Charles City council approves budget transfers, contractor payment, wage corrections and sets appointment process for vacancy

At its July 8 meeting, the Charles City Council approved several operational actions: annual budget transfers for FY25 (Res. 7825), payment request No. 5 for the City Hall/Police Department renovation (Res. 7925), corrections to two non‑bargaining staff members’ base wages (Res. 8025), and a plan to fill a council vacancy by appointment.

Transfers and budget items: Staff member Britney walked through the required year‑end transfers and explained some project transfer amounts are finalized while others remain pending. She said transfers include moving local option sales tax dollars to the Main Street bridge fund and clearing project balances such as the water looping project and a wastewater treatment plant expansion fund. Council described the transfers as routine and approved the resolution.

Payment to contractor: John presented payment request No. 5 for the City Hall/PD renovation to Kingland Construction. He stated the pay request amount in the record and reported that, with this payment, the city has paid Kingland a little over $930,000 to date. John described the work associated with the request as roughly half earthwork and concrete, a quarter demolition and HVAC, and recommended approval. The council approved the payment request; staff will continue bimonthly progress meetings with the contractor.

Wage corrections: Britney explained two staff members received midyear wage increases in October 2024 that were not entered correctly in the July 1 base‑wage resolution; the correction restores the intended 3% increases so employees did not lose pay. Council treated this as an administrative correction and approved the amendment.

Council vacancy process: The council agreed to proceed by appointment rather than pay for a special election, noting a special election could cost an estimated $10,000 or more and could fall close to the general election. Staff outlined a proposed application schedule: applications open July 22 and close August 11; notice of intent to fill by appointment to be published August 1; and a potential special meeting on August 13 to appoint an applicant. Council approved moving forward with the appointment process; staff noted a candidate petition for a special election remains possible under state law and described petition signature thresholds and timelines.

What’s next: Staff will finalize transfer entries, process the contractor payment, implement the wage corrections, and post the vacancy application materials and schedule for public notices and interviews.