By Mari Radtke
The Paullina Council on Monday February 7 heard from Chris and Laura Heeren regarding the requirements for construction on their residential lot in the Bush Addition. Heeren’s building permit expires in August 2022. The attended the city council meeting because they just got their estimate and materials list. They had ordered the work over a year ago. Concern for an additional $795 for another building permit or losing the lot for failing to meet the building terms alarmed them. They requested a 2-year extension to complete the project. After much discussion council did give them express a willingness to work with them under the extraordinary circumstances. The Heerens and the council decided to reexamine the circumstances closer to the expiration of the building permit.
Paullina’s “Max Levy” resolution was approved with no comments received from the public. Property tax valuations have increased. Liability, property and self-insurance expenses have risen approximately 19%. Because of the shortage of labor, dental and vision insurance costs will be added. Paullina will raise no more than $406,997 from the basic property tax levy. Council will set a public hearing for the complete budget at the February 21 meeting.
Justin Jacobs with Williams and Company made a personal visit to the council to report the financial examination findings. The examination is not an audit and is a changed standard for cities within the State of Iowa.
Jacobs gave an overview of 2 years of examination and agreed procedures. The City of Paullina had very few findings. One finding, and most small cities experience the same finding, is separation of duties. Small cities typically do not have enough staff to separate every step of money handling.
One issue for Paullina to address according to the Williams and Company findings is for the library funds to be run through the city. For years, the Paullina Library has operated completely autonomously. The state has recently put out more guidance about library money showing in the city’s books. The complete examination report can be found at the city office during regular business hours.