MP Council clears another hurdle to amend electronic sign ordinance

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

An ordinance amendment regarding electronic messages in residential districts cleared another hurdle at Wednesday night?s regular meeting of the Mt. Pleasant City Council.

Council members approved the second reading of the ordinance following a brief discussion. Three readings are needed before passage of an ordinance. The ordinance becomes effective after publication in the Mt. Pleasant News, the official newspaper of the city.

Mayor Steve Brimhall said he has received several comments about the ordinance, largely pertaining to the distance requirement (100 feet from an adjoining residential lot). ?Brent (Schleisman, city administrator) and I drove around and 100 feet didn?t look that bad to me.?

Councilman Terry McWilliams said he had a call from a resident pertaining to a sign currently being erected, wondering how bright the sign would be.

Councilwoman Deb Savage asked if neighbors object to the sign, even if the sign meets distance requirements, whether the sign can be denied. ?Not the way the ordinance is written now,? answered Planning and Zoning Administrator Jack Swarm.

New language in the ordinance is as follows:

Single-family residential zoning district ? ?Electronic message signs are prohibited within these districts unless associated with a permitted use that is non-residential. Electronic message signs are not permitted for home occupation businesses. When located on such properties, such signs must be located a minimum of 100 feet from an adjoining lot used and/or zoned for residential purposes.?

Language is identical regarding electronic signs in a multi-family residential zoning district.

Council members wrapped up procedural matters on the North Iris Street paving project. Engineer Jack Warner of Warner Engineering and Associates of Mt. Pleasant, said that the original cost of the project was $2.04 million. However, because the project was not completed on time, Shipley Contracting, the general contractor for the project, was assessed $66,000 in liquidated damages, reducing the final cost to $1.97 million.

City Administrator Schleisman told the council that the city will be applying for another $600,000 community development block grant (CDBG) to help fund the Jay Street sewer replacement project.

To be eligible for the grant, the city will need a survey to be completed by city residents. Schleisman said the surveys will be mailed soon and an 80-percent return rate is needed.

?If you get one, fill it out,? Schleisman said. ?We need a good response. If we get state and federal dollars to offset the cost, it will benefit the city. It will be $600,000 we don?t have to pay, and we have to do the project.?

Mt. Pleasant applied for a similar grant two years ago but did not receive it. The Jay Street project has a price tag of approximately $2 million.

In other matters, council members approved the third reading and passed an ordinance adding ?irrevocable trust funds? language to the city ordinance concerning cemeteries. The ordinance?s new language follows.

?An amount equal to 40 percent of the sums received from the sale of lots in cemeteries owned and controlled by the city shall be held in an irrevocable trust. The City of Mt. Pleasant shall be designated as the trustee of the irrevocable trust fund for perpetual care. The perpetual care trust fund shall be exclusively for the care of the cemetery and subject to Iowa Code Chapter 523I. Trustee shall invest and reinvest the assets of the perpetual care trust fund only in such manner and in such investments as are permitted under Iowa Code Chapter 523I??

Brimhall reported to the council that the Savannah and Prairie streets are now open to traffic. The streets are located east of Hy-Vee. ?We thought we needed more commercial land for development,? the mayor explained. ?We are shovel ready for projects.?

In other business, the council:

? Approved the mayor signing the contract with the Iowa Department of Transportation for the Mapleleaf reconstruction project. Bid letting for the project, which is slated for next summer, will be in January 2016.

? Approved the appointment of Tyler Scott to the fire department reserve unit.

? Approved an encroachment permit for a sign that hangs over the city sidewalk for the In Style Hair Salon at 215 W. Washington St.

? Granted a 30-day extension to Jim Barton to extend his time line to pour a concrete surface on the city right-of-way on his driveway approach on South Grand Avenue.

? Informed by Brimhall that an IDOT traffic survey revealed that 700 semis pass the Pilot Travel Center daily.

? Learned that members are needed on the community development committee. The committee deals with aesthetics in the business district and meets as needed. If you are interested in serving on the committee, contact Swarm at City Hall.

The next meeting of the Mt. Pleasant City Council will be held Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall.