Lansing City Council discusses safety measures, approves contract for street improvement project, and schedules city budget public hearing for March 24
by Joshua Sharpe
At the Monday, March 3 meeting of the Lansing City Council, council members addressed infrastructure projects, safety policies, and administrative concerns, tabling some items for further review. Council members approved the routine consent agenda items, with the exception of a liquor license renewal request due to incomplete paperwork.
RESOLUTION 1042 APPROVED
The council unanimously approved Resolution 1042, which formalizes the contract and performance bonds for infrastructure improvements along North, Platt and 4th Streets. Lansing Mayor Mike Verdon provided a succinct summary of the resolution, stating, “simply the contract and performance bond for the contractor for the North, 4th and Platt Street project.” Following a brief clarification to update the effective date of the resolution to coincide with the meeting date, council member Steve Murray moved for its approval.
LOCKOUT/TAGOUT POLICY
The council members unanimously adopted a Lockout/Tagout safety policy regarding electrical and other equipment, following the Iowa Municipalities Workers Compensation Association (IMWCA) recommendations. Much of the discussion involved the Park and Recreation aspect of having youth around such equipment during summer sessions at the ball diamond and swimming pool, with training of managers and summer employees suggested.
It was clarified that the Lockout/Tagout equipment is located within the City Shop, available for use when needed. Mayor Verdon offered the following example for further clarification: “We’re talking about... a hand grinder down at the shop that doesn’t work. Well, you unplug it, you put a tag on it.”
MEDIACOM LEASE AGREEMENT DELAYED
A lease agreement with Mediacom was tabled, pending further clarification regarding past agreements and financial details. City Clerk Teresa Severson expressed uncertainty about the payment amounts, stating, “We get substantially more than $3,200 a year, I can tell you that, so I don’t know what all they do pay us for... I want to say it’s more like $12,000 that we’ve gotten.”
Mayor Verdon emphasized concerns regarding compliance with the city code and liability, asking, “Did we follow this procedure? Did we come up with a resolution? Did we approve all of this? If we didn’t, we certainly need to... we need to correct it.” He also identified gaps in documentation, noting, “If it was just an informal agreement that just kind of tribal knowledge morphed into an annual thing, we need to correct it.”
Furthermore, Clerk Severson highlighted the challenges in locating historical records regarding the agreement, stating, “I have looked for any agreement we had before, and I can’t find anything.” The council members agreed to delay approval until further information could be verified.
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