Musco Plans Expansion Along 11th Avenue West
Logan Nord was sworn in as Oskaloosa’s newest police officer during Monday’s city council meeting.
Sewer rates set to increase in 2019
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council approved a site plan for the expansion of a Musco facility at 1111 11th Avenue West at their Monday meeting.
The existing building is 32,000 square feet and the proposed expansion is 49,000 square feet for a total building structure of 81,000 square feet.
The site plan was approved on a 5-0 vote, with council members Doug Yates and Bob Drost abstaining their votes due to their positions within Musco.
A six-foot privacy fence will be installed in areas to provide a buffer from the residential areas and the expanded facility.
The first reading of an ordinance amending Oskaloosa Municipal Code, Chapter 13.08 which sets the user charge for the sanitary sewer system.
The current minimum charge is $15.72 which was set in April of 2018, which was then $13.10. The new minimum rate for March 2019 will be $16.98, or an additional $1.98 for the minimum charge.
The average monthly residential sewer bill today is $48.54 and is expected to increase to $52.42 per month.
Sewer usage has declined, and the average residential customer utilizes 4.37 units of sewer per month, which is down from $4.54.
According to documents provided by the City, “The proposed March 1, 2019 increase is part of the multi-year increase plan that is recommended for the sanitary sewer fund. Increasing rates, as outlined in this agenda, allows the city to meet current financial obligations associated with the operations of the city’s wastewater treatment works, including costly DNR mandated improvements such as inflow and infiltration (I&I), general collection system improvements and treatment plant upgrades.”
The Ordinance passed on a 7-0 by the council to increase sewer rates.
The Council heard from Oskaloosa Police Chief Ben Boeke as he presented information on providing crime statistics mapping.
Boeke is proposing using “Spot Crime,” which is a free service. It would give law enforcement a visual tool to see what is going on within the city to allocate resources.
The map would be open to the public, and Chief Boeke says he believes Oskaloosa doesn’t have anything “to shy away from” making the map and information about crime open for review.
“Putting this out in the public is probably a good thing, so that when people have questions, we can actually refer to the data and show them what’s really going on,” added Boeke.
Council member Doug Yates asked Boeke why a city would shy away from making the data public. Boeke explained that some cities are very embarrassed by their crime problem and their ability to properly affect the crime problem within that community. “I don’t think we have that problem. We have some crime issues. Most of them are really simple to deal with; some of them are a little more long-term.”
Boeke says that data available for the service will be only what the department sends in. Crimes like domestic violence wouldn’t be included, or any type of sex crime. Also, calls for service involving mental health would be omitted.
The council approved a resolution to contract with Area 15 Regional Planning Commission for grant assistance for upper story housing grants. The Iowa Economic Authority is making available two grants in amounts of up to $500,000.00 each.
Approved a resolution authorizing an agreement with HR Green Inc. The EPA released guidelines to apply for Brownfield Program Grants. The city of Oskaloosa has identified properties which still require investigation in order to ensure that human health and the environment are protected. The City is seeking additional federal funding from the EPA to conduct the work, which doesn’t require a local match.
The grant, if awarded, could total $300,000.00, while HR Green’s fee is $6,100.00.
The council approved the purchase of a new 2019 12 Yard Truck Mounted Sewer Cleaner for a total cost of $410,749.28.
There was a second reading of the ordinance Chapter 10.42 and Chapter 10.48 of the Oskaloosa Municipal Code to install a stop sign at the intersection of Kentfield Drive and Orchard Avenue and to restrict on-street parking on Stadium Drive and Kentfield Drive.
