The Jefferson city council hopes a developer will build upscale housing on N. Wilson Ave southeast of HyVee. The council at its Jan. 24 meeting approved the purchase of an abandoned house at 105 E. Adams St at a cost of $25,000. Cost to raze the house will be $10-$12,000, not including any necessary asbestos abatement, city building/zoning officer Chad Stevens said.
The property is adjacent to property at 307 N. Wilson the city purchased last May for $5,000, almost half of which went to pay past due property taxes.
The county assessor’s website names Johnson & Sons Inc as owner of the Adams St property. Assessed value is $44,200. The house was built in 1910.
According to Stevens, the house has not had water service since 2007, and there’s a hole the size of a basketball in the roof.
The city intends to combine the two lots for future development which, according to Stevens, justifies the higher purchase price.
“It’s a win-win. We eliminate another nuisance property, and we increase the size of the existing lot, making it even more attractive for future development,” Stevens said.
“This would be a continuous property…. From my viewpoint, with the frontage that that provides, its proximity to (McFarland) Clinic and HyVee, to downtown, I think it’s a prime site for some more upscale rental type units,” council member Harry Ahrenholtz said.
Council member Dave Sloan said he was uncomfortable spending so much for the property. “We’re going to have a whole lot of money into that corner,” he said.
City attorney David Morain responded to a question from the media about condemning the property rather than purchasing it. Morain said condemnation is a court process that can take up to a year. Legal expenses can be costly and there’s no guarantee of ‘winning.’ He called purchasing the property “buying a win.”
The city has funds for the purchase from a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) grant received several years ago. Several houses were razed and the funds from selling the lots were put back into that NSP fund.
The council approved purchase of the house by a 4-1 vote, with Sloan voting against the motion and Ahrenholtz, Matt Wetrich, Pat Zmolek and Darren Jackson voting for it.
The council also split the vote on a motion to move forward with drafting an amendment to a city ordinance to allow operation of ATVs on city streets.
City resident Tim Pound had twice asked the council to consider amending the ordinance since state law regarding ATVs has changed.
Almost as if scripted, Sloan made the motion to draft an amendment; Jackson seconded it. The motion was defeated with no discussion. Sloan and Jackson voted ‘yes’ and Ahrenholtz, Wetrich and Zmolek voted ‘no.’
The council held a public hearing on the maximum tax levy as required by law. The portion of the levy rate covered by the law will increase 1.56 percent, meaning the council can approve it by a simple majority, not a super majority. The draft budget developed by city staff and the council’s finance committee shows a total combined levy rate of $15.33 (per thousand dollars of taxable valuation), increased from $15.32 in the current year (ending June 30, 29023).
City administrator Mike Palmer explained that total valuations have dropped due to rollbacks in commercial valuations. Over the last several years, commercial valuations have decreased $8-$10 million, he said. “That’s a lot of money. There will be decisions to be made in the future about what we can afford and what we can’t,” Palmer said. “That’s not exclusive to Jefferson, either.”
Now that the new Greene County Animal Shelter is open, the council approved the first reading of an ordinance establishing a board to oversee operations and develop policy. The seven-member board will include two residents of Jefferson, one licensed veterinarian, one Jefferson city council member and one county supervisor, and one person representing the Jefferson police department, all of whom are appointed or nominated by the mayor; and one person nominated by People for Animal Welfare Society. All seven members will be confirmed by the city council.
The board is to report quarterly to the city council.
The council approved an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation and Greene County to accept $1.5 million for replacement of the Jackson bridge on S. Grimmell Rd west of Daubendiek Park. Total cost of the project is $3.4 million. Palmer told the council county engineer Wade Weiss will take the lead on the project and find the needed funding. “It’s pretty good news when you get the money and have the county engineer put more money in and run the project,” Palmer said.
“Wade … said this is probably more valuable to the county than it really is to the city…. They’re going to pay the lion’s share of the cost,” Ahrenholtz said.
The existing bridge was built in 1947 and has a 24-foot deck. National Bridge Inventory data lists it in poor condition due to superstructure deterioration. It is the only “poor” river bridge in the county.
The new bridge would have a 32-foot deck.
Karla Janning of Region XII reported that construction work on the six upper-story apartments at 123 N. Chestnut St (formerly Ace Hardware) is 50 percent complete, with April 30 as the projected date for substantial completion.
The council approved plans and specifications for work on the front entrance to city hall. Cost is estimated at $95,000, with substantial completion at the end of September. Bids on the project will be considered at the Feb. 14 meeting.
