Alton council adopts Ordinance 900 revising natural gas charge provisions

The Alton City Council on Nov. 12, 2024, adopted Ordinance 900, which amends provisions of the city code related to natural gas charges. Council Member Jorgensen introduced the ordinance, and the council dispensed with the statutory requirement for three separate readings before placing Ordinance 900 on final passage. The ordinance was adopted with Jorgensen, Frederes and Plathe voting aye; Kleinhesselink and Mulder were absent.

City staff did not provide detailed rate tables in the meeting record; the minutes show the action was procedural—moving the ordinance to final adoption after the council agreed to waive the separate-reading requirement under section 380.3 of the Code of Iowa. Mayor Dan Vande Griend then signed the ordinance, and the clerk will attest to the adoption as required by ordinance procedure.

At the same meeting, staff reported the city’s utility billing software will require a platform change by the end of 2025 because the current vendor is raising prices and a prospective replacement has not been fully functional. Council directed staff to explore options. The clerk/administrator also reported staff is working to enroll Alton in the state’s Setoff Program to allow collection of outstanding debts through state tax offsets before the next tax season.

Council directed staff to draft a medical‑stay policy for utility disconnections; the policy will be presented for consideration at the next council meeting. The meeting record does not capture the ordinance’s ordinance text or an effective date; those details are recorded in the official ordinance file.