The July 1, 2019 meeting of the Garretson City Council focused mainly on the installation of the new sidewalks on the southeast area of 3rd Street and contentions for the handling of ordinance violations. However, there was also an update on the 5th Street bridge project and water extension project. The meeting was called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance and an update on natural gas prices, which were down to 80.48 cents per gallon. All council members were in attendance.
The council continued with an update from the Garretson Parks Advisory Committee (GPAC, formerly Parks Board), who invited the council to the Bench Dedication Ceremony to be held on July 6 prior to the Legion 100th Anniversary celebration events. None of the benches had been placed yet due to weather and contractor timelines, but GPAC was planning to have all benches showcased by the bathhouse for the ceremony. Council member Jodi Gloe wanted to extend her praises to the council for the work the GPAC does.
“The board has done a great job,” she said. “You don’t even know how much they do, so much extra [work] than other boards.”
Next, the council addressed ordinances and resolutions, beginning with a request from Mike Meinders to operate a locksmith business out of his home at 511 Essex St. The mayor noted that the majority of the business was to be operated out of his trailer, but the home would be used for bookkeeping. The council approved the resolution unanimously.
Then they went over Ordinances 642-645, which was solidifying different building and maintenance codes. This was an extension of the Planning & Zoning Committee, and was solidifying codes that Garretson had been following but hadn’t put in writing as of yet. They were looking to pass the ordinances on the recommendation of the municipal league and the building inspector, but council member Greg Franka questioned the line on limitation of authority and what it meant. No one in the council was able to sufficiently explain the meaning, despite attempts by council members Richelle Hofer and Dave Bonte, and members Franka and Tom Godbey requested that City Finance Officer Anna Uhl clarify it with the city attorney prior to passing the ordinances. A call for a vote caused all four ordinances to fail over the misunderstanding and the unknown meaning behind the legalese contained within.
Code Enforcement Violations Addressed
The council then moved on to new business, beginning with the introduction of the new code enforcement officer, Scott Dubbe, who was taking over from James Wipf, who had been introduced to the council in May.
Mayor Greg Beaner requested that Dubbe begin with an update on the number of properties that had been notified of code violations and properties that had been addressed. While Dubbe did not give a final number, he did note that his current intentions were to follow up on some violations that Wipf had been working with. He said he realized there had been a prior lack of consistency on follow up with violations, and was doing his best to work with property owners prior to enforcing the ordinances.
Dubbe then outlined his process, which begins with spotting a violation. When he does, he documents it with photos and sends a letter. (Continued on Part 2- Online subscription required)
