Cascade Council approves internal fund transfers, buys new GIS system; proclaims EMS Week

Cascade City Council on May 12 approved several routine but operationally important items: a resolution authorizing internal transfers for fiscal year 2025, a resolution to purchase a new subsurface GIS system for utility mapping, and a mayoral proclamation designating Emergency Medical Services Week.

On financial housekeeping, the council approved Resolution No. 47-25 authorizing the city clerk to transfer funds for fiscal year 2025 for the debt levy and other internal transfers. Councilmember Delaney moved to approve the resolution and Councilmember Oliphant seconded. The resolution passed by roll call; the vote was recorded as unanimous.

The council also considered Resolution No. 48-25 to authorize purchase of a new GIS system (described in the meeting as a “subsurface solutions GIS system”). Public works staff described the system as user-friendly, able to add and remove information “layers” such as water lines and valves without per-layer fees, and as including training for staff. Staff said the system would let crews view water mains, sewer lines and storm inlets on mobile devices in the field and would reduce reliance on an external vendor for map updates. The council discussed interoperability: staff said other local utilities and some cities (Bellevue, Dubuque, Des Moines and a rural water district) already use or are considering the same system, and that utilities would be able to view each other’s layers without editing access. A motion to approve the purchase was made by Councilmember Oliphant and seconded by Councilmember Hush; the motion passed by roll call.

Mayor Steve Napra read a proclamation designating the week of May 2025 as Emergency Medical Services Week, thanking EMTs, paramedics and volunteers for their service. In his proclamation Napra said, in part, “I, Steve Napra, mayor of Cascade, Iowa, in recognition of this event, do hereby proclaim the week of May 2025 as Emergency Medical Services Week.” The mayor and council members publicly thanked local EMS personnel and encouraged residents to observe the week.

Earlier in the meeting the council approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from the April 28 council meeting and several departmental items. Among consent items discussed were a Visa invoice for $2,755.35, a Premier window-cleaning invoice for $880 (described as a biannual service for the library) and a vinyl wall covering for the silo interior estimated at about $2,400.

No specific purchase prices for the GIS system or detailed funding sources were included in the resolution motion recorded in the minutes; staff said the system would save time and allow the city to add layers without per-layer charges. All three formal actions — the internal transfers, the GIS purchase and the EMS proclamation — were recorded as approved.