Boone council approves fee waiver for county radio project, awards CDBG grant administration and passes two ordinances

The Boone City Council at its regular meeting approved a request to waive building fees for the Boone County Public Safety Radio Project, awarded grant-administration work for two Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) applications, set a Dec. 16 public hearing on the sale of city property and passed second readings of two ordinances.

Council action mattered because the fee waiver and the grant-administration contract affect the timeline and budget for public-safety and utility infrastructure projects and because the council set a public hearing to consider the sale of a city parcel at 616 Harrison Street in Boone.

On the most contested item, the council approved a request to waive building permit fees for the Boone County Public Safety Radio Project. Council discussion recorded concern that waiving fees could set a precedent for future requests; a council member said the practice raised policy questions. The council approved the waiver by roll call vote.

The council's utility committee recommended and the council approved awarding grant-administration services for two CDBG grant applications — one for a water ground-reservoir project and one for sewer aerated digester tanks — to Simmering and Quarry. City staff described two proposals: one from MIPA (which offered some grant-writing work at no charge to the city because of membership) and one from Simmering and Quarry. Staff told the council Simmering and Quarry can deploy two crews to do the mandatory community salary/satisfaction survey door-to-door and is likely to meet the March 1 grant-application deadline; staff said an estimated 500 returned surveys are required in a short window. Cost estimates discussed ranged by firm and scope: staff reported that MIPA’s total for both grants would be about $60,850, while Simmering and Quarry’s combined price ranged from about $55,000 to $61,000 depending on final scope. The council approved the award following the committee recommendation.

The council set a public hearing for Dec. 16, 2024, at 6 p.m. to consider the sale of city-owned property at 616 Harrison Street, Boone. The hearing was placed on the calendar by council motion and will be the formal opportunity for public comment on the proposed sale.

On capital projects, the council approved a change order on a roofing project for the water and wastewater plants. City staff said the approved change order reduced the contract price by about $3,063 after the contractor proposed an alternate method approved by the project engineers.

On ordinances, the council approved second readings of Ordinance No. 2314, which changes the boundary for precinct 2 pursuant to Iowa Code section 49.82, and Ordinance No. 2315; both passed on roll-call votes.

In other business taken on the consent agenda, council members discussed a pending alcohol license for a Circle K location and noted the new owner has committed to repairing or reinstalling an on-site restroom; staff said the work must be completed before the next renewal. The council also approved a staff request to apply for recreation and community enrichment grants from the Boone County Foundation to cover startup programming (equipment and supplies), and council members heard department reports including completion of recent sanitary manhole repairs and an update that adverse ground conditions may prevent installation of the seasonal ice rink this year.

The council did not adopt any additional policy language during the meeting; staff were directed to proceed with the awarded contracts and to publish notice of the Dec. 16 public hearing as required. The council also heard reminders about upcoming events including a light parade and goal-setting session.

Looking ahead, the council will consider public input at the Dec. 16 hearing on the Harrison Street parcel; staff will proceed with grant administration under the awarded contract and return to council with any required contract documents or budget amendments if needed.