COUNCIL MEETING
NOVEMBER 9, 2023
A regular meeting of the City Council of Vinton, Iowa was held on the 9th day of November 2023 in the City Hall Council Chambers, Vinton, Iowa. Mayor Maynard presided and the roll being called the following members were present: Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Parmater, Pflughaupt, Stark.
Motion by Parmater, seconded by Gates to approve the agenda as presented. Question: Ayes – all. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Motion by Pflughaupt, seconded by Gates to approve the consent agenda. Question: Ayes – all. The Mayor declared the motion carried. Items on the consent agenda include receive & file Council meeting minutes of October 26 & 31 and November 2, 2023, approval of special class C retail alcohol license for McBride Mobile Taps, approval of retail cigarette/tobacco permit for Vinton Liquor Tobacco & Vape, approval of class C tail alcohol license for Tequilero, approval of class C retail alcohol alcohol license for Mickey’s Bar, receive & file City Street Finance Report ending June 30, 2023, receive & file Vinton WWTP Laboratory Certification report and approval of City invoices.
Committee Reports
The public works committee met on November 2 with staff from Tilford Elementary School regarding parking and safety concerns on East 13th Street. The school is considering additional stop signs. The general government committee met on November 2 to discuss signs in the public right of way. Direction was given to Attorney Doug Herman to draft an ordinance for review at a future council meeting.
New Business
Motion by Stark, seconded by Elwick to approve the first consideration of ordinance 1092 – an ordinance amending the code of ordinances of the City of Vinton related to signage. After discussion, there seemed to be confusion over what was included in the ordinance. The motion and second were withdrawn. Council wishes to meet with the City Attorney again to discuss further.
The City of Vinton public hearing for the CDBG – Housing Upper Story Conversion application was opened at 7:26 pm. It was confirmed there were no public comments received prior to the hearing. There were five members of the public, in addition to elected officials and City staff present. Tracey Achenbach, ECICOG, reviewed the following during the public hearing:
How the need for the proposed activities was identified. The City has completed housing studies in the last several years, and the community recognizes there is a shortage of rental units in Vinton. The shortage of available units to rent existed even before the 2016 tornado, which impacted the rental inventory. Landlords report that when rental units become available, they are quickly rented. Further, rental units available to households with low-to-moderate income are needed, as a significant proportion of renters have low-to-moderate income in Vinton. Source of funding. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) federal funds made available through the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Housing-Upper Story Conversion Program. Date the application will be submitted. The application will be submitted no later than 5:00 pm on November 22, 2023.Amount of federal funds to be requested. The amount of federal funds to be requested is $505,411. Portion of federal funds benefiting low-to-moderate income households. 100% of the of the funds will benefit households with income at or below 80% of the area median income. Location of proposed activities. The project will occur on the second floor of the buildings located at 413 and 415 1st Ave, in Vinton, Iowa. Plans to minimize displacement of persons or businesses from funding activities. The work to be done in the project is not anticipated to displace persons or businesses. Work is to be completed on the 2nd floor of the buildings, which is not habitable at this time. There are no persons residing on the property. There is a business on the first floor; however, the only work to be completed is at the entry to the second floor at the rear of the building, which will not require the businesses to be displaced. Plans to assist those displaced. While not anticipated to require the business be displaced, the developer will provide assistance to the businesses if displacement becomes necessary. The nature of the project. The project will create three rental units on the second floor of the combined second floor of the commercial buildings located at 413 and 415 1st Ave in Vinton. Two efficiency apartments and one 3-bedroom apartment will be created on the upper story. The project will include converting the upper story to create the rental units and common hallway, and the stairway and ground floor access to the apartments at the rear of the building will be improved. The upper story has not been utilized as residential units for many years and is an empty space with only some wall supports in place. The project will include creating each individual apartment, including a kitchen and bathroom and three bedrooms in the 3-bedroom unit. The windows are currently boarded up, so new windows will be installed, as well.
Achenbach then opened discussion for the development of the Community Development and Housing Needs Assessment. The elected officials, city staff, and those in attendance from the public provided input. There were five community development and housing needs of low-to-moderate residents that were identified. The community has initiated a rehabilitation program for existing housing, and they have implemented a rental inspection program, so the first need identified was to address housing rehabilitation. The City has participated in providing down payment assistance to low-to-moderate income buyers in the past, using TIF LMI set-aside funds, and it was still identified as a need. The City knows that affordable rental units are a constant issue for the community, so additional units was identified as a need. Transportation and connectivity issues for residents living in the northwest area with an ability to get to downtown safely was also identified as a need for low-to-moderate income residents. There were four community development and housing needs for all residents of Vinton also identified. The need to expand opportunities for recreational activities was identified, as the community continues to attract young families to purchase homes there. Expanding housing options for seniors was also identified as a need, as residents have demonstrated a desire to stay in their community as they age. The need to support City policies that allow for more owner and renter housing options for all residents was also discussed. The need for street and sidewalk improvements that allow for more safe travel and connection to all parts of the community was identified, as well. The planned or potential activities to address the community development and housing needs were: 1) Apply for funding under the CDBG – Housing upper Story Conversion program to increase housing opportunity for LMI renters; 2) Prioritize street, park and recreation and public service improvements to make the best use of public dollars in order to continue to attract new residents; 3) Continue to update and review goals and identify projects that establish or expand services while also keeping those services affordable to lower income residents; 4) Continue to review the rental code and its implementation to ensure the provision of safe rental housing through inspections and updated ordinances and address any unsafe property concerns; 5) Continue to make trail and sidewalk improvements to increase connectivity and safety throughout Vinton. The public hearing was closed at 7:45 p.m.
Motion by Gates, seconded by Pflughaupt to approve a resolution authorizing and directing the mayor to sign, execute and submit application and associated documents for funding to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (“IEDA”) Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) Program. Question: Ayes – Gates, Hessenius, Parmater, Pflughaupt, Stark; Abstain – Elwick. Motion carried.
Motion by Stark, seconded by Parmater to approve a resolution authorizing Mayor to sign service agreement with East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) for the CDBG application preparation and for the administration of the CDBG Housing – Upper Story Conversion Grant, if awarded. Question: Ayes – Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Parmater, Pflughaupt, Stark. Motion carried.
Motion by Parmater, seconded by Pflughaupt to approve a resolution to approve tax abatement of the City portion of taxes for Edwards Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning. Question: Ayes – Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Parmater, Pflughaupt, Stark. Motion carried.
Motion by Pflughaupt, seconded by Gates to approve a resolution to update City of Vinton public records request policy. Question: Ayes – Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Parmater, Pflughaupt, Stark. Motion carried.
Motion by Pflughaupt, seconded by Elwick to approve a resolution to approve disbursement of hotel/motel tax proceeds to Vinton Unlimited. Question: Ayes – Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Parmater, Pflughaupt, Stark. Motion carried.
Motion by Gates, seconded by Parmater to approve pay estimate #4 for West 1st Street Reconstruction for Rathje Construction Co. Question: Ayes – Elwick, Gates, Hessenius, Parmater, Pflughaupt, Stark. Motion carried. Engineer Nate Kass was present to update Council on the project. The incorrect rock was used in concrete on a portion of the project. Work has continued with the correct rock on the remainder of the project however the incorrect portion will have to be removed. This will not be at the City’s expense. The goal is to have the street open to traffic for the winter but the contractor will need to return in the spring to finish the project. An exact plan to be discussed once the final testing comes back on the rock.
Motion by Pflughaupt, seconded by Gates to approve the business improvement grant application for RJ Visions. Question: Ayes – all. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Motion by Gates, seconded by Pflughaupt to approve the annual urban renewal report for FY2022-2023. Question: Ayes – all. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Reports
City Administrator Ward reminded Council the City offices will be closed Friday, November 10 in observance of Veterans Day. A work session is scheduled for Nov 27 with Tionna Pooler to discuss water and sewer rates. Bid letting is Nov 16 for the WWTP project. The Street Department is busy with ash tree removal and leaf pickup. VPRD had a great turnout for the Halloween festivities downtown.
Good & Welfare
The Holiday Lighted Parade and chili supper is Thursday, November 16.
With no other business before the Council, motion by Hessenius, second by Parmater to adjourn. Approved unanimously. Time: 8:10pm.