The Jefferson city council at its Sept. 13 meeting approved disbursing $26,000 in hotel/motel tax funds. Six organizations applied for a total of $59,000.
The largest grant, $8,850, will go to VFW Post 9599 for the Freedom Rock.
The Bell Tower Community Foundation will receive $8,150 for billboard advertising for the bell tower.
Jefferson Matters: Main Street will receive funds for two projects – $5,000 to use as matching funds for a statewide Main Street challenge grant for technical assistance in developing a Jefferson “brand” and wayfinding signage, and $500 to advertise the new Prosper Jefferson mobile app.
Greene County Development Corporation will receive $2,500 for a billboard it provides to RVP~1875.
The Kiwanis Club of Jefferson will receive $1,000 for advertising for the motorcycle event at the Bell Tower Festival.
The Jefferson Matters applications and the Bell Tower Foundation application were the only applications to receive full funding.
The funds represent Tier 3 in the council’s new three-tiered policy for disbursing the money generated by a 7 percent tax on hotel/motel rooms rented in the city of Jefferson. Tier 3 is all funds over and above $50,000 collected on an annual basis. Tier 1 – $30,000 – is reserved for the Greene County Chamber of Commerce.
Tier 2 – $20,000 – is reserved for Thomas Jefferson Gardens for use at the interpretive/welcome center there.
A committee of four recommended the disbursements to the full council. Serving on the committee were mayor Craig Berry, council members Larry Teeples and Gary Von Ahsen, and city administrator Mike Palmer. Palmer is a member of the Jefferson Matters board and Berry serves as the city representative on that board.
The Chamber also applied for Tier 3 funding, as allowed under the policy. It received no funding.
In other business, the council approved the first reading of an ordinance to eliminate voting wards. The council accepted the low bid of Kingston Services LLC of Des Moines in the amount of $235,504 for a 2017 paving project. The engineer’s pre-bid estimate for the job was $237,964. The council approved posting a request for proposals for redevelopment of 111 E. Lincoln Way (formerly Linda’s Fashions), appointed Kevin Devilbiss to the board of adjustment and appeals to fill a seat vacated by Lee Sloan; and approved a payment of $2,800 to Iowa Codification for an update of the city code of ordinances.
