By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa City Council held a regular meeting last night and recognized the 2025 Oskaloosa Police Officer of the Year. Officer Stephen Stangl was the recipient of the award; the OPD says that Officer Stangl is a department Field Training Officer who helps run their evidence department, oversees the alcohol and tobacco compliance programs, and serves as their portable breath test calibration officer.

In official business, the council approved the purchase of a drone for the Oskaloosa Fire Department, using donated memorial fund money. According to the fire department, the drone will be a valuable tool to aid in search and rescue, Haz-Mat incidents, fire investigations, and other incidents.

The council also discussed the merits of conducting an annual community survey. The last time the community administered such a survey was in 2022, when they were gathering data for Plan Osky, their comprehensive plan. City staff recommended administering a community survey annually, and the council agreed to conduct a survey this month, with any following surveys to be determined by the level of participation in this month’s survey. This was approved by a 6-1 vote; councilmember Lisa Ossian accounted for the lone “no” vote.

The next regular meeting for the Oskaloosa city council is scheduled for December 15.