Council - Special Meeting

Did you silence your phone? Yeah, it's been on silence since last night. I did not. You know, I get chewed out by the way. I got silence. I feel aggravation. Wait, honey.

Okay, we'll call the meeting to order. Please join me for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Okay. Welcome. This is the special council meeting of April 13, 2026 for the budget hearing and overall budget. Start with a roll call, please. Weber, yes. Anna, yes. Moore, yes. Here. Mayor, present. Olaflin, yes. Applebee, yes. Okay, thank you. Um, I need a motion to approve the agenda as presented. So, second. I have a motion to second. All in favor?

I oppose. Passes 70. Next, we move to the budget hearing. Uh, pursuant to the agenda, I'll now convene a public hearing for the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. Um, this is now open for anybody that had that wanted to discuss the budget itself. There's somebody that wants to discuss the budget from the from the audience. Well, they just keep raising our tax. You have to come up here and you'll have to state your name and your address. Please,

if you want to speak Michael's here, let's see if we can budget to hold the taxes down this town and if we could bring in some more businesses to help offset the taxes for the local people, which I think would be a good idea. you know, it's getting a little bit out of hand. These taxes are really and stuff and all the work that you guys are trying to do. I mean, we need more businesses to hold this town together if you could bring them in. I've seen other towns do it years ago. They sent me out to Ada, Oklahoma to bring in a aluminum factory back to Southern Iowa. They paid for everything just to get a business in town to help their taxes out. I don't know if you can do something like that, you know, try to bring in more businesses and more revenue and keep the people here in town instead of going out town to work some of them to see what we can do. Okay.

Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else?

Sue Elber and I live at 800 Sue Elber. A lb e r is how I spell my last name. I live on 814th Street Northeast and uh my taxes have went up so much in the last five to six years. They're right at 6,000 a year and I'm my only income and it's getting terrible. I can't believe how mine are keep going up and I just have an average home, not even a finished basement. I'm even afraid to do any nice stuff. If I mow the ditch to the west of me that I would not have to do just to make the town look nice, but I feel like they don't appreciate it. And my taxes keep going up. Are they going up because I keep my place nice? I mean, I can let it get run down and not mow that ditch. But that's a lot of money a year come out of my wages. $6,000 just for the property taxes. I don't mean to complain. I like to pay my share, but that's getting a little ridiculous. And I'd appreciate if maybe they could look into that. Is there a mistake somewhere that mine are so high?

Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you. I did not receive anything prior to tonight for the budget hearing. Okay. Um I'll now close the public hearing and um you'll the clerk will not note any comments for the record. Since that was the only issue for the special meeting then um I need a motion to um adjourn that meeting. So move second. I have a motion to second. Then all in favor I opposed. We now stand and adjourned. Okay. We'll pick up the regular.