Belle Plaine, Iowa

December 17, 2025

The Belle Plaine City Council met on December 17, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Belle Plaine City Hall with Mayor Garrett Landuyt presiding. Present were Councilpersons Judy Schlesselman, Dillion McGrane, Jacki McDermott, Mitch Malcolm, and Charmaine Wickwire. Also present were City Administrator Steve Beck and City Clerk Sandy Walton. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Motion by Malcolm, seconded by Wickwire to approve the Consent Agenda, Council Minutes of December 3rd, receiving & filing of the minutes from the October 28th meeting of the Belle Plaine Community Library Board of Trustees, and bills received. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

Public Audience: None

Jason Kaplan, John Taschner, Johnny DeRaad, and Lance Weeda from the Fire Department were in attendance to present their choice of vendor for SCBA’s for the awarded Firefighters grant. Although not the lowest of the 3 bids, Scott was selected for the following reasons; a 30 year bottle life, wildland fire filter for masks, lifetime warranty on ALL components, wider range of view with mask on, DRL on pack, packs are upgradable if there are any future updates, bottles have a one way valve for filling, packs have a better range of motion for the firefighters, bottles are equipped with a quick coupler for faster bottle changes, masks have a better anti-fog property, the Nomex hood seals better around the mask, low air alarm type was better, and the ease of connecting the regulator to the mask when in full PPE. Motion by McGrane, seconded by McDermott to approve the selection of Scott SCBA’s from Feld Fire in the amount of $170,118.00 and conditionally approve the additional purchase from Feld Fire in the amount of $10,109 if FEMA approves the use of the extra grant funds. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

Police Chief Kris Hudson handed out the November Calls for Service Report and gave his monthly report. He noted that the 12/16 Holiday with A Cop event went very well.

Motion by McDermott, seconded by Schlesselman to approve the reappointment of Mitch Malcolm to the Historic Preservation Commission for a 3-year term to expire January 2029. On roll call vote, McGrane, Schlesselman, Wickwire, and McDermott voted aye, Malcolm abstained; motion carried 4-0-1.

Motion by Wickwire, seconded by Malcolm to approve the reappointment of Teresa Hermsen to the Tree Board for a 3-year term to expire in January 2029. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

Motion by Schlesselman, seconded by McGrane to approve the reappointment of Dan Foley to the Planning & Zoning Board for a 5-year term to expire June 30, 2030. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

Motion by Malcolm, seconded by Wickwire to approve the reappointment of Mike Coffman to the Board of Adjustment for a 5-year term to expire in January 2031. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

Motion by Schlesselman, seconded by McDermott to approve the reappointment of Brook Dahlquist to the Board of Adjustment for a 5-year term to expire in January 2031. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

Motion by McGrane, seconded by Malcolm to approve the reappointment of Lee Weeda to the Airport Commission for a 3-year term to expire in January 2029. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

Motion by Wickwire, seconded by McDermott to approve the appointment of Toni Scott to the Library Board of Trustees for a 6-year term to expire in July 2031. On roll call vote, all voted aye, motion carried 5-0.

The City Treasurer’s Report and City Budget Report for November were presented to the council.

City Administrator Steve Beck handed out a written report to council. It provided updates on engineering proposals being worked on by Fehr Graham for the Preliminary Engineering Report, Utility Mapping, and Water Main Replacement. He also gave an update on the status of nuisance remediation at 832 12^th Street as well as conversation with the school’s consulting engineer.

Jay Hamilton, Public Works Manager, added that we may add a valve to the 8” water main on 10^th Avenue while work is being done at the high school. He also mentioned conversations with the Iowa DOT regarding box culvert replacement on the 1st Street intersection with Highway 21 expected to occur in the future.

Mayor Landuyt will be attending the landfill meeting this week and reminded the council of the potluck being held Friday at noon. He commented that the Planning & Zoning Board still has a vacancy if anyone is interested in filling that seat. He also had a phone conversation regarding the potential merger of Union Pacific with Norfolk Southern.

Old Business: There was a brief conversation regarding the proposed Fuel Farm Fulfillment Agreement. Mayor Landuyt will be reaching out to Ron Bridgewater to discuss the terms.

Correspondence: The Parks & Recreation Board sent a memo to the city council regarding the board’s intention to set the director’s hourly rate at $23.60 for FY27.

Motion by Malcolm, seconded by McGrane to adjourn the meeting. All voted aye, motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m.

Garrett Landuyt, Mayor

Attest: Sandra Walton, City Clerk

Transcribed by the City Clerk subject to Council approval.