engineering in reference to the 2017 water system improvements that will take place on Madison Street and Jones Street this summer. We have started seeking bids for the project and the sealed proposals will be opened and bids tabulated at 10AM on January 12th, 2017, at Fayette City Hall for consideration by the City Council at the next council meeting. Work on the project may not start until Monday, May 8th, 2017, and must be completed by July 28th, 2017. On Wednesday, December 28th, a representative from Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield came up and spoke to most of the city employees about Health Insurance Plans. The monthly premium for our current plan will decrease by 11.50% effective March 1st, 2017. If any Fayette citizens had a live Christmas tree, they may set them out on their curb before noon on Wednesday, January 4th, 2017, and the Public Works department will pick them up. The Fayette Cemetery Board will hold its annual meeting on Friday, January 13th, at 1PM in the ICN Room at the Fayette Community Library. The public is invited to attend.
Police Chief Pisanti advised overall the city has been quiet. They had a domestic violence call that led to an arrest, otherwise they have been conducting quite a few house checks. There was also a report of gun shots but after officers investigated, it was discovered someone had shot off fireworks.
Mayor Wenthe wanted to mention to the council that January is a busy time preparing the budget, members of the finance committee and the personnel committee should be prepared for meetings.
There being no further business, moved Nefzger, unanimous, to adjourn at 7:45PM.
Regular Council Meeting
December 19, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, December 19, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding by telephone.
Roll call: Present - Council members Larson, Sandhagen, Wulfekuhle. Absent – Kragnes, Nefzger.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 12/5/16 and the Claims List of 12/6/16 – 12/19/16. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried.
Upon Mayor Wenthe’s request and the Fayette Fire Departments recommendation, moved Larson, seconded Wulfekuhle, to appoint Royce Bantz to the Fayette Fire Department. The mayor provided a strategic plan diagram/template to the council as an example the city could use as we focus on a mid to long-term plan for the city. Some ideas Wenthe recommended for the strategic plan included growth downtown or in businesses in general, growth in housing, mid to long-term infrastructure needs and improving or enhancing the cultural and recreational opportunities in our community. He would like the council to not only think of how we can improve in these areas but how we plan to accomplish them. The example document is something the council can change and adjust as the city moves forward. Wenthe would like to discuss the strategic plan again in January and the council should share any feedback with McGrane or Wenthe. Wulfekuhle mentioned the current city incentives need to be looked at.
City Administrator/Clerk McGrane reported that he worked with Convenient Payments and Jayhawk Utility Billing to finish setting-up online payments and automatic bank withdrawals. McGrane hopes to test the process the week of December 19th to make sure everything works. Once it is working, we will promote the service to the community. People interested would need to contact City Hall to find out what steps they need to take to utilize this service. The Fayette Recreation Board reported there were over 20 letters sent to Santa through the mailbox located at the Open Air Market. Some of the letters came from kids who live in surrounding cities. The Christmas in Fayette committee is accepting donations through City Hall to help replace and add to their light display at the Open Air Market. New lights or monetary donations will be accepted. The next city council meeting will be Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017, at 7:30PM due to the holiday.
Police Chief Pisanti advised the council the police department has been enforcing the snow/parking ordinance. They have issued over 50 parking tickets. Pisanti is trying to work with tow companies or vendors on towing vehicles late at night. The police department is also conducting vacation house checks over the holiday. If any Fayette citizens will be away for the holidays, contact the police department and they will check their house while they are away.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to discuss the Fayette Recreation Board Minutes from December 5, 2016. It was mentioned that the Rec Board is organizing caroling tonight. Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson to approve the minutes. All ayes, carried.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson to approve the Fayette Community Library Board minutes from November 9, 2016. All ayes, carried.
Moved Larson, seconded Wulfekuhle, to discuss Fayette Fire Department calls from June 15, 2016 to December 13, 2016. The department responded to one building fire, four brush/grass fires, six vehicle accidents, six automatic alarms and nineteen meetings/practices/miscellaneous calls. Fayette Chief Jason Rohde advised the number of calls for this time frame is a little above the 30-year average.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson to discuss hiring WHKS Engineering for the downtown project. City Administrator McGrane explained the formality of the process. Sandhagen asked if the businesses will have input on the plan. Wenthe advised that is the intention and we will need to provide good communication with the downtown businesses during the process. Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to hire WHKS for the downtown project. All ayes, carried.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Sandhagen to discuss options for incentives for new businesses. Sandhagen would like the council to start putting together a comprehensive incentive plan for new businesses. If need be, make the plan retroactive if someone does open a new business before the plan is put in place. Sandhagen said he heard there may be some interest in a business downtown and he wanted to make sure if the council came up with a plan in the near future, the new business owner would be able to take advantage of the new incentive plan. Wenthe advised McGrane could check with the League of Cities and other communities to find out what incentives are used and review our current plan. Downtown is a TIFF district, so we want to make sure whatever incentives we may offer are in line with TIFF districts. Wenthe would like McGrane to compile a list of ideas for the council to consider at the second council meeting in January. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, contact McGrane so he can include it on the list.
There being no further business, moved Larson, unanimous, to adjourn at 7:49 p.m.
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, December 5, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Kragnes, Larson, Sandhagen, Wulfekuhle. Absent - Nefzger.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 11/21/16 and the Claims List of 11/22/16 – 12/5/16. On roll call, all ayes, carried. Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried.
Mayor Wenthe spoke with council member Nefzger and Nefzger advised she may be missing a few more council meetings over the next few months as she has some temporary conflicts, but she will try and get to as many meetings as she can. At the last meeting the council appointed Tristan Beyer to the Fayette Ambulance Service. Tristan is a National Certified EMT.
Upon the mayor’s recommendation, moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to reappoint Jeff Bradley for another two years as the City Treasurer for Fayette. All ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to reappoint Jason Rohde as the Fayette Fire Chief for 2017, upon the mayor’s and fire departments recommendations. All ayes, carried.
City Administrator/Clerk McGrane reported on November 22nd, Public Works Director, Jerry Hildebrand, and himself met with Dan Ashworth with Municipal Supply, Inc. They discussed the steps they need to take to prepare for implementing radio transmitters on water meters. McGrane had a short training on November 23rd with Jayhawk Utility Billing to start setting-up automatic payment withdrawals and online payments. On November 30th McGrane met with Jim Willis with Iowa Municipal Benefits Plan to discuss a new program created to assist Iowa cities provide health and other benefit packages to their employees that compare to what larger municipalities and private organizations are providing today. Willis will also look into options for our current employee health insurance coverage to see if we can lower the cities rates, yet still provide good coverage for employees. McGrane met with Laura Roussell with Black Hills Energy about programs they offer to customers. Floyd Alber donated $300 to the City of Fayette to be used for flowers on Main Street.
Police Chief Pisanti advised they are closely monitoring parked vehicles making sure they are following the snow ordinance. The department has already issued over thirty parking citations and have towed a few vehicles.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson to introduce Sam Whitehead, the Fayette County Economic Director, to provide an update on what he has been working on. Whitehead is continuing to explore establishing a mental health clinic outside Clermont, but funding has been a hold-up. There was a market study done around two years ago when NE Iowa Behavior Health was looking for a home in West Union for patients in need of health services to live in while they were being rehabilitated or treated. There are very few beds in our region for mental health patients, so there is a need for such a facility. The biggest impact to our area for bringing in this type of facility would be more employment opportunities, the construction of the facility would bring people, and it would benefit patients and their families. This is more of a community development than strictly economic development.
Whitehead has also been working on coordinating business trainings through NE Iowa Business Network and their partnership with NICC. They hosted a social media class last spring and a customer service class in November. The classes were funded by a grant from USDA, but the funds were not granted to them for this next year. They are hoping to get funding again for these classes in 2018. Mayor Wenthe asked where the classes are normally held. Whitehead advised usually the RAMS Center in Oelwein since they are through NICC, but Whitehead has tried to get them to hold the classes in other cities. Wenthe said UIU hosted some in previous years and the Fayette Opera House may be another place in Fayette to hold the classes. Whitehead advised going forward he will continue to push them to host trainings elsewhere. There is a Quickbooks training at NICC in Calmar coming up. If anyone is interested, contact Whitehead and he will get the information about the class to them. Whitehead mentioned people looking to start a new business or current business owners may request free business consultations through the University of Northern Iowa Small Business Development Center. The center can help existing businesses, for example reviewing their budgets, and can assist those interested in starting a business look for start-up funds. NICC also partners with a group to provide the same service. NICC counselors are looking at putting together training sessions and they can hold the sessions in our area. If there is a specific need that a business or businesses would like to learn more about, the counselors can put a presentation together about the topic and answer questions.
Whitehead advised there were two new businesses that came in to West Union. Whitehead is working with Home Base Iowa and looking into having businesses sponsor a veteran. The business would help show the veteran around town and introduce them to key services. He thought Boarders Inn & Suites in Fayette may have an agreement to provide a reduced rate to veterans if they were looking at resources around town.
Whitehead met with City Administrator McGrane the previous week to discuss some downtown revitalization ideas. Wenthe advised there has been recent concerns from the council about the loss of businesses in town and open store fronts. Wenthe is hoping to discuss with the council next year and during budget planning about getting more aggressive with offering incentives. Wenthe hopes Whitehead will help us when there are opportunities he is aware of or if there are better ways we can market the available buildings and facilities. Whitehead advised some ideas we can do as a community to advertise the space and show it off would be making sure the store fronts are clean and open so people can visualize what will go in there. Having a community potluck, get-together, a movie, or something else in the available buildings to get people in there may also help. Tax abatement is a budget neutral option as far as an incentive to offer new businesses willing to build or add onto an existing building. For example, the city could refund 75% of the new businesses taxes for the first five years, or something similar. Typically, five to ten years are offered for tax abatement incentives.
Whitehead advised he gets notified if a new business or industry is looking at building or expanding and has filed with the state as well as the requirements they are looking for. If Fayette County has something that meets their requirements, then Whitehead notifies the administrator of the city and the owner of the facility. Whitehead advised he hasn’t had any notifications come in. Main Street Iowa is suggesting cities create business cards that community members can pass out when they are on trips beyond their region to businesses that would be a good fit for their communities. It would let the business know if they are looking at expanding to look into their city. Whitehead said he looked into a business to see if they would expand into one of our downtown store fronts, but it was too close to their other business. Whitehead suggested releasing a small survey asking what kind of businesses do people want to see in our town can help with ideas of what type of business to pursue.
Wenthe mentioned Fayette does not have an active chamber or betterment foundation. If Whitehead knows of any best practices that other communities have done to help get people engaged in their chamber process to let us know. McGrane asked if Fayette County has a county-wide chamber since there are quite a few smaller towns in Fayette County making it hard to have a city chamber that only a few members are a part of. A county-wide chamber could maybe rotate events among the towns that participate. Whitehead said that could be a good idea and may not be too difficult to start.
Chief Pisanti advised the council he is going to pull the approval to purchase vehicle mounted radio and repeater for the new police patrol vehicle from the agenda so he can get more information.
There being no further business, moved Wulfekuhle, unanimous, to adjourn at 6:12 p.m.
Regular Council Meeting
November 21, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, November 21, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Kragnes, Larson, Sandhagen, Wulfekuhle. Absent – Nefzger.
Prior to this meeting the council held a work session at 6:30 p.m., as posted, and met with Jeremy Lockard, C.P.A. with Ridihalgh Fueling Snitker Weber & Co. Present at this work session was the mayor, the full council except Nefzger, Jeremy Lockard and City Admin/Clerk Kris McGrane. Lockard gave a presentation and discussion of findings and recommendations of the FY2016 audit.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 11/7/16, Claims List of 11/8/16 – 11/21/16, and the October 2016 Treasurer’s/Clerk’s Report & Budget Report. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Treasurer's Balance for Fund Accounts as of October 31, 2016: General $293,079.74; Streets $195,669.60; Debt Service $18,908.23; Water Utility $320,812.42; Water T&A $25,952.91; Sewer Utility $251,822.64; Landfill/Recycling $(509.81); Yard Waste $11,142.67; Bolger Fund $182,449.71; TIF $56,717.08; Local Option Tax $29,271.77; Storm Water $7,214.30; Downtown Project ($26,659.44); Franchise Fees $38,520.45. October Receipts by Fund: General $165,291.03; Streets $13,445.49; Debt Service $4,476; Water Utility $71,000.01; Water T&A $400; Sewer Utility $63,189.25; LF/Recycling $13,870.99; Yard Waste $2,776.80; Bolger $404; TIF $14,813.26; Local Option $7,939.40; Storm Water $1,434.54; Franchise Fees $335.84. Total Receipts $359,376.61. October Disbursements by Fund: General $38,101.47; Streets $29,381.51; Water Utility $12,623.55; Water T&A $851.26; Sewer Utility $38,264.58; LF/Recycling $14,974.71; Bolger $2,050; Downtown Project $1,733.18. Total Disbursements: $137,980.26. Investments: $1,285,113. Bank Balance $2,689,505.27. Balance with Library Funds $2,780,015.78.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Kragnes, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried.
Upon Mayor Wenthe’s request and the Fayette Ambulance Services recommendation, moved Kragnes, seconded Larson, to appoint Tristan Beyer to the Fayette Ambulance Service.
City Administrator/Clerk McGrane reported that Mayor Wenthe delivered a plant to Full Circle Services to welcome them to Fayette. McGrane attended a QuickBooks training on November 14th, an IPERS training on November 16th and a budget workshop/training on November 17th. The Public Works Department and Cushion HVAC are just about finished redoing the electrical at Klock’s Island Park, which was budgeted for this fiscal year. McGrane advised a public notice or RFQ will be published for Engineers to bid for the downtown project over the next few weeks. Once we get them, a committee will open them and present them along with a recommendation to the council at the Dec. 19th meeting. This is part of the process to apply for the CDBG grant.
Police Chief Pisanti said the police department is preparing for the Thanksgiving weekend and will be performing house watches for any Fayette citizens who will be away for the holidays. Citizens can contact the Fayette police department and request to be put on the house watch list.
Move Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to introduce for discussion an update on Kevin Lehs property at 516 W. Water Street. Mayor Wenthe advised Kevin emailed the City Administrator/Clerk this morning that the wall footing has been poured with forming of the wall to start today. Kevin stated that the weather looks to warm slightly as the week progresses providing a better environment for the new pour. Wenthe advised we will continue to ask for updates during the process.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson to discuss the Board of Adjustment meeting minutes from November 9th, 2016. It was discussed if the Board of Adjustment decision is final for requests or variances they approve and according to the City Code, their decisions are final. Moved Kragnes to approve the Board of Adjustment meeting minutes of 11-9-16, but the motion died for lack of a second. There was some discussion on the approval of the Grove’s request of a special exception to the zoning ordinance. Sandhagen stated the Board of Adjustment made their decision but the council does not have to give approval. Wenthe encouraged the council members to talk to the Board of Adjustment members about their concerns since they are serving on behalf of the community.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson to introduce Sharroll Richards to discuss city signage on Main Street. Richards gave a presentation in 2011 to the Fayette city council and wanted to revisit her presentation with the new city council members. Richards pointed out that the surrounding cities in our area including Hawkeye, Sumner, Independence, Oelwein, West Union, Calmar have LED electronic signs and if Fayette had one it could benefit our city and the university. Richards contacted a couple companies that make the signs, Electronics and Watchfire, and shared a brochure with the council. Richards believes having a LED sign would help keep our residents more alert about what is going around town and announcements. Richards thought some services we may be able to utilize are Thrivent Lutheran Services or maybe a grant or a loan. She thought an ideal place to have an LED sign would be on the corner of Clark Street and South Main. Richards thought it could benefit Upper Iowa University and the city and maybe the college would be willing to work with the city in obtaining one. The council discussed possibilities of utilizing the sign, such as having citizens or businesses pay a small fee to advertise announcements on the sign, for example, happy birthday messages or open houses. Richards mentioned the ideal time to put up the sign is during the downtown project. Austin, an UIU student, thought the LED sign could be beneficial to college students studying communication to assist with managing or program it.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson to introduce Crystal Cole, Director of Counseling and Wellness Student Life with UIU, to present on open enrollment for health insurance. Upper Iowa University partnered with the White House in doing a healthy campus campaign. They are getting the word out about open enrollment for health insurance. Open enrollment is from November 1st, 2016 to January 31st, 2017. Jim Mitchell with Farm Bureau is a local agent here in Fayette and he can assist anyone in signing up. Cole provided fact sheets and flyers to the council to help spread the word about the open enrollment period. Cole advised that some people who pay high premiums may want to look into cheaper rates and this enrollment time is the time to do that. Flyers and fact sheets may be picked up at Fayette City Hall.
There being no further business, moved Kragnes, unanimous, to adjourn at 8:10 p.m.
Regular Council Meeting
November 7, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, November 7, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Kragnes, Larson, Sandhagen, Wulfekuhle, Nefzger (7:30)
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 10/17/16, Claims List of 10/18/16 – 11/07/16, renewal of a liquor license for the Downtown Lounge and renewal of native wine permit for Pavo Blue. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried. Patty Nefzger arrived at this time.
The following council committee appointments were presented under the mayor’s report: Finance – Kragnes (Chair), Nefzger, Sandhagen; Personnel – Nefzger (Chair), Kragnes, Wulfekuhle; Safety – Larson (Chair), Kragnes, Wulfekuhle; Streets & Sidewalks – Sandhagen (Chair), Larson, Wulfekuhle; Police – Mayor Wenthe (Chair), Nefzger, Sandhagen; Mayor Pro-Tem – Nefzger.
Mayor Wenthe gave an update on the Gary Goodell property located at 101 King Street. There has been some significant clean up at the residence over the last few weeks. The deadline to have it cleaned up was yesterday, November 6, 2016. Chris Kragnes advised that he would expect with the weather holding the way it is that by the end of next weekend it will be 95% cleaned up. He doesn’t know if it will ever be at 100%, just like everybody has some items they leave out. Chris Kragnes’ son’s fraternity moved all of the larger items off Gary’s property over the last two weekends. Gary is now sorting through his smaller items. Gary has a good understanding that the items need to be moved and new items cannot be moved onto the property. Mayor Wenthe advised it has been a long process but this is the most progress he has seen since Wenthe has been involved. Police Chief Pisanti advised Gary is doing a good job and wanted to know if the fraternity was planning on going back another time to help him. Chris Kragnes advised yes and that Gary is taking over what appears to be 2 to 3 trailer loads a day and Chris expects by next weekend Gary will have everything sorted and the fraternity will be able to move the last few loads. Nefzger asked where the items were going and Chris advised Gary has secured a commercial location that is out of sight and an appropriate location for the items. Chris advised that all of Gary’s items by the UIU ball diamond will also be relocated by the fraternity, but the items at Gary’s house was more important to get moved over first. Mayor Wenthe and the council would like to let the public know to properly dispose of their own items and to not leave items out at the end of their property that sanitation workers will not pick up, making it easy for Gary to pick up. One option to dispose of these items, including TV’s, is by taking them out to the Fayette County Transfer Station/Landfill located just outside Fayette at 10275 Kornhill Road. Tiffany Kragnes would like citizens to help Gary by watching to see if anyone is driving by and dropping items off when Gary is not there. If they can get a license plate number and provide it to the Fayette Police Department, the police can address the issue from there. The Fayette Police Department will also watch to make sure no one is illegally dumping on Gary’s property. Persons dropping off items on private property without the owner’s permission is illegal and they can be fined. It is believed that Gary still has the sign the city previously put up in his yard and the council believes it should go back up in his yard. Chris Kragnes believes they can get the sign back up in Gary’s yard and next spring look at other options, such as getting a fence put up. Mayor Wenthe wanted to pass along to the fraternity that he appreciates them helping Gary.
City Administrator/Clerk McGrane reported that he had a phone conference with the Iowa DNR in reference to the Sponsored Project program. McGrane attended the River Bluffs Scenic Byway Board Meeting. Jayhawk Utility Billing Co. provided four hours of training on the billing software to Deputy Clerk Sellers and McGrane. McGrane advised the Public Works Department had attended a couple trainings for CEU’s and have been busy picking up leaves. Public Works Director Hildebrand has extended the leaf pick up one week, making the last day for leaf pick up on Monday, November 14, 2016 (weather permitting). The Fayette Yard Waste Site will close for the winter after Wednesday, November 16th, 2016. The water has been turned off and the bathrooms closed up at Cardinal Park/Sports Complex and Klock’s Island Park for the winter. Extending the power at the Open Air Market and installing timers for the Christmas light display is completed. Redoing the electrical at Klock’s Island Park has started.
Police Chief Pisanti said the police department utilized extra resources the night of Halloween to help with traffic. Pisanti also mentioned the latest calls they have been working on.
Move Kragnes, seconded Larson to introduce for discussion an update on Kevin Lehs property at 516 W. Water Street. Mayor Wenthe advised Kevin emailed the City Administrator/Clerk this morning that he would be harvesting this evening but wanted to update the council with the progress. The footing will be poured this morning with the wall to follow soon this week. Wulfekuhle advised she saw the cement truck there today. Kragnes would like Lehs to give another progress report at the next meeting.
Chief Pisanti explained he is going to do some more research on Ordinance 491, in reference to amending Fayette City Code Chapter 50.13, by deleting $1,000.00 maximum penalty for Failure to Abate. Pisanti will present it at a future meeting.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson to approve the Fayette Community Library Board minutes of 10-11-16. All ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson to introduce Resolution 2016-13: Approving submission of an application for the SRF Water Resource Restoration Sponsored Projects Program. McGrane explained the wastewater main lining & improvement project will make the city eligible for about 10% of the SRF wastewater loan amount under the State of Iowa’s SRF Water Resource Restoration Sponsored Projects program. The program could lower the cost of a future watershed-based project to address water quality problems by approximately $31,900, such as the downtown project. Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve Resolution 2016-13. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
There being no further business, moved Nefzger, unanimous, to adjourn at 7:52 p.m.
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
October 17, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, October 17, 2016 at 7:30pm in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Pro-tem Patty Nefzger presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Larson, Nefzger, Sandhagen, Wulfekuhle. Absent – Kragnes.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 10/03/16, claims list of 10/04/16 – 10/17/16, the September 2016 Treasurer’s/Clerk’s Report & Budget Report, and the renewal of a liquor license for Gavin’s Foods. Roll call, all ayes, carried.
Treasurer's Balance for Fund Accounts as of September 30, 2016: General $165,890.18; Streets $211,605.62; Debt Service $14,432.23; Water Utility $262,435.96; Water T&A $26,404.17; Sewer Utility $226,897.97; Landfill/Recycling $593.91; Yard Waste $8,365.87; Bolger Fund $184,095.71; TIF $41,903.82; Local Option Tax $21,332.37; Storm Water $5,779.76; Downtown Project ($24,926.26); Franchise Fees $38,184.61. September Receipts by Fund: General $38,351.83; Streets $40,176.90; Debt Service $792.24; Water Utility $951.19; Water T&A $2,450; Sewer Utility $1,969.33; LF/Recycling $328.41; Yard Waste $64; Bolger $3,200.57; TIF $516.76; Local Option $7,939.40; Storm Water $45. Total Receipts $96,785.63. September Disbursements by Fund: General $41,592.52; Streets $6,622.12; Water Utility $24,130.29; Water T&A $230.18; Sewer Utility $13,852.59; CDBG Sewer Project $2,130.12; Bolger $2,700. Total Disbursements: $91,257.82. Investments: $1,285,113. Bank Balance $2,468,108.92. Balance with Library Funds $2,557,916.49.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Larson, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes to approve, carried.
Administrator/Clerk McGrane advised the Council there will be a Retirement Open House for Christie Dennis on Monday, October 24, 2016, from 4pm - 6:30pm in the ICN Room at the Fayette Community Library. Light refreshments will be furnished by the Friends of the Library. Administrator/Clerk McGrane will also be there to introduce himself to the public. Winter notices were sent out and posted to remind citizens of city ordinances that apply to winter months.
Police Chief Pisanti reported that the number of incidents reported had went down from the previous week. Chief Pisanti served Gary Goodell with a letter stating he has until November 6, 2016, to remove all of the debris and nuisance items from his property at 101 King Street. Chief Pisanti also walked around the property with Goodell and discussed what all needed to be removed to meet the requirements of our City Code Chapter 50.
There being no further business, moved Wulfekuhle, unanimous, to adjourn at 7:40pm.
Regular Council Meeting
October 3, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, October 3, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Kragnes, Larson, Nefzger, and Wulfekuhle.
Mayor Wenthe administered the oath of office to Kris McGrane and he was sworn in as the City Administrator/Clerk.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 09/19/16 and Claims List of 09/20/16 – 10/03/16. Kragnes asked that the September 19th, 2016, meeting minutes be corrected, in the last paragraph, to read: Kragnes agreed that the council had set a precedent by asking the public if anyone is interested in the open city council seat to contact the Mayor or City Hall. If no one was interested, then taking the next in line from the previous special election. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried.
Mayor Wenthe informed everyone that the Halloween Trick or Treating in Fayette will be on Halloween, Monday, October 31st, 2016, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Residents planning to hand out treats should turn on their porch light.
Administrator/Clerk Dennis reported the Fayette County Engineer’s office sent a check for $22,669.42 for the county’s share of the Big Rock Road resurfacing project. Christie Dennis started training Kris McGrane for the City Administrator/Clerk position on September 30th, 2016.
Police Chief Pisanti gave a police report on the latest crimes in the city. The police department is offering landlords free background checks for new residents.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger, to introduce for discussion the City Attorney’s report regarding issues about the proposed rental housing code. Kragnes had a concern that Attorney Hofmeyer reviewed the entire rental housing ordinance on his own behalf and the city council only requested him to look into whether the landlords on the city council could vote on this ordinance. Kragnes is concerned that the city may receive a legal bill for this. Dennis reported that we have not received a bill for this yet. Kragnes also pointed out in the report from Attorney Hofmeyer that it states the city attorney will be enforcing the housing code. Mayor Wenthe advised he will visit with Attorney Hofmeyer regarding her concerns. Mayor Wenthe advised the council to let the City Administrator/Clerk or himself know if they would like to put the proposed rental housing code on future agendas.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Larson, to introduce for discussion the request for appointing a replacement for Kris McGrane, who resigned because he was appointed as the new City Administrator/Clerk of Fayette, to fill the vacancy on the City Council. Mayor Wenthe asked Randal Sandhagen to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. Kragnes inquired if the city needed to publish the name of the person who would be filling the council vacancy before the council voted. Dennis advised the city only needed to publish the intent of the council to appoint a replacement. Moved Nefzger, seconded Larson, to approve the appointment of Randal E. Sandhagen to fill the vacancy of Kris McGrane. All ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger, to discuss the annual Urban Renewal Report FY2016. Dennis explained the report shows the TIF rebate agreements the city has and the outstanding amounts owed. Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson, to approve the adoption of the annual Urban Renewal Report FY2016. All ayes, carried.
There being no further business, moved Nefzger, unanimous, to adjourn at 7:52 p.m.
Immediately following the meeting, Mayor Wenthe administered the oath of office to Randal E. Sandhagen and he was sworn in as a city council member. His term will be until the next city election in November 2017.
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
September 19, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Monday, September 19, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Larson, Kragnes, Wulfekuhle. Absent – Nefzger. Vacancy of one seat because Kris McGrane resigned after the September 6, 2016 meeting.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 09/06/16, claims list of 9/07/16 – 9/19/16, the August 2016 Treasurer’s/Clerk’s Report & Budget Report, Annual Financial Report for FY16 and the renewal of a liquor license for Shiner’s Bar & Grill. Roll call, all ayes, carried.
Treasurer's Balance for Fund Accounts as of August 31, 2016: General $169,130.87; Streets $178,050.84; Debt Service $13,639.99; Water Utility $285,615.06; Water T&A $24,184.35; Sewer Utility $440,550.26; CDBG Sewer ($199,638.91); Landfill/Recycling $265.50; Yard Waste $8,301.87; Bolger Fund $183,595.14; TIF $41,387.06; Local Option Tax $13,392.97; Storm Water $5,734.76; Downtown Project ($24,926.26); Franchise Fees $38,184.61. August Receipts by Fund: General $28,410.60; Streets $18,347.08; Water Utility $3,902.51; Water T&A $4,337.66; Sewer Utility $5,243.07; LF/Recycling $901.48; Yard Waste $184; Bolger $54; Local Option $6,696.48; Storm Water $141; Franchise Fees $2,981.42. Total Receipts $71,199.30. August Disbursements by Fund: General $36,030.67; Streets $7,402.15; Water Utility $5,142.54; Water T&A $800; Sewer Utility $27,221.65; Bolger $1,805. Total Disbursements: $78,402.01. Investments: $1,285,045.06. Bank Balance $2,462,513.17. Balance with Library Funds $2,552,879.37.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes to approve, carried.
This being the time and place for a public hearing on the proposal to submit CDBG program grant applications to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), Mayor Wenthe opened the hearing. Wenthe stated the funds would be used to help pay for the 2017 Fayette Downtown & Water Street Infrastructure and Reconstruction Projects consisting of sewer & water main replacements and storm water drainage construction measures involving “green streets criteria”. The Mayor added that this isn’t our first effort to apply for this funding, so hopefully we would be successful this time. Mayor Wenthe then introduced Rachelle Howe, Director of Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission and she read the following “nine-points”:
(a.) The need was identified as the existing sanitary sewer lines were televised. The results have indicated cracks and holes throughout the pipe and deterioration at some of the service tees. There are also two sections of private sanitary sewers, one on each side of Water Street from Vine Street to King Street. These sections have been problematic causing several blockages and sanitary sewer backups into the homes.
The condition of the water mains is unknown. The City reports that minimal repair work has been needed on the water main. However, the south block of Main Street has several leaking underground storage tanks (LUST) and contamination seems to be expanding. Contaminated soils have been known to cause deterioration of the rubber gasket joint material and replacement of water main with Nitrile Gaskets (gaskets that withstand effects of petroleum products) at this time would be appropriate to coincide with the replacement of the sanitary sewer line.
The storm sewer would be replaced at the same time and the City will be exploring the use of green solutions that would affect the quality of the storm water runoff of Main Street. The storm sewer empties into the Volga River, which is only 1,300 feet from the farthest point of the proposed project and the Volga River State Park is just downstream of the City of Fayette.
(b.) The proposed project will be funded by CDBG Water/Sewer funds in the amount of $500,000 and by CDBG Community Facilities & Services funds in the amount of $500,000. The overall cost of the water/sewer project is estimated to be $2,195,642.50 and the overall cost for the storm water project is estimated to be $1,207,162.50, leaving the City of Fayette to cover the local match portion.
(c.) The CDBG Water/Sewer application will be submitted on or before January 1, 2017 to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). The CDBG community facility (which includes the storm water project) application will be submitted on or before January 1, 2017 to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA).
(d.) The requested amount is $500,000 from CDBG Water/Sewer and $500,000 from CDBG Community Facilities & Services.
(e.) According to the 2014 HUD LMI numbers, 52.76% of the population in the City of Fayette is considered as low-and-moderate.
(f.) The project will be conducted downtown along South Main Street from approximately 200’ north of Water Street to Clark Street and along West Water Street from Highway 150 to Main Street, which is within the city limits of Fayette, located in Fayette County.
(g.) There will be no displacement of persons and businesses as a result of funded activities for the water/sewer project or the community facility project.
(h.) There are no plans to displace any persons.
(i.) The nature of the project is to assist the City of Fayette with the replacement of their water, sewer and storm sewer lines throughout the downtown.
City Administrator/Clerk explained about the various sources of revenue the city would utilize to fund the match for both grant applications, as noted in the following resolution. Director Howe explained that the IEDA have changed the process in which they are accepting applications. She said that instead of having one deadline, they would be having them quarterly. The first 25 applications are due January 1, 2017 and then the next round of 25 would be accepting in April, and so on. Howe said she plans to submit Fayette’s applications as soon as the acceptance period opens in October. She added that one of the reasons she thought Fayette wasn’t funded in previous applications was because the 2009 sewer project hadn’t been completed, but now it’s finished and there is a lot of debt from that project. There being no further comment, Mayor Wenthe closed the public hearing.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve Resolution 2016-12: Resolution authorizing the submission of a CDBG Water/Sewer application and a CDBG Community Facility & Services application to the Iowa Department of Economic Development Authority for the 2017 Downtown & Water Street Infrastructure Projects. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Mayor Wenthe asked for approval to appoint Isaiah Ruckdashel and Mason Bantz as new members to the Fayette Fire Department, pending the out-come of their physicals. Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson, to appoint the two men to the fire department. All ayes, carried.
Administrator/Clerk Dennis reported there would be a work session before the October 3, 2016 council meeting at 7 p.m. for the auditor to give his presentation of the FY2016 audit.
Police Chief Pisanti reported it had been fairly quiet with only one burglary and two vehicle accidents in the past week.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Kragnes, to introduce for discussion a Big Rock Country Club update from Bill Dohrmann, Rich Patrick and Ron Ahrens and their request for a donation. All ayes to discuss. Dohrmann said he had contacted Doug Egeland about the roots in the tile lines and the condition of the sand traps. Egeland examined the back nine issues and estimated it would cost around $50,000 to make the improvements. Dohrmann requested that the city pay for this work by using funds from the back end of the Local Option Sales Tax and other city sources of revenue. He added that the equipment at the golf course needs to be upgraded, but that’s down the road. Patrick said the membership has declined over the past 15 years and they are trying to keep 18 holes in good shape. He added that they are looking into filing for 501©3 status so donations to the club can be tax deductible. Mayor Wenthe said in the meantime donations may be given through the city as tax deductible the auditor said. Kragnes asked if there was a plan with designs and a quote for the $50,000 and a timeline for the work? Dohrmann said Egeland had prepared that and he would get that information to the city. Kragnes also asked Dohrmann what other funding sources he had looked at besides donations and the city? Dohrmann said none. Wenthe & Howe suggested applying for funds through the Fayette County Community Foundation when they are taking grant applications. Ahrens said he visited with the banker about a loan for equipment and could get $90,000, but the club can’t afford more debt.
Mayor Wenthe said we would need to have a Finance Committee meeting to discuss the request further, but he would like to see the dialog continued because he sees the golf course as an economic development tool for the city and that it is different than other non-profits.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Larson, to discuss the City Attorney’s opinion regarding landlord- council members voting on the proposed Rental Housing Ordinance. All ayes to discuss. Hofmeyer was present at the meeting and said the landlord-council persons would not be receiving direct financial benefit from the rental housing ordinance, therefore they are not disqualified from voting on the ordinance.
Concerning the subject of updating the personnel policy to change the timeframe for new employees to use vacation policy and to update requirements for compensatory time to meet the new US Dept. of Labor overtime rules that take effect Dec. 1, 2016, Mayor Wenthe referred these matters to the Personnel Committee. Wenthe said he thinks the one-year anniversary of an employee is too long to wait to take vacation, which is stated in the city’s present policy.
Chief Pisanti explained the reasoning behind Ordinance 491 – Amending Fayette City Code Chapter 50.13, by deleting the $1,000 maximum penalty for Failure to Abate. He said there is a house in town where no one has lived for ten years and if the owner doesn’t comply with cleaning up the place the most he can be fined is $1,000 and then the place never gets cleaned up. He added that this ordinance removes the limit so the city has more authority to get these nuisance places cleaned up or junk vehicles removed. Attorney Hofmeyer agreed that this was a good idea and had drafted the ordinance. Moved Wulfekuhle, to approve the first reading of Ordinance 491, but the motion died for lack of a second.
Regarding the appointment of someone to fill the vacancy of Kris McGrane on the city council, Mayor Wenthe said he would appoint a replacement at the October 3, 2016 council meeting. Larson suggested asking Randy Sandhagen since he was the other person interested in a council seat. Kragnes agreed that the council had set a precedent by taking the next in line from the previous special election. Admin/Clerk Dennis explained that she had asked Fayette County Auditor, Lori Moellers, about a special election being on the general election ballot and was told that it’s past the August 31st deadline. She added that because of the timeline of filling a council vacancy in 60 days from the time the seat was vacant, we couldn’t have a special election because Moellers said by law there can be no elections three Tuesdays before or after a general election. Wenthe said he would ask Sandhagen, then if he wasn’t interested we would solicit anyone interested to contact the city.
There being no further business, moved Kragnes, unanimous, to adjourn at 8:24 pm.
Regular Council Meeting
September 6, 2016
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Tuesday, September 6, 2016, at 7:30 pm in the Fayette City Hall pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Kragnes, McGrane, Nefzger, Wulfekuhle. Absent: Larson.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 08/15/16 and Claims List of 08/16/16 – 09/06/16 with the addition of $6,500.85 to Heartland Asphalt for seeding & misc. on the Big Rock Road project. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle,to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried.
Mayor Wenthe informed everyone that on August 18th the city signed the agreement presented by Gary Goodell’s attorney to put the property at 101 King Street back in the name of Goodell. We’re now waiting on Goodell’s attorney to sign the agreement and file it with the court system. Once the property is back in Goodell’s name, the city will notify him that he has 30 days to clean up his property. Nefzger arrived at 7:33 p.m.
Administrator/Clerk Dennis reported there would be a work session at 7 pm on Sept. 19th, before the next council meeting, for the auditor to give the annual FY 16 audit presentation. ~ Regarding a check for $500 donated for Watermelon Days by Floyd Alber, moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to give the money to the Watermelon Days Committee to use for the raffle grand prize, as was done last year. All ayes, carried.
Police Chief Pisanti reported there was only one vehicle remaining in town from the nuisance vehicle list and he was going to address that next week. Pisanti added that he was going to start nuisance abatements for the three worst properties in town, not including Goodell’s. He said he spoke to the Attorney Hanson today and asked him to edit the ordinance section regarding the fines, because they are low right now, and with a higher penalty it may help to get some property owners to clean up their properties since it would cost them more if they don’t comply with our city code.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Kragnes, to table the item regarding voting on the rental housing ordinance since Attorney Hofmeyer needed more time to look into the matter. The subject will be on the Sept. 19th agenda. All ayes to table, carried.
Moved McGrane, seconded Kragnes, to introduce for discussion the request from Big Rock Country Club & Golf Course that individuals be able to make donations to the City of Fayette for improvements on holes ten (10) through eighteen (18) of the golf course (city leased property), so they would be tax exempt. All ayes to discuss. Administrator/Clerk Dennis explained that the property where the back nine holes are located is owned by the City of Fayette and is leased to the Big Rock Country Club for one dollar per year for 99 years. When the auditor was preparing the full FY16 audit, Dennis asked him about receiving donations for the golf course. The auditor said according to the lease agreement, that donations may be run through the city for the golf course if the work being done is on the city owned back nine golf course and that the council approves the project with the expense for the work being paid by Big Rock Country Club. Dennis said when the new nine holes were added to the Big Rock Country Club, all of the funds and donations were run through her office at the request of Bill Andres. Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Kragnes, to approve that donations may be given to the City for Big Rock Country Club work on the sand trap project on the back nine holes so the donations may be tax exempt. All ayes, carried.
Moved McGrane, seconded Wulfekuhle, to introduce for discussion the matter of Kevin Lehs completing the unfinished work on the old house at 516 W. Water Street. All ayes to discuss. Mayor Wenthe explained that the project has gone on quite a while. Lehs was present and said he replaced the roof last year. Lehs said he would have the project on the west side of the house completed in 30 to 45 days by having someone finish the foundation and level the dirt. Nefzger said the last time this was discussed you said you would keep us informed on a regular basis, but that didn’t happen. Kevin said he would. The Mayor asked Lehs to give us an update by November 7, 2016, if he hasn’t gotten the work done.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to introduce and discuss hiring Kris McGrane as the City Administrator/Clerk to fill the vacancy when Christie Dennis retires on October 28, 2016. All ayes to discuss. Mayor Wenthe said we had received 32 applications and we interviewed five of those. He added that we had a good pool of applicants, but not many had city government experience. He said McGrane is committed to the community, has IT (Internet Technology) and computer experience, has experience working for the City of Oelwein Police Department, is a quick learner and should be good for the city. After some discussion concerning McGrane accruing vacation time upon hiring, which is different than the personnel policy states, it was decided to have the subject on the Sept. 19th agenda for further discussion. Admin/Clerk Dennis said she didn’t have a problem with McGrane taking a week of vacation before he had worked a year and that the Personnel Policy should be changed to be the same as the federal government where an employee starts accruing vacation time when they start the job.
Wulfekuhle said being new that she and council member Larson felt left out of the hiring process. Kragnes explained that’s the point of a committee to go through the resumes and interview process and make a recommendation. She added that she thought Kris would do a good job and wasn’t against hiring him. Andrew said he runs a very fair search committee and they would have been welcome at any time to ask to participate in the process. He added that her (Wulfekuhle’s) concerns are duly noted for future processes.
Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Kragnes, to approve hiring Kris McGrane as the City Administrator/Clerk, for a salary of $45,000 and starting on September 30, 2016. All ayes, McGrane abstained, carried.
Moved McGrane, seconded Kragnes, to introduce the request from Frank Atchison that the city trim two maples trees located at 401 Mechanic and 406 E. College. All ayes to discuss. Scott Bowen was present to represent Atchison and said the Mechanic Street tree has some cracks in it and is a very old Maple tree that is dropping limbs. He added that he feels it is a safety issue. Public Works Director, Jerry Hildebrand, explained that the city doesn’t trim trees in the city right-of-way except when they are covering sidewalks. He added that if the tree is diseases, dead or dying then the city has the tree removed. Hildebrand said if a property owner wants a tree trimmed then the property owner may trim it at the property owners expense. McGrane said Jerry has done a good job in the past of keeping an eye on the trees in town. Bowen said he would like to see the tree on College Street moved to the top of the watch list. Kragnes said Jerry could just keep an eye on the trees and if it looks like they need to be cut down then he can take care of them. Mayor Wenthe agreed that Jerry should just keep taking a look at the trees and others.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to introduce the Community Development and Housing Needs Assessment. Admin/Clerk Dennis explained this is required for the CDBG program applications for the Downtown Sewer/Water Main Replacement Project and the Downtown Storm Water Drainage Construction Project. It shows the housing and community needs in Fayette. Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the assessment. All voted aye, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Nefzger, to set a public hearing for September 19, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in Fayette City Hall for submitting two CDBG program applications for the 2017 Fayette Downtown Reconstruction Projects, as noted in the previous paragraph. All ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded McGrane, to introduce Resolution 2016-10: Naming Depositories (amending Res. 2012-12). Dennis explained when the auditors were here we discovered the library had a CD in a bank in Arlington, so that needed to be added to our list of banks where we have city funds. Moved Kragnes, seconded McGrane, to approve Resolution 2016-10. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to introduce Resolution 2016-11: Adopting a policy regarding use of city credit cards. Dennis explained this was recommended by the auditors. She added that the police chief, library director and she have credit cards and the ambulance service, police and public works director have gas cards. Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve Resolution 2016-11. On roll call, all ayes, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the proposal from Jon Biederman, Fehr Graham Engineering, for the 2017 Water Main Installation Project on Madison & Jones Streets, with an engineering cost up to $16,000. Dennis noted the project was budgeted for in FY16 and now FY17. Estimated cost of the project is around $140,000. All ayes to approve Fehr Graham to do the project engineering, carried.
Moved Kragnes, seconded McGrane, to approve the letter from Jon Biederman, Fehr Graham Engineering, certifying substantial completion of the Big Rock Road Improvements Project and Change Order #3, decreasing the cost by $978.69. Total construction cost of the project was $275,952.83. Fayette County’s portion of the project was $22,669.42, leaving the City’s portion at $253,283.41. The engineer’s original estimated cost was $390,095, so actual costs came in around 29% lower. Dennis noted after 30 days she would pay the 5% retainage of $13,797.64. All ayes to approve the project, carried.
There being no further business, moved Nefzger, unanimous, to adjourn at 8:15 pm.
