The Oskaloosa City Council met for their regularly scheduled and final meeting of 2015 Monday night in the Council Chambers in City Hall.
The meeting went at a brisk pace, with community comments starting the meeting. Blaine Vos, representing the Farmer’s Market, thanked the city for letting them use South 1st Street in front of the Mahaska County Court House. Vos also stated that it was a positive for local 4-H members, as around a dozen 4-H members came to sell produce.
Next up was a resolution of appreciation for 4th Ward City Council Member Jason Van Zetten. Mayor David Krutzfeldt presented Van Zetten with a plaque for his work as a city council member. When it came time to vote on the resolution, Van Zetten joked about having to vote on himself. At the end of the meeting, he stated he appreciated his time on the council.
The big topic during the regular agenda was the sale of city owned property. Terry Anderson had a bid to buy 717 A Avenue East and 603 A Avenue East for $1,500 from the city, but during the public hearing, Jeremy DeRonde made an offer of $2,500. The council then discussed whether or not it should be a bidding auction for the properties. Anderson then withdrew his offer for the properties. The council stated that DeRonde is not legally bound to purchase the properties, as DeRonde did not know about the back-taxes on one of the properties, as well as asbestos on one of the properties.
The next biggest topic was the Local Option Sales and Services Tax. City Manager Michael Schrock spoke about what happened in the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday Morning. Schrock stated that there were clearly still two “no” votes from the Supervisors on the recreation center. At-Large City Council Member Tom Walling urged the other council members to talk with the Board of Supervisors about the recreation center.
In other business:
- The consent agenda was approved unanimously.
- The council unanimously approved a resolution for a special assessment against private property for cutting and removing weeds by the City of Oskaloosa in accordance with Title 8, Chapter 8.20 of the City Code of the City of Oskaloosa.
The next scheduled meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council is set for January 4th, 2016 in the Council Chambers in City Hall.
Story provided by George Henry
