City Council approves donation to Agency on Aging
Oskaloosa City Council
Oskaloosa, Iowa- The Oskaloosa City Council met Monday evening in regular session with Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt presiding. Among the items on the agenda was a request from the Agency on Aging for a request for a donation. This item had been placed on the agenda at the request of Council Members Walling and Ver Steeg. Council Member Blomgren expressed concerns over donating to the agency. She said that she believed the agency on aging was a good organization, however she did not believe the city should be donating “tax payer money” to a charitable organization unless there was a policy in place for guidance. Council Member Smith echoed Blomgren’s concerns for a policy. She also expressed concerns that the Agency on Aging may not be able to be classified as a charitable organization in that those who are fed meals at the Agency pay for their meals.
Smith said that she would be willing to vote in favor of this donation this time but said that a policy needed to be in place. Council Member Jimenez also spoke on the issue. Jimenez believed that the donation in question should be discussed during budgetary meetings not in a regular city council meeting. The concerns expressed by all City Council Members were all echoed in a request for reimbursement for permit fees from the Habitat for Humanity. Council Member Ver Steeg said that he believed that the fees need to be reimbursed because the city had set a “precedent” in past years. In the end, the council voted 4-3 to approve a donation in the amount of $1,500 for the Agency on Aging and voted 4-3 to waive the permit fees for the Habitat for Humanity.
The Council was again discussing the issue of Franchise Fees. At the last meeting, the issue was tabled until today’s meeting and an Ad-Hoc committee to discuss the issue was formed. The committee made several recommendations including the reduction of the overall franchise fee percentage increase. The committee was recommending that the increase be lowered to a 3% increase for Residential and Commercial and 1.5% for Industrial. The Council voted 7-0 to accept the second reading of the proposed franchise agreement with MidAmerican Energy. The reading, however, did not include a set percent increase in it. According to Mayor Krutzfeldt, the final franchise fee rate increases will be voted on during the third reading of the issue at the October 3rd City Council Meeting.
In other action, the council:
- Unanimously approved a resolution levying special assessment against home owners for lawn/weed cutting violations.
- Unanimously approved a resolution scheduling a public hearing for October 17th, 2011 regarding levying special assessment against home owners for lawn/weed cutting violations.
- Unanimously approved the Preliminary Plat for the Pine Ridge Addition.
- Unanimously approved, with stipulations, the Site Plan for “Tuscany Village” to be located at 1510 Edmundson Drive.
- Unanimously approved a resolution setting a public hearing for October 3rd, 2011 regarding the proposed rezoning of the property at 1212 E Ave East from R-1, Single Family Residential District to R-3, Multiple Family Residential District.4
The next meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council will be on October 3rd, 2011 in the City Council Chambers.
