by Mari Radtke
Open comments brought individuals out to voice their opinion about at two agenda items. Both agenda items are a revisiting appointments for the City of Paullina; appointments to two TCA boards and the publication of the city legal notices.
Glenda Heithus, Nelda Werkmeister and John Ihle each spoke. Heithus asked that the council be certain of the TCA job duties for the positions they would fill on Monday July 17. She followed that up with support for keeping tax dollars spent locally for the city’s legal notices. She offered a proposal to improve safety at the trail crossing on Maple Street. The idea of pouring a concrete sidewalk on the east side of Maple Street from the trail south to Commerce Street came from the Assistant County Engineer in a discussion with her. Her final comment was to thank Chief Bremer for slowing traffic on Maple Street. Heithus is running for City Council.
Werkmeister voiced support for keeping the city’s legal notices in “O’Brien County’s Bell-Times-Courier” and said her opinion was shared by her husband, Dennis. Dennis is a former City Council person. She offered the support despite disappointment with the newspaper but did not elaborate.
Ihle also gave his support for the local newspaper, noting that not only did [the] Sheldon paper not pay local property taxes, he posited if they even bought a Coke here. He reminded the council that even if you appoint a legal newspaper they don’t have to “rubber stamp everything you do and write glowing wonderful news stories about you. It’s not the newspapers job to do that. It’s the newspapers job to keep an eye on us – to keep an eye on you.” He pointed out that to punish the newspaper for writing items council doesn’t like could be illegal.
Three candidates submitted formal interest into the TCA At-Large Board of Directors position and the Programming Board position. Ihle’s term on the Programming Board expired on July 1. The candidates were Nelda Werkmeister, John Ihle and Donna Jensen. Werkmeister and Ihle attended the meeting. The At-Large position moves through the city members of TCA, Hartley, Sanborn, Primghar and Paullina. It is Paullina’s turn.
Both Ihle and Werkmeister read their letters of interest. City Clerk Michelle Wilson read Jensen’s letter. Councilman Jay Jones asked if each of the candidates had TCA cable. He then shared his dissatisfaction with the price of his service package. City Council person Honkomp moved to appoint Nelda Werkmeister to the TCA Board of Directors. She stated, “I’m not against John, I’m just saying it’s good to have a new face.” Jones seconded and echoed the “new face” justification. Werkmeister was voted to the position unanimously.
Ihle asked to be considered for the Programming Board. Councilman Steve Heeren moved to appoint Ihle to the Programming Board. Councilman Lexy Murphy seconded the motion. Ihle was voted down 3-2. Jones moved to appoint Jensen. It was seconded by Councilman Jean Unrau. The motion passed 3-2. The voting block was the same with both votes – Honkomp, Jones and Unrau opposed to Heeren and Murphy.
The next agenda item was the publication of legal notices and was introduced with false and inflammatory accusations about state requirements. The argument over the language of what 15 days means is interpreted differently between two lobby organizations, League of Cities and Iowa Newspaper Association. The disagreement was twisted by Mayor Brenda Ebel Kruse into directing the City Clerk not to publish in (League of Cities interpretation) 15 days.
Through discussion council and mayor agreed that the minutes do not need to be approved prior to publication and the minutes could be sent by the Friday deadline.
After a lot of irrelevant discussion Heeren made a simple statement that all that was needed is to make the Friday deadline. Ebel Kruse corrected him with her set of minutes from January that the legal publications needed to be addressed again in July. That brought out discussion with no council person remembering that a revisit in July was part of the motion. Then came a lot of distorted, insulting conversation from the mayor and a councilperson at the local newspaper. That was followed by a rewording of the earlier accusation made by the mayor that the city clerk was being instructed by the newspaper not to publish within 15 days. During this portion of the mayor’s tirade the Fire Chief Ryan Harper stood up and left the room with the comment, “I have nothing to say. You have my email and phone number. This is ridiculous.”
Heeren moved and Murphy seconded to publish notices in “O’Brien County’s Bell-Times-Courier” through December 31, 2023. The roll call vote was ayes Heeren, Murphy and Unrau. Honkomp and Jones opposed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please view the video of this meeting either on the Facebook page of the City of Paullina or find it at www.paullinaiowa.com. Evaluate for yourself.