OTTUMWA —
With sewer rate increases approved and a multi-million dollar grant secured, the only step remaining in keeping sewer rates as they are is the passage of the Local Option Sales Tax this fall.
After designating Finance Director Bob Jay as an authorized representative for the city for the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant, Councilman Bob Meyers acknowledged all that city staff has done over the years to secure the grant.
Meyers thanked former mayor Dale Uehling, former council members Keith Caviness and Gordon Aistrope and others for the work they put toward the $16.2 million grant.
“And I know Councilmen [Brian] Morgan and [Mitch] Niner have been curious over the years if we would actually get this,” Meyers said.
Public Works Director Larry Seals said it took everyone working together to navigate through all the hoops to get the federal grant.
“It’s been a long process,” said Councilman J.R. Richards. “It shows the continuity of this type of government. Remember that Mayor Flanders signed it.”
The council also approved the project grant agreement between the city and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the 2010 Flood Protection Mitigation Project. The $16.2 million will fund the West End Sewer Separation Project and Ottumwa Water and Hydro flood wall protection.
“When we did sewer rates a year ago, this is something we built into those,” Morgan said.
He noted that now that the city has received the grant, the public should not assume sewer rates will be lowered.
“We approved those with the hope that we would get this grant and that LOST will pass in November,” he said. “Those rates are set, and set assuming we were going to get this.”
Seals said without this grant, sewer rates would have increased 16.2 percent and Jay said the city would have accrued at least $4 million to $5 million in interest if they would have had to borrow a $16.2 million loan.
“Everyone in Ottumwa can breathe a sigh of relief that we won’t have to pay this $16.2 million ourselves,” Morgan said. “With all the studies and surveys in the past year, on a federal level, they’re doing their due diligence in giving us this grant.”
The council also approved the nearly $55,000 purchase of radio equipment from RACOM Corporation, of Marshalltown, which will be used to implement the Ottumwa Police Department’s interoperable communications project.
“It would have been nice to have interoperability today,” said Police Chief Jim Clark of Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign stop in Ottumwa Tuesday. “We couldn’t communicate with anyone but ourselves.”
The council also approved:
• Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau one-year $78,000 alcohol enforcement grant to the Ottumwa Police Department, of which $45,000 will be used to purchase 10 in-car camera systems and $33,000 will be used for overtime to conduct traffic enforcement activities.
• The $16,627 purchase of a 2011 Chevrolet HHR for the engineering department, which will replace a 2002 Chevy Impala. Seals said the city owns four HHRs, which can handle a lot more equipment than a car.
Local News
September 19, 2012
Council breathing a sigh of relief
Without $16.2 million FEMA grant, sewer rates would have increased 16.2 percent
- Local News
-
- Tornado creates local questions OTTUMWA — If there's a tornado in Wapello County, where would I go afterwards? It isn't hard to understand why local callers are asking Wapello County Emergency Management that question. Josh Stevens, emergency coordinator for the county, said since
- A waiting game OTTUMWA — Family and friends of a hospitalized toddler are waiting for answers, as are local police. On April 22, officers found a 2-year-old boy unresponsive at his home in the 100 block of East Woodland Avenue. He was immediately transported to Ott
-
Training goes beyond fires
OTTUMWA — Our firefighters aren't afraid to run into a fire, said one official, but when it comes to a Hazmat situation, they walk. On Wednesday, the Ottumwa Fire Department was on the grounds of Cargill Meat Solutions, training as realistically as p
-
Hedrick teen missing
OTTUMWA — A 13-year-old Hedrick girl has been reported missing. Hunter Kopp, 13, was last seen leaving the Hedrick area (her hometown) around 6 p.m. Monday. Kopp is a white female, 130 pounds, 5-feet-7-inches, with shoulder-length brown hair and blue
- Veterinary clinic rezoned to commercial OTTUMWA -- The Ottumwa Veterinary Clinic is now officially a commercial district. At Tuesday's city council meeting, members voted 4-1 to approve the rezoning of the clinic from R-1 Single Family Residential to C-1 Commercial District, with Councilma
- Ottumwa lands 2015 Iowa Tourism Conference OTTUMWA — It takes two southeast Iowa communities to yank the opportunity to host the Iowa Tourism Conference from Des Moines. Ottumwa Area Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Mark Eckman was stunned by how quickly the Iowa Tourism Offi
- County to learn about disaster declarations OTTUMWA — The county is a step closer to finding out if they'll be getting money from the federal government. "FEMA was here last week, doing a damage assessment," said Wapello County Engineer Brian Moore during a meeting of the Wapello County Board
-
Oklahoma emergency crews will report specific needs soon
OTTUMWA — The sound of the telephone ringing is evidence to Julie Smithart that residents of Wapello County do care. The tornado damage to lives and property in Oklahoma has brought out the best in people, said Smithart, an AmeriCorps volunteer assig
-
Barber shows no signs of cutting career short
OTTUMWA -- Darrell Smith's hands are steady and sure as he picks up his clippers and straight razor to begin his first haircut and shave of the day. Smith, 88, has cut hair for 62 years and has owned Smitty's Barber Shop on Albia Road for the past 58
- Making memories on stage -- and off OTTUMWA -- Sold-out shows last year inspired Bridge View Center management to continue finding high-quality acts, they announced Monday. The venue's executive director, Larry Gawronski, said last year, booking good, expensive shows was a "leap of f
- More Local News Headlines
