Franchise Fee Discussion To Reappear At City Council

Oskaloosa City Hall

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council passed the first step to reintroduce the discussion and adoption of a 2% increase to the franchise fee for Oskaloosa.

In order for the item to be brought back before the council, one of the council members who voted against the resolution had to request it be brought back for consideration. Scotty Moore is that council member. She was a deciding factor in the 4-3 vote on the final reading the last time around, which ended the Franchise Fee resolution.

Councilmember Jason Van Zetten was the only no vote from the council on bringing the resolution back for consideration.

November 3rd will be the public hearing on the proposed increase to the franchise fee, and the first of three readings on the proposed fee. Along with that, there will also be a public hearing on the revenue purpose statement. That statement directs the city on how the funds will be used, such as: roads, infrastructure or public safety.

During the last proceeding it was estimated that the city would bring in approximately $290,000 annually from the fee, but the newest estimates say that total could be higher.

The issue of looking for savings was also discussed, and councilmembers agreed that that needs to be a step in the process. “It’s going to take awhile, but somewhere in this length of time, are we going to look at the cost saving possible measures we’ve talked about?” asked Councilmember Tom Walling. “To me, that’s part of this discussion.”

Oskaloosa City Council will be back in session on October 20th, at 6pm in the City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall.