Zoning And Sewer Rate Changes Debated By Council
Oskaloosa City Hall
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council was faced with a decision that pitted a local hospital against the neighborhood it resides in.
The discussion involved a proposed zoning change on three properties near Mahaska Health Partnership, going from R1 to R3. This change would put the three acquired properties zoned the same as the existing properties owned by the hospital.
Area property owners started a petition to oppose the zoning changes, concerned that if expansion were to happen, it would negatively impact their neighborhood and home values.
The three properties considered in the proposed zoning change are located at 416 North 11th Street, 1201 C Avenue East and 1265 C Avenue East.
Jason Van Zetten, resident at 423 North Park asked the Oskaloosa City Council to hold the vote that evening in regards to the request for rezoning.
“I know several of us, in the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars, have made reinvestment in the fact that we’re going to believe that your zoning laws and your zoning plan is going to stay intact,” said Van Zetten to the council. “That’s what we’d like to see.”
Jay Christensen, CEO of Mahaska Health Partnership, told the council in the public comment section of the hearing, “We’re trying to get consistency of zoning throughout our property. It’s what you would grant anyone else that had made purchases in such a situation.”
“We’ve had a lot of conversations with neighbors. Some of them really pleasant. Some of them obviously not as much,” added Christensen.
“We’ve listened. We’ve heard. We’ve asked a lot of questions and our board would like an opportunity to have a meeting, to talk about it, and then extend the time that we could visit, as a board, with neighbors talking specifically about what the intents are of those properties,” explained Christensen of why the hospital was asking for an extension of time before the council voted on the rezoning measure.
Before the council voted on the rezoning of the three lots, Steve Burnett, a councilmemeber and resident of the area spoke about the situation.
“I live in this neighborhood,” said Burnett. “I look at the hospital. So it’s not in my back yard, it’s in my front yard. We knew it when we moved in… and quite frankly we chose that neighborhood because the hospital was there.”
The council was advised by city attorney David Dixon that the council will need to pass the rezoning by a super majority vote because over 20% of the adjoing property owners were not in favor of the rezoning.
All three lots failed to pass the council with super majority, and were not rezoned to R-3 from R-1.
Also passed was the ballot language for the City of Oskaloosa and the potential usage of the one cent sales tax. The language if adopted by voters would see 75% of the funds towards an early childhood development and recreation center, with the remaining 25% used for roads in Oskaloosa.
The measure passed with Ver Steeg being the dissenting vote.
An ordinance revising user charges for the City of Oskaloosa by 25 percent was brought before the council.
Effective April 1, 2016 user charges shall be as follows:
The minimum charge for all contributors shall be $32.73 per calendar quarter, or $10.91 per month. In addition each contributor shall pay a user charge rate for operation and maintenance including replacement and for debt retirement of $5.21 per one hundred cubic feet of water.
The measure unanimously passed the council.
