OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - January 17, 2023

City Council — Tuesday, January 17, 2023
BodyMason City, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 17, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:52

Good evening, everyone.

0:53

This is the regular meeting of the Mason City City Council.

0:56

I'm Mayor Bill Schickle.

0:57

Welcome.

0:57

We're delighted to have you with us this evening.

1:00

This is the meeting for January 17th, 2023.

1:03

The first item of business is the roll call.

1:06

Diana, would you call the roll?

1:07

Lee.

1:08

Present.

1:09

Adams.

1:10

Present.

1:10

Toma.

1:11

Present.

1:12

Simmons.

1:12

Present.

1:13

Massan.

1:13

Here.

1:14

Yesky.

1:15

Here.

1:16

Let the record reflect that all members are present.

1:19

The next item is adoption of the agenda.

1:22

Do we have a motion to adopt the agenda?

1:24

So move.

1:26

A motion and a second uh discussion.

1:29

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

1:32

Aye.

1:32

Aye.

1:33

All those opposed, same sign.

1:35

The motion carries.

1:37

Next we'll move to the public forum.

1:38

This is your chance to comment on any item on the agenda.

1:43

If there's an agenda item that you would like to comment on, you can step forward and use the podium and uh state the number of the item you would like to comment on, or if you're tuned in by Zoom tonight, you can use the raised hand feature.

1:56

Do we have any public comment on agenda items?

2:04

Good evening, Colin Davison with the Laird Law Firm.

2:07

Um here on behalf of the legacy at the 19 um with respect to action or uh agenda item 16.

2:14

Simply available to answer any questions should they arise.

2:17

Thank you.

2:17

Thank you, Colin.

2:20

Additional public comment this evening.

2:23

Mayor, no one seeks to be recognized via Zoom.

2:25

Hearing none, we'll move to the regular agenda.

2:27

And the first item on the agenda is the city administrators monthly report.

2:32

Aaron Ross Powell Thank you, Mayor.

2:36

The city staff is busy with uh budget work, primarily uh with meetings on operations.

2:43

We've presented the CIP budget in a work session and we're moving through operations, which that operations budget will be presented to the council in the next work session.

2:54

At that point, uh we believe we've got a a good budget put together addressing a lot of priorities, and uh city staff has been working diligently to make sure that we're uh continuing to take care of issues that exist within the community and and budget for those appropriately.

3:09

Beyond those, uh we have the state of North Iowa coming up on Thursday.

3:14

That will be a presentation on several items within the region, and I will be presenting uh presenting on the destination Iowa grant that the city received and highlighting the various uh amenities that will be built as part of that bike North Iowa application and grant award.

3:32

Uh labor negotiations are ongoing.

3:34

We'll continue to uh work with the uh two labor unions to uh get a contract in place for the upcoming fiscal year.

3:45

Uh the city has uh submitted grants excuse me.

3:50

The city submitted grants for uh rural the rural grant with the DOT, the federal DOT for Highway 122.

3:59

We're waiting to hear back from that, but we're optimistic.

4:02

There were inquiries from the DOT for more information, so we're hopeful that we will be able to secure funding for those projects through the uh bipartisan infrastructure bill.

4:13

Uh continuing to uh excuse me.

4:22

We continue to have issues with uh securing heavy-duty trucks, dump trucks, etc.

4:28

All of those are very difficult.

4:29

And so with the budget operations, we're continuing to review ways that we can budget to make sure that those are here in time.

4:36

Obviously, we're uh making do with what we have.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing██████████████████████████████████████38%
Transportation Safety██████████████14%
Procedural██████████10%
Economic Development████████8%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Zoning Regulations████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - January 17, 2023

The Mason City Council met on January 17, 2023, at 7:00 PM at the Mason City Public Library. All council members were present (Lee, Adams, Toma, Simmons, Masan, Yesky). The meeting included a public forum, city administrator's report, approval of consent agenda items, and separate action on street rehabilitation, the High Line Trail, downtown row houses, and an EVCO development agreement. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of the regular meeting on January 3, 2023.
  • Approved claims dated January 5 and 12, 2023.
  • Approved hiring Mathew Sberal as Water Utilities Supervisor at Grade M, Step 2 salary of $72,716.80.
  • Approved appointing Ethan Koski, Connar Elliot, and Nicholas Westendorf as Firefighter/EMTs at a starting wage of $21.96/hour.
  • Authorized the City Administrator to engage Dorsey & Whitney for legal services related to bonding, urban renewal, and economic development.
  • Approved a resolution changing the regular meeting date from July 4, 2023, to July 5, 2023.
  • Approved levying assessments for charges on certain properties and certifying to the County Treasurer for collection with property taxes.
  • Approved a resolution authorizing notice to bidders and setting a public hearing (Feb. 21, 2023) for construction of the Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery Maintenance Storage Building.
  • Approved resolutions related to the reassignment of a note and mortgage and a subordination agreement for 201 N. Federal Avenue (Parker House) downtown rehabilitation.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Colin Davison from the Laird Law Firm was present on behalf of Legacy at the 19 regarding agenda item 16 (zoning amendment) and offered to answer questions. No other public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • City Administrator's Report: Aaron Burnett reported on budget preparations, the upcoming State of North Iowa event, ongoing labor negotiations, submission of two separate federal grants for Highway 122 (Mercy section and 122 West), and a housing grant for the west downtown area (pilot program with at least 20 properties expected, up to 50). He introduced intern Tyler Trout, who will focus on nuisance abatement. Council members discussed housing displacement concerns, owner match requirements, Metronet fiber progress (aerial work expected by September 2023), and firefighter testing results (11 candidates, 6 backgrounds in progress).
  • Item 9 - 2022 Street Rehabilitation Program: Resolution accepting work and ordering final payment to Heartland Asphalt. Councilman Simmons asked about installing conduit for utilities; City Engineer Mark Graham explained that conduit is not typically installed for private utilities unless partnerships are arranged. Approved.
  • Item 11 - High Line Trail Project: Resolution authorizing notice to bidders and setting a public hearing for February 21, 2023. Phase 1 will run from 1st Street SE to 4th Street NE, including improvements to the East State Street Bridge and Willow Creek Bridge with a scenic overlook. Completion targeted by July 28, 2023. Phase 2, funded by the Destination Iowa grant, will extend from 19th Street to 13th Street later in 2023. No material delays anticipated. Approved.
  • Item 13 - Federal Avenue Rowhomes: Resolution approving disposition criteria and setting a public hearing for March 7, 2023, for 11 downtown townhouses on a city parking lot. Council discussed parking concerns, lease parking options ($25/month), and secure overnight parking. The developer plans to break ground in spring 2023. Approved.
  • Item 14 - EVCO Holdings LLC Development Agreement: Resolution fixing a public hearing for February 7, 2023, for a development agreement involving electric vehicle assembly and a showroom at the old Shopcoat building. The project is expected to create approximately 115 jobs at $19.80/hour or more. The production facility is the first priority, with people already on site. Approved.
  • Item 15 - Floodplain Zoning Map Amendment: Public hearing and final passage of an ordinance correcting transposed numbers on the official floodplain zoning map. The error originated from the DNR. Passed unanimously.
  • Item 16 - Zoning Change for Legacy at the 19: Second reading of an ordinance amending Title 12 of the City Code to rezone from Z2 Sub-Urban District to Z7-6 Golf Course Development. Passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent agenda items (items 2-8, 10, 12) were approved by roll call vote unanimously.
  • Item 9 (2022 Street Rehabilitation final payment) approved unanimously.
  • Item 11 (High Line Trail notice) approved unanimously.
  • Item 13 (Federal Ave Rowhomes disposition) approved unanimously.
  • Item 14 (EVCO Holdings hearing date) approved unanimously.
  • Item 15 (Floodplain map amendment) adopted on final passage after suspension of rules, unanimous.
  • Item 16 (Legacy at the 19 zoning change) passed second reading unanimously.
  • The meeting adjourned after completion of all agenda items.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. This is the regular meeting of the Mason City City Council. I'm Mayor Bill Schickle. Welcome. We're delighted to have you with us this evening. This is the meeting for January 17th, 2023. The first item of business is the roll call. Diana, would you call the roll? Lee. Present. Adams. Present. Toma. Present. Simmons. Present. Massan. Here. Yesky. Here. Let the record reflect that all members are present. The next item is adoption of the agenda. Do we have a motion to adopt the agenda? So move. A motion and a second uh discussion. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed, same sign. The motion carries. Next we'll move to the public forum. This is your chance to comment on any item on the agenda. If there's an agenda item that you would like to comment on, you can step forward and use the podium and uh state the number of the item you would like to comment on, or if you're tuned in by Zoom tonight, you can use the raised hand feature. Do we have any public comment on agenda items? Good evening, Colin Davison with the Laird Law Firm. Um here on behalf of the legacy at the 19 um with respect to action or uh agenda item 16. Simply available to answer any questions should they arise. Thank you. Thank you, Colin. Additional public comment this evening. Mayor, no one seeks to be recognized via Zoom. Hearing none, we'll move to the regular agenda. And the first item on the agenda is the city administrators monthly report. Aaron Ross Powell Thank you, Mayor. The city staff is busy with uh budget work, primarily uh with meetings on operations. We've presented the CIP budget in a work session and we're moving through operations, which that operations budget will be presented to the council in the next work session. At that point, uh we believe we've got a a good budget put together addressing a lot of priorities, and uh city staff has been working diligently to make sure that we're uh continuing to take care of issues that exist within the community and and budget for those appropriately. Beyond those, uh we have the state of North Iowa coming up on Thursday. That will be a presentation on several items within the region, and I will be presenting uh presenting on the destination Iowa grant that the city received and highlighting the various uh amenities that will be built as part of that bike North Iowa application and grant award. Uh labor negotiations are ongoing.

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