OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - December 2, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, December 2, 2025
BodyMason City, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 2, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 21:46

Transcript — Verbatim
0:56

Good evening, everyone.

0:57

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

1:01

Um thank you for joining us tonight.

1:02

I'm Mayor Bill Schickle.

1:04

The first order of business is the roll call.

1:07

Diana, would you call the roll?

1:09

Adams.

1:10

Present.

1:10

Lee.

1:11

Present.

1:11

Ms.

1:12

On.

1:12

Here.

1:12

Simmons.

1:13

Present.

1:13

Yesky.

1:14

Here.

1:14

Latham.

1:15

Present.

1:16

Let the record reflect that all members are present.

1:19

The next item of business is the adoption of the agenda.

1:22

Is there a motion to adopt the agenda?

1:25

So moved.

1:25

Second.

1:26

Motion and a second on the floor.

1:29

Discussion.

1:31

Hearing none.

1:32

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

1:34

Aye.

1:35

All those opposed, same sign.

1:38

The agenda is adopted.

1:40

We have three major items of business for the city council to improve tonight.

1:54

But first, it's really a great honor to be able to present a special proclamation at this time.

2:00

And I'd like to uh call forward the delegation from Reed's uh Reese Across America.

2:06

Charlie West is the VFW honor guard commander.

2:10

Tyler Anderson is our cemetery manager, along with the rest of the delegation.

2:15

If you please step forward at this time, and it's an honor to uh present this proclamation uh to you.

2:25

On Saturday, December thirteenth at 11 a.m.

2:29

Our country and community will gather at Elmwood Cemetery for Reeves Across America Day.

2:36

It's one of the most moving moments of our year.

2:41

Last December, in just under an hour, volunteers placed more than twelve hundred rees at the graves of our veterans uh in Mason City.

2:51

What struck me, I mean, that's an impressive number, no doubt about it, but what also struck me was the care.

2:56

Uh the people that knelt, read the names, paused, it was really personal.

3:02

Uh the tradition reminds us that the freedom that we enjoy was purchased by men and women who in some cases risked everything, including their lives.

3:20

So on December thirteenth, we'll gather uh not out of obligation, but out of gratitude to the volunteers, to the families, the veterans, the groups, the donors that make this possible.

3:34

Thank you for keeping their memory alive and for teaching us what uh service and sacrifice really mean.

4:30

Next is the public forum.

4:32

If you have a uh public um item that you would like to comment on, you can step forward, use the podium, and you've got uh five minutes.

4:44

Hearing no public comment at this time, I'll close the public forum and we'll move to the regular consent agenda.

4:52

We have the minutes followed by the claims.

4:54

Next up is the permits.

5:00

Uh then we have the recommendation to hire uh uh new firefighter EMTs, uh Alex Daly, uh Michael Nunes, uh Matthew uh Davarin, uh Nathan Ellsburn, and Carrie Graff as fighter fighters EMTs.

5:19

Uh item number five is uh resolution setting a date for a public hearing on the amendments to the current fiscal year budget.

5:26

That public hearing will be on December 16th.

5:29

Uh next we have the three uh major improvements that I talked about at the uh top of the city council meeting.

5:35

Uh we have a resolution accepting a work and ordering the final payment for the one acre uh redevelopment of the East Park redevelopment area, uh site preparation, utility preparation, uh all the work necessary to really improve and make uh a great new neighborhood uh in that area.

5:56

Item seven is accepting work and ordering final uh payment for the prairie land uh trail connector.

6:03

This, you know, is another one of the trails uh in Mason City down on the south side by 19th Street at the uh will connect the uh trolley trail all the way down south to the prairie land trail, which is on 250th Street uh where the trailhead is there.

6:20

So that's a that's another uh major improvement.

6:24

And then a resolution accepting the work and ordering payment for this is uh 2025 um street rehabilitation program.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████████30%
Budget Equity Analysis████████████████████20%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Zoning Regulations█████████████████17%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████10%
Public Safety█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Mason City Council Regular Meeting - December 2, 2025

The Mason City City Council met on December 2, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Mason City Public Library. All council members were present. The meeting began with a proclamation, followed by approval of the consent agenda (with items 4 and 5 pulled for separate discussion), and action on three ordinances. No public comments were made.

Proclamation

  • Mayor Bill Schickle presented a proclamation for Wreaths Across America Day, scheduled for December 13, 2025, at 11:00 AM at Elmwood Cemetery. The delegation included Charlie West (VFW honor guard commander) and Tyler Anderson (cemetery manager). Last year, over 1,200 wreaths were placed by volunteers. The Mayor emphasized the importance of honoring veterans.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of November 18, 2025.
  • Approved claims dated November 20 and 26, 2025.
  • Approved permits.
  • Approved resolution setting a public hearing on December 16, 2025, for Budget Amendment #1 (fiscal year ending June 30, 2026).
  • Approved resolution accepting work and ordering final payment for the East Park Redevelopment Project (No. 24-1019).
  • Approved resolution accepting work and ordering final payment for the Prairie Land Trail Connector Project.
  • Approved resolution accepting work and ordering final payment for the 2025 Street Rehabilitation Program (Project No. 25-1001), which was estimated at $1.5 million and came in at $1.4 million, under budget.
  • Items 4 and 5 were pulled for separate discussion (see below).

Discussion Items

  • Item 4: Hiring of Firefighter/EMTs – The council approved hiring Alex Dahley, Michael Nunez, Matthew Doughvrin, Nathen Elsbernd, and Kira Graf as Firefighter/EMTs at $27.30/hour. Fire Chief outlined an 8-week training academy that includes an EMT course, designed to improve readiness. Councilman Adams asked about staffing levels; the Chief noted the department has 42 operations staff and will be fully staffed for about three weeks before a retirement leaves one vacancy. Councilman Simmons asked why six hires were not made in anticipation of retirement; the Chief explained the retirement notice came too late to include in this round. The motion carried unanimously (7-0).
  • Item 5: Budget Amendment Public Hearing – The council set a public hearing for December 16, 2025, on Budget Amendment #1. Councilman Adams asked about a $500,000 overage in medical claims. Finance Director Brent explained that two large claims caused the overage, noting the fund balance is currently $670,000 but this trend is not sustainable. The motion carried unanimously (7-0).
  • Item 9: Building Code Update (Second Reading) – Ordinance amending Title 10, Chapter 2, Article A (Building Code) to adopt the latest International Building Code. Councilman Yesheski asked about public reaction; staff reported no feedback and that developers have been notified of the January 1, 2026 effective date. The motion carried unanimously (7-0).
  • Item 10: Fire Code Update (First Consideration) – Ordinance amending Title 10, Chapter 2, Article I (Fire Code) to adopt the International Fire Code as adopted by the state. Councilman Simmons noted a local restriction that prohibits open fires outside the hours of noon to sundown, which is more restrictive than the state code. Chief Gray confirmed that this language was added locally and can be removed if the council chooses. The council approved the first reading as presented, with the understanding that the restriction may be modified later. The motion carried unanimously (7-0).
  • Item 11: Zoning Code Amendment (First Consideration) – Comprehensive amendment to Title 12 (Zoning Regulations) to clean up ambiguities and improve clarity. Councilman Latham asked for an update; Planning Director Stephen explained it is a routine clean-up. The motion carried unanimously (7-0).

Key Outcomes

  • All motions passed unanimously, with roll call votes recorded for each item.
  • The public hearing for Budget Amendment #1 will be held on December 16, 2025.
  • The new building code and fire code updates will take effect January 1, 2026, subject to final approval.
  • The council indicated willingness to revisit the open fire restriction in the fire code.
  • The meeting adjourned after completing the agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Mason City City Council. Um thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Mayor Bill Schickle. The first order of business is the roll call. Diana, would you call the roll? Adams. Present. Lee. Present. Ms. On. Here. Simmons. Present. Yesky. Here. Latham. Present. Let the record reflect that all members are present. The next item of business is the adoption of the agenda. Is there a motion to adopt the agenda? So moved. Second. Motion and a second on the floor. Discussion. Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, same sign. The agenda is adopted. We have three major items of business for the city council to improve tonight. But first, it's really a great honor to be able to present a special proclamation at this time. And I'd like to uh call forward the delegation from Reed's uh Reese Across America. Charlie West is the VFW honor guard commander. Tyler Anderson is our cemetery manager, along with the rest of the delegation. If you please step forward at this time, and it's an honor to uh present this proclamation uh to you. On Saturday, December thirteenth at 11 a.m. Our country and community will gather at Elmwood Cemetery for Reeves Across America Day. It's one of the most moving moments of our year. Last December, in just under an hour, volunteers placed more than twelve hundred rees at the graves of our veterans uh in Mason City. What struck me, I mean, that's an impressive number, no doubt about it, but what also struck me was the care. Uh the people that knelt, read the names, paused, it was really personal. Uh the tradition reminds us that the freedom that we enjoy was purchased by men and women who in some cases risked everything, including their lives. So on December thirteenth, we'll gather uh not out of obligation, but out of gratitude to the volunteers, to the families, the veterans, the groups, the donors that make this possible. Thank you for keeping their memory alive and for teaching us what uh service and sacrifice really mean. Next is the public forum. If you have a uh public um item that you would like to comment on, you can step forward, use the podium, and you've got uh five minutes. Hearing no public comment at this time, I'll close the public forum and we'll move to the regular consent agenda. We have the minutes followed by the claims.

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