Regular Council Meeting
August 3, 2015
The City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa, met in the Fayette City Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, August 3, 2015, Mayor Andrew Wenthe presiding.
Roll call: Present - Council members Boberg, McGrane, Nefzger, Patrick, Sorensen.
Prior to this meeting, at 6:00 p.m., the mayor & council held a work session to further discuss the housing inspection draft ordinance. More research is needed.
Moved Sorensen, seconded McGrane, to approve the consent agenda consisting of the regular meeting minutes of 07/20/15, Claims List of 07/21/15 – 08/03/15 and the FY 2015 Annual Outstanding Obligation Report showing total debt of $399,980. On roll call, all voted aye, carried.
Moved Patrick, seconded Boberg, to approve the agenda as presented. All ayes, carried.
This being the time and place set for a public hearing on a proposal to sell city owned property, Mayor Wenthe opened the public hearing by reading the following: Proposal to sell the city property at 104 King Street, Fayette, for $1.00 with the following stipulations: That a new energy-star home be constructed on the property and sold to a low to moderate income family with the management handled through Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICA). Mayor Wenthe asked for comments, there being none he closed the public hearing.
Moved Nefzger, seconded Boberg, to approve Resolution #2015-15: Approving the sale of the city property located at 104 King Street, (Legal Lot Four (4), Block sixteen (16), Original Town of Fayette, Fayette County, Iowa), and directing Mayor Wenthe and City Administrator/Clerk Dennis to execute a Warranty Deed to Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation after payment of $1.00 for the property to the City, with the following stipulations: That a new energy-star home be constructed on the property and sold to a low-to-moderate income family with the management handled through NEICA. On roll call, all voted aye, carried.
Mayor Wenthe said he has received 30 applications for Police Chief, with only a few of them being repeat applicants. The deadline for applications is August 10, 2015, so the search committee will meet after that to go through resumes. Patrick asked if the second officer position was also going to be filled. Nefzger, who serves on the committee, said the group thought the new police chief should have input into the hiring of the officer. ~ The mayor noted that he sent out a nuisance abatement letter to the owners of 701 S. Main giving them a deadline to remove their junk and have the demolition of the burned house completed by August 15, 2015. Fines will start August 16, 2015 with an initial fine of $200, then $100 a day until the lot is cleared. ~ The mayor mentioned that Upper Iowa University is hosting a new student event that is part of orientation called Explore Fayette day on Saturday, August 22nd, for UIU students to visit the Fayette businesses.
Administrator/Clerk Dennis reported that the first day to file nomination papers for mayor or city council is Monday, August 24th. The last day to file is Thursday, September 17th. All nomination papers must be filed with the Fayette County Auditor’s office at the court house in West Union, not with the City Clerk. Nomination forms may be picked up at the City Clerk’s office, or obtained by going on-line to www.sos.state.ia.us. A minimum of ten signatures by eligible Fayette voters are needed on the nomination petition for each candidate. ~ Dennis said she received a check from the city’s flood insurance company in the amount of $18,278.53 for flooding that occurred at the sewer plant on June 19, 2014, after appealing the claim denial three times. The total cost of the flooding and a lighting strike to the #2 well pump last year was $57,097.13. After insurance, State & FEMA payments, it ended up only costing the city around $1,100 because the city employees are on salary. The money paid by the State and FEMA for the clean-up done at the parks and the sewer plant by the public works employees and the administrative time by Dennis was covered through their salaries. The city was also paid for the use of city equipment doing the clean-up. The employees just worked harder to get everything taken care of.
There being no further business, moved Nefzger, unanimous, to adjourn at 7:42 p.m.
