The town of Iowa is seeing an improvement in its water and wastewater department’s bottom line, according to a report given at the Monday council meeting.
Water metering has helped, said Town Clerk Cindy Mallet, who gave the report; hwever, reductions in labor and chemical expenses were also responsible for the $200,000 in the account. In the past, this account has operated in the red.
Next month looks even better for that fund, as the town has finally received a settlement from its insurance company to help reimburse the funds put out to make repairs to the oxidation pond after the hurricanes. Sadly, the settlement did not cover the full cost of repairs, Mallet said in a phone conversation Tuesday with the American Press.
About midway through the meeting, Mayor Neal Watkins made a motion to adjourn, a move that mirrored the frustration of the public, administration and council at a previous special meeting.
His motion came after some residents in attendance raised their hands to ask questions and/or started asking questions over each other about items not on the agenda.
“If the council wishes to continue, that’s up to them,” Watkins said.
Hearing from the public
According to the laws that govern the Iowa Council meeting, the public is permitted to talk about agenda items during the “public hearing” stage.
The approval or disapproval of an ordinance involves a three-stage process. An ordinance is introduced at one meeting. It’s voted on at the next monthly meeting, and at that same meeting, the Council “hears” from the public regarding the agenda item. Municipalities are required to post their agendas ahead of time.
“In the past, we had a place for public comment as the final item on the agenda,” said Mallet, but that led to two, two-and-a-half hour meetings.”
Watkins made clear his willingness to talk about off-topic questions in person, but judging by the public’s reaction, his offer appeared to be perceived as a lack of transparency.
A couple of off-agenda questions were answered at the meeting. One concerned parks and recreation, and came from a resident who has lived in Iowa since the age of 12 and raised her children there. The retired teacher wanted to know about the Council’s decision to buy a food trailer instead of rebuilding a concession stand, which she said operated successfully for many years.
Before the hurricanes, the concession stand was due for repairs, Mallet filled in after the meeting. The hurricane finished it off and like other municipalities, recovery has been slow due to insurance claim challenges, a time-consuming process before being considered for FEMA funds and difficulty in getting qualified contractors to perform the work. Iowa residents are eager for the complex to take shape.
The resident suggested the food trailer would be more costly than a concession stand because of its specialized needs and maintenance costs.
Watkins and Councilman Daniel Hennigan supplied their reasoning for the purchase after Hennigan made a motion that would allow discussion.
The trailer, and the possibility of obtaining a restroom trailer, they said, would give them flexibility as it will take some time to finalize and finance the kind of new ball field and amenities to serve future generations.
Another response from the mayor cleared up why the agenda didn’t include discussion of the Police Department budget. Watkins said he is waiting to have an in-person discussion with the chief about their differences. Chief Howard “Keith” Vincent, said he welcomed the opportunity and announced that Iowa would celebrate its National Night Out event Aug. 2.
Also at the Monday meeting, Council wound its way through the necessary legal rigmarole that will place The Old Spanish Trail economic development tax district on the agenda next month. Mallet explained. “It is up for adoption at the next meeting to rescind the prior ordinances that created the district and created the sales tax to fund economic development.”
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