The regular Paullina Council meeting was moved by Mayor/School board member Brenda Ebel Kruse from Monday August 21 to Wednesday August 16. Ebel Kruse was away for the regular schedule meeting. Also facing time conflict were Deputy City Clerk Michelle Wilson, Superintendent of Utilities Kelly Top and Councilperson Lexy Hohbach having reason to attend school orientation on Monday.
Glenda Heithuis asked about the speed limit sign on Maple Street not working. Chief Nate Bremer did not have a certain answer why the sign is not displaying. She also asked about the sirens not reaching the south or west part of Paullina. She asked if there is a reason those residents did not get warning. Top reported that the system is an outdoor warning system, not rated for warning to those indoors. Another suggested that the wind out of the southeast may have been fighting the sound.
Councilperson Steve Heeren motioned to amend the agenda to remove several agenda items and move them to the regularly scheduled meeting of August 21. Councilperson Carol Honkomp asked for his reasoning. Murphy seconded the motion. He explained that he felt the Wednesday meeting would best serve the public by giving council’s full attention to the signing of the fire department contract. He went on to explain that he had questions and concerns about some of the ordinance amendments on the agenda for a second reading. He wanted those questions to get a full hearing before passage of the second reading. He continued that he is looking for more clarification on some of those amendments. Murphy explained that the second readings were set during the August 7 meeting as August 21. She felt the Wednesday meeting was set as a special meeting for the fire department [contract]. She also noted that she was not asked about moving the regular meeting to Wednesday.
Mayor/school board member Ebel Kruse responded with several answers. Her responses included realizing the urgent meeting within days they pushed it back to allow [Fire Chief] Ryan [Harper] to attend that set Wednesday August 16. She went on to overemphasize the school’s open house and the conflict for individuals wanting to attend both. She stated, “Any of these individuals who would like to go support their children or their teachers or whoever that is also so it is not just about us but it’s about the community and if you are choosing the exact – its the exact time when we meet is when open house is. So I thought it made sense, to since we’re only a few days ahead of time, since we’re all here, you’ve already done the work, you’ve already looked at these items, their not brand new.”
Heeren quoted the ordinance outlining the rules of council’s power to set date and time of a council meeting. He said he did not believe the open house was a compelling reason to change the meeting. Ebel Kruse answered that council meetings are not just for the council but also for the public, adding that the regularly scheduled meeting was just days away. Councilperson Jean Unrau disagreed with Heeren saying that the council should support the community (through attending the open house) whether you have kids in school or not. Heeren’s question about when council changed the regular meeting was not answered. He shared the text communications he had received about various special and regular meeting times explaining that he believed the meeting for Wednesday was a special session for the fire contract only. The vote to keep the regular meeting at the regular time was voted down. Unrau moved with a second by Honkomp to approve presented agenda. Its vote was 3-2 with Heeren and Murphy opposing.
Upon asking approval of the August 7 minutes, Murphy asked why she was singled out in the minutes by the statements made by Melinda Hansen in open session. Hansen did make specific statements about Murphy while also noting her dissatisfaction with the entire council’s conduct. Hansen included criticisms of Ebel Kruse’s statements at the same time. Comments made by Hansen addressing her concerns with the council as a whole and the mayor specifically were not recorded in the minutes. A copy of the Assistant City Clerk’s original minutes, obtained through an open records request, drafted without input from the mayor or any city councilperson did not identify any party specifically. Ebel Kruse’s response put the blame on the parking issue Hansen came to address. The minutes were amended to remove Murphy’s name from the minutes.
Heeren recounted the journey of the minutes that he had tracked down and didn’t understand the changes made from the original to the final minutes with much commentary, not just action by the board. He wanted to know who is doing [the changes]. Ebel Kruse acknowledged her involvement with the rewriting of the minutes with the clerks. Ebel Kruse claimed that it is either the clerk’s or the mayor’s responsibility to write the minutes. Ebel Kruse after questions from Heeren, stated that the published minutes were “their” final set of minutes. City ordinance and state law both place the responsibility of council’s record keeping with the clerk and the council. Supervisory duties, with council approval fall to a mayor. Ebel Kruse’s comment that additional commentary to the August 7 minutes were necessary for the sake of legal reasons and/or edited to make corrections. Comments of the elaboration being targeted at transparency was part of the discussion. Required content of minutes per Iowa Code includes date, time, place, members present and the action taken at each meeting and the results of each vote with sufficient information to indicate the vote of each member present. City Attorney Tisha Halverson commented but did not give specific guidance on the contents of the minutes.
The contract at question between the City of Paullina and RML Architects is from 2021. Revisions requested then by Halverson were made and the contract represented. Denny Werkmeister submitted a letter regarding a new station. He is supportive of a new station, but feels that without land, any designs are premature.
Harper explained that the designs include planning for future growth of the department. He also shared features the department has already given up its wish for drive-through access. He said the department is looking at two pieces of property. Harper outlined his conversation with Todd Hattermann, in charge of the second piece of property interesting to the fire department, and added that it was being held up, “in classic fashion” by one person.
Murphy and Unrau moved and seconded signing the contract. Chief Bremer would like to have input on the police part of the building. The building is expected to house all of Paullina’s emergency services. The motion included specific contact/input information to be included in the contract for police and ambulance. The role call vote received all ayes for the motion.
The animal control ordinance regarding vicious animals got a second reading passed. A discussion of waiving the third reading ended with not waiving the third reading. This ordinance amendment will receive a third reading, welcoming public comment, will be held September 7 at 5:30 at City Hall.
The second reading allowing 5 chickens with 1 cubic foot of waste was held. It passed with waiving the third reading.
Amending the ordinance setting an 8-inch height limit of weeds received its second reading and waived the third reading was passed. Heeren wanted to do a little more research to the meaning of 8 inches of height and existing rules of dense growth cited in the ordinance. Wilson reported that in June 2021 meeting, a change was approved by council to have Sandy Fritz amend the ordinance from 12 inches to 8 inches. Wilson said that was never done. The third reading was waived.
A second reading of an amendment to the ordinance pertaining to peddlers, solicitors & transient merchants was had with the second reading and waiving the third reading gaining approval.
The City of Paullina Electric Utility will have to pay two thirds of the cost of tying into a NIPCO line update. The cost is expected to be in the $75,000-$80,000 range, payable by 2025. No exact date is set.
Murphy pointed out that Unrau and Honkomp are on every committee and that’s not fair to any of the council members.
Jones wanted to talk to TCA about storm notifications. Glenda Heithus noted that while watching a movie, TCA weather warnings came across the television. Other comments were varied about where the storm hit and the notifications and sources (phone).