Iowa council approves water-pollution audit resolution, declares surplus property and approves two hires

Mayor Douglas Watkins and the Town of Iowa Council unanimously approved multiple routine actions at their March 10, 2025 regular meeting, including a municipal water-pollution prevention audit resolution, a surplus-property resolution that assigns items to an online auction program, and two personnel actions in the police department.

The council adopted a resolution informing the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality that it resolved the Municipal Water Pollution Prevention (MWPP) Audit Report for Jan. 2024–Dec. 2024 and set steps to maintain the town's LPDES permit (LA0043605). The resolution states the town will “continue being good environmental stewards by maintaining our wastewater treatment plant and continuing required analytical analysis in accordance with our current LDEQ permit, including monthly monitoring of influent CBOD.” The motion to approve the MWPP resolution was moved by Council Member Daniel Hennigan and seconded by Council Member Julie Fontenot; the vote was unanimous.

The council also approved Resolution 2025-02 to declare specified town property surplus and assign the items to the LPS Municipal Surplus Property Program (LaMATS) for online auction. The surplus list includes four dining chairs, one Yorkville speaker and a 2016 Ford F-250 pickup (VIN 1FT7W2BT7GEB48353). The resolution directs that the items be listed at www.lamats.net/surplus for a minimum of seven days and gives the town the right to accept the highest bid or relist unsold items. The motion to adopt Resolution 2025-02 was moved by Council Member Daniel Hennigan and seconded by Council Member Vernessa Guillory; the vote was unanimous. The resolution text in the packet shows a line listing the council meeting date as "March 10, 2023," while the minutes record the meeting as March 10, 2025; the minutes' date is used in this report and the discrepancy is recorded in the meeting's clarifying details.

On personnel matters, and upon the recommendation of Chief of Police Keith Vincent, the council approved hiring Kevin Loewer as a full-time patrol officer effective Feb. 24, 2025, and approved transferring Megan Thibodeaux from part-time dispatcher to full-time dispatcher effective Feb. 24, 2025. Both personnel motions were moved by Council Member Daniel Hennigan and carried unanimously. Chief Vincent thanked the council for their continued support following the approvals.

Other routine business at the meeting included adoption of the meeting agenda and approval of the minutes for the Feb. 10, 2025 regular meeting. Town Clerk Cynthia Mallett reported that monthly and year-to-date financial statements had been distributed to the mayor and council members. Mayor Watkins reported completion of a sewer-line replacement that affected parts of the ballfields at the town park and noted an upcoming annual water-tower inspection and a door-hanger survey to improve resident communications.

The council convened at 7:03 p.m. and adjourned at 7:43 p.m.