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Laurens City Council hires firefighter, appoints administrative police chief and sets property tax hearing
Summary
At its Feb. 17 meeting the Laurens City Council approved hiring Dillon Halder as a firefighter, appointed Alex Leu as police chief for administrative duties pending ILEA approval, approved an amended 28E with Moville, and set the property tax levy public hearing for April 7 at 4:45 p.m.
The Laurens City Council on Feb. 17, 2025, approved several personnel and procedural actions, including hiring a firefighter, appointing a police chief for administrative duties pending ILEA approval, and setting a public hearing on the city's property tax levy.
Mayor Pro Tem John Jamison called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Council member Loren Booth moved to approve the consent agenda, which included amended minutes from Feb. 3 and the claims list; Council member Aaron Christenson seconded and the motion carried with all ayes. The claims list presented to the council totaled $37,694.60, and the payroll total was $19,725.37, producing a paid total of $57,419.97 for the meeting.
Council member Loren Booth moved to hire Dillon Halder as a city firefighter; Hannah Zylstra seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Booth also moved to approve an amended 28E agreement with the City of Moville to provide an Inspector/Code Enforcement official; Jean Swanson seconded and the motion carried with all ayes.
Jean Swanson moved to set a public hearing on the property tax levy for April 7 at 4:45 p.m.; Aaron Christenson seconded and the motion carried. The council said the hearing will provide the public an opportunity to comment before the levy is finalized.
After discussion about administrative staffing in public safety, Booth moved to approve Alex Leu as police chief for administrative services only — not in connection with the Pocahontas Police Department — pending approval from ILEA, with the city to track hours; Zylstra seconded and the motion carried with all ayes. The council did not provide additional detail about salary or hours in the meeting record.
Staff provided an update on the ambulance; the packet referenced a notice in the newspaper about optimization of an ambulance stored in Laurens, and no council members asked follow-up questions. There were no discussions or decisions regarding the pool project during the meeting.
Council member Hannah Zylstra moved to adjourn at 5:58 p.m.; Loren Booth seconded and the motion carried. The minutes were signed by Mayor Pro Tem John Jamison and Hilary Reed.
