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The
Official Newspaper of Manchester and Delaware County, Iowa
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
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Council holds hearings for rate hike, ethanol plant
by Latisha Sand |
More than 30 people attended the public hearing during the recent Manchester City Council meeting in regards to the possible increase of the sewer and water rates.
Several residents asked to have the increase happen over time and a few were concerned that the proposed ethanol plant was the cause of the increase.
“The ethanol plant would not increase the amount of BODs for the city,” said City Manager Tim Vick. “They will only have their office area and lavatories on the city’s water and sewer but will be paying the same rate as everyone else.”
As for the increase over time, Vick said that the council does have the option to do that but residents will still see the same increase no matter what.
“The council is not set on what they want to do, that’s why we are having this hearing,” said Council member Darryl Hanson. “There are some advantages to having the increase over time, like it being easier for families to budget it in, but in the long run [increasing over time] will make the improvements to the plant more expensive.”
The proposed rate increase would double resident’s current bills. For example, the current monthly base charge is $5.25 with the proposed rate at $10.50. The current rate per 1,000 gallons is $2.35 with the proposed rate of $5.70. The city would bill for the water and sewer every two months.
Overall, the hearing lasted 45 minutes. The council will discuss the increase at a later date.
The council also held a public hearing on the incentive package for the proposed ethanol plant. The hearing lasted more than 20 minutes and the council approved the development agreement with All Energy Manchester, LLC, which excludes the TIF Rebate portion that was discussed on Monday, April 16.
The development agreement consisted of the tax abatement portion of the incentive agreement. The taxable value of the land, which was recently annexed into the city, was set at $4.1 million. The first part of the incentive package was approved 3-1 with Council member Tony Broghammer abstaining from voting.
The council approved Horsfield Construction, Inc. of Epworth as the construction company for the Schram Park project. Their bid was $190,423, which was the lowest bid submitted, more than $1,000 over the engineers estimated bid.
According to Vick, however, the city will be receiving a $118,540 RISE grant. The city already applied for TIF funding for the park, which amounts to $159,380, that will be applied to areas not covered by the RISE grant.
The early start date for the Schram Park project could be two weeks from now with the later start date set for June.
The council also approved:
• a bid in the amount of $78,155 to K&W Coatings, LLC in Elkader to repaint a water storage tank.
• a payment to TeKippe Engineering for more than $11,500 for the 2007 Street Improvement Project, Water Nitrate Removal – Well number seven, Schram Drive Improvements, Turkey Timber Lift Station and the Professional Civil Engineering Services.
• the parade route for the Shriners Parade Honoring All Military Veterans on May 19 and the use of Central Park for a citywide picnic. The route will start at the Delaware County Courthouse, along East Delaware Street. It will then travel west along Delaware Street to Franklin Street, then go one block to Main Street. The parade will then follow Main Street to Brewer Street and then north to Central Park. According to Vick, the Iowa Department of Transportation have been asked to detour Highway 13 traffic along River Street and West Union Street. The parade will start at 10:30 and last about an hour.
• the resolution to approve a decrease in the cost of the Industrial Park Lift Station project. The decrease amounted to $11,359.
• the pay McClain Excavating Co. in the amount of $22,562.03 for the Industrial Lift Station project.
• the mowing contract for John Thomsen for $13,995, which will be paid in six monthly installments beginning on May 18. |
Manchester Pride Week proclaimed
by Ken Boesenberg |
KEN BOESENBERG / Press
Jack Klaus and Mayor Milt Kramer signed a proclamation declaring April 22-28 as Manchester Pride Week. |
Manchester Mayor, Milt Kramer signed a proclamation proclaiming the week of April 22-28 as Manchester Pride Week.
The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with the city in an effort to make Manchester Pride Week a time of city wide beautification.
“We have a beautiful community,”comments Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce Director, Jack Klaus. |
“However, we all know that every once in a while we need to take the time to take a look at ourselves and see us as others see us,” continued Klaus.
“This spring and summer we, as a community, will be having a number of events that are going to bring people to Manchester. In May the Shriners will be here for a parade honoring all veterans; in June we will have a Duck Race Fundraiser for Special Olympics; in July will be the Delaware County Fair and RAGBRAI, and in August we will have the Classic Car Cruise. So this would be a great time for everyone to tidy things up around their home or business,” concluded Klaus.
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Highway 38 detour planned
by Alison Nesteby |
People traveling on Highway 38 this summer will encounter a slight delay due to a detour set by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The IDOT is planning roadwork for east of Hopkinton, and are requesting a detour beginning at the junction of Hwy. 38 and county road X47. The detour will go north on X47 to Highway 20, and west on Highway 20 to Highway 38. The letting for the detour is currently scheduled for July 17.
Linda Schaul has been hired as the new office manager for the Delaware County Secondary Road Department. She has a start date of April 16 with a wage of $14.06 per hour.
The new maintenance person for the Secondary Road Department is Eric Klaren with a start date of April 16 and an hourly wage of $13.50.
The Board approved the re-issuing of two warrants that were reported lost. The city of Greeley was issued a warrant for $552.75 and Carol Brockmeyer was issued one for $6. Both signed agreements to return the original warrants if found.
Manure management updates were approved for the following:
- Agri-Vest in South Fork Township
- MFI - Winch Site for Loren Mouw in Union Township
- P&D for Jeff State in Honey Creek Township
- Leo Boeckenstedt in Honey Creek Township
- Three Little Pigs Sites in Clayton County and Delwarre County for Curt Boeckenstedt and James Dolan in Prairie Township
Quotations for the motor grader purchase were accepted by the Board and the issue was tabled until future notice so the quotations can be looked over and compared. Quotations were received from the following:
- Scott Van Keppel, L.L.C. with a total after trade-in of $198,975
- Altorfer with a total after trade-in of $210,272
- Martin Equipment with a total after trade-in of $179,000
The business associates agreement between Delaware County and Inukshuk Technologies was approved. This allows the county’s system to be looked at by an Inukshuk employee even though he is employed by another company.
Other actions taken by the Board included:
Approval of an underground construction permit for Iowa Telecom for buried copper cable
Raising credit limit on county credit card for travel expenses for training sessions
June 19 set for the bid letting for the Goose Hill Road project
Updates to the 2007-08 secondary road budget and construction plans from the IDOT
Payment of county claims
Final 2005-06 audit report and financial statements
Quarterly reports from elected officials
Clerk of Court’s monthly report and remittance
Transfer of funds from Rural Service to Secondary Road Department
Deposit of CRP payment into Conservation Land Acquisitions and Development Fund
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