Votes at a glance: Decorah City Council approves consent agenda, $10,000 Sunflower pledge and Keraco pool-chemicals contract

The Decorah City Council approved multiple consent-agenda items, unanimously authorized a $10,000 contribution to Sunflower for a discovery-center water table, and approved a multi-year pool-chemicals, equipment and operations contract with Keraco.

Consent agenda: The consent agenda bundled several routine items and passed on a roll-call vote. Items listed in staff’s briefing included: A) minutes of the Dec. 16 and Dec. 23, 2024 council meetings; B) claims; C) appointment of Jeff Clement as fire chief, Mike Aschbager (appears in transcript as Aschbagger/Aschbager) as first assistant chief and Kyle Kohls as second assistant chief per City Code 2.14.020; D) designation of the Decorah Leader as the official newspaper for the City of Decorah; E) renewal of a class C retail alcohol license with outdoor service and catering for Hotel Winneshiek; F) renewal of a special class C retail alcohol license for Mabe's Pizza; and G) a tax-abatement remodel at 1309 Mossman Drive. Motion to approve the consent agenda was made by Councilmember Olson and seconded by Councilmember Zittergruen; roll call as recorded in the transcript showed all voting “aye,” and the motion carried.

Sunflower pledge: The council considered a request tied to the sustainability commission’s earlier recommendation for a $10,000 annual pledge to support a water-display table at the Sunflower Child Care and Discovery Center. Staff said the sustainability commission had previously advised the council that the commission could not itself authorize a five-year pledge and instructed Sunflower to request annual approval. Councilmember Olson moved approval and Councilmember Zittergruen seconded; recorded roll call votes in the transcript list all members as voting “aye” and the motion carried. Staff noted Sunflower remained roughly $73,000 short of its stated fundraising goal.

Pool-chemicals contract: Parks and Recreation staff recommended switching the pool chemical vendor and system to Keraco after using calcium-based pulsar briquettes in the 2024 season. Staff presented 2024 supply totals of $18,537.88 for the incumbent vendor (recorded in the staff report with varying spellings in the transcript) plus $1,026.50 for briquettes from Keraco, for a total of about $19,384. Staff said a proposed Keraco contract would provide equipment, maintenance and operations assistance for 2025 at a first-year cost of $15,500 for annual charges plus a $1,000 one-time installation and a $400 seasonal delivery fee (total $16,900 for the first year). The 2026 season was quoted in the staff briefing at roughly $15,900. Staff listed operational benefits including longer shelf life for briquettes, lower calcium-related wear on pipes, and additional technical support and training from Keraco staff. The Board of Park Commissioners recommended approval. Councilmember Chisel moved approval and Councilmember Neal seconded; recorded roll call votes in the transcript show all voting “aye” and the motion carried.

What the votes mean: No council motions recorded in the transcript were defeated or tabled. The appointments in the consent agenda were made per City Code 2.14.020. Staff and council discussion on the Sunflower request clarified that the sustainability commission recommended annual council approval and that the commission has a budget allocation from electric-franchise-fee revenues but does not have authority to commit a five-year pledge without council action.

Items noted but not decided: Council paused on, and extensively discussed, Hively Street–College Drive intersection concepts; the council directed a WHKS camera count and agreed to consider pilot tests such as signal bagging pending the data (see separate coverage). A scheduling item to invite state legislators for a discussion on the legislative session and property-tax issues was also discussed; staff was asked to reach out to lawmakers about possible Saturday-morning availability.