Scott?

Aye.

Bernstein?

Bertran.

Rayford.

Aye.

Shanner.

I make a motion during the closed session.

Second.

Fairenstein?

Aye.

Bertrand.

Rayford.

Shayner.

Aye.

Scott.

Call the roll, please.

Bertran.

Rayford?

Here.

Shanner.

Here.

Scott.

Here.

Fairenstein.

Here.

Please stand for a moment of silent prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Amen.

I pledge allegiance.

Bob and Julie Mesmer.

These are good friends of mine, and they deserve a little recognition today.

Whereas Bos Mesmer has served the community for 22 years as a Sioux City Community School District bus driver, safely transporting and caring for countless students, while also dedicating nearly 50 years of service to the Triangle Lodge as a Mason and receiving the Scottish Right Honor of the Knight Commander Court of Honor, KCCH.

How old are you today, Robert?

90.

90.

Drove a bus, just retired this year.

Whereas Julie Mesmer began her lifelong commitment to caring for children when she welcomed her first foster child on December 30th, 1971, and later opened a daycare in Sloan for 10 years, providing care and guidance for many young children.

And whereas together Bob and Julie devoted 20 years to foster parenting, opening their home to 89 foster children and providing them with love, stability, and support, and all ultimately adopting three of those children and inspiring their grandson and his wife to adopt another.

Whereas their compassion, generosity, and dedication to children and family, Bob and Julie have touched countless lives and created a lasting legacy of service to this community.

Now therefore, I Robert E.

Scott, mayor of the city of Sioux City, on behalf of the City Council and the citizens of Sioux City, do hereby deem it an honor and a pleasure to extend this commendation to Bob and Julie Mesmer on the occasion of their retirement and thank them for their dedication to caring for children and wish them the best in the new chapter of their lives.

We want to present that to you.

And if you would you like to say a few words.

Thank you so much.

And uh but it's been a pleasure, like say I was with Sunshine for 47 years.

So I've really enjoyed my life in Sioux City.

When did trade or for any place else?

And if you look at the surrounding countryside, uh Sioux City is still the best place to be.

Thank you very much.

Very nice.

Whereas an estimated 2.5 million children and adults in the U.S.

sustain a traumatic brain injury, and another 3.5 million individuals sustain an acquired brain injury for non-traumatic causes each year, and currently more than 6 million children and adults in the U.S.

live with a lifelong disability as a result of a traumatic brain injuries.

Whereas many of our soldiers have reported symptoms related to concussion and brain injury, include including slow thinking, memory loss, sleep disturbance, attention and concentration deficits, and brain injury, which is the leading cause of disability among soldiers returning to their communities.

Whereas the concussion is also a serious brain injury that can occur without loss of consciousness and can occur in any sport, and recognition and proper management of concussions when they first occur can help prevent further injury or even death.

And recognition and proper management of concussions when they first occur can help prevent further injury or even death.

And as many as 3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the U.S.

each year.

Now, therefore, I Robert Scott, mayor of the city of Sioux City, Iowa, on behalf of the City Council to hereby proclaim March 26th as National Brain Injury Awareness Month in Sioux City and encourage all citizens to help enhance the public awareness of traumatic brain injuries and salute the mission of the Brain Injury Association of Iowa.

I'd like to present this to you and say a few words if you would.

Yes, of course.

Thank you.

You know, we love being part of the community where we can rely on the support of so many, but also we enjoy giving back to our community in a number of different programs.

Um as Person Served staff and advocates of OU, we do want to bring awareness, of course, to National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

And as a member of the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa, also make sure people are aware of uh the different programs and services and what there can be done for brain injury prevention.

We do know that brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children and and young adults.

This year there will be over 2.4 million Americans who will sustain a brain injury.

We know that the number one cause of TBI injury is due to falls, and 25% are due to motor vehicle accidents.

At OU, many of our employees have taken in a national course called brain injury, or excuse me, have become certified brain injury specialists and have completed this national course.

We have over 40 who have committed to this training and certification to help advocate with prevention.

OU created a program nearly 20 years ago, which is called Gotta Brain Get a Helmet.

And in this program, we reach out to second grade students throughout Sioux Land.

And this year again, we're gonna be able to give every second grade student a helmet with the support of Vern Idy, a local sponsor.

We've also partnered with our Sioux City Police Department for an awareness program called You Been Ticketed.

This runs every summer, and it's a nice partnership between Dairy Queen, our police officers, and OU to again bring awareness to brain injury.

This year, just last week, actually, we had five members of our team joined the state of Iowa's brain injury conference, and we were able to serve as exhibitors, talk about the services provided in Sioux land by OU, and again just help bring awareness to brain injury.

We for nearly 35 years have been providing residential and rehab care to those uh with brain injury at a level called ICF.

About five or six years ago, we expanded our services to another program called CNRS, community-based neurobehavioral.

We're one of just five organizations in the state of Iowa that's licensed to provide this level of rehab care.

A little over a year ago, we expanded our home and community-based services by opening up two more homes.

And I'm excited to announce today that we have another uh plan for expansion, and in about a month, we'll be opening up two more homes licensed as home and community-based services.

So, again, recognizing the need here in Sioux land and doing our part in growing as we can.

We know that every brain injury is different.

There's an often repeated adage amongst brain injury community that says if you've seen one brain injury, you've seen one brain injury.

Um we are excited again to have the support of Sioux Land, uh, our city council.

We will continue to provide excellent level of care to those in the Siouxland community where we serve over 200 each year.

And again, we're we're glad just to help uh support awareness and also prevention where we can.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

How's it going?

Are you?

Pretty good.

Go again, huh?

Yeah, all right.

Yeah, I tell you guys a little bit about yourself.

So yeah, Sam Avery with Visual Edge IT.

My office is right downtown Sioux City, just uh a block right down the street and connected to the MLK parking ramp.

So I uh I basically work in our parking and deal with the homeless and pretty much deal with that every single day.

So I like being on this this board.

Uh I think I've been the chair now of the board for four years, something like that, and I've been on the board for about seven.

So I would love to continue and keep providing my insight in any way I can and any questions.

You're worth every penny you get paid.

Well, thanks.

All right, thanks.

Thank you.

Thanks, Sam.

Yeah.

Thank you, guys.

Wastewater treatment plant reconstruction and fine advisory committee, Dean Bradham.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you want to serve.

Well, I was born here in town.

I guess uh I see that we're gonna be doing construction.

It looks like it's a pretty big job.

I've been going to the meetings and they haven't had a quorum.

So I was looking at helping have a quorum at the meetings, and uh being you know, a citizen, I'd like to be involved a little bit as I can.

So that's why I'm I'm uh applying for it to see what happens.

I think it's temporary because it's about ready to be over anyway.

Um, as far as that may be the case or may not.

We're probably gonna have to discuss that.

But some of it.

Some of them think that it's gonna be extended, would like it to be extended.

So I'm applying to see if I can uh help uh on the board there, whatever I can do.

I've got about uh going on 30 years in the plumbing industry, so I've got a little bit of knowledge.

I have worked at the wastewater treatment plant myself in and out of there in the tunnels and stuff, so and I like to go down to the uh the the park down there and utilize it.

It'd be nice if uh it didn't stank every time I went in there.

Um, you know, hoping something can change with that.

Thanks, T.

I was gonna ask if you could.

This is one of the committees that that requires a level of understanding and background.

Um, so I wondered about your background, but you shared your background and the fact that you've been going to the meetings is helpful, so I appreciate your interest in wanting to formalize it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Jose Monte can't talk today.

Montes afternoon, everybody.

Uh and the trades for the Iron Workers Local 21.

I'm the business agent as well as the organizer.

And I'm currently now the Northwest Iowa Building Trades President.

So I just kind of try to help this committee uh see how we could grow the city and stuff like that through our uh the trades that we have to offer.

So we have about a dozen of us here in this area.

And uh yeah, try to learn more about the city and try to make it grow.

So Jose is an organizer.

What's your what's your substantive background in what trade or what skill?

So myself, I'm an iron worker, not been an iron worker for over 23 years.

So okay, great.

Thank you.

Like I said, uh my some of my partners are here from the local 234, the operators was a plumber steam fitter.

You just seen that, but we have other 10 more uh affiliates with the Northwest Iowa building trades.

So we're here to help.

Thanks for your interest.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Adam Andrew Pritchard.

How's it going?

Yeah, Andy Richard.

Uh work for Cargo as the refinery superintendent.

Uh so I deal with uh pre-treatment plant just like uh what you guys deal with.

Um heavy industrial user for uh a few years now.

Um I've been in Sioux City my whole life.

Uh lived and worked here.

Um so I think I'm uniquely qualified as I already know how it operates.

Um probably more than most.

So you know how it's not operating.

And I know what happens when you don't do well, and I've been there too.

So great.

I think you'll make a great asset too.

I'm on that team, so we'll be seeing you there.

Good.

Any other questions?

No, I with Dean and Jose, Andrew.

I appreciate the three of you showing willingness.

I think you'll all do a great job.

Thanks to all of you.

We just had some people move out of the city.

Thank you.

We have these openings.

Yeah.

Yeah.

All right.

We're gonna go to the consent agenda today.

That's items three through 11D.

You can consider them to pass unanimously unless a separate roll call is requested by a city council member.

I'll move the consent agenda.

Anyone wanting to speak on the agenda item may come up to the podium at the time the items being discussed.

You want to speak on an uh item not on the agenda, come up under citizen concerns.

And Bob and Julie, if you don't want to stay anymore, you are free to go today.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

Second.

Three is the reading of the March 2nd City Council minutes.

Four is a motion appointing Catherine Pappel to the active transportation advisory committee upon due consideration of the circumstances the city council waives the policy that no person shall serve on more than one board or commission.

Five is a resolution scheduling a meeting on the proposed property tax levy.

Six are actions relating to bonds.

A is a resolution scheduling a meeting on the proposition to authorize a loan agreement and issuance of general obligation capital loan notes for general corporate purposes, GCP 1.

B is a resolution scheduling a meeting on the proposition to authorize a loan agreement and the issuance of general obligation capital loan notes for general corporate purposes, GCP2.

C is a resolution scheduling a meeting on the proposition to authorize a loan agreement and the issuance of general obligation capital loan notes for essential corporate purposes ECP.

Seven are actions relating to agreements and contracts.

A is a resolution awarding a service provider agreement to Richard Hanson for the maintenance and garbage collection of various city locations.

B is a resolution approving a consulting services agreement with Black and Beach to perform a comprehensive wastewater treatment plan and environmental audit.

C is a resolution approving the renewal option number two to the service provider agreement with C and C lawn care for the public works seating project.

D is a resolution approving First Amendment to the development agreement and minimum assessment agreement with Sioux Land Developers for the development of a portion of the property at 3400 line drive.

E is a resolution approving a corrective city deed to Sioux Land developers for the development of a portion of property at 3400 line drive.

A is a resolution approving change order number five, an authorizing payment to Kramer and Associates for the bridge overlays project.

B is a resolution authorizing payment to INA construction for the sidewalk ramp project.

C is a resolution authorizing payment to Steve Harris construction for the Glen Oaks Boulevard Paving Project.

Nine are actions relating to property.

A is a resolution proposing sell property adjacent to 2121 West 17th Street.

Petitioners James and Helen Anderson.

B is a resolution proposing to sell property to West 17th and John Street.

The petitioners, Michael and Hannah Dolan.

C is a motion of proposing to sell property adjacent to 2423 South Cypress Street.

The petitioners Deborah and Timothy Angerman.

Seeing none.

I'll be calling the role today.

Bertand?

Rayford.

Aye.

Shayner.

Aye.

Scott.

Aye.

Barn Steam.

Aye.

12 is a hearing and ordinance amending chapter 25.05 of the Sioux City Municipal Code entitled Site Development.

The petitioners, the City of Sioux City P and Z recommends approval.

I'll move that.

Second.

Chris Matchin, Planning Division Manager.

At this time we are asking for a six-month extension of the moratorium on off-premise signs or billboards.

We were ready to present to the planning zoning commission.

We'd actually presented to them twice.

We did meet with the billboard companies as well.

In the last about three weeks, three, four weeks, we've been approached by another three or four off-premise signed companies that want to locate in Sioux City, so we want to be able to take a little bit more time, meet with those companies and come back with a revised ordinance.

Does a six-month extension address the other companies that want to come into Sioux City and manage within their time frames of when they plan to begin operating?

I don't know if any of them have any sites in particular that they've discovered.

I think they're waiting to see what the updated regulations would be before they do that.

But this would give us time to meet with the joint planning zoning commission city council as well in June.

And at that time, we would like to present an ordinance that we've already met with the signed companies on and then begin the approval process after that.

So do you need six months or is three months?

Six months gives us a little extra time in case there's any drastic changes that we would have to make because we want to include the companies in any additional changes before we bring that forward.

We feel like we get it done.

We can always bring it up.

We can always end it before that six correct.

And if you're into June, that's really four months, so that's fine.

Yeah, and when Bob doesn't agree with what we talk about at the joint meeting.

Currently, we have seven companies that we're talking to that wish to place billboards in Sioux City.

I'll withdraw my motion or I'll make a motion, I guess I can to delete.

Yeah.

I'll second.

I'm sorry.

Right.

Oh, right.

Okay.

Yep.

Okay.

How many, how many are in the queue right now?

How many have applied for permits?

We have two active permits currently that went into that applied before the moratorium went into place.

With the moratorium, we can't accept any additional applications.

So educate me on the moratorium again.

I'm not saying I'm just curious.

What why did we put a moratorium in?

City council did give us direction about six months ago to increase the regulations.

After our previous code change, we saw five permits were issued in a relatively short amount of time.

So council gave us direction to place a new moratorium and review for additional regulations.

What we've been looking at is setbacks between on-premise signs and off-premise and how we can look at that.

Something that we haven't done before.

One of the items that we were looking at is the a potential cap and replace.

A lot of cities in the vicinity are doing that currently, uh, since our last ordinance change.

So that's why we want a little bit more time to take that provision out and look at a couple different ideas.

So do you differentiate between digital and the standard boards or not?

That was our change in 2023, 2024 was a difference between static and digital, correct?

So our code does differentiate on that current.

The last time we updated the ordinance that allowed off-prem signs to be put on premise.

So as you're seeing billboards coming into the parking lots, uh, pizza ranch, out by sneaky's, etc.

We're not able to control what that skyline, what that overshadows existing businesses that are already there because Pizza Hut or Pizza Ranch, for example, decided to lease them that poll space.

So now what does that do to any of the other businesses that are there?

And what how much of that do we want in our skyline along our corridors that allow a digital sign?

And we just didn't have that control to say, well, wait a minute, you can't have this enormous billboard.

You're blocked that wire business who's been there for one third.

Or you know, whatever that might look like.

So we want to take a step back and say, is this really what we want our skyline to look like?

Is this what we want?

Do we want these big off-premise billboards stuck inside these parking lots in little strip malls and other businesses because someone else allows them to put it on their little piece of property?

And what have we been doing the last six months?

We've been reviewing other cities' codes and meeting with the signed companies.

We did have a draft that we presented to the planning and zoning commission, but with the influx of additional signed companies at the end, we want to request that additional time.

So this is the outside companies are gonna come in and build them with the idea that Lamar is here now and then they're gonna buy them out.

Is that the goal?

That the new model that we're seeing?

Our understanding from what Lamar has told us is when they locate into a community that they tend to have other signed companies follow them.

So I think that's what we're seeing with these additional companies for the purpose of competition, not for the purpose of the company.

Competition, correct.

Well, they end up acting, they end up being active, they end up by them out.

They build them with the idea that eventually they put them on it.

Yeah, that's why they change.

Um first reading, Rayford.

Aye, Shanner, aye.

Scott, aye, Barrenstein.

Aye, Bertrand.

Aye.

Anyone opposed to waiving the rules?

No.

Second.

Shanner.

Aye.

Scott?

Barrenstein?

Aye.

Bertrand.

Aye.

Rayford.

Aye.

Second.

Scott.

Aye.

Barrenstein.

Aye.

Bertrand.

Rayford.

Aye.

Shanner.

Aye.

Hearings 13 is a hearing and resolution.

Approving plans inspect for the annual sidewalk program project.

I'll move that.

Second.

Public hearings open.

Anyone to be heard?

Seeing none, the hearing is closed.

Scott?

Barenstein.

Aye.

Rayford.

Aye.

Shanner.

Aye.

14's a hearing and resolution accepting the proposal of Ozac commercial properties for the lease of certain land and combined central seed Sioux City.

Public hearings now open.

Anyone to be heard?

Seeing none, the hearing is closed.

Barenstein?

Aye.

Bertrand.

Aye.

Rayford?

Aye.

Shanner.

Aye.

Scott.

I 15's a motion appointing Alex Waters to the Active Transportation Advisory Committee deferred from February 23rd and March 2nd, 2026.

I'll move that.

Second.

The uh on this I presented some information as we did our due diligence.

All I would ask is that the council members reviewed that.

They understand what they saw.

Um again, I just uh I'm a no, that's okay.

But let's just get let's get it off the docket.

Oh boy.

Bertrand?

No.

Rayford.

Aye.

Shanner.

Hi.

Scott.

Hi.

Barrenstein.

Hi.

16 resolution approving a consolidate services agreement with DGR Engineering for the Pulaski Park.

Stormwater pipe replacement project approved for March 6, 2026.

I'll move that.

Second.

I still would like some explanation why we spend a million dollars for a tube that we're never gonna use.

And I know you don't know, but somebody around here has to know the history of that pipe.

It just makes no sense what we're doing today.

Go ahead, call the roll.

Did we get the answer why we're not using that?

Yeah, because we sold some land probably for Echo that doesn't allow us to, which who the heck would do that after you spend a million dollars on a pipe.

Gordon Farrell City Engineer.

What was your question?

Why we built it?

Yes.

That I couldn't answer.

That was done in the world.

Well, there had to be a reason it was a good idea.

But Paul Stenslin trained that even.

It was to drain that area.

It's just for future, I guess.

I have no idea.

I can't explain it either.

But now we're not allowed to use it.

No, we're allowed to use it.

But we have to we'll have to tunnel underneath the railroad and purchase property over there off of Cunningham in order to get a pipe across to the um the channel.

I can't believe the state made that a project.

Without uh call the roll.

Sorry, Gordon.

Rayford.

Aye.

Shayner.

Aye.

Scott.

No.

Barrenstein.

Aye.

Bertrand.

No.

Citizens' concerns.

Any citizen want to be heard?

Please come to the microphone, state your name for the record, please.

Legend Campbell.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Legend Campbell, and I'm here today to speak about the importance of protecting funding for the Sioux City Public Library.

Libraries are not just buildings with books.

They are one of the most widely used and impactful public resources our city has to offer.

The number from the library's own reports make that clear.

In the past year, the library saw 239, 763 visitors across all locations.

That is nearly a quarter of a million people in our community that have walked through those doors looking for resources, education, and opportunity.

The library circulated over 320,000 items, which averages out to roughly 879 items checked out every day.

That level of usage shows that our community actively depends on the library and the services the library offers extends far beyond books.

18,461 computer lab sessions, assisted citizens and completing school work, job applications, and essential online tasks.

Also, 16,410 citizens attended library events and programs.

These programs support children learning to read, students completing homework, job seekers looking to find better opportunities for themselves and their families, and overall a space families can go to spend more time with each other.

The library also helps Sioux City residents by keeping money in residents' pockets in fiscal year 2025.

People saved roughly over three million dollars by borrowing materials instead of buying them.

This is money staying in our residents' pockets.

For many people, the library is an essential part of their everyday life.

Many students, seniors, and even families without reliable internet access, rely on the library every day to get simple things done, like homework or maybe even filling out forms.

Cutting funding into the system doesn't just reduce a line in a budget, it reduces opportunities, it reduces access to education, it limits the places Sioux City already has to offer for families to go, as well as a support system that many members of our community rely on every day.

The Sioux City Public Library already operates on a budget of roughly four million dollars, but it continues to serve tens of thousands of residents and provide millions of dollars in community value.

Instead of weakening a service that is a better one than most of the city has to offer, we should be looking for ways to strengthen it.

Libraries build stronger communities, as you can see in this room today, better educated students and more connected neighborhoods.

When we invest in libraries, we invest in the future of Sioux City.

I urge the council to reconsider any major reductions on budget cuts in general towards library funding.

And I hope this can I hope the city continues to support a service that clearly delivers tremendous value to our community.

Thank you.

Linda, I'm gonna answer him before we have you start.

So if you want to have a seat, this is gonna take just a minute.

How about I just stand here?

Well, it's gonna be a bit.

Okay.

Okay, that's fine.

Um I wanted to retrace the steps and answer some of these questions, address the statements that are being made, and how we got to where we are today.

And I'm so happy that the room is full.

Very happy to the emails that we've all gotten.

I'm very happy that everybody's pulling together to fight for something that our community needs.

Um this process started last summer uh when we closed out all the order.

Should the citizens be allowed to speak their no, she is everybody I'm responding to the citizens.

She's I'm not just reading it, but you've got a room full of people who want to do that.

And they'll they will get their chance.

They will get their chance.

No, no, I'm commenting.

I no, I'm replying.

I'm responding to the young man.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

So, young man, I just want to let you know how we got here.

Okay.

Started last summer.

Uh, we have a committee called the Effective Fiscal and Public Policy Committee.

Um, they work at the will of council for projects from anything to renaming streets to helping with billboards, with helping with number of car lots, all kinds of things like that.

Um we were tasked with looking at departmental budgets earlier than later to find out is there low-lying fruit, is there things that look simple that we can help to reduce budget?

Because we knew the legislators were gonna have a really tough budget and need to cut.

So they looked at all budgets.

Um, when it got to the library, libraries got a very large budget of nearly four million dollars, as you stated.

Now, the four million dollars, almost all of that comes from taxpayer dollars.

So when your parents pay property taxes, that's where that money goes.

Part of it goes in career.

Yes, you're right.

Goes to the library.

That's what funds it.

It doesn't come from a small amount of it comes from uh the their friends of the library.

Um, our assistant city manager and our city manager, and the one who plays uh or has the uh finance director plays both, met with the library with Helen and let her know that the fiscal team thought that perhaps there was a way to save some money on the library budget.

Their answer to doing that was to perhaps have a smaller footprint in our downtown library and keep the morningside library and then add two more smaller neighborhood libraries for better access for the city, right?

Um that was communicated to the executive director of the library, and it was not accepted at that time.

Uh the city managers asked Ms.

Rigdon to put together a model as if she was tasked to do this, what would it look like?

How would you operate with four branches instead of two?

Uh the proposal that was given to them was how about one that's over on the west side that's maybe closer to the school there.

How about one down in the Floyd Corridor to service Leeds in the new neighborhood that's starting Lieber Heights on Outer Drive?

The Morningside branch, because I don't know how many of you know, and I'm sure young man you don't know.

The Morningside branch out of that 3.9 almost 4 million dollars operates for 450,000 dollars.

And the Morning Site branch is awesome.

You does everybody agree the Morningside Branch is great.

We never once, not the finance director, not the city manager, not the assistant city manager, not this committee.

Did we ever suggest that we would close this downtown branch and not have one, that we would close the morningside branch and not have one.

We proposed modeling the Morningside branch, adding more programming, but diversifying it out into the city so more people had access and have a smaller footprint than the Wilbur Alfs Library that is very oversized.

It's taking most of the budget, and we asked for Helen to write the model and to utilize her committee.

We offered our services to help.

Our finance director gave her a brief.

Here's what maybe four branches would look like.

Maybe you could look at something like this, but made it very clear.

This is not what we're telling you, it has to look like, but we would like you to take the initiative and give us a test model.

What would this look like?

Again, not once in our committee.

I'm on that committee, so I know.

Was it ever said we're laying people off, we're firing people, we're taking away a branch, not once.

That was done, the first meeting was September the 12th of 2025.

Uh they asked for another meeting, and they met, sent emails on the 17th, clarifying.

Please don't misunderstand.

Um our finance director sent an email and wanted to follow up on comments that were made with the group.

The sample model I provided you was just a very basic plan provided by AI.

It was not intended to be used as a final plan for you at all.

When we met Mike and asked, I asked you to reach out to other cities to try to create a model that could be presented to council.

There's a uh appetite to lower budgets because of legislators that's going on.

And I think I brought this up at budget time as well.

Um there seemed to be a misunderstanding as to what the direction was.

No action was taken by the library board or by the director to even consider writing a model that would offer four libraries.

And we really wanted to see what if we shrunk the budget here, found a smaller put print, kept it downtown.

Yes, the Wilbur Alves has history, but it can still be called the Wilbur Alves Library, but it doesn't have to be in the building that costs us how many millions of dollars to operate when we can operate in a smaller, more efficient one.

They were offered copy that four 450,000 budget that Morningside operates on.

You do that times four.

What do we have?

1.6 million dollars.

We say, well, throw another 800,000 on there for your administrative services.

The downtown one is probably going to cost you more to operate.

No action was taken.

None was taken.

Um that's how we got to where we're at today.

We've made no threats.

We have emails and testimonies from the committee that had the discussions that can tell you guys that never happened.

And I took an oath when I took this office, and I would never misrepresent myself or the city.

It just got blown out of proportion.

I've heard things on the news that said, oh, if we cut this two million dollars, we're gonna have to close branches.

Well, we would never cut two million dollars out of a budget in one year.

I proposed the one million to see if I could get them to write a model, because if they would write that model, they would see that it would save the taxpayers the money, and we'd have four branches that is more accessible to people all over the city.

We've got kids on the west side.

I just spent two hours with the Morningside Mavericks last week, eighth graders, who want a place that they can have that's not tilt, it's not fading, it's not some place that costs a bunch of money.

Three minutes.

Bill, if you want to run the meeting, then you should run for office.

I'm sorry, but the council doesn't have the time limit.

Okay, I'm sorry.

And I just implore everyone to please listen to the information I'm giving you.

This started last September.

No action was taken by the library board or by Helen Rigdon to even consider looking at another model that would act just as good in four different areas in the city.

Who wouldn't want a neighborhood library near them?

Is there anyone in this room that doesn't think four libraries would be awesome?

I think it would be wonderful to have a library on the west side, get the one out of Perry Creek.

Helen offered to close the Perry Creek last year on her own without being asked to cut budget.

We still have it.

So if we close the one that's far north and it's hidden up in that medical plaza, brought it over here to the west side where it's more visible, that's what our thought was.

But we wanted them to model it, not us.

Because here's what happens.

When their budget comes before City Council during operating budget time, once we approve that budget, City Council has no say so where that money goes.

It's free for them to use it as they please and as they see fit.

And I don't know if many people know that.

We don't control the operating budget at all.

We just supply the money.

And we have to tax the taxpayers for that money.

It comes directly from property taxes, no other place.

Now the law says it's a public library, so you have to contribute.

And I can't remember the formula, Teresa.

It's a percentage of very small proportion.

If I know how much it's on like it's 0.0675 percent percent of our levy, which we're bound by law to contribute about 275,000 dollars to the library a year, and we're contributing three point seven million dollars a year.

So we're not defunding the library.

This has been, I don't know what it's some kind of a propaganda, uh misunderstanding.

I I don't know how it got to this, but I stayed off social media.

I didn't give interviews because I want to give one statement to our concerned citizen, this young man right here who loves the library.

We've never asked for one branch to be closed, we've asked for two more to be added.

We've got uh members of our fiscal responsibility or public policy that have written, you guys are free to read these emails that say this is what we're doing, this is what we suggested.

We've never downgraded the library once in our meetings.

One of them went as far as to model what the four would look like for the library, put a packet together for them.

I'm sure the Leeds people would love to have a library on that end of town and not have to drive downtown.

Uh there have been accusations that we're closing it uh because we want to get rid of the elf's name because we don't like homeless people because Helen's retiring.

I mean, that we don't care.

Of course we care, but we we need to find a better way that's more fiscally responsible to do it, and we believe that a four-branch model will do that.

Go ahead.

Thank you, Linda Sante.

I've said probably to uh your point, I I would say probably 3,000, I think is what my little slip says from using library services.

So that's my uh bias, I guess.

I want to speak about the downtown branch.

When first federal built that building, they built it, as I'm sure many or most of us know, remember.

Um they they built it in a structurally uh reinforced way to allow for uh stories to go up.

I don't remember if it was an additional six stories, eight or ten stories, but the building is structurally sound in such a way that you can can build up from it.

Go to a skyscraper.

Instead, well, if you call 12-story buildings, skyscrapers, sure.

Uh it's a perfect building, consequently for books.

Books are very heavy.

And when the library went into that site, it was uh lauded at the time, as this is almost magical in the way in which we can take this building with this footprint, and it is structurally sound enough to house the number of volumes that a main branch of a library, not you know, three other branches under the model that if I'm hearing you're saying four branches, but there's always a main branch that's best practice for which which we offered an extra 800,000 to that main branch, besides the 450,000 that the rest of them would get to continue to have a main branch presence downtown.

I I think you're talking about four under one of the proposals before buildings.

One of those buildings needs to be a main library.

Main libraries under library practices.

I worked at the New Orleans Public Library, in fact, after the federal floods of 05 when we rebuilt, and I personally can attest to the way in which those libraries were so fundamental to the rebuilding of one of America's remarkable cities.

But so that's where I'm coming from when I say best practices are you have to have a main library.

Yes.

Main libraries have a lot of books.

And whether an AI generated study says, well, we'll have these four sites.

One of them has to be Maine, one of them has to have a lot of books.

And what I'm suggesting is the best place for a main library for Sioux City is where that building is right now.

It was built in a in a way that a lot I'd like a bigger library main library, but I don't think I'm gonna get a bigger main library.

So I think I'm gonna be satisfied with the library I have and the community meetings that happen there, and the uh uh rooms where where individualized uh study teams can get together, and the interlibrary loans can be administered out of, and the wonderful programming can happen emanating from there, and it goes out to all the to the the various branches, but I want one shining main library downtown, and it would be great to have multiple libraries in every neighborhood, but I don't know that we can afford multiple libraries in every neighborhood.

If we shrink the footprint of the main library, you can stay the main library, it just can't be as big as it is and operate on such a large budget.

That's the idea.

And it the AI that somebody keeps talking about in the community isn't just some sketchy AI.

It was like here, here's a little outline to help get you started.

It it wasn't a program written that we expected anyone to say, Oh, here you go, follow this generic AI.

It was just to help them say, Well, this is kind of what we were thinking, but again, we asked Helen to put a model together.

If you were tasked to do it, what would it look like for you?

How could you make this work?

And that never happened.

I think it's appropriate as we're trying to get a new librarian, a new a new city librarian, that person knows that the council in the city is behind the concept of libraries, the concept of main libraries, and I think it's appropriate for an incoming uh uh head librarian to uh to understand that there's challenges to be looked at and to make appropriate it's for his or her vision moving forward, not someone who's leaving next month.

Well, Helen wasn't leaving back in September.

We only found out at their joint meeting, council meeting this year that she was leaving.

So we didn't know anything about that last year when this conversation started.

And where we are right now is that she is leaving, and so I'd I would ask that we do what we can to get the best head librarian we can for this city for this community.

To do that, I think we'd we it would just it would probably be pretty nice if the front page wasn't always full and the letters to the editor and everything else with the libraries under attack.

And I I I I respectfully I understand what you're saying that it's not.

You're looking at another model, but I think modeling is something that the library board and the uh new head librarian needs to be looking at.

I believe that the main library downtown is the linchpin to the library system.

It is an appropriate building for the services that need to hub out from that site, and I ask you all to save the main library downtown because it is remarkably uh and particularly suited to hold books, which is one of the main things that libraries do.

Thank you.

Thanks, Linda.

Sorry, I'm a little nervous.

Hello.

Um, my name is Brand Esteck.

Thank you once uh for putting a little more context.

A lot of that information was unknown, so I appreciate um putting more context to the story about defunding the libraries.

Um I actually live in Leeds.

Uh I don't mind driving downtown.

I appreciate having a centralized main library where people from different neighborhoods can come together and we can really build community.

Um my son is here, Didian.

Um he is named after Joan Diddyan.

He just turned 11.

Um, we go to the library often.

Joan Didian is an author, you should look her up.

She's my favorite, which is why my son is named Didian.

Um, but I'm gonna speak a little beyond just books.

And my husband had some pretty intense health issues when my children were young.

I had a two-year-old and a six-month-old.

Born and raised here in Sioux City, ran screaming after graduation, was never coming back.

Well, you know, look what happened.

I came back and I'm here, and I'm proud to be here.

But when I returned with two young children and my husband having health complications, I didn't really have a community because I had been away for so long.

And the library really supported me and and built a community for me with events that they had.

I was able to take my kids to events and let them go and play and hang out with other parents and have a moment of relief.

I was getting no sleep because the kids weren't sleeping, they were young, they were cranky, you know, all the things that come with young kids.

But outside of books, it also builds a community, and I think that's really important to think about when we think about a main hub where community can all come together, where the west side, the north side, the east side can all come together, and we can be one big community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

But so if you want to speak, because we're gonna do a show of hands here real fast, okay.

Um, I appreciate your clarification regarding the library issue.

Um there has been a lot of uh people upset by uh understanding that the library is gonna be I'm sorry.

Oh, Mary Nissan.

Thank you.

Been in Sioux City for a number of years.

Um since 2005, and I one of the first things I did when I moved here was come down to the library.

I mean, I have a I'm a medical provider, I have a clinic in another town.

First thing I did when I went to open my clinic was go to the library, get a library card there.

So libraries are um I think vital to thriving communities.

I think that um the information that the library budget was going to be cut in half with closure of branches and um it just struck a nerve with a lot of people.

The library is a beloved place for people with a lot of childhood memories for almost everybody, no matter if you grew up in Sioux City or or any of the uh towns in Iowa.

Um living in rural Iowa, it is hard to find entertainment sometimes.

And for a kid on a summer day or a winter day to go to the library and spend some magic hours there is important.

It's important to all of us that we have a viable library.

So I'm with the information that you guys have given us today.

I I do have a question.

Is uh with the passage of the budget, what what is going to be cut from the it sounds like there's no passage of any budget.

Yeah, we haven't decided yet.

So we have not been finalized.

The budget won't be finalized until March 28th.

We have wrap up a week from Wednesday.

March 18th from 8:30 to noon is the wrap-up hearing, and that's when they'll come back and discuss any of the items that they had suggestions on.

Um, and then the budget will be approved um after that time.

The same day.

No, not that same day.

We have to set a hearing, and then um once we set a hearing, it will be the last week of um last Monday of April that then the budget will be amended um adopted.

So, do you as city council members do we have an idea of what the proposed budget for the library is then?

Or was proposed that they cut 25% the first year?

So we had three proposals on the floor.

One was to cut $300,000, one was to cut 25%, and the other was to cut a million dollars.

Those were the three thoughts because it was kind of confusing because there's there's so much going around so much information that's not true.

Right.

There was a lot that was not true.

Again, no one proposed closing, eliminating it.

Let's look at a right size library that more people could get to.

When I went to talk to the eighth graders, they would love to have a library on their side of town that they can meet.

I understand that.

I I want to know where where the right size came from.

Was there well?

We want Helen to come up with the right size, but she won't do it.

That's just it.

You guys had said that you've sat here and said that the library needs to be smaller, so I'm trying to figure out where where that information came from.

Let me clarify something, and I'm I don't know where I'm even at on the whole issue.

Number one, I got criticized because I asked them to look at a 10% cut.

I did that to police and fire, nobody was here last year when I did that.

Right.

And they came up with no changes whatsoever.

They couldn't even cut their bug big pen budget by 50 cents.

But anyway, that's beside the point.

I've done that before in the past.

I don't understand why in this day and age you still do microfilm.

Those kind of things have to be looked at in any modern organization.

That's not asking too much.

We got rid of microfilm in this building 15 years ago, probably.

It's time that technology and the in city government becomes a forefront long term.

Everybody has a different opinion about what this should be.

And I'm not gonna comment today where I'm going to be on the budget.

I'm not in the camp that probably will cut as much as the finance and others here would like it to be cut.

But certainly there are some things that should be changed, in my opinion, not with just this department with a lot of our departments.

Now we can sit here and just pass budgets and never ask for any cuts, and then your taxes go up.

And guess what?

We get criticized for that too.

Taxes are gonna go down this year.

There's there's been at least, I mean, I'm counting on there's been three people that really haven't commented on I mean, Mr.

Bertrand and Julie were of the the camp.

I understand where they're coming from, but I have not heard from Craig or Ike to even weigh in on it.

So there's nothing has been decided.

And contrary to what people think, we don't get together and talk about this stuff.

It's number one, it's against the law.

Number two, everybody should come to their own conclusion, in my opinion.

So that's the way I've always operated.

I don't have an opinion today.

I appreciate input, always have, and I'll continue to listen.

I'm not of a camp yet.

I do think the one and I said last year, I think the one in marketplace is a terrible library.

It's not it's not what it could be.

It needs to be more visible like it was before in Gleason's building down by the high v gas station.

At least people could find and drive up to it, not have to look through ten buildings to figure out which one it is.

But anyway, I don't I don't know that anybody has an answer for you today, just being perfectly honest.

So if that no plan is proposed back from the library, they did they did submit something today.

They did submit material today.

We've got to needing clarification.

I just think there's so much uh information that has been misconstrued or not give not given out that like if a budget is passed, bam, two million is going to be cut from the library.

So that's the so we need to clarify that.

But also happening.

What is actually going to happen?

Because what if this proposed plan from the library?

Do you guys have to accept it?

Do you fully fund the library then till the till you how we don't have to accept it because we set the budget how much we release and they get to spend it on what they want?

It's not about controlling.

I saw someone put online, they're just trying to control what books they buy.

There it's nothing to do with that.

It's four libraries, more accessibility.

The programming can still be done at the main branch, but you split it into four.

And is it do you propose that the building is different than the current building?

Yes.

It has to be because that one is taking all of the budget.

It's taking so much money to operate.

So we're saying a smaller footprint, similar to the one in Morningside.

So that's why we went to how much.

So what's the what's the time frame?

Like you're proposing to move the two years we move the library and then open library branches.

One year for the first 25% cut, the next year for the next 25% cut.

Is that information open to the public?

Do we that's again every council member has an opinion.

I'm not gonna say that I share that.

Yeah, I just think so.

I think that's where you need to come March 18th because that's when it's gonna be the five.

Well, this is how we would make it work if we did this.

The mayor's right, it is March 18th, but I did want to open for everybody.

You can go to the um city's website and look at the YouTube.

Um, we do um broadcast all of our budget hearings, and you would be able to listen to that operating budget hearing to get some clarification too.

Okay.

It would be it would be nice to have all of the information out to the public.

Yes, I agree.

And then um, but it just blew up into this misinformation that we're chopping the budget, we're defunding the library, we're cutting it two million this year.

None of that is true.

The last thing I saw was we're gonna have to close Morningside and Perry Creek.

Not none of that has to be closed.

None of it.

We're proposing to save taxpayer dollars, still have four libraries that reach more people.

Like the mayor said, we have to realize that microfish is no longer a thing, but for a few people a year.

Maybe that gets moved over to the museum and somebody calls and says, hey, I want a journal ad from 1923.

So you get it over there.

We just can't keep doing everything that we've always done and always remain fiscally responsible.

If we can cut a million and a half out of this budget and still have four awesome library branches.

Somebody design the program in the main branch, great.

Have a fourth of it there and have three more of it around the city.

A million and a half seems like a big step.

It does, but that's the end.

That's the end step.

That's the end step.

That's what we hope to get to.

But that money is taxed from taxpayer dollars from property taxes, and that's how we're hoping to.

I'm happy to know you do.

I'm happy to pay taxes for my term, but we'll still continue to pay them.

You'll just pay less towards the library if we can get a little bit different model that still offers the same services.

I understand that.

But I just want you to know that.

The concern that's out there.

I appreciate that.

I I read them and I saw it.

I appreciate that.

I'm just trying to get the facts out.

It'd be nice to see a solid plan of these branches, how it's going to impact the communities, what the traffic is going to be, a study done.

It'd be really nice to see some of that stuff before we just say, boom, a million.

But we did try that.

We've been working on this since last September.

Yes, we have.

I understand the frustration.

That you can't tell them what to do.

Their board is protected by state law.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong.

I'm just saying it's not as simple as what you would like us to be able to do.

I don't think it I don't believe it's probably simple at all.

No, I'm saying because state law doesn't allow.

Also, our only authority with the library is to give them the money.

Or not.

That's I mean, that's it.

That's reality.

So it's not like we can take them a plan that they have to accept or not accept.

I thank you guys for your time.

And I know this is difficult.

Thank you, Mary.

I'm board chair for a nonprofit, and we do this budget stuff all the time.

I just seek clarity and just a little bit of understanding that the public who loves the library would really like to know what the plans are and see a little step back before it's just automatically we hear a million and a half to two million dollars, Mary's shocking.

We the the specific words were we're trying to get ahead of budget season.

This is why we started last year early.

We're trying to get ahead of it.

So let's start working on this now so we could get it out to the public.

But that was for Alan and her committee to form this possible.

What would it look like if our budget was reduced by this much?

And they refused to do it.

I'm sorry.

We just didn't get it.

I thank you for your time.

You're welcome.

Thanks, Mary.

Terry, as you're coming up, let me just very quickly say.

Um I think unfortunately, a large part of what's happened over the last 10 days has taken on a life of its own.

Some facts, some fiction.

Um, when Julie and Rick had made their comments, it was really to create some thought-provoking opportunities.

Um, as Julie's mentioned, there were a number of reach outs, even preceding Ike and Rick and me coming to the council that were made of Helen and the board.

Um, I think it's fair to say that nobody on this council wants to make drastic changes that are gonna affect the true library services.

I, for one, am I a supporter of the downtown library.

My wife uses the downtown library three times a week, and so I'm very supportive of the Alfes family that donated and that bought that property, donated it to the city, um, is very committed to this community, and I would find it very difficult to approach Jack Alfs, who is a friend of mine and share with him that we're trying to make adjustments.

Excuse me, that we're trying to relocate.

That doesn't mean that it doesn't create an opportunity for us to visit with the library board, um, visit with city staff, work with Teresa, and get a better idea of how we can fully and adequately provide library services.

Um, I, for one, I know Bob was asking or was stating earlier that um Ike and I hadn't shared our thoughts, and again, we want to get everybody else's thoughts and we want to put everything together.

I, for one, believe that it is necessary to wait till the new library director is in place, and when he or she gets here, have this discussion with them and get a better sense of their perspective of what libraries need.

But as I but as I shared with Helen both during the campaign and after I got elected, I want to see her vision for what libraries need to look like in 2026 and beyond, and that's what Julie and Rick were trying to promote in the dialogue, and unfortunately, it really did start taking on a life of its own.

I think we want to get our arms back around it so that on a week from Wednesday we can have a healthy dialogue and get to the right place.

Terry, go ahead.

Thanks, Greg.

I'm Terry O'Brien.

Uh born and raised in Sioux City, gone for several years, but I'm back now.

And I raised my kids here.

Um if I'm wrong, Mayor Scott, but didn't we have this discussion five or six years ago and didn't the study come back and say it wasn't fiscally sound to move the library because we own it, we own the building, and we don't have to pay for any of it.

And what we any money that we would have to use to uh improve it anyway could be TIFF money, it wouldn't have to be um, it wouldn't have to be taxpayer money.

We had this discussion five or six years ago.

All that, but finance director, um we do not fund the library with any TIFF funds.

I know you don't, but you could.

I didn't say you don't.

You do it's all general.

I said you could.

Um I don't think I checked to live uh only you not operations.

Not operations.

I didn't say that.

I said any improvements.

That was you guys got to listen to what I'm saying.

Well, I'm because that's what I said.

That's what this budget is.

Anyway, go ahead.

All right.

So we already did this, and it wasn't fiscally sound because we don't own the we own the library, we own the building.

You don't have to go rent something.

So I called Sioux Falls today, talked to their head librarian.

They have five libraries.

Thirteen if you count the surrounding co counties.

They, however, have uh something with uh county where many Haha County also helps fund it.

I don't think we have that.

But they have five libraries.

I asked them if they rent.

She said, heavens no, I would never rely.

I couldn't do my budget if I had to rely on um landlords.

She said, we own all the buildings.

So the one that we own, we we don't have to pay anything for it.

If there's any improvements, TIFF money can improve it.

So the only thing that you guys gotta do is fund operations, is exactly what you just said.

But that wasn't fiscally sound.

If you've got to go and rent a building or four buildings, if you've got to go rent four buildings, come back and tell us what the cost of that's gonna be because it's not gonna be sound.

We've already done this.

Five or six years ago, we did this whole thing.

And the downtown location seems to be a great location.

There's a bus service.

People can go down there that are looking for jobs.

It's it's a great location, it's a great building.

It's right across from the Orpheum.

So if people come into town, they see that we have a library.

You know, people don't want to come here.

We're the number one cancer place, we're the number one asthma place.

Our schools are falling apart, and now we're gonna get rid of our library.

That's not a good idea.

And I know I know you said we're not getting rid of it, but at least it's downtown and everybody can see it.

But now you just repeated that we're getting rid of a library.

No, I said I know you said you're not getting rid of it.

You couldn't hear over the clapping.

I probably the problem.

I'm gonna start letting it.

But apparently there are people that agree with me in the room.

I'm gonna cut it off with the we're gonna go to the lady in the purple.

I have that right to do.

I know Mr.

Burroughs will disagree, so wrap it up, please, and we'll get the last two here.

And then we're gonna do a raise of hand.

I reclaim that time.

Um I guess what I'm saying is we own the building, it's crazy to move it, and it's a nice building, and we have something to that people that come into town can see because it's right across from the Orpheum.

I don't know why we'd rent, but I would really like to know where you're gonna rent and how much it's gonna cost and who we're gonna be um beholding to when we rent the buildings.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks, Terry.

That's fine.

Hi, I am JJ Stone.

I have lived here many, many years.

I am uh say thank you, traumatic brain injury day.

I am a traumatic brain injury survivor, and I am also an epileptic.

The first thing I am gonna do is I'm going to tell everybody I'm sorry.

The topic I am going to bring up is about nonprofit organizations holding buildings.

It's great that they're doing that.

But the reason I'm bringing this up, I live in a non-profited, supposedly nonprofited organization's apartment complex.

Pheasant Acres Independent Village, they have about five or six buildings.

They have about five or six buildings.

Most of the people living in that are of disability.

But like myself, I've even been talking with organizations.

The rule that I am not able to get for a second year is my rent reimbursement being on SSDI.

And the only reason I'm not getting it, and I had shared papers with many, many people and sent emails.

The only reason I'm getting denied rent reimbursement is the rule, nonprofit organization owned.

And there's several of us with SSDI, SSI, elderly.

We can't even get the rent reimbursement because of that one rule.

And it's great a nonprofit organization wants to make an apartment complex for people of disability.

But a rent reimbursement can reach up to about $3,000 to a person on SSDI and Social Security.

So that's why I am here.

I've been talking with Woodbury County, the courthouse, the everybody is saying the organization that manages it is Seldon.

But even Selden says the goodwill owns it.

The goodwill says no, they don't.

So here I am.

I don't know how much time I'm gonna have left, or other people living in these facilities.

We can try to get our rent reimbursement before it's gone.

And again, this is the second year after having to lose jobs to keep benefits statewide, and the rent reimbursement is a statewide benefit.

I know everybody just probably thinks it's a no big deal, but when you're able to get your SSDI or Social Security and then pay your bills back again with the same thing, kind of doing a rollout.

I still feel like a butt head for saying this, but um I just wanted to bring this to your guys' attention.

So that several people are losing their rent reimbursement because those facilities that are disability oriented are nonprofits.

Are nonprofits.

So JJ, I'm curious.

Marty Doherty is here, he helps oversee our housing activities.

I don't see Jill here today, but maybe that's something that Marty or Jill could help look into for you and and see if there's a mechanism.

And it's not just for myself.

Right.

No, no, no.

I don't agree.

I don't mean just in terms of your situation, but maybe Marty can work with Jill and they can get your name if you can get that to Heidi.

Because that was the other thing too is working with Iowa Disability Resource, uh HHS directly.

Everybody is just saying it's because of that rule.

It seems odd that we can't trace it back to see who actually owns that property.

And that's what I did too by going to I did go online after you sent me that email.

Yeah.

And I actually have some copies from industries.

Uh the state treasurer.

I have those papers, and I think they might be in that attachment.

Uh, they're verifying goodwill.

The City Woodbury County is verifying independence village, but has a North Carolina address.

Yes.

And the other three are Selden verified addresses.

But everyone else is just saying because it says independence village, it's goodwill.

Okay.

Marty, you want to meet with him and get his number now?

Why don't you why don't you meet with Marty?

Thank you.

He said you could go next.

Go ahead.

Hi.

Um, my name is Ben Bemus.

Uh, I'm a resident of the Siou City.

Full disclosure, I also work for the C City Library.

Uh, I'm not here on their behalf or anything.

They'll probably be talking to you tomorrow about me coming here.

But um I think it's important for everyone to have the same information too, it's accurate information.

Um, so I just wanted to give off some information first from our from the proposed budget.

Um, because we talk about you were saying how we don't want to cut staffing, we don't want to cut programs, we want to add stuff, but you know, it's literally impossible for you to do that while cutting a million dollars out of the budget.

Like uh out of our operating budget, the proposed budget for 2027.

Uh 3.03 million of that is compensation.

You cannot get rid of uh you cannot propose these cuts without cutting staff and um without staff, we have less programming with less programming.

Uh so the cuts would be hugely devastating, more than um I think um some people might realize, and I do appreciate all the people that are here today and realize the um how much of an impact it would be.

There's more than that working out there in the week.

Um plus all of like the a lot of the budget or supplies and stuff comes from downtown.

Um the office management, like all that requires the downtown location.

Um like there are so many things that it's able to have a low price because the downtown library has so much resources and is able to um act as the main hub for the locations.

Um so that's why that budget is so low.

Like if we moved to four small locations or a smaller main and three branches we um it we wouldn't be able to operate without drastically changing um a lot of that stuff um trying to be conscious of my time um also um in regards to the uh question about modernizing the library uh which I believe um was talked about quite a bit um I don't know what you are thinking of when you think modernizing the library um we're constantly modernizing uh we have um as ebooks became more popular we got ebooks we have movie streaming music streaming uh we have I need you to wrap it up okay um so I just want to say um the library is very important for this community and the cuts that you're proposing will make it not the library anymore it won't be we it can't serve the community at that amount thank you I get the again listen we know you're all here for a reason we we we're repeating the same argument I hope you can all agree with that and when we have these meetings we do a show of hands after we have as many people speak as we have had speak everybody just repeating the same thing I think well what what do you have a point of point is the city I have a point about people in speech what I have a point about the collections and you're saying that microfilm and micro feature are are not important we're saying that they could be at another site is what I'm I'm a historian and all kinds of things are not on microfilm and in fact there's a novel about Two City written in 1940.

Stop well you're gonna get three minutes and okay uh I'm Bob Fritzmeyer I live here in Sioux City and I know this has not been a very fun discussion here and I want to just say that I had the opportunity to go to a library event with my grandkids my two grandkids and there was a musician who came here from Wisconsin and his name was a Duke Otherwise and he played the guitar and he he sang songs but he didn't just perform he really got the kids involved all of us involved I mean let the kids you know plug in some words for the songs and and then later on my kids of course wanted to play some of his music in the car and so one of those songs was about bananas and it and they played it over and over again and you know bananas are uh hunky dory lunch and the monkeys like to grab a bunch and you know this is this has enriched my kids my life and so the library I like to point that the library is a lot more than just the books.

I like some of the good points that that many of you made up here and that it's a community building and uh I pay my taxes most of the people here pay taxes and we want them to go for you know the community building and the spirit of bringing people together and I hope and trust that you're gonna fund the library as fully as possible.

Thanks and I I will make this brief my name is Teresa Becker and like I say I'm a professionally trained historian and I assure you that if you want to look at a life magazine from 1935 you gotta look at it on microfilm.

Listen all I said was that technology should be looked at well that's got rid of microfilm in this building and the clerk well let me mention other how about the collections I was going to mention to Linda's point of keeping books is important.

I was going to mention to Linda's point of keeping books is important.

When I I grew up here, moved away, was never gonna come back, and here I am, and I'm happy I'm here.

But when I came back here, I wanted to look up things about Sioux City.

So I found out there was a novel written about Sioux City from 1940.

And I read that novel, and it's not online, but you know where I got it?

A hard copy at the downtown branch.

So that's that's all I want to say.

Well, if you cut the size of the library, I assume that they're gonna start dumping books from 1940.

I wouldn't assume that.

Well, I I I guess I know how libraries work, and I see a used bookstore sale every year, but they dump books.

So I guess old books are where they start.

Well, the library made the decision to get rid of those.

Well, I'm just saying if they don't have the space, they're going to be pushed into that decision.

So thank you for your time.

City councillors, uh, my name is Charles Wishman.

I serve as president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL CIO Center.

It's been a while.

Good to see it resembles a subcommittee.

So just kidding.

Um first of all, I just wanted to say uh I I get that there is a complex budget situation going on here.

I by the way, I do not live in Sioux City.

We are a statewide organization, and when I heard about this yesterday, I decided that it's worth making a uh a six-hour round trip.

Uh to come here.

Not that I didn't have another meeting or two I could fit in, but uh that it's important to come here and talk to you about this.

Um and I understand a little bit more, maybe, or maybe I'm more confused as to when I'm walking in the door here.

But when you talk about cutting budgets for libraries, it's not a good look.

It's not a good look for Iowa, it's not a good look for for Sioux City.

Um but even at that I'm not sure how, again, uh you're you're doing addition by subtraction and uh when when you're talking about cutting budgets, um, unless you're gonna talk about cutting out uh unless you're gonna talk about cutting employees.

And so I'd like uh uh my ask, my plea to you is uh for everyone in this room as well as yourselves.

Um please work uh with the union, work with management, uh make sure that um we can you know that Sioux City and not just here, I mean there's nothing that brings out a room full of people, whether it's here in Marshalltown or anywhere I go is when you start talking about cutting the library.

Um, because people love it.

And so it's not just that, they love their librarians too.

So again, uh please do this without uh if whatever budget you go ahead with, whatever proposal of the three that I heard, uh make sure that you try and do this without cutting staff, without cutting personnel, because again, people love their librarians.

My last point that I'd just like to make is that um so I do sit on the Iowa Workforce Development uh Board.

Um not speaking for them or speaking for the department or anything like that.

However, um as we and Iowa Workforce Development, Iowa Workforce Development moves more and more to online services, and even it's more and more and more every year.

I'm not necessarily saying that's wrong, but the ability for people to be able to have access to those services.

Uh, we don't want to see them downgraded, whether it's looking for a new job, whether it's filing unemployment or whatever it is.

Um, I think that many of us take it for granted that everyone has internet access, and that's just not the case.

So uh thank you very much for your time.

Appreciate it.

Good to see you again.

Don't take it off in three minutes.

Okay.

Uh the rules call for me to I'm William Burroughs.

Rules call to spell my name.

All right.

Um so as uh Terry was saying about Sioux Falls, I was up in Sioux Falls at the VA Hospital today, too.

And uh I didn't get a checkup from the neck up if you're is that what you're thinking.

Uh but I stopped by the library.

And I could uh echo what uh what Terry is saying.

They're like, what the heck is going on down there in Sioux City?

Something about AI, is that artificial intelligence, or is that anti-intellectual or what are you guys doing down there?

I said, You got me, but we got a meeting today to talk about it.

So this is a little bit what uh the the venerable John Lewis used to say.

I good trouble, right?

Okay.

So obviously I'm against any cuts to the any cuts to the budget.

I pay my taxes and I like what we get.

Exceptional service.

Exceptional.

Um but I would like to take uh a minute talk about inconsistency.

One of the criticisms of the library was that they were procrastinating or dragging their feet or whatever.

And I'm like, come on.

That's like calling the kettle black.

You know why?

Because it's been a year since you've been trying to hire a city manager.

And we still don't have a city manager.

We stopped trying, we took a break.

May I finish my talk?

You're constantly interrupting the people.

Plan your time.

Anyway, so that's one thing.

The second thing is you guys or we just spent three million dollars.

Three million dollars.

And nobody badder than I.

And now you want to bludgeon the library because of that.

We need to give the library more money because since COVID, they have been caretaking people who are homeless and disenfranchised.

When they should have been sending them over to City Hall and all that big big uh foyer that we got here.

You know?

That's that's crazy.

So all I'm just gonna sum up because Bob's gonna cut me off anyway, which is fine.

I play by the rules.

But I want you to turn around and look at that flag that I will flag.

It says our liberties price and our rights we will maintain.

And our theme song should be Tom Petty Song.

We won't back down.

Thank you.

Oh, I'm not gonna sit up here and opine on what everything else.

Oh, Brett Watchworn back again, as usual.

Um I'm not gonna opine, I will go ahead and lead with uh I don't remember there being a three-minute time limit on the first amendment, but that happens, I guess.

Um as for I will try to dissuade the public that's here about the library, because I've actually sat through all these budget meetings, and uh I think the best thing to do to dissuade the ideas and what people have gotten is to understand that the news is very misleading, especially on this exact subject.

Every article I read was the cuts were coming, the cuts were gonna happen.

So that is just no that out there in the in the public.

Um but I think a good way to dissuade anybody else's ideals there would be uh what other departments or places are gonna have been proposed this 25% cut, or is it just the library?

Library.

Ah, interesting.

But wait a minute.

No, no, no.

We went through every part.

I'm sure you did.

I'm sure you did, but you still fully fund the city manager department, even though we don't have one.

Time out for a minute.

I'll add your time.

The budget, as in that book, is not cut.

It was proposals which any council member can make.

The budget is not cut in that budget.

There's a big difference, right?

Go ahead.

But that's why I asked about proposals, Bob.

What were the other departments proposed to get a 25% cut or any percentage cut?

And I Rick, you said you guys went through every line, so what other departments?

Come up with the 18th, you'll see the whole budget.

You've been at all means.

Oh, I know.

I know, I listened.

I listened.

The library's not been any individual, it's just other discussion, is all this.

I agree with that.

Yes, I do, I do, and that's why I'm asking you guys to dissuade the public, because if you're gonna cut want to cut 25% from the library, there's plenty of other departments.

That's my only thing, I guess.

Uh try to dissuade, but if I have enlightened, that's fine too.

Have a nice day, y'all.

We're down with library.

Oh, he's on the committee.

Okay.

All right.

I am one of the people on the effective fiscal and uh public policy committee.

I'm also the one that Julie referenced that wrote the 15-page uh community uh library model.

Um also sent in uh this feel free to distribute it to whoever would like it.

I'll just give you some of the information on what our committee has discussed.

This is something I wrote, not the committee.

Um Sioux Cities library system has served our community for decades, uh, but the structure we're relying on today reflects service patterns and facilities designed more than 50 years ago.

Uh while it's continued to provide valuable services, the current model concentrates the majority of its resources in a single facility while uh large portions of the city remains underserved due to limited neighborhood access.

Uh today the Sioux City Public Library operates with an annual budget of approximately 3.8 million dollars.

The largest share of that budget is uh over two million of that goes to the downtown location alone.

Uh when we examine the cost uh relative to hours of service, the financial concentration becomes uh fairly clear.

The downtown facility is operating 61 hours per week, which equates to $646 per hour to keep the facility open.

Uh, by comparison, the Morningside branch is operating at 187 dollars per hour.

Uh the current system is spending more than three times that uh to operate the downtown facility compared to what a a neighborhood-based branch uh model would look like.

At the same time, the city's facing significant capital investments in these facilities.

The downtown library requires approximately 2.4 million dollars in HVAC and infrastructure repairs, while planned improvements to the Morningside location are estimated at 1.6 million, uh, primarily for their parking lot.

Uh together, these projects represent more than 400 million dollars in near-term uh facility costs simply to maintain the current infrastructure.

Uh the third branch in the system, Perry Creek illustrates another challenge.

The facility is very small, offering limited hours and services located in an area with poor visibility.

Uh many residents in the service uh in the sorry, many residents in the community uh aren't even aware that the location exists.

I know I live within three miles of it, and I didn't know that it existed until I got on this board.

So these realities not my fault.

They don't need the library.

I didn't talk during your time.

Let him talk.

These realities present an opportunity for Sioux City to think strategically about the future of the library services rather than concentrating the majority of resources in one large facility, a community-based library system where services are distributed across multiple neighborhood locations, could better serve our distributed communities.

Sioux City covers nearly 60 square miles with major population centers across the north side, west side, morningside, and downtown.

Uh locating community libraries within these areas would place services closer to residents who rely on them for education, technology access, and workforce development.

We already have a successful example of this model in Sioux City, which is the Morningside branch.

Um this demonstrates how the neighborhood library can provide you to wrap it up.

Sorry, yep.

Um yeah, the the purpose of this isn't isn't uh to criticize uh the border or the the current system, it's it's really to expand the services by moving to a community-based library based on this budget of modeling what Morningside is doing and expanding that to a north side location and a west side location, and then it's still a sizable downtown location.

Uh we can distribute the services more equitably equitably across all of the communities.

You could still maintain a very large downtown facility while also saving upwards of a million dollars while doing it.

Thank you.

Um yeah, um, if you'd like to distribute that, there's also a 15-page plan with pictures.

Feel free to distribute it.

So yeah.

Uh distributed as you will.

Okay.

Thanks, Andrew.

Are you good?

If you're gonna speak on a library, I am gonna limit it.

I'm sorry.

Who said I can't?

It's public comment.

And we have rules that we're one comment I've got 40 30 seconds.

Go.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

Let me explain to you.

We council has rules that we go by.

So go ahead.

All right, I'll I'll keep it down, Bob.

So Corey Davis, uh, I just there's you know, um we've heard you know there's been some frustration about some misunderstanding and not not uh you know full disclosure about everything.

Some of the uh some of the remarks that about about how the library is funded, how it's so heavily funded for for the downtown branch.

Hopefully, our next director can properly allocate how the hours and how the $600 per hour is actually distributed across those branches.

Um it looks like the downtown branch, it and and people have already mentioned this, but apparently everybody didn't hear it.

Uh the downtown branch carries the burden because all the management comes out of that.

There's we have members um and uh president of local 7103, CWA probably represent the brothers and sisters at work at the library.

Um they you know they'll start a shift and then go to the Morningside branch or they'll go relieve people at Prairie Creek.

Um, so that all looks like it's on paper.

It looks like it's all coming from the downtown branch, but it's not.

So I just want to be clear uh that with everybody.

Yeah, thanks, Corey.

I actually in respect of time, I didn't want to ask Andrew because Ben had raised that same point.

And so I would like a follow-up if we could get a summary of how the efficient the effective fiscal management committee made that analysis.

Go ahead, Maria.

Thank you.

We're here for the same thing for the library, miscommunications, but the media, the papers, it's just gonna miscommunication about the library.

So I'm gonna be short.

You need to uh balance your budget.

Tax the people.

Yes, why not?

I'm willing to pay more public taxes, but I don't want my service to be cut, and especially the library.

Okay, item other than the library and under citizen concerns.

Thanks, Maria.

Thank you.

Oh, hi Paul Koskovich.

Sorry, I missed the uh discussion about the billboards.

Uh I talked to Julie about this a couple months ago.

Uh obviously there's nothing I can do now because you guys double past it, but I'm asking you to kick it in the gear.

I mean, we got billboards that we want to do that are on our own sites that are not littered with other billboards, and now this is gonna push us back another six months.

Well, can I already tell you that you're the one the one is yes, that we when we sped up and does it?

What's that?

Did you have two in the hopper or we have several more in the that were started before the moratorium right at the same time?

No, we just we had one in time, we got beat.

And then so now we have others, and and I guess I was listening while I was driving here.

Like Chris hasn't included us at all.

Like he said he's talking to the city.

I gave you that information when you asked us.

But he said he's he's been talking with other people, right?

We're not included in that all.

The only person I get information from is you, and that's on the phone calls, right?

I mean, we're not being included, and we got other projects we want to do.

So I'm just asking that one we're included, and two we speed this process up.

Well, get yourself listed as a billboard company so they know to get you on the list.

Chris knows, right?

I mean, we've filed the application, so obviously we're in it, right?

Well, and I emailed them last week about our billboard.

I'm just saying, like we're not being included, right?

That's all I'm asking.

Okay.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Anyone else on a non-billboard, non-biker.

We're gonna go to the next agenda item, which is community engagement update.

Welcome, Ann.

Thank you.

Anne and Westra Communication.

And public engagement specialists, yes.

Oh, so thanks for your time today.

I just wanted to um provide an update to the memo that was provided recently um regarding communications and public engagement.

Um so today, this statement is uh very applicable.

Obviously, we're giving out information, but we really want to get through that communication is super important.

Uh we use many platforms to reach residents and businesses.

This list represents our most commonly used platforms.

And today I'd like to share some statistics from the calendar 2025 highlighting the City of Sioux City website, social media platforms, newsletters, press releases, and emergency notifications.

The city shares press releases with local media and partner organizations weekly and hosts press conferences at various facilities to feature events, services, exhibits, programs, and other updates.

We have a strong relationship with our media partners, and we appreciate their willingness to share city information with their audiences.

Our code red emergency notifications allow staff to deliver messages to people in targeted areas of the city or the entire city via text, email, or phone.

We have used the code red platform for about six years, and we send uh emergency alerts related to snow emergencies, oil water warnings, water main breaks, transit delays, and garbage and recycling delays.

The number of uh notifications that we send out each year fluctuates primarily due to uh the weather.

So obviously, if we have a mild winter, we're not sending out snow emergencies and transit and garbage delays, etc.

Uh, you'll see the number of contacts we have there is around 2,600.

Um we do have the ability to reach 27,000 residents um through a national call list.

Our website is our community's front door.

Yeah.

How does citizens sign up for that?

Uh yes, Mayor.

Were you coming to that?

If you're coming to it, that's okay.

I just want the citizens to know how they can do that.

Yes, right there on the slide it says text alert Sioux City to 24639.

Or you can also go to Sue-City.org, our webslash alert.

And you'll be asked for your name, your address, your phone number, your email address, and you have the option to sign up for your phone, your email, text.

Yep.

Thank you.

So our website, as I was saying, is our community's digital front door, providing information and services, promoting our local amenities, and engaging residents, businesses, and visitors.

Our current site was last redesigned in 2017.

And with new federal accessibility standards taking effect next month, April 24th, a full redesign was needed to stay compliant and improve usability.

After an RFP process in late 2025, council approved a contract with Civic Plus to develop design, maintain, and host the new site.

Currently, we have staff who are reviewing and updating their content, removing outdated content, and ensuring that everything meets accessibility guidelines.

Staff are also being trained on the platform called Site Improve that identifies accessibility issues to help us stay compliant over time.

It is the practice of removing barriers that prevent interaction with or access to websites, digital tools and technologies by people with disabilities.

We have an opportunity to remove barriers that have been in place for decades that we didn't know existed.

And it's not just our website, it's the content within the website, such as documents and images, what we link to, and digital applications, such as our social media channels, videos, and podcasts.

In a recent accessibility webinar that I attended, the speaker shared how if we would have known things were inaccessible, we wouldn't have done it this way.

So now is our time and our opportunity to do better.

Alignment with the web content accessibility guidelines, more commonly referred to as WCAG 2.1 level AA, allows access for everyone and enhances community press.

Small changes such as adding alternative text to images or tables, making sure that there are structured headings in a document, adding captions to videos, and using plain language such as like an eighth grade reading level can create a more usable experience for everyone.

We know that in the United States, in the last US census, 54 million people identified as having a disability.

And that's 2020 of the population or one in five people.

People with disabilities also represent $8 trillion of disposable income.

So what is the city doing?

We are working to update our current website to be more accessible.

We're moving to a new platform later this spring, early summer.

Training has been provided to 62 employees who serve as website administrators, giving them the resources to update their department web pages, as well as creating accessible documents, accessible social media posts, videos, and podcasts.

Accessibility training for Microsoft Office will also be provided citywide later this month.

And so manual testing is super important here, and that's where it comes to the human beings.

So we may have a digital scanner, but we've got to have employees that are backing it up and reviewing.

We have reduced the cost of that by not including it in the journal by not printing as many newsletters, but we do have it online.

We do print about 2,000 each time, and we provide those to small businesses, realtors, hospitals, local attractions to help with business recruitment.

That began in 2008 and provides bi-monthly updates about current events, programming, and services in a quick digital update.

A full-time social media position for the city was proposed in the 2025 budget, but due to budget constraints, council instead approved $22,500 for a part-time position, uh contracted creator, excuse me.

Following that process, we hired Kelly Ramirez, who is a local.

She was hired in July 2025, and she produces regular content, um, primarily focused on video.

So if you follow the Facebook and Instagram pages for the city, you've likely seen the content that she's putting together.

In the first six months, this dedicated support has increased engagement, improved transparency, and strengthened the city's digital presence.

We've been able to expand our storytelling, which has really resonated with our residents.

At the end of the day, we want to communicate consistent information from all departments.

So as budget conditions improve in the future, crossing our fingers.

Transitioning this role to a full-time position is recommended to better meet citywide communication, strategic planning, and public engagement needs.

Short form video paired with clear written descriptions, allows residents to absorb information quickly, accurately, and on their own time.

This format also improves accessibility, shareability, and community engagement.

And these trends align with our current social media strategy.

We're seeing success in engaging the public and reaching new followers.

This is a list of our current uh main Sioux City platforms and the numbers involved.

You'll see a nice trend over the years in many of these platforms.

This helps tell the story as to where we should invest our time as we see growth patterns in platforms such as Facebook and Nextdoor, and how X has really become stagnant.

When Kelly started producing video content, we thought that we would see more engagement in Instagram.

And what we actually saw is people prefer watching videos on Facebook, which has been interesting for us to watch.

LinkedIn remains a platform centered on business and workforce development.

We maintain a Sioux City business page that features reasons to work for the city as well as a Sioux City group that showcases positive developments and accomplishments within the community.

And do uh with looking at those trends, do are you seeing that overall, or is there an age demographic or a difference with I have not pulled age demographics for each.

I have done that for Facebook primarily, but I can do Nextdoor doesn't provide those.

Um some of the platforms are different in how they um share information, but Facebook and Instagram are the ones that do share those demographics, yes.

Uh, next door, which a lot of people haven't heard of next door, but that's actually one of our largest growing platforms.

Um, it's it's really seen steady growth and it's used to share more neighborhood uh updates.

So we work with our police department um to provide updates, really that's more centered on your neighborhood.

Um you'll just see kind of the the growth and engagement and click throughs here on specific to Facebook and how the demographics between women and men, primarily 25 to 54 is is what we're seeing for for Facebook users.

Don't want us old guys, huh?

This graph shows the significant increase in video or reels on the city's main Facebook page from late summer through the end of the year.

That's the time frame when Kelly's been involved with us.

And this shows our most popular reels and posts.

You'll see that summer tubing saw great engagement as well as a video where it was highlighting the move of a restored A7 Coursair static to the Sioux Land Freedom Park.

Um, another interesting note is although the views on Instagram were 33,147.

If you would add the views from the Facebook reel of the same reel, we saw over 208,000.

So again, a lot of people on Facebook really liked the reel.

You have those tied together, your Facebook.

We do.

We do.

But if we don't want them to go, we can stop that as well.

Yep.

As we look ahead, our focus will be on digital accessibility practices, launching the new website.

Kelly and I will be speaking about building community pride through social media at the upcoming Iowa Parks and Recreation Conference coming to Sioux City in a couple weeks, and hosting a marketing and communications intern this summer, who is from Sioux City and currently a student at the University of Northern Iowa as a marketing student.

And with that, I will take questions.

Mr.

Mayor, here we are, Richard.

You got to come to the microphone.

William Burroughs and I wanted to add, well, first of all, I want to say uh I think you're doing a great job.

Uh I particularly like the old school uh stuffers in them in the mail in the bill because I look at the bill right away.

Uh and then we highlight them in different colors and stuff.

That that helps to accentuate that.

But what I'm wondering about is uh multiplier effect.

I'm not even sure what that means, but let's say, for example, Stacey Anderson was here recently.

And um I'm wondering about coordination with somebody like that, you know, the city's paying her to do some stuff.

And uh your budget's out of the city manager office.

Yes.

Okay.

Uh so that that would be like one thing because I think social media is the way to go.

The library does a fantastic job on social media.

I agree.

They make stuff that is so interesting and so much fun.

Um, but I digress.

Uh so anyway, the point uh my point question was about uh working with some other folks to get the message out there.

Yeah.

Uh we do work with um our our partners, um downtown partners and explore Siouxland.

Um I would say more on the aspect of taking photographs and sharing those photographs with different audiences.

Explore Siouxland's audience is really to the visitor, and that's not to say that we aren't, but I I would say we're resident focused first, and then the the visitor after that.

Yeah, okay.

Well, thank you.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thanks to you.

And the uh and the videos, they they perfect.

I mean, look they look great.

Great, thank you.

I think thank you, Ann.

Good job.

Mr.

Bertrand.

Keep it real short today.

Real on a positive note, we got three text messages this week from developers, builders on the permit process, all three of them on the residential side, and said that they were uh overly impressed on it coming through the system.

So I I reached out to Daryl and thanked him and uh and Brian, those guys, I want to make sure they're recognizing it that they're I know they're working hard on the processes, and we are seeing some results, and the good news is is they're they're giving us some direct feedback on the process.

So I just want to make sure that we're not you know we're not beating everybody up.

It's they're they're they're getting there, we're getting there.

Um then uh when it came to the library thing, I did appreciate everybody coming in today.

I I think that uh Julie did a great job exposing, I think that the media in this um last seven, eight days has absolutely been pathetic what they've reported.

Um we've given good interviews, we've given good facts, and they just like to kind of stoke this fire.

So uh that they they were the loser this week was the media during this process.

Also, um I think that the uh also I think that uh you know Helen, you know, we don't she doesn't report to us from the city, you know that we don't we have no oversight on what Helen does or says, but I can tell you if um if she was in my company and her performance this week, she'd be unemployed.

Um she spread a lot of stuff that didn't need to be spread also into the public.

So I'm glad we got this thing back onto the rails.

Um we went through every department the same way as we did the library again, nothing is set in stone.

These are great dialogues, and I think the only way that um that we can you know get a reaction out of um the library to to adjust some of their their thinking is to do what we did.

So good job there, and uh let's have a great week.

Thanks.

Um, just very quickly, I want to reiterate what Rick said as well.

I'm glad that we had a nice crowd tonight.

I thought that the dialogue was good, it was healthy, it got us back on track.

Julie, I thought you did a great job of sharing your perspective to to frame what you and Rick were trying to present 10 days ago, and I think that gets us back on track for good dialogue.

And again, we'll visit uh a week from Wednesday as we do wrap up.

Thank you.

Mike.

You know, I would uh echo uh what with my two fellow councilman said uh I really appreciate the dialogue and the input and the engagement uh with the with the residents, and uh this is how we we get things done, and so uh I encourage you to continue to have that.

And as always, I I again want to thank city staff.

Uh you guys work real hard and sometimes it's thankless.

Uh, but thank you for what what you guys do and and the work that you put in.

Uh and the citizens need to know you guys are working very hard and answering every question that you can answer uh and digging in deep to to do the job that you've been hired to do, and so thank you.

Echo everybody down the road here.

Um, I'm glad that I was afforded the opportunity to uh answer the young man's citizen concerns today with the library and to dispel some of these untruths.

I'm going to say um again.

We just asked, take a little look.

What can we do differently?

Could it be a four-branch model?

If it could, what would that budget be looking like?

We think that we can cut it by this much.

We didn't set a number, we asked them to set a number.

So I just want to be clear on that.

We're not closing a branch, we're not closing downtown, we're not looking to get rid of, we're thinking that perhaps we could serve the community better by adding a couple.

Um that's really all I have today.

I'm just really glad that we had a lot of great dialect.

We had a lot of people that love our library, they love our museum, they love the art center, which is great.

I've never voted one time no to anything that Helen has ever asked for for the library.

I don't believe this entire council has.

So it's not the council out to get the library, it's the council trying to be fiscally responsible and taking information from the committees that we depend on to help guide us from what they believe would be a good direction.

All I have today.

Second.

Berenstein.

Uh I or I, yes, whatever.

Bertrand.

Rayford.

Aye.

Shanner.

Aye.

Scott.