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Votes at a glance: major outcomes from the Decorah council meeting
Summary
Council votes and formal actions included: restoration of downtown signals (5–2), rejection of a public hearing on Amazon 'hub' zoning (unanimous), approval of an 18‑ft minimum house width ordinance, stop‑sign installation at Julian/Monroe, water/sewer billing changes, Human Rights Commission code amendments (5–2), one‑year audit contract approval, issuance of FY27 downtown grant notice, and a $10,000 increase for the street superintendent.
The Decorah City Council recorded the following formal decisions at the meeting (action, brief detail, result):
1) Restore downtown traffic signals — Motion to revert Water Street signals back to red/yellow/green passed 5–2 (yes: Neil, Parker, Miss Lynch, Chisel, Whittle; no: Bergen, Zitigrin). Council directed staff to monitor queuing and safety after reactivation.
2) Amazon/last‑mile delivery (Item H) — Motion to set a public hearing on PNZ’s recommended C3 zoning amendment failed unanimously (0–7); council requested a joint PNZ/council work session to consider a downtown overlay and refined criteria.
3) Residential minimum lot width ordinance (Title 17) — Council approved a first reading to reduce minimum widths for principal residential buildings from 24 ft to 18 ft in residential districts (unanimous), with proponents noting potential for narrow homes/tiny‑home options.
4) Traffic control resolution — Council approved stop signs at the Julian/Monroe/Hiveley intersection (unanimous) and confirmed thermoplastic stop bars and crosswalks were installed.
5) Water/sewer code amendments (Title 13) — Council approved changes to switch billing units to gallons, implement monthly billing citywide, and add an optional paper invoice fee (unanimous on second reading; final notice to be observed).
6) Human Rights Commission code changes — Council adopted amendments required by Senate File 579 / related state law; the measure passed 5–2 (two dissenting votes recorded), removing some locally expanded protected categories to align with state preemption.
7) Audit services (Hacker Nelson) — Council approved a one‑year contract at the first‑year price and authorized staff to negotiate options for years two and three (unanimous). Council noted caution about multi‑year escalator clauses.
8) Downtown economic development grant program (FY27) — Council approved issuance of an application notice for the FY27 round (budgeted $150,000); staff noted program may be re‑evaluated next year depending on property‑tax law impacts (unanimous).
9) Street superintendent salary adjustment — Council approved a $10,000 within‑scale increase for the street superintendent to reflect added yardway responsibilities (unanimous).
These votes reflect a mix of operational fixes, zoning and code changes, and direction to staff for additional policy work.
