Jeff council moves toward fees for collecting cardboard for recycle
The Jefferson police department is on its way to full staffing with the hiring of a second patrol officer. The city council approved the hiring and was introduced to new patrol officer Jamie Brenner at its regular meeting Nov. 10.
Brenner graduated from Gilbert High School and pursued nurse’s training at Des Moines Area Community College and North Iowa Area Community College before shifting gears to go into law enforcement.
Her first day on the job was Nov. 13. She will attend the full course at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in January. Her starting annual wage is $43,658.
“We’re excited and looking forward to getting her going,” police chief Mark Clouse told the council. “She’ll be a great addition to our department.”
Brenner is the second police officer hired in two weeks. Bohden Bigler was hired at the Oct. 27 meeting and started work Oct. 30.
With the addition of the two officers, the JPD met the benchmarks set in a 28E agreement with the Greene County sheriff’s office for assistance during a staffing shortage. The agreement will remain in place until the new officers are trained and able to cover all aspects of the job. Chief Clouse has said previously it can take as long as five months to fully onboard a new officer.
Also at the meeting, the council approved the first reading of an ordinance providing for commercial cardboard collection fees.
Public works director Dave Teeples told the council that when the city first started collecting corrugated cardboard for recycling in the 1980s, there was a market for the material, so the city picked it up at no charge. The market is gone and collection is costing the city about $30,000 per year.
The ordinance imposes collection fees for commercial premises where dumpsters are used. The fees are based on the size of the dumpster and range from $4.80 per week to $7.95 per week. For commercial premises without dumpsters, the city will estimate the size of dumpster that would be filled with a given amount of cardboard. Businesses that don’t require a weekly pickup can have cardboard collected as needed for a minimum fee of $20.
The fees are set to be less than what a business would pay to have the cardboard collected as part of its solid waste.
According to Morlan, most cities charge for collecting cardboard.
The council approved change orders, pay requests and certificates of substantial completion for Arch Alley and the Chestnut St water main project, and a change order and pay request for the shared use path on E. Lincoln Way. The council also approved annual appropriations for the payment of rebates on property taxes per development agreements for Lincoln Ridge Estates, $27,000; Briarwood, $3,000; Jefferson Hotel Group (Cobblestone Inn), $101,200; Michael and Miranda Wahl, $19,000; and Jefferson Veterinary Clinic, $14,600. The rebates are an agreed upon percentage of property taxes paid. The amounts approved are payable during the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, 2021.
During the reports portion at the close of the meeting, mayor Matt Gordon said he is looking at providing a Zoom option for council meetings. “It would give people the opportunity to attend our meetings who would like to be at home with our Covid (numbers) coming up. Those that can attend and wear a mask, they can, and those that want to stay at home, we’d have an option,” he said.
He hopes to have that in place for the Nov. 24 meeting.
