Sheldon, Iowa — The annual audit of the finances of the City of Sheldon once again resulted in what one of the auditors called a ‘clean report’. The representative of the City’s auditing firm, Winther Stave and Company, told the City Council Wednesday that they were very pleased with the work of the city office and their cooperation with the auditors. And there were no non-compliance findings that caused concern. He noted that the report of the fiscal year 2014-2015 does show that the cash on hand was down from the previous year, but that was because the City had paid off a considerable amount of debt using cash reserves. And he noted that no new debt was incurred during that time.
In other business Wednesday the Council approved an extension of up to one year in the cable franchise agreement with HTC Communications. This will allow time for the agreement to be brought up to date with needed changes to fit the code.
The Council also heard a report from O’Brien County Development Director Kiana Johnson. She named some of the significant initiatives and programs the group has undertaken or is planning, including programs to capitalize on the wind turbine project by looking for businesses or industries related to that project. She said they’ve also worked on developing a Home Base Iowa Community, and want to develop a program to attract or recruit O’Brien County high school and college graduates. She says they’re also talking about developing a commercial and industry Tax Abatement program and are looking for new technology to connect government, employers, employees, citizens and potential entities. Johnson also reported that out of 385 grant applicants, O’Brien County has received the 9th largest USDA Rural Business Development Grant in the nation. This grant totaled $196,910 and has been used for the County’s Revolving Loan Fund.
Speaking of grants, Sheldon City Manager Scott Wynja reported that the City has been awarded a ‘Moving Ahead for Progress’ grant in the amount of $498-thousand for improvements to 16th Street. This grant is for work to be done in the year 2018, consisting of the complete removal and replacement of the current street surface beginning at Iselin Avenue, and continuing east to a point just beyond the junction with 8th Avenue.
The Council also agreed on a change in date and time for the first meeting in May. That meeting will be held Tuesday May 3rd at noon.
At the close of the meeting, Mayor Tricia Meendering asked residents to please clean up behind their dogs, especially when they are walking them in the City Parks and ball diamonds. She says the doggie deposits have been a problem in the past, and she is asking for the cooperation from dog owners this Summer.
