OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - March 5, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, March 5, 2024
BodyMason City, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 5, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 33:14

Transcript — Verbatim
1:32

This is the uh regular meeting of the May City City Council on March 5th, 2024.

1:38

Uh Diana, please call roll.

1:40

Lee.

1:41

Present.

1:42

Adams.

1:42

Present.

1:43

Here.

1:44

Simmons.

1:45

Present.

1:46

Latham.

1:46

Here.

1:48

Council or Mayor Shickle is absent.

1:50

Let the record reflect all council members are present.

1:52

Mayor Pro Tem is in the chair.

1:54

We'll take a motion and a second to adopt the agenda.

1:57

So moved.

1:58

Second.

1:58

Motion by Councilman Masan.

2:00

Second by Councilman Yachesky.

2:03

Any discussion?

2:05

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

2:08

Aye.

2:09

Aye.

2:09

All those opposed, same sign.

2:12

The agenda is adopted.

2:14

Uh before we get started with our regular business, we have a couple of special items of business tonight.

2:19

Uh first one is a proclamation proclaiming Friday, March eighth, twenty twenty-four as Layla Phillips Day, in recognition of her victory as girls state wrestling champion here in the state of Iowa.

2:32

We'll call Layla and her father Jake forward along with her mother Mahela.

2:47

And Layla is the first girl state wrestling champion in Mason City history, so certainly uh quite an honor here.

2:53

Um this is a proclamation from Mayor Shickle.

2:56

He's sends his regrets that he's not able to be here tonight, but I'll read it as it's written.

3:00

Uh whereas it is with great pride and admiration that we celebrate the remarkable achievements of Layla Phillips, a talented athlete from Mason City, who has earned the pr prestigious title of girl state wrestling champion.

3:12

And whereas Layla Phillips has demonstrated exceptional skill, character, and determination in her pursuit of excellence, inspiring our community community with her dedication and passion.

3:22

And whereas behind every successful athlete stands a dedicated coach who guides, supports, and inspires.

5:02

So with that, Angie.

5:05

Thank you.

5:07

Thank you, Mayor.

5:08

Thank you, Council.

5:09

All right, so tonight I'll present the findings of the phase four inflow and infiltration investigation recently completed in the northeastern portion of the city.

5:18

Okay.

5:19

So a brief history of the program.

5:21

In response to flooding events and basement backups, the city started this inspection and repair program in the sanitary sewer system in 2005.

5:29

The goals were to find sources of clear water, remove it, and minimize unnecessary costs to treat uh the water, improve health and safety, and extend the investments made into the sewer and the wastewater treatment system.

5:42

So as that data started to become older and less reliable in 2019, the city reinitiated the inspection program.

5:50

And uh so here we are four years later, after that reinitiation.

5:54

We're in phase four that recently uh got completed in the northeastern part of the city.

5:58

Visi sewer from Pewaukee, Wisconsin is the contractor doing the closed circuit televising of the sewer in this area.

6:06

There were over five million dollars in sewer defects found in that area, which I will get into in just uh a bit.

6:13

Okay.

6:14

First, going a little bit of detail onto what kind of inspections uh Visuer is doing.

6:19

They're doing sanitary sewers televising and updating the GIS system.

6:24

And here's uh image of them and their Kubota.

6:28

And they're getting a visual record of sewer conditions by closed circuit television televising, taking photos and doing a written record.

6:38

And the thing about this is that it's a systematic inventory process to give us uh condition information that we can then use to repair the system.

6:48

All right.

6:49

I think written record of sewer condition is based on the PACP uh pipeline assessment and certification program codes by NASCO, and this provides a standardized way of inventorying pipes across the city and across years so that we can compare the results.

7:07

And these are some example codes from that system, talking about fractures, holes, infiltration roots, et cetera.

7:16

Example inspection form that would be produced from a pipeline inspection looks like something like this, giving you a visual representation of all the taps, the roots, the joints, uh, the breaks, infiltration if there is something like that.

7:29

So we can take this and uh assemble all the data for the entire area and find defects that need to be repaired.

7:37

Some images as an example of some of the findings.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████████40%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████29%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████10%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████10%
Data Center Development██████6%
Youth Programs███3%
Zoning Regulations██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - March 5, 2024

The Mason City Council met on March 5, 2024, at 7:00 PM in the Mason City Public Library. The meeting included special presentations, a public forum, consent agenda approvals, and action on ordinances. Mayor Pro Tem presided in the absence of Mayor Shickle.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from February 20, 2024, claims dated February 22 and 29, 2024, and permits.
  • Appointed Brent Hinson as City representative to the Winnebago River Watershed Management Coalition (Item 6).
  • Hired Meriel Johnson as Recreation Programmer - Aquatics & Activities at Grade J Step 1 ($28.48/hr) (Item 7).
  • Approved a revised wage schedule with Teamsters Local 238 (Police Department) (Item 8).
  • Set public hearing dates for sewer revenue loans (Items 10 & 11) and FY25 budget Truth in Taxation (Item 12).
  • Authorized bid notices for the 2024 Pavement Marking Program (Item 13).
  • Awarded a contract to Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. for professional services on the 43rd Street SW Lift Station and Force Main Project (Item 14).
  • Set public hearing dates for Urban Renewal Plan Amendments No. 11 and No. 6 (Items 16 & 17).
  • Fixed a meeting date for a public hearing on disposal and development of city-owned property in the Downtown Reinvestment Area (Item 18).
  • Authorized bid notices for Mason City Bike Park Bid Package 2 (Item 19).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jacqueline Arthur (Laird Law Firm, 114th St NE) spoke on agenda Item 15 (development agreement with Seefried Development Management, Inc. for South Washington Avenue extension). She noted the agreement is straightforward: the developer will build the street and utilities at no cost to the city, except the city will waive permit fees for street construction components. She and Brian Novak (C3D Industrial Properties) were present to answer questions.

Discussion Items

  • Proclamation for Layla Phillips Day (Special Item 1): The Council proclaimed March 8, 2024, as Layla Phillips Day in recognition of her victory as the first Girls State Wrestling Champion in Mason City history. Layla and her family were present.
  • Phase 4 Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) Presentation (Special Item 2): Angie from WHKS presented findings from the Phase 4 sanitary sewer inspection in northeastern Mason City. The contractor, VisiSewer from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, used closed-circuit television to document defects. Over $5 million in sewer defects were identified in Phase 4 alone. Cumulative defects across all four phases total approximately $15.3 million. Since 2019, the city has spent about $3.5 million on repairs. The Capital Improvement Plan budgets $1.1 million for the upcoming fiscal year and $1.2 million over the next five years to address the most critical defects. Council members asked about the difference between storm and sanitary sewers, the progression of defect severity (Stage 3 to Stage 5), and how much has been repaired.
  • Item 9 – Madison School Area Park Designation: Council approved designating the Madison School area as a city park under the Park and Recreation Board. City Administrator noted this is an administrative step as the playground, community gardens, and walkway already exist.
  • Item 11 – Sewer Revenue Loan ($1,525,000): Council approved setting a public hearing date. Councilman Lee expressed concern over a $4 million discrepancy between a $27.7 million project figure and a $31.52 million amortization schedule, but staff clarified the schedule includes combined lift station and nutrient reduction costs.
  • Item 12 – Truth in Taxation Hearing for FY25 Budget: Council approved setting a hearing date. Councilman Yeshewski noted that while the state notice shows a 15% property tax cut, actual city taxes will be nearly flat for most homeowners due to increased valuations (residential up ~17%) and rollback adjustments. Staff emphasized the need for additional context to avoid misunderstanding.
  • Item 15 – Development Agreement for South Washington Avenue Extension: Council approved the agreement with Seefried Development Management, Inc. The developer will extend the street 80 feet south, install all utilities, and dedicate the street to the city in exchange for waived permit/ inspection fees. Councilman Yeshewski asked about job creation; staff indicated it was too early to disclose details pending major site plan review. Attorney Jacqueline Arthur updated that a special exception for parking setbacks was received that afternoon, and the development review committee meets next Tuesday, targeting land sale closing in early April and construction from April to December.
  • Public Hearing – Item 20 (Zoning Code Amendments): No public comments or written testimony were received. Council approved the ordinance amending multiple sections of Title 12 (Zoning Regulations) on first reading, with no further discussion.
  • Item 21 – Traffic Administration (Weight Limit Exceptions): Council approved on second reading the repeal and replacement of Section 12 paragraphs A and B regarding weight limit embargoes.
  • Item 22 – Speed Regulations: Council approved on second reading the repeal and replacement of Section 1 (Speed Restrictions) in Title 9, Chapter 4.

Key Outcomes

  • Layla Phillips Day proclaimed for March 8, 2024.
  • Phase 4 I&I findings accepted; repair priorities will be integrated into annual repair projects.
  • Consent Agenda approved as amended (Items 3-19, except 9,11,12,15 which were voted on separately).
  • Item 9 (Madison School park designation) approved unanimously.
  • Item 11 (public hearing for $1,525,000 sewer loan) approved unanimously.
  • Item 12 (public hearing for revised Truth in Taxation FY25 budget) approved unanimously.
  • Item 15 (development agreement with Seefried) approved unanimously.
  • Item 20 (zoning code amendments) approved on first reading unanimously.
  • Item 21 (weight limit exceptions) approved on second reading unanimously.
  • Item 22 (speed regulations) approved on second reading unanimously.

Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

This is the uh regular meeting of the May City City Council on March 5th, 2024. Uh Diana, please call roll. Lee. Present. Adams. Present. Here. Simmons. Present. Latham. Here. Council or Mayor Shickle is absent. Let the record reflect all council members are present. Mayor Pro Tem is in the chair. We'll take a motion and a second to adopt the agenda. So moved. Second. Motion by Councilman Masan. Second by Councilman Yachesky. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed, same sign. The agenda is adopted. Uh before we get started with our regular business, we have a couple of special items of business tonight. Uh first one is a proclamation proclaiming Friday, March eighth, twenty twenty-four as Layla Phillips Day, in recognition of her victory as girls state wrestling champion here in the state of Iowa. We'll call Layla and her father Jake forward along with her mother Mahela. And Layla is the first girl state wrestling champion in Mason City history, so certainly uh quite an honor here. Um this is a proclamation from Mayor Shickle. He's sends his regrets that he's not able to be here tonight, but I'll read it as it's written. Uh whereas it is with great pride and admiration that we celebrate the remarkable achievements of Layla Phillips, a talented athlete from Mason City, who has earned the pr prestigious title of girl state wrestling champion. And whereas Layla Phillips has demonstrated exceptional skill, character, and determination in her pursuit of excellence, inspiring our community community with her dedication and passion. And whereas behind every successful athlete stands a dedicated coach who guides, supports, and inspires. So with that, Angie. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council. All right, so tonight I'll present the findings of the phase four inflow and infiltration investigation recently completed in the northeastern portion of the city. Okay. So a brief history of the program. In response to flooding events and basement backups, the city started this inspection and repair program in the sanitary sewer system in 2005. The goals were to find sources of clear water, remove it, and minimize unnecessary costs to treat uh the water, improve health and safety, and extend the investments made into the sewer and the wastewater treatment system. So as that data started to become older and less reliable in 2019, the city reinitiated the inspection program. And uh so here we are four years later, after that reinitiation. We're in phase four that recently uh got completed in the northeastern part of the city. Visi sewer from Pewaukee, Wisconsin is the contractor doing the closed circuit televising of the sewer in this area. There were over five million dollars in sewer defects found in that area, which I will get into in just uh a bit. Okay. First, going a little bit of detail onto what kind of inspections uh Visuer is doing.

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