Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Actions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lamont council accepts roadwork pricing, approves FY24 levy ceiling and advances nuisance ordinance
Summary
At its Feb. 8 meeting the Lamont City Council adopted a roadwork pricing resolution, approved the maximum property-tax levy for the FY24 budget, approved a first reading of an ordinance raising nuisance penalties, and completed several personnel motions, including fire-department changes.
The Lamont City Council on Feb. 8 adopted multiple measures affecting roads, taxes and local code enforcement.
At the start of the meeting Mayor Mary Ann Dozark called the regular session to order and the council unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included payroll and a list of vendor payments and month-end receipts and expenditures. City Clerk Paula J. Harvey read the itemized payroll and bills and provided fund totals for January.
The council then accepted a 2023 pricing proposal from Prairie Road Builders for seal coat and surface patching and adopted that action as Resolution 23-06. Randy Kramer of Prairie Road Builders presented tiered per-square-yard seal-coat pricing and a $285-per-ton cold-mix patching price; Councilmember Devlin moved to accept the proposal and Councilmember Lincoln seconded; the motion carried with all ayes.
In a public hearing on the proposed FY24 property-tax levy, Mayor Dozark opened the hearing and recorded that no one appeared for or against the proposal and that no written comments had been received. After closing the hearing the council voted to approve the maximum tax dollars from certain levies for the city's proposed FY24 budget; the motion (adopted as Resolution 23-07) was recorded with ayes from Slack, Devlin, Lincoln and Lamphier.
The council also advanced Ordinance #109 with a first reading to add penalties to Nuisance Abatement Chapter 50.05(1). Under the proposed ordinance, after a Notice to Abate: a first offense (after a 21-day grace period) would carry a $200 penalty; a second or repeat offense (after an additional seven-day grace period) would carry a $250 penalty; and a third and subsequent offense would carry a $300 penalty. At the third offense the ordinance authorizes the City of Lamont to take legal action to abate the property and charge $100 per hour, per worker, to clean up and rectify the nuisance. The first reading was approved unanimously.
On personnel matters, the clerk reported that the fire department had two medical calls since the prior meeting. The council was informed that Mike Graham declined an offer for Public Works Director after one day on the job; the council moved to offer the Public Works Director position to Applicant #4 and, if that applicant is not interested, to re-advertise the position. The council accepted the resignation of John Cook as fire chief effective Jan. 11, 2023, then moved to elect John Cook as fire chief effective Feb. 8, 2023. The membership application of Noah Timmerman was approved.
The council set a budget hearing for March 8, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. by adopting Resolution 23-08 and then adjourned at 8:37 p.m.
What happens next: Ordinance #109 will require additional readings before final adoption; the FY24 levy action sets the maximum levy dollars for the budget process, which returns to the council at the March budget hearing. The Public Works Director appointment remains contingent on Applicant #4's acceptance.
