Jeff council member abstains on vote on a loan for his business but didn’t abstain from vote to establish the loan program
The Jefferson city council at its April 14 meeting increased the compensation paid to Jefferson volunteer firefighters. Effective July 1, pay for calls and training sessions will increase from $20 to $25 for new members and $30 for members who have completed training to the Firefighter 1 level.
Fire chief Jack Williams told the council that firefighters are required by the state to have 24 hours of training per year, while only 10 hours are required of law enforcement. “It’s getting really hard to find people that are willing to volunteer, knowing that they’re going to have to work at least 24 hours of training every year just to be able to respond to structure fires,” he said.
Williams said a new firefighter must complete 180 hours of training before they can enter a burning structure. Another 24 hours per year of structure fire training is required to keep certified. The department normally has 28 firefighters on its roster, he said. The department now has only 24, and has had as few as 16.
He also asked for increases to the stipends paid to fire department officers due to the increased workload created by more government reporting. Williams said the last increase in pay for calls was eight or 10 years ago, and that officer pay actually decreased 16 years ago.
The increases to pay were approved, as well as increases to the annual pay for officers.
The council approved an amendment to the agreement for a loan from the federally funded state revolving fund (SRF) to accept $1 million in loan forgiveness now that the wastewater treatment project is complete. The city incurred more than $18 million in SRF debt for the recently completed project. The total debt is now reduced by $1 million.
City administrator Scott Peterson described the loan forgiveness as “very good news.”
The council approved a $75,000 forgivable loan for Dan Owens for work on the building at 600 E. Lincoln Way, most recently The Sanctuary. Owens plans to renovate the building to house a pair of new business – one that installs spray-foam insulation, and another that installs custom gutters. Owens’ total investment in the building will be more than $250,000.
The council also approved a $75,000 forgivable loan for council member Chad Sloan for the construction of a new storage building for his plumbing and heating company. The storage space will be off-site from his business location.
The council’s downtown buildings committee usually reviews applications for the forgivable loans. Sloan serves on that committee, so the application was considered by the council’s finance committee. Sloan abstained from the vote on a resolution approving the loan.
He did not, however, abstain from the vote that established the forgivable loan program.
Sloan became owner of the property north of the former A&W restaurant in August 2019.
The forgivable loans were established in 2025 when E. Lincoln Way from Cedar St east to the city limits was named an urban renewal district, allowing the creation of an incentive an program funded with tax increment financing (TIF) funds.
Sloan voted against a motion at the May 17, 2025, council meeting to set a public hearing to amend the city’s urban renewal plan accordingly. His was the only no vote.
Following the public hearing June 10, Sloan voted in favor of that portion of E. Lincoln Way being designated as an urban renewal area, allowing for TIF financing to be used to fund the forgivable loan program. A storm water drainage project is also under consideration for the E. Lincoln Way urban renewal district, with a cost not to exceed $500,000. Bolton & Menk is completing a study of that drainage district and will have a report ready in early June. Sloan has asked frequently about the drainage issues, not stating that he owns property in the district.
