BELOIT CITY COUNCIL – Wednesday, July 6, 2022

By Terry Bailey

The Beloit City Council conduct their bi-weekly meeting at City Hall Wednesday night. Present were Councilors Jamie Meier, Andrew Grabon, Gretchen Staples, and Todd Ludolph. Absent were Lee McMillan and Tony Gengler. Also in attendance were Mayor Tom Naasz, City Manager Jason Rabe, City Attorney Katie Schroeder, and City Clerk Amanda Lomax.
Jason Rabe announced the Basics of Design Technical Memorandum was approved. This is a significant milestone in the completion of the Water Treatment Plan. Also, the KDA Water Diversion Application was approved. The allows the City to access water from Waconda Lake.
Rabe said the Ribbon Cutting ceremonies at the Solar Farm were well attended. Several group tours were conducted. There was good media coverage.
The sales tax report was very positive. Revenues for June of 2021 were $148,834. Revenues for June of 2022 were $189,409.
Emily Benedick, Community Development director, reported efforts are being made to access grant money to build medium income housing. Benedick also reported efforts ae being made to address the childcare provider shortage in Mitchell County. Additionally, Benedick told the Council that the location of the Dream Big downtown Green Space has been identified. She said the vacant lot immediately west of Bubba's Barbeque had been selected.
A Zoom connection with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield representative allowed a two-way exchange of information about the 2023 insurance policy. Finally, the Councilors approved the proposed plan.
The proposed Personnel Policy has been cleaned up, modernized, and updated according to City Attorney Katie Schroeder.
Manny Milbers from the Power Plant was on hand to request Catalyst Replacements for Engine Number seven. He said it would not pass the next examination. The Council approved the expenditure of $15,375 to replace the Catalyst material.
The Council approved a grant agreement with FAA AIP. This grant will help finance pavement rehabilitation on the Moritz Airport runway.
Travis Lattin was present with a proposal for a Drag Race activity. His idea was to have this activity conducted in conjunction with the downtown Millapalooza activity. He said he could close the runway for a period of time to allow the drag racing. There were numerous questions about insurance and liability. The Councilors were generally positive about the activity and will take it under consideration.