Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon City Council met in regular session in the council chambers Wednesday evening.
Mayor Greg Geels administered the oath of office to Sheldon Police Chief Eric Meinecke. Meinecke’s wife, Katie, pinned on his new badge.
The council approved the consent agenda, which is an omnibus resolution, approving several items. Click here for a list of those items.
In old business, after some discussion, the council approved the Sheldon Crossing Housing Incentive — in which they plan to sell seven residential lots for a dollar per lot. The vote was unanimous, with council member Ken Snyder noting that he voted for the measure, “against my better judgment.” The council agreed that minimum assessments on the lots will start January 1st, 2026, whether or not there is a dwelling on the property. It was noted during the meeting that there appears to be strong interest in five of the seven lots.
The council also talked about a possible change in the relationship between the Sheldon Chamber & Development Corporation. One of the ideas that came forth was that the council would like to continue to confirm new SCDC directors. But in the end, the council voted to table the issue, Councilperson Pete Hamill said he would like more discussion. Council member Snyder said he was not comfortable making a decision at this time. He said he felt like he needed to understand it better first. Councilmember Tom Eggers says that personally, he needs to understand the budget process more first. He also mentioned that the visioning process may also shed some light. He wanted to make sure that the public knew that this was not a negative reflection on the SCDC or the city’s relationship with SCDC. Council member Brad Hindt says he talked to a few people and some of them were concerned that if the agreement passed, the SCDC would lose transparency. He said they need to iron out a few more things.
In new business, the council voted to accept a grant agreement with Northwest Iowa Community College in regard to the Lifelong Learning & Recreation Center. There were not comments during the issue’s public hearing and no mailed-in comments either. City Manager Sam Kooiker explains this is a significant shift in strategy.
The council also approved the airport part of the Capital Improvement Plans. This had to be approved at this time due to FAA guidelines. The rest of the Capital Improvement Plans should be approved by December 18th, according to Kooiker.
City Public Works Director Todd Uhl, also gave the council and the public an update on what’s going on in his department.
Click here for an agenda for the meeting.
