Waukon City Council discusses numerous items

by Dwight Jones

The Waukon City Council met in regular session the evening of Monday, May 17 to address a 17-item Regular Business Agenda. To start the meeting, Jesse Delaney spoke under Public Comments and asked the Council to consider addressing two areas in town that he felt needed attention - an unfinished, bare dirt area around the new municipal parking lot and a pile of concrete rubble near Dollar General. The Council thanked Delaney for bringing this to their attention and agreed to address each.
Under Departmental Reports, Water and Sewer Superintendent Bob Campbell explained that work had begun on the trickling filter at the waste water treatment facility.  He also asked for and received the OK to move forward with hiring summer help with official approval at the first meeting of June.
Moving on to Regular Business, a representative with TeKippe Engineering was in attendance to address the opening of bids for the Ninth Street Utility Improvements Project.  She stated that Iowa Grant Trucking, the original low bidder, had submitted a written request to remove their bid due to a substantial mathematical error they had made, even though they could potentially lose their five-percent bid bond to the City, which in this case would be in excess of $25,000 should the City enforce the policy that allows them to do so. The second low bidder was Skyline Construction, and they were awarded the job at the amount of $755,889.11, significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate of $620,676.90.  The Council tabled action on the Iowa Grant Trucking situation until the next meeting.
Next, Mark Kvammen with Northeast Iowa Community Action was in attendance to explain a housing program he oversees that builds new homes in northeast Iowa communities and then makes them available to low to moderate income families for “rent to own” purchase scenarios. He explained that they currently work within a seven-county area, and Allamakee is slated to have a house built next year but some work needs to be done in the interim, including the purchase of a lot and the awarding of a grant to build the home. He was asking the Council to consider assisting with the purchase of a lot by “donating” roughly $5,000, an amount that Kvammen explained would be easily recouped within the first three to four years from tax dollars generated by the home. The Council will address the request at an upcoming meeting.
The second reading of the ordinance changing zoning from B-1 to R-4 for a proposed condominium project across from the post office was then voted on and approved, 3-2, with Councilmen Joe Cunningham and Steve Wiedner providing the votes against the project.  However, the three “yes” votes received were enough to allow the reading to pass. The final reading will be held at the next council meeting.
The Council then once again discussed a proposed residential urban development plan. City Attorney Jim Garrett provided some information he had received regarding residential TIF, but expressed some concerns about the plan generating enough dollars to pay off infrastructure work due to a large portion of the funds generated needing to be allocated to low and moderate housing needs due to the regulated plan guidelines. However, Garrett was encouraged by some information that he had learned and suggested a future work session with the Council and others to discuss matters further. The Council agreed and also suggested moving forward with discussions with city engineers to review a watershed problem at the proposed Bresnahan Development in northwest Waukon which would likely be the first residential TIF project the City would move forward with.
The Council then once again approved the closing the parking lot behind Good Fella’s the evening of June 19 for a Waukon Fire Department benefit, similar to what has been held the past several years.  Council members shared some concerns they had received last year about the volume of the music, and Good Fella’s owner Jason Fish agreed to address it, though all understood that it is outdoors and there is only so much one can do. The event has been very successful at raising much-needed fire department funds in the past.
The Council then held a lengthy discussion about airport liability insurance coverage by the Allamakee Flying Club.  The Council had recently adopted a policy that the Club receive its own insurance stating the City as an additional insured, and at limits of $1 million per occurrence and $1 million per person. However, Frank Byrnes with the Flying Club explained that their carrier would not add the City as an additional insured and would only provide $100,000 per person coverage. Garrett explained that he had never heard of a company limiting coverage as such, but that it was possible that there were some underlying situations that he was unaware of that were requiring the limitations be in place.
Cunningham explained that though the coverage wasn’t what the Council had requested, he felt that the Flying Club had worked hard to meet the City’s requests and the Council approved with a 4-1 vote allowing the Club to resume fueling their own planes (which is at the core of the whole issue, but with no sale to the public) for the next year with the current coverage while the issue continues to be addressed. Councilman Trent Mitchell was the lone “no” vote.
Moving on, the Council then approved the purchase of tires from Clark Tire Center for an end loader used in the Water and Sewer Department in the amount of $6,366.72. Next, the Council reviewed and approved a 28E Agreement between the City and the State of Iowa to allow inmates at the Luster Heights facility near Harpers Ferry to perform “public service work” within the city of Waukon at the rate of $5 per inmate per day plus transportation. This allows the City to hire these workers in the future should the want/need arise.
The Council then approved the expansion of the SE Urban Renewal (TIF) district to include a small stretch of land near the Lonnie Tysland property needed to allow the Innovative Ag project to move forward.  Also, the date of June 7 (the next regularly scheduled council meeting) was set for a hearing and action for an Economic Development Agreement between the City and Innovative Ag.
Several routine-type issues were then addressed, including a variance request by Cheryl Waldron for the construction of a garage, and the appointment of Ann Hagensick to the Library Board.