OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - January 7, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, January 7, 2025
BodyMason City, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 7, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:12:22

Transcript — Verbatim
0:46

And good evening, everyone.

0:48

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Mason City City Council.

0:52

This is the first meeting of the new year, January 7th of 2025.

0:57

I'm Mayor Bill Schickle, and the first order of business tonight is the roll call.

1:01

Diana, would you call the roll?

1:03

Lee.

1:04

Present.

1:04

Adams.

1:05

Present.

1:05

Yeski.

1:06

Massan.

1:08

Latham.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Simmons.

1:11

President.

1:12

Let the record reflect that all members are present.

1:16

Welcome everybody.

1:18

We are so delighted to have you with us this evening.

1:22

Welcome to Mason City's first annual State of the City address.

1:27

Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike?

1:31

You know, it's something that uh most of us can never forget.

1:35

And no matter when that was for you, it may have been one of the first times you learn to keep moving and keep improving.

1:44

Keep moving and keep improving, which is the theme of my remarks tonight.

1:51

Ladies and gentlemen, honorable members of the City Council, City staff, distinguished guests, citizens of Mason City.

2:02

Here's the state of the city.

2:05

Twenty twenty four was a breakout year for Mason City.

2:10

In the new year, Mason City is poised to become America's new outdoor recreation destination with more amenities at a lower cost than any city in the nation.

2:23

When we hold the grand opening for the Prairie Rocks Trail System, the destination Iowa Bike Park and the Riverwalk District will showcase recreation and other opportunities for every walk of life.

2:37

The closest similar facility will be Bentonville, Arkansas, which draws a thousand cyclists a week.

2:45

So what does all this mean for you?

2:47

If you're a cyclist, or if you simply enjoy nature, it means fellowship, fun, and fitness.

3:04

By the way, even if you're not a cyclist yet, it's never too late to try.

3:10

I know I am.

3:12

And here's the breaking news tonight.

3:15

Ben Moldrow works with the main street communities across the country.

3:20

He recently told our team that city has the lowest cost of living for a community with our amenities than anywhere in the country.

3:29

And here's a little more breaking news tonight.

3:32

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is announcing that Mason City will be a study for an economic impact report to be released in January, uh January 25th at the Iowa Expo in Des Moines, which draws about 5,000 people.

4:05

Mason City will be showcased as a shining example of what's possible.

4:11

Earlier this evening, uh Luke Hoffman.

4:39

Welcome.

4:40

We're delighted to have you with us.

4:54

And I know that the cost of housing is a dream killer.

5:00

For more than a decade, housing construction has failed to keep up with changing households throughout the United States.

5:05

This has driven a nearly 50% increase in the median household sale price.

5:11

And rent is outstripping gains in local households.

5:15

To cut housing costs, Mason City is building, building, building.

5:21

It's been decades since we've seen this much building in Mason City.

5:26

More than 200 units in just the past year.

5:29

So what does all this mean for you?

5:32

When you increase supply, it's just this simple.

5:35

When you increase supply, you cut cost.

5:37

In the new year, the City Council is planning on housing for residents, rebounders, and breadwinners.

5:44

And with everything that we're doing, it's all going to be necessary.

5:48

A City Council goal for the new year is expanding housing availability of every kind in every price range.

5:57

Our economic development team has even established a new housing development corporation with this very purpose.

6:07

If you don't mind, would you allow me to share a story?

6:10

Kathy was facing challenges, very challenging circumstances, to say the very least, the kind of dream killing circumstances I was referring to earlier.

6:22

Then she discovered Habitat for Humanity of North Central Iowa.

6:28

She learned that owning a home might not be an impossible dream after all.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████25%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████24%
Zoning Regulations█████████9%
Procedural███████7%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Economic Development███████7%
Data Center Development███████7%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Public Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - January 7, 2025

The Mason City Council held its first regular meeting of the new year on January 7, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Mason City Public Library. The meeting featured the Mayor's State of the City address, approval of consent agenda items (with one item pulled for separate discussion), and public hearings on three ordinances: a zoning change, an annexation, and a franchise agreement for a transmission line. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes – Approved minutes of December 17, 2024.
  • Claims – Approved claims dated December 18 and 27, 2024, and January 2, 2025.
  • Permits – Approved permits.
  • November Financials – Accepted.
  • Resolution 6 – Approved temporary closure of public ways for block parties and other events in 2025.
  • Resolution 7 – Adopted the City Council final Policy Agenda Work Plan for calendar years 2025–2026.
  • Resolution 9 – Accepted work and ordered payment for the 12th Street NE Bridge Replacement and 12th Street NW and 19th Street SW Bridge Rehabilitation Projects.
  • Item 9A & 9B – Approved hiring Ethan Blanchard as a police officer and Kira Quinn Jordan as an accounting and reporting analyst.
  • Item 8 (Change Orders) was pulled from the consent agenda for separate discussion (see below).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered on any agenda items.

Discussion Items

Mayor's State of the City Address (Item 1)

Mayor Bill Schickle delivered a 30-minute address titled "Keep Moving, Keep Improving." He highlighted that 2024 was a breakout year for Mason City. Key points included:

  • Outdoor Recreation: The Prairie Rocks Trail System, Destination Iowa Bike Park, and Riverwalk District will open in summer 2025, positioning Mason City as "America's new outdoor recreation destination" with amenities comparable to Bentonville, Arkansas (which draws 1,000 cyclists/week). The Iowa Bicycle Coalition will release an economic impact study on January 25, 2025, showcasing Mason City.
  • Housing: Over 200 housing units were built in the past year. The city is planning housing for all income levels. Habitat for Humanity is building 13 homes in the Madison Heights development. The city also renovated 30 homes in the historic West Downtown neighborhood.
  • Public Safety: Seven new police officers hired; new police and fire headquarters are state-of-the-art.
  • Infrastructure: Highway 65 South reconstruction is underway; Highway 122 West reconstruction begins spring 2025 with a two-year project. A new airport terminal opened; a $15 million hotel (Kensis Hospitality) will break ground summer 2025. Four new businesses at the mall.
  • Education: Hoover Elementary scored highest proficiency and lowest absenteeism in the district. NIAC enrollment increased 7%.
  • Economic Designations: IEDA designated Mason City as a Thriving Community.

Resolution 8 – Fire Department Dormitory Addition Change Orders (Pulled from Consent)

Councilman Adams requested discussion. Chief described that change orders #25–34 total about $168,000, primarily for an upgraded alert call system. The new system will have 44 addressable speakers, zone paging, and panic buttons tied to security. The existing two-wire system was inadequate. The project budget is approximately $6 million; the overage is about $30,000, covered by leftover funds from other projects. The resolution passed unanimously.

Public Hearing – Item 10: Zoning Change at 1300 12th Street NW

First reading to rezone 5 acres from Z6-R Restricted Industry to Z4 Multi-Use District. Councilman Latham expressed concerns about intersection safety at 12th Street and North Pierce, a problematic T-intersection. City Engineer Mark noted that a roundabout is under consideration, with design in FY25 and construction in FY27, funded via CIP. No development agreement is attached; the rezoning itself does not obligate the city to incentives. The rezone passed first reading unanimously.

Public Hearing – Item 11: Annexation for Tractor Supply

First reading to annex 40 acres on the west side for a Tractor Supply store. This is a voluntary annexation. The ordinance passed first reading unanimously.

Public Hearing – Item 12: SOO Green HVDC Franchise

First reading for a 25-year franchise to SOO Green HVDC Link PROJECTCO, LLC to construct, operate, and maintain a 360-mile underground transmission line along railroad corridors from southwest of Mason City to Plano, Illinois. Raj Rajan, VP of Project Development, presented: the line will connect MISO and PJM grids, capable of powering 1.5 million homes. The project cost is $4+ billion, creating 12,000 construction jobs and 75 permanent jobs (split between Mason City and Plano). The cable is buried entirely in railroad right-of-way through Mason City. The city will receive tax revenue (estimated $7,000 per mile per year, allocated by the state) and a fiber conduit bundle for broadband. The project is 100% committed to organized labor. Council members expressed support, noting safety and economic benefits. The franchise passed first reading unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous votes on all consent items, resolution 8, and first readings of ordinances 10, 11, and 12.
  • Next steps: Items 10, 11, and 12 require two more readings (second and final) before final adoption.
  • Directives: City staff will continue coordination with the developer for the 12th Street NW intersection improvement and with SOO Green on franchise details.
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 9:00 PM (no formal time recorded).

Meeting Transcript

And good evening, everyone. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Mason City City Council. This is the first meeting of the new year, January 7th of 2025. I'm Mayor Bill Schickle, and the first order of business tonight is the roll call. Diana, would you call the roll? Lee. Present. Adams. Present. Yeski. Massan. Latham. Here. Simmons. President. Let the record reflect that all members are present. Welcome everybody. We are so delighted to have you with us this evening. Welcome to Mason City's first annual State of the City address. Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike? You know, it's something that uh most of us can never forget. And no matter when that was for you, it may have been one of the first times you learn to keep moving and keep improving. Keep moving and keep improving, which is the theme of my remarks tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, honorable members of the City Council, City staff, distinguished guests, citizens of Mason City. Here's the state of the city. Twenty twenty four was a breakout year for Mason City. In the new year, Mason City is poised to become America's new outdoor recreation destination with more amenities at a lower cost than any city in the nation. When we hold the grand opening for the Prairie Rocks Trail System, the destination Iowa Bike Park and the Riverwalk District will showcase recreation and other opportunities for every walk of life. The closest similar facility will be Bentonville, Arkansas, which draws a thousand cyclists a week. So what does all this mean for you? If you're a cyclist, or if you simply enjoy nature, it means fellowship, fun, and fitness. By the way, even if you're not a cyclist yet, it's never too late to try. I know I am. And here's the breaking news tonight. Ben Moldrow works with the main street communities across the country. He recently told our team that city has the lowest cost of living for a community with our amenities than anywhere in the country. And here's a little more breaking news tonight. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is announcing that Mason City will be a study for an economic impact report to be released in January, uh January 25th at the Iowa Expo in Des Moines, which draws about 5,000 people. Mason City will be showcased as a shining example of what's possible. Earlier this evening, uh Luke Hoffman. Welcome. We're delighted to have you with us. And I know that the cost of housing is a dream killer. For more than a decade, housing construction has failed to keep up with changing households throughout the United States. This has driven a nearly 50% increase in the median household sale price. And rent is outstripping gains in local households. To cut housing costs, Mason City is building, building, building. It's been decades since we've seen this much building in Mason City. More than 200 units in just the past year. So what does all this mean for you?

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