City engineer Jim Leiding of Bolton & Menk used his time at the Sept. 23 Jefferson city council meeting to remind residents of an upcoming informational open house about the proposed sidewalk project on the west side of Jefferson.
The project calls for sidewalks along one side of W. Lincoln Way west of Grimmell Rd, on Westwood Drive, and on Grimmell between Lincoln Way and Westwood.
The open house is slated for Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 7 to 8:30 pm at Abundant Life Ministries, located at 1308 W. Lincoln Way. A presentation will be given by project staff and attendees will have the opportunity to view preliminary plans and ask questions. If the project is approved, construction is anticipated to begin next summer.
Greene County Development Corporation executive director Greg Piklapp, who serves GCDC through an agreement with Ames Regional Economic Alliance, updated the council on his activities. He said hundreds of people toured The Jeffersonian at an open house two weeks earlier.
The sale of the former Fareway building to Midwest Missions has been completed, he also reported.
There were no items of new business on the agenda. The consent agenda including appointing Kelley Gray and Tracy Deal to the park and recreation commission for terms ending Dec. 31, 2028.
Jefferson resident Russ Gettler spoke during the open forum, noting that the valuation of the 1921 Jefferson school building was reduced from $1.9 million in 2014 to $160,000 in 2025. He alleged the change in valuation was to allow the city to collect more through tax increment financing on the renovation of the building to the Jeffersonian apartments. He urged the council to “stop giving away tax collars for someone else’s personal growth,” and suggested that businesses be given only a 3-year tax abatement rather than a 10-year abatement. He said providing a developer both a tax abatement and TIF financing is “double-dipping.”
“If you truly want to see our taxes go down, we need to stop spending tax dollars foolishly,” Gettler said. Mayor Craig Berry asked Gettler if he had talked with other taxing entities about their tax rates, and then noted that while other levy rates have increased, the city’s levy rate has not. Property taxes have increased because assessed values have increased, and that is controlled by the county assessor, not the city council.
