Residents appeal building decision, raise drainage and budget concerns during Newton public comment period

During the citizen participation portion of the meeting, residents raised several neighborhood and budget issues for council attention.

Janet Graber said she and her husband have an appeal before the Building Trades Board concerning properties at 321 1st Avenue East and 109 East 4th Street South and asked the council to consider changes to City Code before the appeal is decided. "We keep up on our City property taxes, insurance, utilities... All these years, Rick has worked there since 1969," Graber told the council, asking for consideration of the family’s use of the properties.

Scott Thompson, a resident near Arbor Estates, said recent rains revealed standing water and questioned whether previously promised tile for water management exists; he also urged the city to build a defined border around Bridal Pond’s new parking area to prevent vehicles driving to the shoreline and getting stuck. "I think there should be some type of a boundary around there just to keep people safely keeping themselves safe from what possibly ending up in the pond," Thompson said.

Jean Lamers spoke about fiscal concerns, capital spending and the timing of special projects, noting the presence of many items on the city’s capital list and urging restraint. The mayor acknowledged the comments and said staff would follow up on the tiling and parking items and thanked residents for participating.

Council members responded that staff would investigate the drainage and that the parking question for Bridal Pond would be addressed as the parking design is finalized.