Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon City Council met in regular session Monday evening in the council chambers.
One item in the consent agenda was problematic for council member Ken Snyder. He says he has problems with serving alcohol on City property. The consent agenda contained an item requesting approval of a temporary beer permit for Celebration Days in City Park. Snyder says it was probably too late now, so the council didn’t remove the item from the consent agenda for further discussion, but Snyder did vote against accepting the consent agenda on principle.
The council also got an update about the USDA Rural Development grant, which is to go toward fire, police, and ambulance vehicles and equipment. City Manager Sam Kooiker says he’s trying to get some answers from the USDA about how to handle these grants since they don’t need all of these items at once, and some of them have been ordered already.
Kooiker says they have to have quotes on all the items within a year, and all have to be purchased within five years.
The council also received an update on American Rescue Plan funds. Kooiker says the City will be receiving $757,338.25, which will probably go toward a new water tower that is planned to be built at the northeast corner of 16th Street and Nest Avenue/Country Club Road in the far southeast part of the city. Kooiker says a new water tower would have a positive impact on fire flows, and a “financial positive impact in terms of less bonding and more stable water rates for every renter, property owner, business, and non-profit.” He says it is also the “simplest” way to spend the money. The estimate for the new tower is $3.5 million. He says the current water tower is also in need of painting and rehabilitation, which is much easier to do if there are two water towers. The council will probably set a public hearing for this at a later date.
Development Director Curt Strouth also updated the council on the Census 2020 numbers for Sheldon. He says the city has grown by 324 people since 2010. More details about that can be found on this story at kiwaradio.com.
