REGULAR MEETING
NOVEMBER 22, 2021
The City Council of the City of Vinton, Iowa met in regular session on Monday, November 22, 2021 at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 110 W 3rd Street with the following members in attendance:
Present: Edwards, Gates, Hessenius, Stark
Absent: Elwick, Parr
Due to COVID-19, the meeting was also held electronically via Zoom.
Mayor Maynard called the meeting to order.
Motion by Stark, second by Gates to approve the agenda as presented. Approved unanimously.
Motion by Edwards, second by Hessenius to approve the consent agenda as presented. Approved unanimously. Items on the consent agenda are to receive & file Council meeting minutes of November 10, 2021, receive & file airport meeting minutes of October 20, 2021, approve city invoice, approval of Class C beer permit for Dollar General, approval of class B permit with Sunday sales for Mickey’s Bar.
Communications, Petitions or Remonstrances
Gates has heard from several residents wishing for easier access to City information on the website.
Residents are still questioning whether the garbage and recycling are being dumped into the same compartment on the garbage truck.
Committee Reports – None
Citizens Input – Greg Walston, representing Old School Produce Partners thanked the Council for the opportunity to use the 3rd on 3rd Gardens again this year. Between the two gardens in town, the group was able to provide over 12,000 pounds of fresh produce to the food pantries in Benton County.
Council Member Elwick joined the meeting.
Old Business
Motion by Edwards, second by Gates to approve the third consideration of Ordinance 1067 – an ordinance amending provisions pertaining to the Parks & Recreation Board. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark.
Motion by Elwick, second by Stark to adopt the above stated ordinance. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark.
Motion by Gates, second by Hessenius to approve the quote for the plastic pipe and the property owner paying for the tee storm sewer extension at 410 H Avenue. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark.
The two outstanding issues on the new south trail are not completed satisfactorily. The two panels on the field drives and the ADA ramps on Viking Drive are not acceptable. Nate Kass with Fehr-Graham will speak to the property owners about the panels over the field drives. The work to fix the issues will have to wait until Spring 2022.
New Business
Motion by Gates, second by Stark to approve the first consideration of Ordinance 1068 – an ordinance amending provisions pertaining to the boundaries of the wards/precincts of the City of Vinton, Iowa. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark. The update is a result of the 2020 census data.
Motion by Stark, second by Gates to approve a resolution to apply for financial assistance with the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development to finance the Wastewater Treatment Project. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark. This is authorizing the application, there is no guarantee the project will be awarded. If awarded, the funds must be used within 5 years.
Motion by Stark, second by Elwick to approve Bolton & Menk as the engineer for the Veterans Memorial Airport. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark. The qualifications of the previous engineering firm have changed which resulted in this reselection.
Mayor Maynard left the meeting.
Motion by Elwick, second by Gates to approve change order #9 for the street improvement project. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark.
Motion by Gates, second by Edwards to approve pay estimate #8 (semi-final) to Boomerang for street improvement projects. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark. This pay estimate is for the last of the work completed and does not include the retainer.
Motion by Elwick, second by Edwards to approve the acceptance of the street improvement projects. There are a handful of stop signs to be installed. Engineer Nate Kass explained the sidewalk at 1st Avenue and 9th Street is deemed “infeasible” to make ADA compliant however council asked for Kass to put together a best estimate at what the financial impact would be to make it compliant. After discussion, Elwick and Edwards withdrew their respective motions.
Motion by Hessenius, second by Gates to table acceptance of the street improvement projects until the next council meeting. Approved unanimously.
Motion by Hessenius, second by Gates to table approval of pay estimate #9 (retainage) to Boomerang for street improvement projects. Approved unanimously.
Motion by Hessenius, second by Edwards to approve the request for disbursement from North Benton Ambulance. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark. The contribution of $1.00 per capita has been included in the budget.
Motion by Elwick, second by Hessenius to receive & file the water tower inspection report from Fehr-Graham. Approved unanimously. The recommendation is to paint the east tower, inside and out. Nate Kass will put together an engineering plan for the timeframe and cost to complete the project in 2022 if possible.
Motion by Hessenius, second by Edwards to approve the request from Kevin Schlarbaum for street closures for Benton County RockFest. Approved unanimously. The event will be held in July 2022 at the intersection of 4th Street and A Avenue.
Motion by Gates, second by Elwick to approve the Mayor’s appointment of Whitney Bowen to the Vinton Library Board. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark. Bowen will fill the seat vacated by Rylie Pflughaupt.
Motion by Gates, second by Hessenius to approve the annual urban renewal report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark.
Motion by Gates, second by Edwards to approve the annual tax increment financing report. Approved by the following votes: Ayes: Edwards, Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Stark. This is the request for the funds for the upcoming fiscal year to the County Auditor.
A public hearing will be held at 7:00pm on December 9, 2021 in City Hall regarding the proposed changes to the precinct and ward boundaries.
Reports
City Administrator Ward reported Planning & Zoning will meet on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 to review a rezoning application. More information will be coming at the next meeting about the BRIC funding opportunity and water costs for the Vinton County Club.
Street Superintendent Meyer reported leaf pickup is slowing down. Crews will be trimming trees soon, including trees at Evergreen Cemetery.
Water Superintendent Walker reported he is gathering information and a quote on installation of a collector system to capture water meter reads. This could be a joint effort with the electric department.
Parks & Recreation Director Boggess reported fall programming is ending, Breakfast with Santa is next weekend. Quotes are being accepted for concrete work at Kiwanis Park. A donation has been received for new outdoor pickleball courts.
Mayor Maynard reminded residents that the garbage and recycling are going into two separate compartments in the truck. A diverter is used on the top of the truck that is unseen from the ground.
Good & Welfare
Happy Thanksgiving!
With no other business before the council, motion by Gates, second by Hessenius to adjourn the meeting. Approved unanimously. Time: 8:40pm.