Council Meeting Minutes 1-19-2021

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

January 19, 2021

     The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at 6:01 pm via conference call/online using www.freeconferencecall.com due to COVID-19, per Iowa Code 21.8, pursuant to law and rules of said council, Mayor Wenthe presiding. The public was able to attend the meeting via conference call/online with basic directions posted on the council agenda and on the city of Fayette’s website, www.fayetteiowa.com.

     Roll call: Present - Council members Post (via online), Tenney (via online), Tucker (via online) and Wulfekuhle (via telephone). Absent - Potratz.

     Moved Tucker, seconded Wulfekuhle, to approve the consent agenda items consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 1/4/21 and the claims list of 1/1/21 - 1/15/21. Roll call, all ayes, motion carried.

     Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Tenney, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, motion carried.

     Upon Mayor Wenthe’s recommendation, moved Tucker, seconded Post, to appoint Steve Landry to the Fayette Recreation Board for a 3 year term, expiring 1/19/24. All ayes, motion carried.

     City Administrator/Clerk McGrane informed the council that the Fayette County Economic Development & Tourism and the Fayette County Iowa State University Extension is funding and hosting a Fayette County Leading Communities program for 25 area leaders. The program will consist of 6 meetings and they are tentatively looking at holding the classes in September, October and November 2021. The council should let McGrane know of any residents they would want to nominate to attend the classes. McGrane advised he has been working with the owners of the Sugar Bowl in Decorah and they are opening up a new location in downtown Fayette. The Public Works Employees have taken out the old flooring at 9 S. Main Street. McGrane has attended multiple meetings over the last few weeks as we prepare the FY2022 budget. More budget related meetings are planned over the next few weeks.

     Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Tucker, to discuss the City of Fayette Community Development Block Grant Owner-Occupied Housing Program. This being the time and place published for a public hearing on the status of funded activities for the City of Fayette Community Development Block Grant Owner-Occupied Housing Program, Mayor Wenthe opened the hearing and asked for comments. Lee Balik, the Community Housing Associate with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Center, provided an update. A. General description of accomplishments to date: To date we have closed out one home (112 Mechanic St.) and 2 projects currently underway. She anticipates bidding out 1 remaining project this spring, with the last 2 projects to follow. B. Summary of expenditures to date: Total expended: $68,811; total rehab: $24,985; total Lead Hazard Reduction (LHR): $6,750; total relocation: $1,251; total admin: $20,216.00; total tech services: $11,874; total LHR admin: $3,735. C. General description of remaining work: Work left consists of initial inspections, historical clearances, contractor walk throughs/bid opening, pre-construction conferences and final inspections. D. General description of changes made to project budget: No changes were made to the budget, targets, schedules, scope, location or objectives. There being no other comments, Mayor Wenthe closed the hearing.

     Moved Tenney, seconded Wulfekuhle, to discuss the $500,000* (subject to adjustment per terms of offering) General Obligation Capital Loan Notes, Series 2021 receipt of bids. Maggie Burger, a Financial Advisor with Speer Financial, Inc., advised the council of the bids received. Four bids were received earlier today: Bankers' Bank, Madison, Wisconsin - True Interest Cost (TIC) of 1.3139%; UMB Bank, n.a., Kansas City, Missouri - TIC 1.3441%; United Bankers' Bank, Bloomington, Minnesota - TIC 1.4802%; D.A. Davidson & Co., Denver, Colorado - TIC 1.6961%. It is the opinion of Speer Financial, Inc. that the bid of Bankers' Bank, Madison, Wisconsin, is the best bid received, and Burger shared a 1.3139% is an exceptionally low interest rate. Speer Financial, Inc. recommends that the Notes be awarded to Bankers' Bank, Madison, Wisconsin at a price of $496,500, being at a TIC of 1.3139%. No formal action was taken.

     Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Post, to approve and adopt Resolution 2021-3 directing sale of $500,000* (subject to adjustment per terms of offering) General Obligation Capital Loan Notes, Series 2021 to Bankers' Bank, Madison, Wisconsin to help fund the Water Street Improvements project. Roll call, all ayes, motion carried.

     Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Tenney, to discuss the Fayette Personnel Committee meeting minutes. Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Post, to approve the Fayette Personnel Committee meeting minutes from 1/13/2021. All ayes, motion carried.

     Moved Tucker, seconded Wulfekuhle, to discuss plowing, cleaning, maintaining recreational trails for the remainder of the winter. Wenthe said he has received multiple requests from citizens asking for the recreational trails to be cleaned off for walkers. Wenthe said Tim Frey advised he would volunteer to plow the trails of snow. McGrane contacted the cities insurance companies and area cities to inquire if they clean off trails in the winter. Every city is different, some clean them off and some do not. The insurance company did explain there are some liabilities and the trails would need to be sanded. McGrane advised he spoke with Public Works Director Jerry Hildebrand and the cities dump truck would be too big to sand the trails, so we would need to invest in equipment. Wulfekuhle suggested contacting Upper Iowa University about their equipment/brushers for sidewalks. Wenthe suggested Frey or another walker may volunteer to do the sanding. McGrane shared that Hildebrand heard that snowmobilers groom the trail from Klocks Island to the Open Air Market for snowmobiles. McGrane suggested the city start with the trails at Cardinal Park. Wenthe will reach out to Frey to see what level he wants to volunteer to clean the trails around Cardinal Park. Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Tenney, to explore turning the Cardinal Park trails and area to a walking park area this winter. All ayes, motion carried.

     Moved Post, seconded Wulfekuhle, to discuss adding Non-Statutory Volunteer Coverage to our Iowa Municipalities Workers' Compensation Association (IMWCA) coverage. McGrane explained as he was researching cleaning off the recreational trails for the winter, he discovered a volunteer coverage the city can add to their workers' compensation plan at $100 per year. The volunteers would need to fill out an application prior to volunteering in order to be covered. Moved Tenney, seconded Post, to add Non-Statutory Volunteer Coverage to our IMWCA coverage. All ayes, motion carried.

     Moved Tenney, seconded Wulfekuhle, to discuss accepting a bid for painting 9 S. Main Street. McGrane reached out to two local painters to remove the wallpaper and glue/paste, fill in holes, prime and paint most of the interior rooms at 9 S. Main Street before the new floor is installed. The city will provide the wallpaper remover, primer and paint. The bids received: Kane Magnuson - $800 and Cheryl Peterson $1,120. McGrane also received pricing from the Fayette Lumber Yard on wallpaper remover, primer and paint. Moved Tenney, seconded Wulfekuhle, to hire Kane Magnuson at an estimate of $800 to prep and paint 9 S. Main Street and the city to purchase paint, primer and wallpaper remover from the Fayette Lumber Yard. All ayes, motion carried.

     Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Post, to discuss directing the City Administrator/Clerk to publish the proposed property tax levy and setting a Public Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2022 proposed property tax levy. Moved Wulfekuhle, seconded Tucker, to direct the City Administrator/Clerk to publish the proposed property tax levy and set a Public Hearing for Monday, February 1, 2021, at 6PM on the Fiscal Year 2022 proposed property tax levy. All ayes, motion carried.

     There being no further business, moved Wulfekuhle, unanimous, to adjourn at 6:44 pm.

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