Sheldon, Iowa — When the Sheldon City Council met Wednesday they set November 6th as the date for a public hearing on an ordinance change regarding residential uses in the Downtown Commercial District. The proposed ordinance would allow the first floor to be used for residential use if there were two off-street parking spaces, a minimum apartment size of 800 feet, with two-thirds of the ground floor space used for commercial purposes, and side or rear access to the living quarters. Once the ordinance is in place, the interested property owners would need to apply to the Board of Adjustment for a special exception.
After their regular business the council went into workshop mode to get a quick review of the past fiscal year Revenues and Expenditures. It was reported that the Hotel/Motel Tax brought in over seventeen thousand dollars more than expected. The City also collected over sixty thousand dollars more in Road Use Tax than was anticipated. Local Option Sales Tax was up by nearly seventy thousand dollars, and interest earned was ninety-two thousand more than expected. However expenses were also higher than budgeted. The highest increase was in wages. SCAT wages were seventeen thousand dollars over budget. Crossroads Pavilion wages were thirty three thousand dollars higher, much of this because the assistant director position changed from part-time to full time.
Council members were provided with a complete budget report for the past fiscal year which should be helpful as they prepare for budget workshops. The council also received copies of the results of Goal Setting Sessions from 2015 and 2017. This year the goal setting session will be held December 11th from 4-7 p.m.
