Sigourney council approves $15,000 contribution to pursue IEDA remediation grant for 119 East Marion

The Sigourney City Council on July 16 authorized a letter of intent and approved a $15,000 city contribution to support an Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Community Catalyst and Building Remediation Emergency Grant application for 119 East Marion Street.

The finance committee reported a remediation budget of about $175,000 for the building’s upper-story apartments, with IEDA indicating it would potentially support roughly half the cost and had signaled interest in a possible $100,000 catalyst award if the local match is committed. Council member Iosbaker said the property owner prepared the restoration budget and IEDA viewed it favorably.

The council voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to sign the letter of intent and to provide a $15,000 in‑kind contribution from LOSST funds to help secure the grant. Council member Conrad moved the funding motion, and Council member Iosbaker seconded.

Council member Clark raised concerns about fairness and recalled prior discussions about a $5,000 cap for city contributions to similar projects; Council member McLaughlin asked whether approving the contribution would set a precedent for future cases. Iosbaker acknowledged the concern but said, “in similar circumstances, yes,” and described these as extenuating circumstances that do not frequently arise.

The finance committee recommended the $15,000 contribution; committee members noted the city’s LOSST balance available for such uses was about $276,000 (committee figure, stated as a recollection). The motion passed with unanimous support from the council.

Next steps: the city will submit the formal grant application with the local match commitment and await the IEDA review and award decision.