OSKALOOSA – The meeting was brief and the crowd was small for the regular Oskaloosa City Council meeting on Monday as Mayor David Krutzfeldt led the ritual invocation and Pledge of Allegiance after calling the meeting to order.

Mayor Krutzfeldt took time during this meeting to announce a number of existing and upcoming vacancies for boards, committees, and commissions. The following is a listing that was read in full by the Mayor on Monday:

2021. A) Airport Commission – One vacancy to fill upon appointment for an unexpired term that ends December 31, 2021. This is a five-member board that typically meets the first Monday of the month. (Four males and zero females currently serve with one vacancy).
2022. B) Historic Preservation Commission – Three vacancies: one vacancy to fill upon appointment for a term that ends December 31, 2018; and two vacancies for alternate members. This is a seven member board with two alternate members that meets as needed. (Four males and two females currently serve with two vacancies; two for alternate members.)
2023. C) Municipal Housing Agency – One vacancy to fill upon appointment for an unexpired term that ends February 28, 2017. This is a five-member board that meets quarterly. (Two males and two females currently serve with one vacancy).
2024. D) Housing Trust Fund Committee – One vacancy to fill upon appointment for an unexpired term that ends January 31, 2017. Five at-large members serve on the committee that meets every other month. (Two males and two females currently serve at-large with one vacancy).
2025. E) Water Board – Two vacancies for six-year terms that begin July 1, 2016 and end June 30, 2022. This is a five-member board that typically meets the third Monday of the month. (Five males currently serve.)

Interested applicants must reside in Oskaloosa and be at least 18 years of age unless other specific rules are stated. These positions are appointed by the Mayor or the City Council.

Regular agenda items went as quickly as consent items and announcements. The Council held the first reading at a public hearing that would amend zoning district regulations and permitted uses for medium retail services.

“The Oskaloosa Municipal Code, section 17.06.070, classifies retail services into four different categories,” explained Mayor Krutzfeldt. “…Thus the zoning code establishes a land use classification for medium retail services.  However, there are no provisions for zoning district regulations and permitted uses for medium retail services. Staff believes zoning district regulations for medium retail services were left out by error,” said Krutzfeldt.

After discussion, Council agreed the regulations were merely forgotten or left out of the original regulations, so they decided to waive all future readings and unanimously pass the amendment.

Council also went on to unanimously pass a preliminary approval of plans for the West Mall Rehabilitation Project. Council will meet on July 5 at 6 p.m., at which time it will hold a public hearing on the proposed plans and specifications for the aforementioned project.  At the hearing, any interested person may appear and file objections to the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract, or estimated cost of the project.

The following items were passed in one swoop with one vote as part of the consent agenda portion of the meeting:

Approval of council minutes and actions; Receive and file minutes of Boards and Commissions; Consider payment of claims for May 2016; Approval of a renewal application for a Class C Beer Permit with Sunday sales from Casey’s Store #2366 (1809 9^th Avenue East); Approval of a renewal for a Class C Liquor License with Sunday sales from Mi Ranchito  Restaurant (200 High Avenue West); Approval of Pay Request #4 in the amount of $6,148.02 to C.L. Carroll Co., Inc. for work completed on the Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant digester; Public hearing scheduled for July 5 to consider levying a special assessment against private property for city cleanup of 513 South H Street; Resolution to temporarily close South 8^th Street between 1^st Avenue East and 2^nd Avenue East from 9-11 a.m. June 13-17 and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on September 11 for church activities; Resolution to approve and direct the Mayor to execute a professional services contract with Garden and Associates, LTD. For the Community Stadium Sewer Rehabilitation Project in an amount not to exceed $43,000.

Consent agenda items are typically routine and so they are enacted by one motion.  If discussion is desired, that item can be removed, discussed separately and approved by a separate motion of the City Council. This was not the case for any consent items at this meeting.

No comments were given by community members during this session.

Story provided by Hailey Brown of the Oskaloosa Herald

MAHASKA COUNTY – Continuing a long journey with the Local Option Sales Tax vote, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors has passed another resolution to keep the revenue from the tax alive for unincorporated interests.

“Last Thursday morning, was filed in our office a petition for the extension of the Local Option Sales Tax,” said Sue Brown, Mahaska County auditor.

“It has the required number of signatures needed, so it is a valid petition.”

The petition was unanimously accepted, and the board moved right into ballot language.

“I know we have some time to approve the ballot language, but obviously we’ve been talking about this for quite some time,” said Vice Chair Mike Vander Molen. “So I figured we might as well have the discussion now and see if we can come to a consensus to approve the ballot language for the November election for the unincorporated area of the county.”

The new resolution authorizes the continuance without repeal of the local sales and services tax in the unincorporated area of Mahaska County at the rate of 1 percent to be effective until Dec. 31, 2036. Revenues from the sales and services tax, under the new language, would be allocated as follows:

• 80 percent for maintenance, reconstruction or construction of county roads and bridges;

• 20 percent for construction of a County Conservation Center that provides learning opportunities for all county residents and that houses and displays recently discovered mammoth bones in Mahaska County. Any surplus funds shall be used for maintenance, reconstruction or construction of county roads and bridges.

• 0 percent for property tax relief.

The language that went on the last ballot in May was voted down by rural voters, as many wished to see more money spent on roads and little or no money spent on a proposed early childhood and recreation center project. The old ballot language allocated 40 percent of the penny tax money to the construction of a recreation and early childhood education facility; 40 percent for roads; and 20 percent to the proposed Environmental Learning Center.

In the new ballot language, any funds regarding the childhood and early recreation center are absent.

Considerations and comments during this portion of the meeting mostly centered around the Environmental Learning Center and how the language may affect its future funding needs, as the new language states that surplus funds from the conservation center would go to roads.

“If we don’t have the money for building maintenance,we would have to come and ask for budget increases later on if we have to maintain the building,” said Dave Sedivec of the Mahaska County Conservation Board. “That’s just the reality of it.”

Although the board has until August to approve the language, Vander Molen made a motion to approve the new language listed above. Supervisor Mark Doland seconded the motion and so it passed. However, Chair Henry W. Van Weelden did not agree with the language, leaving the final vote at 2­1.

“I’d like to see maybe a little more of that 20 percent go towards maintenance reserve for that conservation building, similar to what we have with the jail,” said Van Weelden.

By not only amending the ballot language, but by also adding an extension into the mix, this keeps the county eligible for Local Option Sales Tax funds in the next calendar year.

This new language is slated to appear on the ballot during the next scheduled election in November.

During the meeting held yesterday, the board also approved courthouse restroom use for the Rollin’ Oldies show on July 30, but stated they will not do so again next year. A computer maintenance agreement with Solutions Inc. was also approved, along with the appointment of Ted Smith to the Veterans Affairs Commission. Two 28E agreements with Fremont and University Park regarding the use of sheriff department services was approved, and a request to make law enforcement center updates was also approved by the board. Finally, a haul­road damages agreement was agreed upon and signed, as County Engineer Dave Shanahan stated that the pipeline representatives told him they would not sign the contract Mahaska County had offered as they felt it was “too constrictive” and “unfair to them.”

Story provided by  Herald Editor Hailey Brown