The Jefferson city council, after having contention as recent meetings, had a relatively quiet meeting Nov. 14.
The council moved forward on building two pickleball courts at Russell Park by awarding a contract with Bolton & Menk for engineering services at a cost of $37,000. The new courts will be north of the existing tennis courts.
Park and recreation director Denny Hammen reminded council members they had previously committed $40,000 toward the project. A fundraising committee has raised $30,000 in donations and pledges to day.
The pickleball courts will be completed by next summer, Hammen said.
The council approved a façade grant of $38,360 to David Palmer, doing business as Highland Medical Staffing at 118 E. State St. Total cost of the project is $76,720.
Palmer attended the meeting. He explained that he and his wife started the business in 2017. He said the building will provide a central location for employees and room to conduct classes. Highland Medical Staffing provides staffing to hospitals for nurses and physicians, primarily in Iowa.
City council member Matt Wetrich, who is also Jefferson Matters: Main Street director, said Main Street Iowa staff toured the building. They said work on the building is “a great reinvestment” and that work Palmer plans on the building will preserve it for many decades to come.
The council approved an update of the phone system across all city departments. The current system was installed in the 1980s. It doesn’t support intercom capability and voicemail is unreliable. City administrator Scott Peterson said the monthly cost of the new system will be close to that of the current system. TechZone will install it, at a cost of $200 per drop.
The council approved the third reading of ordinances dealing with connection fees for installation of water service pipes larger than 5/8 inch; zero lot line zoning for duplexes; and front yard setbacks on in-fill lots in older neighborhoods.
The council approved the second reading of ordinances dealing with fence regulations; responsibility for downtown sidewalk; and a 5 percent increase in water rates.
Denny Lautner has shared his opinions during the open forum portion of the meetings. He identified himself as a lifelong Greene County resident. He first suggested the council meeting set up should be changed to make it for those attending the meeting to see council members and their nameplates. He then asked council members if they’re members of Greene County Development Corporation. Harry Ahrenholtz is the only council member on the GCDC board.
According to Lautner, serving on the GCDC board creates a conflict of interest on any votes dealing with the proposed Kading Properties project. “You should put your big boy pants on and abstain when it comes to voting on Kading instead of being a proxy for GCDC,” Lautner said.
Jefferson resident Bryan Helmus also used the open forum to suggest the city should improve the sound system at meetings and update the website to make meeting agendas easier to access.
Mayor Matt Gordon congratulated Wetrich and Chad Sloan for being elected to the council in the Nov. 7 election, and Craig Berry for his election as mayor. Berry was in attendance at the meeting; Sloan was not.
