BP Council agrees to Alliant franchise for city gas, electric

Mike Wagner and Dave Wiese from Alliant Energy were at the Jan. 18 meeting of the Belle Plaine City Council to discuss the city’s franchise agreement, which expires on May 1, and the possibility of the city having a franchise fee with Alliant Energy. He explained the process and the options available.

Council approved starting the process for a franchise agreement with a 3 percent fee for both gas and electricity. City clerk Sandy Walton will begin the process by preparing the Revenue Purpose Statement for review at the next meeting and get the Natural Gas and Electric Franchise Ordinances approved by the city lawyer.

Judy Schlesselman gave an update from Belle Plaine Community Development Corporation (BPCDC). The executive director position is vacant. They are advertising and hope to fill it soon. The 2022 Main Street Iowa accreditation forms were submitted by the deadline. Planning for the July 3 celebration will begin soon. The 2022 financial report will be ready in February. Mayor Dave Fish and Brian Baumgartner, BPCDC president, are discussing the possibility of a 28E agreement.

Bruce Gapstur, Airport Manager, was unable to attend the meeting due to illness. His presentation will be moved to a future meeting.

The city treasurer’s report, city budget report, and solar report for December were given to the council for their information.

Committee of the Whole

Discussion was held regarding the property where the old junior high building was removed. The council instructed Mayor Fish to proceed with a committee meeting involving the city and the school. Council members Lyle Morrow and Judy Schlesselman will attend to represent the city.

The food pantry needs a new manager as Lynette will be leaving. Mayor Fish would like the council to share this information and offer any suggestions on a possible replacement.

Steve Beck, city administrator, reported he has started employee evaluations. Well 5 is in the process of being abandoned. Well 3 has a temporary submersible pump so the city can continue to use this well while considering permanent repairs. Beck has been in contact with Scott Shover of Iowa Rural Water Association on city goals and utilizing him as a mentor. He has also been sharing places to look for grants and forgivable loans through the State Revolving Fund. The city has a rough quote for a new well. It is approximately $500,000 if placed in the current well field. A filter for Well 6 is also still a possibility as the test was a success. The council is considering utilizing TIF to help fund a water project. Beck has also been speaking with the DOT on a variety of topics including the Hawk System, four-to-three lanes, traffic flow data after the Hwy 21 exchange is completed, and a tentative overlay project on Hwy 21.

The only meeting Mayor Fish attended recently was the Benton County Board of Supervisors. He attended with Kate Robertson for BDG. The city administrator’s evaluation forms were passed out Monday and he reminded the council of their return due date.

The mayor shared that the Federal mileage rate for 2023 has risen to 65.5 cents per mile.

The council did not go into closed session as there are no updates on the WRH lawsuit.

Other business

In other business, council:

Approved Payment #1 to Iowa Civil Contracting for the Rehabilitate Runway 18/36, Taxiway and Apron Pavements project for the Belle Plaine Municipal Airport in the amount of $358,499.22.

Approved Resolution #23-01-02, setting a public hearing approving the maximum tax dollars from certain levies for the City’s proposed fiscal year 2023-2024 budget.