OTTUMWA —
The public will now have their say on any policy changes for the Ottumwa Transit system.
The Ottumwa City Council approved a policy on Tuesday establishing the OTA will solicit and consider public comment before raising a fare or carrying out a major reduction of transit service. It was approved to meet the requirements of the Federal Transit Agency and Iowa Department of Transportation. City Attorney Jodi Keith explained to the council the exact terms of the new policy.
“It provides a 15-day notice of a public hearing to take place before any significant policy changes can be made,” Keith said. “The implementation of that change would also not take place for another two weeks after the public meeting.
“It provides for a 30-day window that would be sufficient to provide a notice and receive public input.”
The city council also on Tuesday reallocated excess funds of $18,216.76 left over from the Ottumwa City Hall roof repair project. The project, which had an originally budget of $70,000, was finished at a cost of just $51,738.24.
The funding will be made available to reduce the amount of any future borrowings. Finance director Bob Jay cited the City Hall entrance reconstruction project, which will need additional funding for attic insulation and electrical lighting, as an example of necessary budget fluctuation.
“We have a couple of other projects that are coming in under budget, so that total we would need to borrow on other projects is always floating,” Jay said. “When other projects get finalized, we may also be able to slide some more money over.”
Several resolutions were adopted regarding various construction projects around the city. Besides a second change order to the Ferry Street Reconstruction and a contract for the Ottumwanoc Tribal Trail Gray Eagle Extension projects, the council approved the contract, bond and certificate of insurance for the widening project on Pennsylvania Avenue between Brentwood Drive and Hutchinson Avenue.
Burlington’s Shipley Contracting plans on starting work on the first stage of the project on Aug. 15 with a 50-day working window scheduled. Public works director Larry Seals said the city is working with residents along Pennsylvania Avenue, as well businesses such as the Ottumwa Regional, to get the word out on the alternate routes that will need to be taken during the work.
“A lot of that has been laid out, but we’ll go over it again so everyone knows where they need to go,” Seals said.
Seals also discussed the progress of ongoing projects at the Ottumwa Regional Airport. The council approved final payments for projects at the main hangar of the airport, including installation of a storm sewer and construction of a driveway and parking lot.
“The north side of the hangar also needs a storm system put in, and the east side needs additional repair work,” Seals said. “Those are projects we will be starting on soon.”
A public hearing was also held on Tuesday about approval for the city to accept the 2011 JAG grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Ottumwa Police Chief Jim Clark discussed with the board some of the plans for spending the $28,081 grant, including the purchase of a mobile device that can recover deleted data.
“We can attach the device to any cell phone or i-Pod and recover any data that is on there even after deletion,” Clark said. “That will help tremendously in a number of investigations with inappropriate images of underage kids or in harassment cases where people are harassing others with their cell phones.”
The council also set the date of Aug. 2 for a 6:30 p.m. public hearing to be held inside the council chambers at City Hall on the proposal for the city to enter into a developmental agreement with Continental Properties Company. The agreement would develop a retail project, which was revealed on Monday to be a Kohl’s store, at the corner of U.S. Highway 34 and Wildwood Drive.
Four additional sponsors were added to the Community Recognition pole banner program list. Bauman State Farm, Messerschmitt Ice Service, Women and Men’s Healthcare Clinic and Rupp ProHealth Chiropractic will have their names placed on a 24-by-30-inch vertical banner to be placed on light poles throughout the city.
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Council approves public comment policy for OTA
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