Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon City Council is proposing a plan that would encourage the construction of more new homes in Sheldon, specifically the five lots on the north end of 9th Avenue in the Sunshine Addition. The proposal is to sell the lots for one dollar, with several stipulations. New construction would have to begin within one year of the purchase, and the buyer would have to agree to a two hundred thousand dollar minimum assessment on the property. The area is zoned residential/multiple. A public hearing will be held on this plan at the next council meeting, which will be Tuesday, July 14th at noon. In addition, development director Curt Strouth reported to the council that there are still five thousand-dollar rebates available to buyers of seven lots in the Sheldon Crossing Development.
At Wednesday’s meeting the council also discussed O’Brien County’s secondary road policy, which deals with the county’s possible participation in repairs and rebuilding of sections of county roads that extend into the cities. One example is 16th Street in Sheldon, which has been designated as a ‘farm to market’ road and is heavily traveled by farm equipment and trucks. Counties receive funds for this type of road, and the council feels that part of the cost of repairing 16th Street should be paid for with these county funds. City Manager Scott Wynja told the council that last year the City applied for a grant to help with this funding. While last year’s grant wasn’t approved, he says the City will apply again.
Wynja also reported that the airport is slowly recovering from the effects of the recent wind storm. Work is now being done on temporary solutions, but definite plans have to be made in the near future.
In other business the council approved reappointment of several people to City boards and commissions. It was pointed out that some of these boards and commissions still have vacancies. The Board of Adjustment has one vacancy plus a county vacancy, while the Library Board has two vacancies. The Park Commission has one vacancy and Planning and Zoning has two county vacancies. Since O’Brien County is not zoned, several of Sheldon’s boards and commissions need a specified number of members from the two mile area around Sheldon in O’Brien County. The City is looking for people to fill all these vacancies. Anyone interested should contact the Sheldon City Office, Mayor Tricia Meendering, or City Manager Scott Wynja.
