Belle Plaine Mayor Dave Fish

FROM THE DESK OF THE MAYOR
Dear Citizens of Belle Plaine:
Hang in there everyone, spring is kind of here! Just in case the general public has forgotten the following resolution was passed in 2015.

Resolution #15-11-3
RESOLUTION ALLOWING THE CITY OF BELLE PLAINE TO FLY THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AT HALF STAFF IN HONOR OF A BELLE PLAINE VETERAN’S FUNERAL BEING HELD IN BELLE PLAINE, Iowa.

WHEREAS, the City of Belle Plaine, Iowa, shall fly the flag of the United States of America at half-staff in honor of the passing of a veteran who is a Belle Plaine, Iowa, resident, and
WHEREAS, the flag of the United States of America shall fly at half-staff at city hall from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on the date set by the Mayor, and
WHEREAS, the family of the veteran shall make a written or verbal request to the office of the Mayor of Belle Plaine, Iowa, stating the date of the veteran’s funeral in Belle Plaine, Iowa, the branch of service the veteran served in and the approximate dates of their service, and the date they desire the flag lowered, and
WHEREAS, the Mayor of Belle Plaine, Iowa, shall issue a written order directing the staff of city hall to fly the flag of the United States of America at half-staff on the date of the written request if so approved by the mayor.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: that upon the approval of a request of the family of a Belle Plaine, Iowa, veteran whose funeral is being held in Belle Plaine, Iowa, the flag of the United States of America shall be flown at half-staff from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on the date set forth in the order approved by the Mayor.
On motion made and seconded, this Resolution is adopted for the City of Belle Plaine, Iowa on this 16th day of November 2015.

In repeating a matter I discussed in last month’s newsletter, I have a list of items that people have sent to me or talked to me about concerning this winter & snow removal. Some of them positive & some of them possible improvements. I can assure the public that the city administrator, the mayor, and the head of public works will all sit down as soon as we are sure spring is here and do an evaluation of our snow removal procedure as to what works well & what should be changed. I think everyone has to understand that we have had over forty-one inches of snow since January 1st thru the first week of March and that amount puts stress on any system. Also, snow removal is always made difficult as to the actual time frame that the snow comes down. As we all know Mother Nature does not cooperate on when the snow storm is going to hit and quit. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to e-mail me at
mayorfish2012@gmail.com or stop by city hall.

Let me address another rumor. The city is not starting a housing development. The last purchase of property was the fifty-acre section on the west side of town near all our city wells. That purchase is for well protection and for the development of one or two new wells.
There will be no housing development in that area.

The city is working with a developer and the property owner in the SE quadrant of town to see what can be done towards more housing development. Along with that, we have been meeting with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments on what should be the proper role of the city in dealing with housing. But to answer the question concerning the city buying land and building houses that is not what is going on. City governments facilitate housing development, they do not build houses, or condos or apartments. The development of housing is a complex system that will take time to develop, and if there are federal dollars involved in any housing project, then it would be two years minimum before you will start seeing any type of construction. That is the general timeline when you get HUD money involved. But currently the city is facing a housing crunch, and as soon as Highway 30 gets four lanes across Benton County, the city gov’t believes we will have a housing shortage. We have to start the planning now if we want to see some housing development begin in the next couple of years. The developers are talking about mixed family housing and senior housing as well. When the city council starts to get involved, we will keep the public informed. If you have any thoughts, don’t be afraid to express
them to the council members, the city administrator or the Mayor.
We are all interested in your ideas.

By the way, the council will be discussing the Mosquito Control spraying contract at the first meeting in April if you are interested in that topic.

It should also be noted at the March 18 meeting the city council approved a 657A petition dealing with the nuisance complaint on the property owned by the Herring Hotel Foundation.

Congratulations to the following Belle Plaine Athletes:
Boys SICL Basketball: Kobe Grieder & Garrett Straight—First Team
Trevin Straight—Second Team
Dylan Fry & Cole Hamilton—Honorable Mention
Boys SICL Wrestling: Ethan Allie –First Team
Ethan Hamilton- Second team
Ethan Allie – Frist Place Sectionals & First Place Districts
Ethan Allie—State Qualifier (8th Place)
Girls SICL Basketball: Kenzie Mantz—Second Team
Dani Montgomery & Sam Ward—Honorable Mention

As Always “Go Plainsmen.” Remember it is up to all of us to make Belle Plaine the best hometown in Iowa!

— Mayor Dave Fish- April 2019