City Council - Special Meeting

Okay, it's 5.30.

I'm going to call this meeting to order. If you would please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I 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.

You may be seated. Before I call roll, I'm also going to just make this announcement because it's going to go quick. If you would like to speak on any of the items on the agenda, I do ask that you fill out a slip of paper. It's in that basket on the front banister. So with that, Chris, if you would take the roll, please.

Council Member Galloway? Here. Council Member Hoffman?

Here.

Council Member Dupre? Here. Council Member Kavanagh?

Here.

Council Member Reed?

Here.

Mayor Foote?

Here. With that, I would entertain a motion to approve the agenda.

So moved.

Second. Chris, take the roll, please.

Council Member Galloway. Yes. Council Member Hoffman.

Yes.

Council Member Dupre. Yes. Council Member Kavanagh.

Yes.

Council Member Reid.

Yes.

Resolution number 153, 2026, approving a three-year school resource officer agreement between the city of Ottumwa and the Ottumwa Community School District. Recommendation passed and adopted. Resolution number 153, 2026. Is there a motion?

Move the recommendation.

Second.

Administrator Rath. All right, thank you. So the current agreement with the Otoma School District related to the school resource officers expires today. City staff negotiated with the Otoma School District staff and reached a tentative agreement, which is attached for reference. The SRO program promotes cooperation and improved communication between the city and the district. The officers become part of the district safety team and assist with the development of safe and secure learning environments. The revised agreement brings the dates and the compensation current. District has reviewed and approved the attached agreement.

Any questions or comments from council?

Administrator Rath, how many years have we been doing this now with the school? Do you have any idea of how long we've been doing it?

It predates me. Are you familiar, Chief?

I believe we've had SROs in the school district for going on about two decades now.

You mean like full-time or overtime? Because I know we had them when I was in high school.

Yeah, these would be full-time positions that the school district assists with the compensation of wages and benefits for.

Okay. I know this is the third agreement that I've been involved in. There was one when I first got here, renewal, and this is the second renewal. And one of the things that worked with the chief and the district on is helping to frame up what that relationship looks like to give a better definition of what the officers can and can't do, incorporating the legal requirements under the law. Because, for example, An officer can't just go in and do a search of lockers or things like that because there's protections for the students, for the legal process. And so they can assist if requested by a school principal or a teacher or whatever. They just can't go in and initiate that. And so it helps to incorporate that. And if there's any school-specific generated training that they wanted their officers to have, they compensate for that. If there's extra activities outside of school hours, football games, dances that they're supposed to be attending, if that requires extra overtime, they pay that in addition to what's in the compensation. So it helps lay all that out and I think has really improved the relationships with the program.

Yeah, I've not ever heard anything negative about it. It's always been a good thing. I think it's important for us to stress the benefit for the city too. We know the benefits for the school, but for the city, could you give us a little bit of thought on the benefits for the city itself?

Yeah, I'll give it from my perspective, and if there's anything that Chief can add to it. One of the things that I see from programs like this and have noticed here is it helps to build that rapport and relationship between individuals, students, and the officers, giving a positive interaction of law enforcement. So when they find themselves in a need, for law enforcement, there isn't that fear or that stigma, the negative stigma of law enforcement. So they feel more welcoming. They can share information. They might have something going on in their home life that they know isn't right but don't know who to talk to. This gives that opportunity. Those are some of the things. Also, I think from a recruitment standpoint, you know, police officers come in out of high school and get into trained, you know, if they qualify for the process and become our next wave of officers. So there's that PR side of things there too. I don't know if there's anything else.

Just other than... just other than assisting financially with the city to have those three officers too, because there is a portion of those wages and benefits that's not coming out of the general fund is obviously a good plus and a positive for the city. And again, just that working relationship, the school district is a very large entity servicing obviously all of our youth and kids. So it's a great public relations for the police department as well.

And I think it's fair to say the school district pays approximately one half of the cost of those officers serving.

Correct, sir.

Okay, if no other questions, Chris, would you take the roll, please?

Council Member Galloway? Yes. Council Member Hoffman? Yes. Council Member Dupre? Yes. Council Member Kavanagh?

Yes.

Council Member Reid?

Yes.

Resolution number 154-2026, approving and authorizing signature of an MOU regarding starting pay for equipment operators between the City of Ottumwa and Teamsters Local number 238. Recommendation passed and adopt resolution number 154-2026. Is there a motion to approve?

Move the recommendation. Human Resource Director Kojo.

Thank you, sir. So this memorandum of understanding between the City of Ottumwa and the Public Works Employees Bargaining Unit establishes a consistent and equitable process for determining starting wages for newly hired equipment operators during our transition to our compensation handbook. The purpose is to prevent new hires from beginning at wages, wage rates higher than existing employees within the same classification. new hires will follow the same two-year step-in wage progression used for current employees under the compensation handbook beginning in fiscal year 28 and beyond the starting wages will be recalculated after city council approves the annual cola and then those updated rates would be uh communicated to the union The method that we're using here, this mirrors the wage placement process used previously with the municipal employees and library bargaining units to maintain internal consistency.

Any questions or comments?

This is the first year for the public works group to be on the compensation handbook. Is that correct?

Yes, sir.

And that's the reason why there has to be this because of new hires coming on. that they wouldn't be paid somehow more than people who've already been here a few years.

Correct. Because of with us having to step the employees onto the handbook and we see a full realization in two years, we would have some employees currently that may not be at that starting wage right now that's in the compensation handbook. So what this does is this allows us still to give an increase above what their current, like the current one that ends today, that rate would be, but also make sure that we're stepping them in fairly to our current employees and that no new hire is making more than our current employees. Yeah, and we've talked with the union on this. The union, we actually presented them with a couple of different topics, options with it, had conversations with them. It was very interactive dialogue and this was what they had decided that they wanted to do as well. So we'll have another one that'll come up just simply because there's a couple of positions that we continue to see open up often. So we'll have another one very similar to this coming up, just doing the exact same thing. making sure that our current employees are taken care of, but yet also making sure we get those wages right.

Good. Thank you. When we say, and I agree with this, when we say taken care of, I just want to make sure, and maybe I missed it. So say we hire, you said we don't have, so say we hire a new person at 2306 and we have somebody who isn't at that yet. do we raise them to the 2306 like the new hire or do we compensate them for their time served above the 2306?

So the 2306, we've already taken that into consideration. When we sat down with the union, we looked at what the wages of all of our employees would be as of July 1 of 26. And we do not have an employee that is at that rate, the 2306.

So they would still have their gap with their time? Yes. Okay.

Yes. Yeah, absolutely.

Any other questions? If not, Chris, take the roll, please.

Council Member Galloway. Yes. Council Member Hoffman.

Yes.

Council Member Dupre. Yes. Council Member Kavanagh.

Yes.

Council Member Reed.

Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you. This is a public forum, and so I would invite anybody from the audience that would like to speak on any item not on the agenda. You can come forward and speak now. Okay. If not... We'll move to item number three, and this is no action. This is the State of the City Address. I'm just gonna dive right in. So thank you all for coming tonight. Tonight, as with any council meeting, any committee meeting, all other activities that happen here in this building, this is about you, the people of Ottumwa. I want to thank each council member for the tireless, often unrewarded work you do to ensure that you each are the representative of the people of Ottumwa that they have called you to be. And so thank you administrator, all the city Ottumwa directors, staff for the hard work you do each day to moving the city of Ottumwa forward in the vision and direction given by the people of Ottumwa. I'm reminded each day that we are all public servants to the citizens of Ottumwa. In recent history, there have been some tremendous projects completed here in Ottumwa, indicating the direction our city is prepared to move. From the new gymnasium addition to the Ottumwa High School, the JBS Sports Arena, opening of a sleep lab at Ottumwa Regional Health Center, growth downtown. We've seen new food, entertainment, other small businesses come in. All of these are strides forward by the people of Ottumwa working together towards a vision of growth and prosperity. Over these first six months as mayor of Ottumwa, I have seen and heard some amazing ideas of making Ottumwa what we all know it should be. Built on the solid foundation of our past, this city is full of new ideas ready to blossom today. In those same six months, the city of Ottumwa has seen significant accomplishments celebrated as a result of many years of hard work reaching their goal. A perfect example is the fast accelerating development of Vogel Heights residential development. The completion, near completion of the beautiful inclusive park that's at Market Street, the Market Street Landing. The investment of Ottumwa Regional Health Center with the installation of a larger MRI, which expands the imaging services in this region, as well as improving and expanding the EMS services provided for Ottumwa and Wapello County. We've seen the completion of a new ADA platform at our train depot that was completed by Amtrak. the development of an Ottumwa Youth Center downtown, a change in ownership now of a hotel Ottumwa, continued downtown development, and then new businesses opening up throughout the city. Businesses like Jersey Mike's, Morgan's Northgate Market, Ollie's, Mimi's Juicery, The Alley, expansion of orthopedic services from Ottumwa Orthopedic, the list just keeps going on and on, and that's just in these first six months. Each of these accomplishments signifies the direction of our city and the partnerships that are actively working towards the growth of Ottumwa. The value of each one is beyond measure and will become increasingly more important as we move forward. As a city of Ottumwa, we need to enhance the partnerships we have developed if we are to achieve success. Working together with the Ottumwa Community School District as our visions align in providing top education and activity opportunities for the next generation. Also, with the Ottumwa Regional Health Center finalizing the purchase of two new ambulance units, We are seeing firsthand the commitment that CEO Mr. Bergman and the Ottumwa Regional Health Center have to strengthening and advancing EMC services throughout our region. This investment represents a significant step forward, demonstrating the hospital's dedication as one of Ottumwa's largest employers and a vital anchor institution for both our community and the surrounding region. It also reflects Ottumwa Regional Health Center's ongoing dedication to serving the community with excellence, ensuring that residents have access to reliable, responsive, and high quality emergency medical services. So now is the time for the City of Ottumwa to partner with Ottumwa Regional Health Center in continuing the journey toward providing exceptional EMS services for the residents of Ottumwa and the communities we serve. The city continues to work with organizations of greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress and Ottumwa Legacy Foundation in the development of our community. We need to work more diligently, more feverishly with those partners towards the growth of our housing and business development here in Ottumwa. We must find the most effective ways to work with organizations like Main Street, Meet Atumwa, and VenuWorks at Bridgeview Center to further enhance the outreach of our community throughout the region and, honestly, the country. As we look towards development of businesses, we need to remember the relationship we have with existing businesses that can enhance the new business we look to build. Partners with even our local United Auto Workers Union, John Deere, JBS, especially Ottumwa Job Corps and Indian Hills Community College. We need to nurture each partnership as we look to new future businesses in the city, investing in our unique resources like the airport, again, Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa Job Corps, the Regional Entrepreneurship Center, Ottumwa Regional Health Center, just to name a few. Each resource opens an invitation to new opportunities like aviation maintenance, repair, and overall businesses. cybersecurity, laser technology manufacturing, robotics, enhanced medical imaging, cancer center physicians, expanded opportunities for nurses and dental professionals, and so much more. With each addition of new business, it opens expanded opportunities for retail, professional services, entertainment, and restaurants. like clothing stores, IT specialist golf simulation, which is coming soon, electronics, sandwich shops, physicians, gaming centers. Again, the list just keeps growing and growing with every business we can bring in here. I also want to recognize that we have many organizations that serve our community so well. Each one is focused on their own mission, and in completing their mission, they make Ottumwa better. So for Food Bank of Iowa, you are a staple of our community as you continually help provide for those less fortunate than others. The elderly, poor, veterans, and so many others are not forgotten because of the work you do so well each and every day. Ottumwa Job Corps. I had the opportunity to visit Ottumwa Job Corps recently to swear in their student body government for the first time. and attend their award ceremony. And I was most impressed with the family atmosphere and support that the students embrace. To see these young adults excel in their trade, improve on their life, and then be connected to a family where many of them have never experienced that in their lives, that was truly impressive. It allowed me to fully see the heart of the mission of Ottumwa Job Corps. Milestone Area Agency on Aging. I've been able to visit them during lunch and be a part of their yearly prom, which was so much fun, from celebrating birthdays, having a good meal, just enjoying each other's company. The community that comes together around the table like that each day and the support they give each other is priceless. So thank you, Milestones, for providing the path for such a great community. And then for Lighthouse Foundation, as an organization working to shine light on human trafficking and abuse, the work you do is required for our community to become the community of hope that we want it to be. When I was asked to participate in their most recent conference as a speaker, I was truly honored. Too many times we push aside hard conversations about unpleasant topics, and in doing so, we leave an opening for evil to continue to exist. The Tragic Stories of Trafficking Victims. Sorry, those stories are, they're so overwhelming, but they need to be told. When I think of the forceful devaluing and disposal of a human life, it's the most heinous crime anyone could commit against another human being. I mean, we live in a country that is founded on the declaration that all are created equal, endowed by our creator with unalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We cannot, we cannot allow the evil of human trafficking to strip that foundation away from us. So, Thank you to the Lighthouse Foundation for keeping us on target for ending all human trafficking in our communities. There are yet other partnerships that are essential for us to experience consistent growth, and they often get overlooked. Partnerships with daycare providers, Heartland Humane Society, American Home Finding, Ottumwa Housing Authority, and local churches. In fact, we are experiencing right now an increase in the involvement and cooperation of our local churches in our community that we have not experienced for several generations. As the congregations of our churches look to help neighbors and improve our city, we are seeing that same hope spread throughout the city, a hope that sees the results of people caring for their homes better, helping other neighbors that are physically unable to do things on their own, a growing camaraderie throughout Ottumwa that is spreading beyond the boundaries of politics and unifying us as a community. The city is changing. People are changing. I see examples of how people are taking pride in Ottumwa again. Homes that used to be run down and disrepair are getting cleaned up. This is not due to an ownership change, but a change in the owners. It isn't everywhere yet. but there is enough to where it is noticeable and I'm confident that more will come. In Ottumwa, we're also seeing a reduction in crime each year. I believe one of the reasons is because we have the best police force in Iowa. I don't have any study or statistics to prove that and show that, I just know. So as we continue the fight to reduce crime in our city, it is imperative we retain what we have gained and continue to build on the foundation that we have. By working together in our district, we can ensure the work of our police officers, the work that our police officers do is worth doing. By working with Wapello County, we can improve and expand our facilities, which is vital to achieve our goal to further reducing crime in our region. So with each expansion improvement or change in the city, we deal with the consequences of course of cost and budget. So through the budget process and the ideas of reducing our city government to match the resources of Ottumwa, we have heard that we have already been doing more with less and that now our city government is being asked to do less with less. What I would like to see us work towards is doing more with what we already have. The process of working within our budget needs to be a part of our daily operations. We cannot forget that a budget is a tool to protect the residents of Ottumwa and keep our city leadership accountable to the expectations of the people we serve. It is imperative that we have a clear, concise budgeting process that accounts for every dollar brought in, every dollar borrowed, and every dollar spent. This process and the results are required to be fully transparent to our citizens and making a complete process easier to communicate and understand as part of being transparent and using a single method of budgeting like priority budgeting is a step in the right direction. I am advocating a move to zero-based budgeting of all accounts budgeted for the city of Ottumwa. This is a tool that removes assumptions and confusion, forcing the city to account and justify every dollar before any spending is approved. So as we manage the resources given to the city, I feel that we need to be better in honoring Ottumwa's greatest resource. As I said before, Ottumwa's greatest resource is the people of Ottumwa. And when joined together, we are capable of so much more than others give us credit for. We have all the resources we need to see the city continue to grow and thrive beyond anything that has been previously expressed. We only restrict ourselves by not allowing the people of Ottumwa to show their best in working for and leading the city. We honor the people of Ottumwa by striving to reduce their burden by reducing taxation and fees. It is through growth that we will see this come to its best reality. So working together with our regional partners, alongside the partnerships the city has developed, we will see continued growth in our city. There are so many things we are working towards, some coming extremely quickly. some seemingly small, others extremely big, all holding a level of importance to the daily lives of the people of Ottumwa and the expanding growth of our city. To name a few. As we continue to labor for repairing and replacing our streets, and we all know this is a hot topic, We are moving in the right direction. Things are improving each and every week. And showing the people of Ottumwa what that plan is and how it improves their lives is something that I feel that we can improve on. I would like the city to provide a roadmap, if you will, of planned street repair and areas of replacement, showing the short term of the next three years, as well as the long term in the next 10 to 15 years. Simply providing a tool of communication that the people of Ottumwa in the method, direction, and arrival times planned by the city for street replacement and repair. Another growing area of concern, is about the various methods of transportation throughout the city. Some that we didn't think we would have to deal with previously. The growing numbers of electric scooters, e-bikes, golf carts, and UTVs have added to the expected transportation and has made transportation landscape more complex. So looking at these and how we improve the rules of the road and how those are enforced is important to make sure that we are a safe community for those operating any vehicle, as well as those enjoying our first method of transportation, walking. The Mall of Ottumwa continues to be a problem. It's an economic drain and an eyesore for the city. This is prime property that should bring excitement and energy to our city. And I am willing to explore all avenues to bring the mall and its surrounding property to a place of development opportunities for the city. And after we have exhausted all avenues, if we still haven't gotten the results that we need, we do them again. We cannot allow this area of prime development to sit idle and slowly die away as we watch. Another topic of discussion is data centers, literally the hot topic of development right now. I believe we need to navigate this carefully, intentionally, and openly. As I see other communities put in restrictions and ways to stop data center development in their areas, I am seeing an opportunity for Ottumwa that can help launch us into being a leader in our region. Are there concerns with data center development? Yeah, of course there is. That is true with any development. I also know that we can find the right way for that development. We can lead the way in some things that have not been done before. When I see the direction of other pieces considering and acting on data center development, some communities have set up a big red stop sign saying not here. Well, that's the decision that they've made for their community. Others have placed a lot of caution in the way, slowing development, giving indication companies are just better to look elsewhere first. All development and data centers are no exception. Look for communities that provide a green light for their development. I want to see Ottumwa and Wapello County give that same green light to data centers and other development opportunities. This does not allow them to go outside the lanes that we provide, but it does communicate that we are open for business and we will provide unique opportunities here that they won't find anywhere else. our riverfront is taking shape, improving quickly. With the completion or near completion of the Market Street Landing All Abilities Play Space, the core of our city takes the next step in the community. Additional development of our treasured buildings continues as our downtown is becoming the bustling downtown many of us remember it to be. With more future development, it is imperative we communicate as a community and see our growth spread along the river, downtown, and through the core of the Southside extension of downtown. The increasing need for growth within the confines of local government makes it imperative that we take full advantage of the opportunity we have right now to set up and move towards being leaders of our region. Changes made at the state level impacting how municipalities provide services for their citizens make it more important than ever to partner with other municipalities in our region. As we build relationships with our region, Otomo needs to take the lead in building those relationships. A leader is not one who dictates action, but instead works closely with others, listening to needs and creative ideas, working together in the understanding of all opportunities to make the relationship better. So as we look to improve the lives of others, a leader knows that helping others is a benefit for all. Our relationships in the region are best served on a larger scale through those that work for and represent Ottumwa in the state of Iowa. So with that, I want to thank Representative Wills, Representative Harris, Senator Westridge for having an open line of communication and the support they give as we cast vision and goals for Ottumwa. Each of you have represented the best part of Iowa very well. I would also like to thank Congressman Nunn, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, along with Senators Grassley and Ernst for representing our state, Wapello County, and the city of Ottumwa. The work each of you have done at the federal level to bring additional resources for our region is proving to be a catalyst for our economic growth and leadership in Southeast Iowa. So as we continue to talk about the fiduciary responsibility of elected officials, It's important to understand that as elected officials, we are given justifiable confidence and trust to represent those who have placed us in our positions. I have learned quickly the high level of responsibility elected officials carry when they take office. And it is the people we are to represent, the people of Ottumwa, the people that we hold to the highest regard. So as elected officials, council and mayor, we are fiduciaries. And as a fiduciary, we are to act on behalf of, and in fact are obligated to put the interest of the people of Ottumwa first. So as people of Ottumwa, the best part of the great state of Iowa, in the middle of the greatest country on earth, the United States of America, we live by and hold to the Constitution of the United States. We will not allow or even entertain any law that is in contradiction of the Constitution of Iowa or the Constitution of the United States. Instead, we will continue to lead a tumult within the framework of our state and our country. We will continue to uphold the basic right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In our right to life, we will hold to the priceless value and defense of every life, In our right to liberty, we will hold true to defending the freedom we have in our country that is secured by the generations before us and by the bloodshed of those that fought defending our freedom from every attack against us. In our pursuit of happiness, we will commit to providing a city that is open to everyone to pursue that dream without the hindrance or infringement of others. I am committed to providing the best opportunities for each individual to pursue a life in Ottumwa that is prosperous by the work they do each day. And working together as a community, we see the true identity of Ottumwa become what we all know it should be. We will remain committed to ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity afforded to them to be represented by their city government through our ongoing enforcement of elections that are held with integrity. And we will continue to ensure that the top level of accountability of the city government continues to be held by those directly accountable to the voters. To be leaders, we need to be pioneers, moving away from the idea of chasing a comparison of others, but instead stepping boldly into setting precedent for others. We live in the land of rippling waters, while the ripples of growth and leadership should ripple from Ottumwa and out to others. We are the hub of our region. We are the leaders stepping into our future. We do that as we unify together, bound in the hope that we long for, understanding that hope comes through our faith in God and love for each other. Reaching out to neighbors with goodness, kindness, and joy. Holding ourselves accountable to a higher self-expectation. Treating the hurting with gentleness and knowing that seeing others first brings peace to all. So this week, as we celebrate together the 250th birthday of the greatest nation on Earth, I encourage us all to remember, reflect, and honor the foundation that this country was built on, the foundation outlined in the Declaration of Independence, a document that has set into motion the force of freedom in our country, a freedom that is established from the self-evident truth that we are all created equal. that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is from those rights built on that freedom that Ottumwa stands tall. So together we step into a time ready for us to reach our greatest potential. So I look forward to this time. I look forward to what is on the horizon. I look forward to each step we take together towards the promising future ahead of us. So as mayor of Ottumwa, I am asking that we step into this journey together, moving into the next step of our story. So thank you all for everything you do each day for Ottumwa, for your family, for your neighbors. And with that, may God bless each of you. May God bless America and may God bless Ottumwa. Thanks for coming. With that, our last order of business, as I would entertain a motion to adjourn.

So moved.

Second.

Chris, take the roll, please.

Council Member Galloway? Yes. Council Member Hoffman? Yes. Council Member Dupre? Yes. Council Member Kavanagh? Yes. Council Member Reid?

Yes.

We're adjourned.

We are adjourned. Thank you. Hey, everyone.

There's bingo at the Elks, or at the Jimmy Jones. Go play.

I'm really excited.