Council - Regular Meeting

Call the meeting to order. Please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Pledge allegiance 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.

Before everybody takes their seats, on Friday night, we lost a valuable community member of ours. With the passing of Joe Olson, I'd just like to have a moment of silence for him to honor his memory. Thank you all. Okay, let's do the roll call then.

Weber?

Yes.

Hanna? Yes. Moore? Yes. Versader?

Present.

Maynor? Present. O'Loughlin? Yes. Appleton? Yes.

I need a motion to approve the agenda as presented. So moved. Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Passes 7-0. Next we move to public comment. We don't appear to have anything, so we'll move then to the consent agenda. I need a motion to accept and approve the consent agenda as follows. The minutes of the May 11, 2026 regular meeting. The Old Rush Park Tavern Class C retail alcohol license renewal with a tentative effective date of May 30, 2028. to May 20, sorry, May 26. Yeah, that would be May 30, 2026 to May 29, 2027. So moved. Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Passes 7-0. Next, we move to the financials, item number six on the agenda. I need a motion to approve the claims for payment. So moved. Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? I pass the 7-0. Next, we move to item number seven, which is revenues and expenses to date. This is for information only. Anybody have any questions with regard to that?

I like it. I think the only department that's really doing well is the animal control one. I see they still have $280 in there.

Let's move to item number eight, transfers. Again, this is information only. Anybody have anything with regard to that? Okay, hearing none, let's move to the hearing and ordinances. This is the third and final reading of the ordinance amendment to Chapter 170 zoning regulations. So I need a motion to approve the third and final reading of the ordinance that amends provisions pertaining to Chapter 170 zoning regulations and to authorize the mayor to sign the ordinance. So moved. Second. I have a motion to second. Okay, this is the McDonald property where we're changing the zoning from Manufacturing 2, which is heavy industrial manufacturing, to C2, which is commercial. Planning and Zoning handled this on April 7th, sending it to us with a recommendation to approve. Our first reading and the public hearing were both held on April the 27th. Our second reading was May 11th, so this is our third and final reading. Any further comments or questions?

Yeah, he's had it for a long time.

He's owned it for a long time. This is a new purchase.

Yeah. He's had it for a long time. This is the one that he wants to rezone it so that he can add some residential to it. Because it was originally zoned M2, you can't build residential at all on M2. So making it C2 makes more sense to allow for that. And there's neighboring properties around it, if I remember right, that are zoned C2 already as well.

There's no further discussion. This would be a roll call vote.

Hannah?

Yes.

Moore?

Yes.

Persauder? Yes. Maynard? Yes. O'Loughlin? Yes. Appleby? Yes. Weber?

Yes. Okay, that passes 7-0. Next we move to item number 10. This is a public hearing. So pursuant to the agenda, I'll now convene a public hearing for the proposal to sell real property. Okay. This was regard to the property at 204 3rd Street Northeast. We've got bids, which we'll talk about in the one coming up. But this is the time for public hearing.

I did not receive anything.

Okay, so I'll now close the public hearing, and the city clerk will note that there were no further comments with regard to that. Moving to item number 11, this is a motion to approve and authorize the mayor to sign a resolution awarding the bid in authorizing the sale of 204 3rd Street NE to Jared Donnelly for a purchase price of $5,000. I need a motion first. So moved. Second. The motion is second. Okay, so there were two bids that came in. One was for $4,500. One was for $5,000. The Donnelly bid was $5,000. It's his intention. There's page 143 of your packet. It's his intention to use this for the 2027-28 building trades homes through the school project. The other bid also talked about that, but it wasn't clear whether that was going to be The timing of that would have worked for him as opposed to Mr. Donnelly, and Mr. Donnelly had the higher price as well. So any further discussion with regard to that?

Well, one time they said that wasn't buildable, that we'd have to approve that to build on there. To do a small house, yeah. And the person would have to own it first before we approved it, so... We're not approving that at this time?

Not at this time. This would just be the sale of the property to Mr. Donnelly, and then he would need to come forward to ask the council for approval to build a tidy house on it in the future.

The restrictions on it are the demolition take place within 90 days, the site preparation take place in the early summer of 2026, and the construction of a new structure starting in the fall of 2027 with completion in the spring of 2028, which would be the calendar school year.

And we also talked that the house would have to be up there within a year, and so we're past that, too.

I reached out to him because his bid didn't include any information about the garage either, the repair of the garage. That's why I'm kind of starting there. I reached out to him to clarify, because he was the high bidder, whether or not he was going to repair the garage or what he wanted to do. And he wants to leave the garage and repair that immediately and then basically have this ready for the 27-28 school year to build during that. We still, even with the approval of this resolution tonight, we still have to do a development agreement with him to allow him to do that, because you can't have a secondary structure without a primary. So we still have to do, we'll put together the development agreement, whether it's Mr. Dahlenbach or Mr. Donnelly, whoever the council decides, we would still have to do a development agreement after this phase to get that put in place, which then has to come back before the council for final approval with that anyway. So there's still a little bit more work that's gotta be done, even if you choose to sell it to whichever one you choose to sell it to.

So I see the understanding that he just can't build on it right away.

Yeah. He knows he's got to come back and go through additional process.

Further discussion? Okay. And so this motion is to approve the bid from Jared Donnelly as opposed to the bid in the amount of $5,000. Okay? Roll call vote then.

Moore?

Yes.

Broussarder?

Yes.

Maynor?

Yes.

O'Loughlin? Yes. Appleby? No. Weber?

Yes.

Hannah?

Yes. I think we need to make sure that the place gets mowed and snow removal because that hasn't happened for, that's why I made it unsightly just as much as the condition of the house the last several years. Sure.

Okay, so that motion did pass 6-1. Okay, moving then to item number 12, which is the, I need a motion to approve and authorize the mayor to sign the resolution that amends the fiscal year 2026 budget. So I need a motion first. So moved. And I need a second.

Second.

Okay, so if you look in your packet at page 157, you'll see the breakdown. This is as we finish out the calendar year, fiscal year, ending on June 30th. This just brings everything current. For example, if you look at that on 157, you'll see that the total revenues and other sources, which is item number 15, you'll see that we have an increase of almost $500,000 in revenues. If you look at item number 26, total government activities and business expenditures, you'll see that we have additional expenditures of 344,442. So it's actually, the amendment is actually to the positive in terms of the budget itself. And I don't think there's anything else I need to tell you. Is there other questions that you have for Susie with regard to this? This is something that obviously we do every year as we get close to the end of the fiscal year. We need to make sure that our budget balances with what we actually have in revenue and expenses for the year. Okay, this will be a roll call vote then.

Prasadar?

Yes.

Maynor? Yes. O'Loughlin? Yes. Appleby? Yes. Weber?

Yes.

Hanna? Yes. Moore?

Yes. Okay, that passes 7-0. I'm on 13, right? Yes. Okay, then move to item number 13. This is a motion to approve and authorize the mayor to sign a resolution approving the lot combination agreement and to add the recording fees to the previously approved claims listing. This is dealing with the Steel Guard Inc., a.k.a. Gator Manufacturing. Do I have a motion first?

So moved. Second.

Okay, planning and zoning dealt with this on May the 19th. This is a combination of three parcels. If you look in your packet on page 191, you'll see the drawing. Basically what they're doing is they're taking the main building and then the other parcels that they own separately on the east and west side of their original parcel. They want to combine them so that if they do an addition on the property itself, they'll have proper setbacks. So that's the purpose of all this. Is there anything else that, any further discussion with regard to this? Okay, if hearing none, this will be a roll call vote also.

Maynor?

Yes.

O'Loughlin? Yes. Appleby? Yes. Weber?

Yes.

Anna? Yes. Moore?

Yes.

Persauder?

Yes. Okay, that also passes 7-0. Next, we'll move to other businesses. This is item number 14. I need a motion to approve a commercial restoration rehabilitation grant application with Wapsie Realty in the amount of $9,000 $43.61. Second. So I have a motion and a second. Okay, this is 193 to 195 in your packet. There's two of these there, 14 and 15, so we're only handling 14 first. This is 119 1st Street East, which is the Nini Frank's building, and what they want to do is they want to do the brickwork on the front, clean it up, and So they'll be grinding and tuck pointing, and I guess this one also has some masonry repairs on the back side as well. The total price for the work is $27,158, and our portion of the grant then would be 33 and a third percent of that, which is the $9,043.61. Anybody have any questions or further discussion with regard to this?

No, I think it's great. It is great.

Okay, if there's nothing further, then this would be a roll call vote.

O'Loughlin? Yes. Appleby? Yes. Weber? Yes. Hanna?

Yes.

Moore?

Yes.

Satter?

Yay.

Maynor?

Yes. That also passes 7-0. Next, we'll move to item number 15, which is a motion to approve the commercial restoration rehab grant application with Wapsie Realty in the amount of $7,265.39. I need a motion first. So moved. Second. I have a motion and a second. This is the building next to that, which would be 121 First Street East, which is where the Indy area gymnastics academy is currently located. I say this is 196 and 198 of the packet. The cost of the repair work, which is similar, which is the grinding and the tuck pointing, $21,808, a third of that would be $7,265.39, so that's the amount that they're looking for with regard to the grant application. Any discussion with regard to this? Okay, hearing none, this would also be a roll call vote.

Appleby? Yes. Weber?

Yes.

Hanna? Yes. Moore?

Yes.

Broussard? Yes. Maynard? Yes. O'Laughlin?

Yes. Okay, that also passes 7-0. Next, we move to reports. All right, Mike.

I got an emergency. I got to go.

Just leave your stuff, Deb. We'll take care of it.

Let's start with Mr. Weber.

I have nothing, Mr. Mayor. Nothing, sir. No, sir.

I have nothing either.

Mike. Just glad to be involved in the Chamber Golf Tournament week from Friday with my cohort, sir. No, sir.

No.

Okay. Matt, you want to go next?

I can. I just wanted to share with everybody, we talked, the mayor did the moment of silence at the beginning for Joe Olson. Visitation for him will be on Sunday, May 31st from 2 to 5 p.m. Solid Reef Family Center here in Independence. And then the service is on Monday, June 1st at 11 a.m. If anybody wants to attend. So Joe did a lot of stuff for the community. When I first came to Independence in January of 23, he was, I think, one of the very first people that reached out that wasn't that wasn't either a staff member or on the interview team when that process happened. So great guy that did a lot for the city and never wanted any recognition, never wanted any attention or anything. So it's going to be a big loss for the community. So that's all I've got for tonight.

Okay. Reminder, the primary election is Tuesday, June the 2nd. regular polling places for everybody with regard to that. The auditor's office is currently doing early voting, 8 a.m. to 4.30. That'll be through June 1st. They've also announced that they're doing a Saturday voting this coming Saturday, May the 30th, at the auditor's office between 7 and 3. One other thing that... Some of you may or may not know is that when you go in to vote, because this is a primary, you're registered how you're registered. Republican, Democrat, independent, whatever you're registered at. But when you go to vote in this particular election as a primary, if you decide that you're, say you're a Democrat, but you want to vote the people on the Republican ticket, you can do that as you check in. So there's not any issue with doing that. You don't have to change your registration? You do not have to change your registration. You can vote at the time of the election. If you change from Democrat to Republican, you then cannot change back that day. You have to wait until, well, I'm going to say you have to wait until after the election has been certified. Technically, they say 48 hours, but I'd be safe and wait until the election is actually certified. So that is something that I don't know that we've always, that the state of Iowa has always done in elections. I think it's, you know... I think it's a good thing to be able to, you know, sometimes in the primaries there are not candidates for every position, and maybe that something's more important to you that's on one side or the other, and that allows you to be able to do that. Also, if you're not registered to vote, you can actually register to vote at the time of the election itself. You go in, and as long as you've got your ID with your address, that's not a problem. You can do it right then and there. If you don't have your ID with you, or if you have your ID with you but the address is not your current address, By bringing in a utility bill along with your driver's license or your ID, you can then register at the same time. So you don't have to fill out any separate forms. It's just done right at the computer itself as you check in. Anybody have any questions regarding that? Okay. Then, Brian, did you have anything?

Nothing to my merit.

Okay. There's nothing else. Susie, nothing for you? Okay. Then I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. I stand adjourned.