Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon City Council has decided to take steps toward putting the proposed MidAmerican gas and electric franchise agreements on the November ballot.
At Wednesdays meeting the council heard that the exact wording on the agreement has not been worked out and they decided to delay further action until after the special election. In doing so, the decisions would be made by a full council. Mayor Greg Geels suggested that they take their time working on things and put the final decision up to the public by having it on the ballot in the November election. City Manager Sam Kooiker reminded the council that they would need to have the exact wording of their proposal ready for submission to the county auditor by September 20th. He suggested having the document ready for the June 5th meeting. The proposal would then come up for discussion during the next three meetings. That plan was approved by the council.
Rod Fonkert, managing agent for the H.C. Lane building addressed the council with regard to the closed alley behind that property. He said it would be some time before the contractor could get the beam that is needed to shore up the back wall, Schlotfeldt Engineering had rendered the opinion that “unless there are additional problems that develop prior to reconstruction being done, the wall should be adequate as braced”. However later in an e-mail to the City Manager, Schlotfeldt clarified his remarks by saying, “I would rather err on the side of caution and keep the alley closed for now.” The council agreed and will not remove the barricades at this time. They also pressed Fonkert to get a better timeline for when the work could be done.
The Council set May 15th for a public hearing on a budget amendment and another public hearing on the final plat for Crossroads North. And, they accepted the resignation of Scott DeGoei who is retiring from the Police Department June 30th after serving since 1987.
In other business the council approved a special outdoor liquor license for Brady’s Pub on May 11th. They also agreed to give their permission to Brady’s Pub to play music outdoors that evening until 1:00 a.m. City Ordinance prohibits outdoor music any time after midnight, but in the past, when the establishment was known as Schottsy’s, permission was granted with the requirement that the owner notify the neighbors in advance. The new owner, Brady Den Hartog, told the council he would contact the residents in that neighborhood, advising them of the plans to have music outdoors until 1:00 a.m.
