Above Photo, left to right: Councilman Tom Eggers, Councilman Greg Geels, City Attorney Micah Schreurs, City Manager Sean Hutchison, Mayor Tricia Meendering, City Clerk Angie Beckman, Councilman Pete Hamill, Councilman Shawn Broesder, Councilman Brad Hindt
Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon Library Board of Directors is moving toward beginning a major renovation project soon, but first they want to know how much the City is willing to contribute. At their meeting Wednesday, the City Council was told that so far only $26-hundred has been received from private and business donations. The Library Board reported that when they seek donations to the project they are asked how much the city is going to contribute. Council members and the Mayor explained that this has come up in the middle of a budget year, and there is no room in the current budget to find the fifty thousand dollars the library Board has requested, or suggested. They explained that the subject would be brought up during budget planning sessions in February. In the meantime, the Mayor suggested that information about the project and donation information could be sent out with the utility bills.
However, the Library Board has built up a savings fund by underspending their budget over the past three years. The Council approved a Library Budget amendment that will allow $70-thousand from this account to be used for the project. With this move, a total of $127,600 has been raised toward the total estimated project cost of $220-thousand.
In other news from the city council meeting, after a public hearing the council held its first reading to amend the Zoning Ordinance. This amendment specifies that all single dwelling units shall provide for a minimum of 800 square feet of floor space. It was explained that single dwelling units that are not in compliance at this time will not be affected by this amendment.
