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Montrose City Council will appoint a new member in August
by diane vance /gate city staff writer
MONTROSE - Three audience members volunteered Thursday to fill an open seat on the Montrose City Council. Council member Kevin Hartman, serving since January, resigned June 14. City Clerk Celeste Cirinna said Hartman cited job hours conflicting with time needed to serve on the council.
Mark Holland, Rick Riddle and Mary VanPelt, all attending Thursday's regular council meeting, said they would be glad to serve on the council.
The seat needs to be filled within 40 days of the resignation. The council plans to appoint someone at the August meeting.
“We can appoint someone to fill the seat until the November election,” said Cirinna. “Or we can appoint someone to the council until 2010.”
The council has five council members. Two seats, held by Jeff Junkins and Melody Slater, will be up for election in November. The mayor's seat, filled by Ron Dinwiddie who volunteered to came back to office after Tony Sciumbato resigned at the end of January with a year left in his term, will also be up for election in November.
Candidates filing for the November election begins Aug. 27.
Police pay
Montrose Police Chief Brent Shipman asked the council to raise on-call pay from 25 to 50 percent of base pay for his three officers.
Shipman is the only full-time police officer in Montrose and is salaried. He does not qualify for on-call pay. The rest of the police force consists of three part-time officers who also work other full-time jobs: Mike Smith, Karl Judd and Kent Ruby.
“The only time they take call time is if I'm sick, tending to family business, out of town on business or on vacation,” said Shipman.
While on call, the police officer has to stay in town and be available by phone. If called out, the hourly officer earns base pay for the time working on an incident.
The council had set on-call pay at 25 percent (about $2 per hour) last month because there was no standard of pay in writing.
“We approved 25 percent as a starting place,” said Dinwiddie. “I don't have an opinion one way or another. As long as you come in under budget at the end of the year.”
Shipman said he'd discussed it with his officers.
“We didn't agree with the 25 percent,” he said. “I've looked at the budget. We're okay. I'd like to see on-call pay at 50 percent of base pay. They are good officers. And if it hurts the budget, we'll have to cut back again.”
Junkins and Mark Conlee approved the increase to 50 percent; Slater and John Geyer opposed it. With a tie vote, the increase did not pass and police on-call pay stays at 25 percent of base pay.
In other business the council:
Approved a $3,900 bid from Mike Mohrfeld, Fort Madison, for all electrical work for the new shed at Montrose Cemetery.
Cemetery caretaker Dale Sanders will check with the Lee County Sheriff's Office about an alarm for the building. When Mohrfeld trenches the electrical wiring would be the time to add a telephone line for an alarm.
The council also agreed to insulate the whole building and to take bids on the two older sheds the new one is replacing.
Approved up to $5,000 for a new heating and cooling system at the community center.
Holland, representing the Watermelon Festival Committee, asked the council to replace the furnace at the Ivor Fowler Community Center.
“We are fund-raising for remodeling the back room, complete with updated and handicap accessible bathrooms,” he said. “If the city could come up with money for a new furnace and air conditioning, we can concentrate on the larger project.”
Holland said the flexible ducting on the air conditioning leaks because the duct work is not insulated. The air conditioning is not adequate to properly cool the building.
Dinwiddie said the council had budgeted $5,000 for a new heating and cooling system.
Holland said the back room remodeling is estimated to cost $25,000.
Dinwiddie writing a letter that the city is not interested in vacating any property to property owners requesting the city vacate outlots in the southwest corner of Montrose.
“Those houses were built to be a subdivision but it fell through,” said Dinwiddie. “The streets have not been vacated. The property owner wants to sell as one parcel but we can't just give it away. We'd have to vacate it and put it up for bid to anyone. The city has sewer and water lines running through there.
“The courthouse has one thing, the city has another. If someone can prove ownership with a deed or title, we can further discuss it.”
Agreed to not enter an Alliant franchise agreement.
n Is still looking for more residents to serve on the board of adjustment. Two have volunteered and five are needed.
Approved United Methodist Church's request to add a long culvert in the Cedar Street ditch. The culvert would be covered with gravel and create a diagonal parking area for cars in consultation with the streets department. The church buys the materials and the city can furnish labor.
Approved council member Geyer attending the Iowa League of Cities annual conference in Dubuque at an approximate cost of $600.
Mark Holland, Rick Riddle and Mary VanPelt, all attending Thursday's regular council meeting, said they would be glad to serve on the council.
The seat needs to be filled within 40 days of the resignation. The council plans to appoint someone at the August meeting.
“We can appoint someone to fill the seat until the November election,” said Cirinna. “Or we can appoint someone to the council until 2010.”
The council has five council members. Two seats, held by Jeff Junkins and Melody Slater, will be up for election in November. The mayor's seat, filled by Ron Dinwiddie who volunteered to came back to office after Tony Sciumbato resigned at the end of January with a year left in his term, will also be up for election in November.
Candidates filing for the November election begins Aug. 27.
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Montrose Police Chief Brent Shipman asked the council to raise on-call pay from 25 to 50 percent of base pay for his three officers.
Shipman is the only full-time police officer in Montrose and is salaried. He does not qualify for on-call pay. The rest of the police force consists of three part-time officers who also work other full-time jobs: Mike Smith, Karl Judd and Kent Ruby.
“The only time they take call time is if I'm sick, tending to family business, out of town on business or on vacation,” said Shipman.
While on call, the police officer has to stay in town and be available by phone. If called out, the hourly officer earns base pay for the time working on an incident.
The council had set on-call pay at 25 percent (about $2 per hour) last month because there was no standard of pay in writing.
“We approved 25 percent as a starting place,” said Dinwiddie. “I don't have an opinion one way or another. As long as you come in under budget at the end of the year.”
Shipman said he'd discussed it with his officers.
“We didn't agree with the 25 percent,” he said. “I've looked at the budget. We're okay. I'd like to see on-call pay at 50 percent of base pay. They are good officers. And if it hurts the budget, we'll have to cut back again.”
Junkins and Mark Conlee approved the increase to 50 percent; Slater and John Geyer opposed it. With a tie vote, the increase did not pass and police on-call pay stays at 25 percent of base pay.
In other business the council:
Approved a $3,900 bid from Mike Mohrfeld, Fort Madison, for all electrical work for the new shed at Montrose Cemetery.
Cemetery caretaker Dale Sanders will check with the Lee County Sheriff's Office about an alarm for the building. When Mohrfeld trenches the electrical wiring would be the time to add a telephone line for an alarm.
The council also agreed to insulate the whole building and to take bids on the two older sheds the new one is replacing.
Approved up to $5,000 for a new heating and cooling system at the community center.
Holland, representing the Watermelon Festival Committee, asked the council to replace the furnace at the Ivor Fowler Community Center.
“We are fund-raising for remodeling the back room, complete with updated and handicap accessible bathrooms,” he said. “If the city could come up with money for a new furnace and air conditioning, we can concentrate on the larger project.”
Holland said the flexible ducting on the air conditioning leaks because the duct work is not insulated. The air conditioning is not adequate to properly cool the building.
Dinwiddie said the council had budgeted $5,000 for a new heating and cooling system.
Holland said the back room remodeling is estimated to cost $25,000.
Dinwiddie writing a letter that the city is not interested in vacating any property to property owners requesting the city vacate outlots in the southwest corner of Montrose.
“Those houses were built to be a subdivision but it fell through,” said Dinwiddie. “The streets have not been vacated. The property owner wants to sell as one parcel but we can't just give it away. We'd have to vacate it and put it up for bid to anyone. The city has sewer and water lines running through there.
“The courthouse has one thing, the city has another. If someone can prove ownership with a deed or title, we can further discuss it.”
Agreed to not enter an Alliant franchise agreement.
n Is still looking for more residents to serve on the board of adjustment. Two have volunteered and five are needed.
Approved United Methodist Church's request to add a long culvert in the Cedar Street ditch. The culvert would be covered with gravel and create a diagonal parking area for cars in consultation with the streets department. The church buys the materials and the city can furnish labor.
Approved council member Geyer attending the Iowa League of Cities annual conference in Dubuque at an approximate cost of $600.
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