(Spirit Lake)– The Spirit Lake city council Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution to amend the current fiscal year budget.
The council took the action following a public hearing that drew no comments.
City Administrator Pete Hegeman says it reflects a sale of 2.2 million dollars in General Obligation bonds for Drainage District 22 and for a refinancing bond of 1,145,000-dollars to get a better interest rate. Hegeman says the city also had to show it acted as a receiving agent for a 102-thousand dollar Economic Development Set Aside Grant for Pure Fishing. He says they also had to show the city received a 28-thousand dollars payment from Brown Medical through an economic development loan program. Hegeman says the amendments also reflect changes in insurance, workman’s comp., tort liability and water treatment plant improvements which were reimbursed by the state.
In other business, the council heard a request for a burning permit from representatives of Kabel’s Trading Post. Lowell Woodbury says they would like to burn some trees. He says it would go a long way toward cleaning up that area. He says burning would be a much cheaper alternative than having to haul it away–estimated to cost about eight thousand dollars.
But, Spirit Lake Fire Chief Wally Jorgenson says issuing a permit will probably have to be up to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He says there’s a rule in the D-N-R’s guidelines prohibiting the burning of cleared trees, brush and other items in areas that are less than a quarter of a mile from inhabitated structures. Jorgenson says the area behind Kabel’s definitely falls into that category. He says they could apply for an exemption through the DNR. After further discussion, the matter was referred to the City Attorney for further research.
In other action, the council tabled action on a Public Safety Committee recommendation on a salary for the Police Chief; approved the committee’s recommendation to purchase new traffic lights for the corner of Highway nine and Gary Avenue at an estimated cost of 32-thousand dollars provided the D-O-T pays for it; June 14th was set as the date for a public hearing on a proposal to issue not to exceed five million dollars in annual appropriations bonds; approved an amended development agreement for the Ferguson Business Park; approved a new contract with RIDES that’s the same as last year with the city’s cost at 10-thousand dollars; and they directed city staff to research easements that would be needed for the city to take over a private sanitary sewer line in the area of Circle Drive. Several businesses in that area have made the request.
The council also approved a contract and bond for the Gilbert Park shelter house project.
