Rothsay City Council approves routine business, schedules preliminary 2025 budget meeting and holds closed session on property purchase

The Rothsay City Council met Aug. 7, 2024, at Rothsay City Hall. Mayor Joseph Tillman called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m., and the council approved the agenda, July minutes and accounts payable/receivable. The meeting included routine committee reports, several permit approvals and a closed-session discussion about a commercial property purchase.

The council set a preliminary budget meeting for 6 p.m. on Aug. 20 to begin planning for the 2025 budget year. Council members discussed broad budget planning ideas during the meeting; no formal budget action was taken at this session.

City Clerk/Treasurer Amanda Kuschel reported receipt of the first Local Government Aid payment of $78,594.00 and a Small Cities Assist payment of $13,289.00. Kuschel also noted additional fire-department billing was still being processed. The minutes record approval of a Pheasants Forever gambling permit and a separate motion authorizing the clerk to sign non-profit gambling permits; both motions were recorded as "Carried." The minutes do not include roll-call vote tallies for those motions.

Parks and recreation business included approval for Public Works staff and the city clerk to determine the timing of the next aerial mosquito application (motion recorded as carried). Council also directed staff to level the old ice rink when weather allows.

Under employee reports, Jordan Barry reported plans to bring a proposed five-year inspection contract for the REC to the budget meeting, to seek additional bids on lift-station pipe repairs, and to pursue backup plans for power outages. Eric Larson asked the clerk to send a letter to a resident about diseased trees. Recreation staff reported 147 active fitness members and two August events; volleyball practice will begin in August.

New business included a brief note that the trust account had no update. A purchase agreement for commercial property was added to the agenda, and the meeting was closed to the public at 8:40 p.m. to discuss that item; the minutes do not disclose details of the closed-session discussion.

The meeting adjourned at 9:37 p.m. on a motion by Shane Balken, seconded by Dana Holland Jr., which the minutes list as carried.

(For the record, the minutes open and close with the printed line: "The City of Rothsay is an equal opportunity employer and provider.")