Boone council approves I&I Phase 7, alley vacate, tax abatements and multiple resolutions

Boone City Council approved a package of items including authorization to proceed with I&I Phase 7 of the city’s sump-pump/sewer program, an alley vacation request, 2024 tax abatement applications, and multiple resolutions for grants, hiring and an intergovernmental settlement.

I&I Phase 7 The council approved Phase 7 of the city’s sump-pump inspection/repair program. Public works staff said Phase 7 covers a densely populated area bounded by Story Street (west), South Jackson (east) up to the middle school, and Park Avenue to the south. The project was budgeted at about $125,000; staff reported the selected scope came in roughly $106,000 under that budget and recommended moving forward. Council approved the motion to proceed; staff said completing these phases sooner could allow the city to finish remaining phases in two to three years if additional funding is allocated.

Alley vacate A request to vacate a north–south unimproved alley near 1216 West 5th was approved after staff and planning and zoning recommended vacating the alley. Staff noted the alley is unimproved and that one neighbor (423 Franklin) wrote a letter opposing the vacation citing access concerns; staff reported the aldermanic parcel and other portions of that right-of-way had previously been vacated. The council voted to approve the alley vacation on roll call.

2024 tax abatements Council approved the 2024 tax-abatement applications: 14 residential applications and one commercial application. Staff said the residential projects total a little more than $2.0 million in valuation and the commercial application valued about $1.3 million, for a combined $3.3 million in improvements. City staff explained residential applicants are eligible for 100% abatement on the first $75,000 of improvements for five years; commercial projects receive 100% of actual value for three years and must enter into a minimum-assessment agreement per recent law changes. Council approved the resolution to adopt the abatements.

Resolutions and other approvals - Resolution 3325: Council approved hiring for a public-works position. Staff introduced Jared Briggs as the selected hire; Briggs’ start date was listed as Feb. 3. - Resolution 3321: Staff requested permission to apply for a state grant offering up to $15,000 for removal of aging underground fuel storage tanks; council approved moving forward with the application. Staff said the city budgeted for tank removal but is seeking available grant dollars to offset costs. - Resolution 3322: Council authorized execution of a supplemental settlement agreement with the Boone County Board of Supervisors as trustees of Drainage District No. 137, resolving earlier litigation and replacing a prior proposed $150,000 remediation that staff said could be more efficiently handled through maintenance. - Resolution 3323: Council authorized the city’s agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation related to a RISE grant for the Hancock extension project. Staff described the grant as just over $3.0 million and referenced an amount of about $756,383 tied to the city’s share or project accounting in the packet materials.

How the council voted Roll calls on the consent and individual motions showed affirmative votes from the members present; meeting roll-call sequences recorded multiple “yes” responses and no recorded nos on the listed items.

Why it matters: the I&I program and alley vacations affect sewer capacity, neighborhood access and property owners directly; the tax abatements and grant actions affect development incentives and capital funding. The drainage settlement closes long‑running litigation and reallocates responsibility for remediation work to maintenance activities.

Ending: staff will proceed with contract, grant and hiring steps as authorized and return to the council with follow-up information as projects proceed.