Belle Plaine, Iowa

August 2, 2023

The Belle Plaine City Council met on August 2, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Belle Plaine City Hall, with Mayor Pro Tem Mary Pech presiding. Present: Mary Pech, Mitch Malcolm, Lyle Morrow, Judy Schlesselman, and Garrett Landuyt. Also present: City Administrator Steve Beck and City Clerk Sandra Walton. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Motion by Schlesselman, seconded by Malcolm to approve the Consent Agenda, Council Minutes of July 19, 2023, receiving and filing of the minutes from the June 25, 2023, meeting of the Belle Plaine Community Library Board of Trustees meeting and bills received. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Resident Comments: None

Motion by Landuyt, seconded by Morrow to approve the contract with Fehr Graham for engineering services for Public Works with the few minor changes approved at the meeting. On roll vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Motion by Landuyt, seconded by Malcolm to approve the appointment of Bethany Grieder to the Community Center Board to replace deceased member Bill Vileta with her term to expire December 31, 2026. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Motion by Morrow, seconded by Landuyt to approve the appointment of Larry Formanek to the Variance Board of Adjustment to replace deceased member Carroll Miner with his term to expire January 2026. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Motion by Malcolm, seconded by Morrow to approve resolution #23-08-01; a resolution approving the Iowa Department of Transportation FY23 Street Finance Report and authorizing the City Clerk to sign the report. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Motion by Schlesselman seconded by Morrow to approve resolution #23-08-02; a resolution approving the transfer of funds. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Motion by Malcolm seconded by Landuyt to approve the Agreement for architectural services with Martin Gardner Architecture, PC for the new park restroom building in Franklin Park and authorizing the Mayor Pro Tem to sign the agreement. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Motion by Morrow, seconded by Landuyt to approve the CDBG-DR grant program contract, general provisions, and acknowledgement of environmental review requirements for the City of Belle Plaine Fire Department generator project not to exceed $100,000 and authorize the Mayor Pro Tem and City Administrator to sign the appropriate approval documents. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

Motion by Malcolm, seconded by Schlesselman to approve a one-time utility credit ($250.80) at 1206 8^th Street, Belle Plaine, Iowa created by a broken pipe in the basement. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried.

City Administrator Steve Beck sought council direction on the former Kirkwood/Hart Memorial Library Building & annex as well as the current Eastern Iowa Sleep Center (“EISC” property. The city owns both buildings. The EISC recently gave notice that they will be vacating the Belle Plaine property by November 1^st. Steve will work to find other health-related providers to potentially fill the space. He has also had some conversations regarding the possible sale of the Hart Building. The Council is in favor of the directions he is taking. He will continue to update the City Council on progress.

The Tree Board recently completed an inventory of ash trees on public property. Of the 62 ash trees that were inventoried in 2017, 42 have been removed, 16 are continuing to be treated, 3 more need removed, and 1 is being closely watched.

Although the wellfield is holding steady, it is still at a very low level. We have received very little rain in recent weeks which will force us to maintain water restrictions at this time. An announcement will be made this week that we will need to start utilizing Well #6, blending it with water from the shallow wells, beginning on August 10^th.

We are preparing to demo the old restrooms at Franklin Park in preparation for the new restrooms to be built. The city has obtained demo insurance to cover such activities.

This was Lance Hinschberger’s last week with the city. In his exit interview with the city administrator, he said he appreciated working in the community and wished to thank the mayor, council & staff for working with and helping to develop him. We wish him the best in his new endeavors.

Mayor Pro Tem Pech reported that the Benton County Landfill Meeting she attended was routine and that the landfill is in very good financial condition.

Correspondence: A thank you note from Iowa Project AWARE was shared with the Council. Also presented was the notice-of-termination letter received from the Eastern Iowa Sleep Center, who will be ending their lease of the city property at 1010 8^th Avenue effective November 1, 2023.

Old Business: None

Resident Comments: Mary Preston gave an update on Preston’s Station. They have received a Lincoln Highway endowment grant of $5,000 and a Mansfield grant of $10,000. They are applying for a grant with Midwest One. They have raised roughly $22,000 since April which has been invested in CDs to help these funds grow. They were also featured in the Gazette in July.

Motion by Morrow, seconded by Landuyt to adjourn the meeting. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 7:58 p.m.

Mary Pech, Mayor Pro Tem

Attest: Sandra Walton, City Clerk

Transcribed by the City Clerk subject to Council approval.