[0:03] cryptic message

[0:07] Perfect. 5:59. Got you.

[0:10] My clocks are in alignment now. At least after you I show 6:00, but

[0:15] I'll do you 6:00. Oh, yeah, I show 6:00 there, too. Well, it's still not working

[0:19] then.

[0:23] Okay, we've got 6:00. So, we're going to begin our March 9th City Council

[0:27] meeting. And

[0:30] we'll begin with roll call, please. Sarchet? Here. Savage? Here. Dvorak?

[0:35] Here. Hill? Here. Otis? Item number Oh, sorry, Nate.

[0:41] Stepped on you there. Item number three, approval of agenda. I'll ask for a

[0:45] motion and a second, please. So moved. Second.

[0:50] Roll call. Savage? Yes. Dvorak? >> Yes. Hill? Yes. Otis?

[0:55] Yes. Sarchet? Yes.

[0:59] Item number four is public comments. This is the time and place for comments

[1:03] for any item other than those that are a public hearing.

[1:07] Um I believe we have two cards here tonight. Let's um begin with uh Leah

[1:12] Teppley, Parks and Rec Board.

[1:21] Hi. Hello.

[1:23] Um >> your uh name and address, Leah, would

[1:26] you? Uh Leah Teppley, 939 West Trace Place, Polk City.

[1:32] Did you have a comment to make? No. Um so Welcome to the Parks

[1:38] » [laughter] >> We welcome you. The council's

[1:40] considering appointing Leah to the Parks Commission tonight, and Mayor and I have

[1:45] been encouraging um our volunteers to come introduce themselves before the

[1:49] council ahead of time. So, um Leah's just introducing herself tonight. Okay.

[1:54] So, thank Thank >> willingness, yeah, absolutely. If you

[1:58] want to talk about yourself, this is your time.

[2:01] » [laughter] >> Don't say it like that.

[2:04] So, Leo, we asked you the same thing when we had our discussion with you. We

[2:09] began with you giving a little background on yourself and why you want

[2:14] to be on Parks Commission, and I think the council would

[2:17] appreciate knowing that, too. Yeah, I've lived in Polk City for like 4

[2:22] and 1/2 years, I think. 5 years. [laughter] That's my son,

[2:26] sorry. I'm on He's on his way to baseball practice.

[2:30] Um, I

[2:33] we deal a lot with Parks and Rec, actually. He has been in baseball in

[2:37] some of the programs. Um,

[2:40] so, yeah, I'm just excited to meet you guys.

[2:45] Okay. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

[2:49] And we have another card here. Nick Ackerman is going to talk about the

[2:53] North Polk Wrestling Summer Flag Program. Welcome, Nick. Just tell us

[2:57] your name and your address, please. So, my name is Nick Ackerman, 705

[3:02] Timberline Drive in Polk City. Also have Sean Stender and Josephine, who are the

[3:07] men's and women's high school wrestling coaches here, too. So,

[3:11] um, hopefully they can add something to to my little bit of knowledge that I

[3:15] have, so. Um,

[3:18] I'm not sure what the formality is. I've I've talked with Rob about

[3:23] uh, an opportunity for a wrestling club to provide uh, hopefully a city

[3:29] enhancement, a really cool opportunity, but also a fundraiser for the for the

[3:34] men's and women's wrestling team. As obviously, school funds are

[3:41] not difficult to get, but you know, you have to get in line for them. If we can

[3:44] raise our own funds and and hustle ourselves,

[3:46] uh, while making a really cool opportunity for the city, uh, we wanted

[3:49] to do it. So, there's some other communities, Sean's buddy that's over at

[3:52] North Scott School District and Adel, I think, or

[3:56] eight Yeah, Adel does is kind of a something similar, but I gave you all a

[3:59] flyer. If anybody wants one, you're welcome to it.

[4:03] Trying to produce something

[4:07] standard that is going to be executable executable and and simple for the kids

[4:13] to do in the community that'll that'll provide some

[4:16] funding for the high school boys and girls program. So,

[4:20] you see the layout of it. Um we're going to do three holidays a

[4:23] year, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and 4th of July.

[4:28] Putting a flag in on Thursday, picking it up the following Tuesday.

[4:32] Um 2 ft from the curb, between the sidewalk

[4:37] and the curb. Looking to install something similar to this that has a cap

[4:42] that will be below grade um [clears throat]

[4:45] that the pipe will sit into for repeatability.

[4:48] Um And uh

[4:52] the kids can well, the adults and coaches will install these with the

[4:57] homeowner's permission um and their signed job form that we have filled out

[5:02] and ready to go, um but wanted to make sure there was no

[5:05] hurdles or issues with the city in doing so. We really just want to make sure

[5:09] that if somebody comes to you guys and says, "What's this about?"

[5:12] we've had a conversation about it. So.

[5:16] So, as Nick mentioned, he did reach out and I talked to Chelsea and proceeded

[5:20] with the conversation. It [clears throat] sounds as though there's

[5:23] no ordinance restricting this anyway. So, I I think Nick's 100% right. This is

[5:28] a cute community enhancement opportunity and I, you know, to whatever extent we

[5:33] need to do some other things should not get in

[5:35] the way of of of what the wrestling club wants to do. I think it it's a really

[5:40] cool thing having seen it in Adel, it's a it's really neat and and uh a good

[5:45] opportunity to to raise some funds, too. So, if um um

[5:50] again, aside from that, if there is an ordinance that through this has been

[5:54] identified that maybe something we look at, again, doesn't get in the way of

[5:59] anything here. I don't know if we need any,

[6:01] you know, support or just the fact that there's nothing standing in the way,

[6:06] this is will suffice, but um >> [clears throat]

[6:10] » happy to have a discussion if we do need an ordinance for right-of-way

[6:14] um flags or or something that maybe this is identified.

[6:18] Okay, so the these go in the right-of-way. They don't go on people's

[6:22] lawns. The whole Is there a reason for that?

[6:27] Trying to avoid um pet fences, irrigation systems,

[6:32] uh any type of stuff that's between the sidewalk and the home. Um

[6:38] most of that stuff stays uh

[6:41] on that side. I think Aesthetically, it it looks really neat when you've got a

[6:46] row of flags going down um a residential [cough] road, you know,

[6:51] whether it's a arterial road or not. So, I

[6:56] that makes sense to me. >> How far below grade are the utilities

[7:01] that are currently in the right-of-way? And I can't see the cap that they're

[7:04] talking about burying, so I don't know how far down they're talking about. It's

[7:08] a 12-in This one's a little shorter. The It'll be a 12-in uh piece that'll be

[7:14] below grade. And we've We've talked about having the homeowner install this

[7:18] for their own for our to avoid our own liability of

[7:23] it, but um if nothing else, we have a job form that

[7:26] has a signature off that, you know, that this will be 12 in below grade, goes

[7:30] down in below this. These will be painted white so the kids can find them

[7:35] easy enough. Uh I want them a standard distance if we

[7:39] if we can do this, I want a standard distance from the curb. So, as they pull

[7:42] up, they know like, "Hey, it should be somewhere about 2 ft away from the

[7:46] the curb." Um that's kind of the thought.

[7:51] I think it's great ideas, as long as it doesn't interfere with utilities buried

[7:54] in the ground, right? Yeah. Mhm. Can you weigh in on this about

[7:58] » Uh sure. Um I spoke with Rob, and I asked police

[8:02] chief and uh public works director to chime in. Um

[8:07] I think it is a really great idea. It shows a lot of community pride. Um I was

[8:14] able to find the city of Grimes does a very similar program. They've adopted a

[8:19] flag ordinance that allows flags to be located in the right-of-way. I think my

[8:24] recommendation would be that the city consider that ordinance um just so it's

[8:30] it's regulated and it doesn't impact other groups that want to do something

[8:34] similar. You've got you know, a standard ordinance that uh the council would

[8:39] agree on and put in place for any future opportunities that might come up in

[8:44] addition to. Is it Is it feasible to get that on the

[8:48] agenda for March 23rd since they have When are you going to start selling

[8:53] April 1st? Yeah, my uh

[8:57] timeline picture that I sent to Is that possible

[9:00] » flag. So, part of the

[9:04] you know, the hustle is to get it before Memorial Day here.

[9:07] Um but also sourcing the materials, you know,

[9:12] buy you know, the the goal and the hope is to

[9:15] start with 200 here. >> [clears throat]

[9:17] » Um we think that's a pretty reachable goal, but we got to source 200

[9:22] flags, which is kind of hard to do, actually, uh that

[9:26] are the same. Um so, that's going to be a So, as soon as we have an okay, as

[9:31] soon as it's like, "Yeah, go ahead." Uh we're going to start spending money and

[9:34] and sourcing not only the pipes, but the

[9:37] flags and all the stuff that goes along with it.

[9:40] Yeah, I I think we could get this on the next agenda and if the council's

[9:45] interested in suspending the rules and waving the second and third reading, we

[9:49] can have that on the agenda, too. I'm fine with that, but but let's be clear

[9:53] on where we are. There is not an ordinance now, which means there's

[9:57] nothing prohibiting them from doing what they want to do. So, if in the meantime,

[10:03] we want to adopt an ordinance that makes sense, fine.

[10:06] I I just like

[10:10] Right of way permits. >> It's not explicitly written in the

[10:14] ordinance that flags are allowed or aren't allowed.

[10:19] Um I think somebody could make the argument that it that we'd need to

[10:22] follow our sign ordinance. That's why I'd prefer to put an actual ordinance in

[10:26] place like Grimes has. I think that'd be I that'd be the best practice for the

[10:30] city. Is it And then the other thing, too, is if you don't have an ordinance,

[10:35] you're then obligated if you're trying to do 200 for Memorial Day, that's 200

[10:40] right of way permits that would have to be done because that's the only way that

[10:43] we >> [gasps and sighs]

[10:44] » access that. And I understand the frustration that

[10:48] sounding bureaucratic. There's a lot of utilities in the right of way and if we

[10:53] don't have a permit and for whatever reason that utility gets

[10:57] hit, the city's going to have a lot of issues.

[11:01] Maybe. I really think we're looking for I mean, let's do it to get it out of the

[11:06] way, but and this theme is going to come up here when we're talking about

[11:10] chickens later on, but we're we've got a benevolent organization

[11:15] looking to do something really cool and we were bending over backwards to try

[11:19] and make it as difficult as we can and I get that some of this is is foresight on

[11:24] a one in a million scenario that we want to avoid, but can we just enable people

[11:29] that want to do something good to do it? Well, what what would preclude them from

[11:34] ordering their materials now in anticipation? I mean the council is

[11:38] endorsing Yeah, if anyone has any hesitation, they can speak up.

[11:42] Cuz I don't have any hesitation. I'll absolutely vote in favor of this.

[11:46] None down here. So, it's just procedural. Well, then procedural. Well,

[11:50] yeah, yeah, the obvious I mean, I think when we source all the

[11:53] materials, our cost of goods on all this is nine grand. It's just to be clear.

[11:58] So, so substantial amount of money out of a nonprofit organization to put out

[12:01] there kind of hoping, you know, that it gets through, that there's no

[12:06] things that could stand in the way. So, >> [clears throat]

[12:10] » so I did I I don't know. I just want to make sure that I don't

[12:14] Knowing just as long as there's nothing that would get in the way.

[12:17] I mean, if it's if we need to change the ordinance, right? Fine. Uh but we're all

[12:22] saying yes. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, I I mean, I also Yeah. I

[12:26] don't want to give you false hope, but it's absolutely hope. It's It's like

[12:29] it's going to happen. Yeah, good. Well, I appreciate it, and that's why I wanted

[12:32] to come here because I there are rules for everything, and I

[12:35] want to make sure that we're just above board. Everybody knows what the

[12:39] what the stance is. >> And I just want to Oh, sorry. Go ahead,

[12:42] Mayor. How high are these going to stand again?

[12:46] » 9 ft. 9 ft. And it it shows a US flag on this side. Mhm.

[12:53] But it you might want to add that on the other side.

[12:58] Can do. You just say flag, maybe you'd want to add US flag. Well, Because when

[13:03] I looked at this side without looking at this side, Well, you know, what kind of

[13:07] flag is this going to be? I wondered if it was going to be a communist or a

[13:10] sling flag. >> Well,

[13:13] to be fair, I thought the same thing. Yeah, well, no, I I appreciate that, and

[13:17] that was intentional. Um US-based manufacturers of flags are not

[13:22] making US flags right now. They're making America 250 flags, which nobody

[13:26] knows about in here because nobody would know that. Why would you?

[13:29] But uh so when I tried to first source these flags, they said we're not we

[13:32] don't we can't don't have the capability to make

[13:35] just regular American flags. We have the 250 flags that's what is in

[13:40] production right now in all manufacturing of flags. So we thought at

[13:44] first we were going to have to provide this

[13:47] 250 [clears throat] flag. But then we were maybe going to give to

[13:51] the homeowner because we don't need 200 250 flags.

[13:55] And it would cut into the the the cost

[13:58] benefit or the the fundraising. But um

[14:02] So I didn't know that I could source 200 American flags, but I I think I found a

[14:06] a place to get them. So I haven't [snorts]

[14:09] pushed the order button waiting on What's their turnaround time?

[14:13] Are there is there a turnaround time before Well, if they are in stock at the

[14:18] place that I ordered it says they have 130 in one place and I can source the

[14:22] another 70 from a few other places of the same flags so everything matches so

[14:26] it's you know uniformed and looks nice. Um

[14:30] As long as they're in stock I can order them and they're done. To produce them

[14:33] to make them, they said we're not run doing a run of regular American flags

[14:37] right now. We can get you 250 America 250 flags

[14:40] which is like the Betsy Ross circle with a 250 in the middle. So it's like so I

[14:44] didn't put that on there because I didn't know if it was going to be an

[14:47] American flag or if it was going to be a America 250 flag.

[14:51] But yes, I can put if if we can get the okay and we can get the ordinance

[14:54] whatever we need done we'll start sourcing those

[14:58] um as fast as we can.

[15:01] So. Um well, I think you have council

[15:03] endorsement for it and you'd probably be uh good to go ahead.

[15:08] Welcome to coming before the council with these kinds of issues as you can

[15:12] see that council members take a lot of things into consideration when they're

[15:16] doing their decision making, but we're all very much in support of what you're

[15:22] trying to do. I appreciate it. It'll be a a great thing. I like the the

[15:27] the last goals and impacts is is what we we think it's going to be.

[15:30] You know, it's going to put exposure for our wrestling teams, boys and girls, in

[15:34] the community doing something that's giving back to their community. And

[15:37] that's where the real value is. Of course, the financial value to allow

[15:40] them to do things is one thing, but I think the community impact is is

[15:44] probably greater, so. If there's a a fourth holiday that gets added, could I

[15:48] suggest Nick Ackerman Day? >> [laughter]

[15:50] » No, no. He's been doing this stuff all night.

[15:54] Yeah, [clears throat] he's going to put other other people's names on

[15:56] everything. There is a real Nick Ackerman Day.

[16:00] I Thank you for coming in and and

[16:03] we often times are on the back side of these types of things.

[16:07] So, I'm glad that you're you're proactive and have the support.

[16:11] Uh actually I'll go stand up there. Yep.

[16:14] Please. Um I don't know. This is just just some

[16:17] thoughts and I I want [clears throat] to make sure that we're good because we

[16:20] talked about I'm Sean Standard, by the way. I'm the

[16:23] head wrestling coach at the high school. Part of the Comet wrestling club as

[16:26] well, but just wondering if it's okay. So, if this gets the green light, are we

[16:31] okay to put a stripe of paint on that curb just to mark for the kids so they

[16:35] know where the the flag's going to go in cuz we're going to go 2 ft off of that

[16:39] curb. So, just trying to make things easier and I just want to make sure that

[16:43] that would be okay as well.

[16:47] I don't think we have an issue with that. We'd want to coordinate like what

[16:50] color of paint you use and we'd want to coordinate that with public works. Okay.

[16:53] We We could have that conversation if you could provide us with a little

[16:58] bit more information. It'd make it easier so the the homeowner

[17:01] would know where it's at and the kids would know where to go instead of

[17:04] sending them in with a metal detector hoping they find it somewhere.

[17:08] And then the other thing is too with utilities, what utilities are going

[17:12] through the right-of-way? I mean, is it is it is it Do we need to

[17:16] call like Iowa One Call to have them come to every address just to make sure?

[17:21] To cover yourself, I would recommend that.

[17:24] Any anything older than probably 2010

[17:31] pretty much every utility you can think of is in there.

[17:33] Okay. Telephone lines, television lines, power lines, all sorts of stuff. Okay.

[17:39] And I'm sure they can come out and knock them all out.

[17:42] » Yeah, so so the time frame is to sell from April

[17:48] 1 to April 19. And then

[17:54] depending on you know, then we'll have a spreadsheet of addresses

[17:58] that we can provide to one call. I don't know how that actually works. I mean,

[18:02] I've done it for our own place, but like to do it on a

[18:05] scale of 200 in a in a town might be a We just probably contact them

[18:10] Yeah. ahead of time. Yeah. So, coach, um just another

[18:16] recommendation for you. Um you might if you're going to put a

[18:20] stripe on people's curbs >> But they notify them, yeah.

[18:24] » you might want to let them know that because there are some people who don't

[18:28] would not appreciate paint on their >> would. We would.

[18:31] » [clears throat] >> Yeah.

[18:33] That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you for Thank you. coming before the city

[18:38] council. Um I only had two cards, so we'll move

[18:42] on to item number five, which is consent items, and I'll ask for a motion and a

[18:46] second to approve the consent items. So moved.

[18:51] Second. >> And roll call.

[18:53] Yes. Otis. Yes. Surchett. Yes. Savage. Yes. Dvorak.

[19:00] Yes. So, moving on to item number six, which

[19:04] is business items. You see we have items on there A, B, C, and D. We've been um

[19:10] contacted by the developer for item A that they would request that we table

[19:18] that discussion on item A to give them some

[19:23] more time to um come up with their presentation. So, um

[19:31] I think what we'll do is go ahead and um remove item A from our business

[19:38] items. Do we need to have a vote on that, Chelsea, or do we just remove it?

[19:44] The council could vote to table it until the next meeting. Okay. So, why don't we

[19:49] just do that? Why don't we get a motion to table item A until

[19:54] our next meeting, which is the 23rd? So, I ask for a motion and a second. Uh

[20:00] motion to table item A until March 23rd.

[20:06] And is there a second? >> Second.

[20:08] Um I guess we could have discussion on that if there was any discussion, or it

[20:13] seems pretty cut and dry to me. Uh so, I'll just ask for a roll call on

[20:18] that, then. Hill? Yes. Otis? Yes. Sarchet? Yes. Savage?

[20:24] » Yes. Dvorak? >> Yes.

[20:26] So, let's move on to item B, then. Second reading of ordinance 2026-400,

[20:31] approving rezoning of property located near the intersection of Northwest Hug

[20:36] Drive and Northwest 77 72nd Street from R1 to C1 restricted.

[20:45] Um

[20:47] Are This is a second reading. Do we have any kind of a presentation from you,

[20:52] Travis, on that? Only if Only if council has questions or would like to discuss

[20:56] it. Okay. I'll approve it. All right, and a

[21:00] second? Second. And roll call.

[21:04] Dvorak? Yes. Hill? Yes. Otis? Yes. Surchat?

[21:10] » Yes. Savage? >> Yes. I'm presenting on C. All right. So,

[21:14] then we'll move on to item number C, which is first reading of ordinance

[21:17] 2026-200, amending chapter 25, city manager,

[21:21] section 25.04, duties, purchasing. And Chelsea has a

[21:26] presentation on that. >> [clears throat]

[21:28] » Thank you, Mayor. Um so, for the city council to consider

[21:31] this evening is a an amended city manager ordinance, which is specific to

[21:39] um section 25.04, titled duties, in the city code. Um I

[21:45] would propose the council consider updating section nine, purchasing, under

[21:52] the duties of the city manager. Um I'd ask the council to consider increasing

[21:56] that from $10,000 to $15,000

[22:01] without council authorization. The reason I am making this request is

[22:07] last year, the city council updated the city spending policy. A copy of that

[22:11] policy is available in your packet. We had conversations at the time to

[22:15] increase the city manager's um purchase authority, and we made this change in

[22:20] the policy. I had noticed that it contradicted the code a few months ago,

[22:25] and so to align the policy with the code, I'd request that change be made.

[22:31] I'd be happy to answer any questions the council may have. Any questions of

[22:34] Chelsea? Uh ask for a motion and a second, then,

[22:38] to approve item C. I'll move.

[22:43] Second. And roll call. Hill? Yes. Otis?

[22:47] Yes. Surchat? >> Yes. Savage?

[22:50] » Yes. Dvorak? >> Yes.

[22:52] » [clears throat] >> Okay. Moving on to item D, first reading

[22:54] of ordinance 2026-300, amending chapter 58, urban chickens,

[23:01] section 58.04, zoning districts, and

[23:05] Cody, you're presenting, I understand. >> Yes, I think the amendment is set forth

[23:10] to include the R2 district in the allowed zonings.

[23:15] Um, this would be restricted to detached single-family dwellings so there's no

[23:18] confusion that duplexes or townhomes would be allowable with that. I don't

[23:23] think they would meet the other criteria, but it's just

[23:25] cleaner that way to state that it's restricted to the detached dwellings.

[23:31] Council questions of Cody. So, I I have no problem with this, but

[23:37] I'm going to take this opportunity to reiterate some of the earlier concerns

[23:41] uh cuz they've been expanded a little bit. So, when we approved this, I I felt

[23:45] like our requirements were a little bit much um and subsequently we didn't have

[23:51] very many people apply for a permit because of that and and then um

[23:56] learning afterwards that >> [clears throat]

[23:59] » the uh video requirement or video course that was required, which was presented

[24:04] as free, is not free, uh further makes um our requirements, in my opinion, a

[24:12] little onerous for uh

[24:14] raising chickens, which is a tenuous thing to pencil out from a financial

[24:18] standpoint anyway, and and I'm not sure there's a value add proposition for a a

[24:24] whole lot of uh requirements on our permit requests since it's not something

[24:29] that we enforce proactively anyway. So, um

[24:34] if we want to really look at getting this right, and I'm all for expanding to

[24:39] uh R2, um I think we should look at um our

[24:43] costs and the requirements that we have um

[24:48] on there. Can I ask what is the charge?

[24:53] It's not free, what is it? The permit charge? No, the one to look at the

[24:57] video. I don't know. >> It's $25 through Iowa State.

[25:02] $25. So, what are we asking for people all together to commit to having

[25:08] chickens? So, they have to meet all the set forth requirements uh with the

[25:12] adoption. Um there's the $50 permit fee plus proof

[25:16] that you've taken Right. That's the way it's stated. I've not had

[25:20] anybody actually renew it. Um so,

[25:27] the permit fee and then the the video. >> $50 course fee with they provide a

[25:31] certificate at completion that is required to be included with the

[25:34] application.

[25:38] Well, I think I remember when this discussion was first had that council

[25:43] was okay with people having to invest a little bit of money on their own

[25:49] in order to get that certificate.

[25:54] The demonstrate that they really wanted it, they were serious about having

[25:58] chickens. The building of a coop and buying feed and chickens isn't an

[26:02] investment already? Well, I agree with this. I would agree with you that's an

[26:05] investment, too. But, I think education is always a good investment.

[26:12] Let's just hold on. It's $25. Well, is it fair to say that

[26:18] nobody this the this chicken thing um or the wrestling, these are first-time

[26:24] things, right? Not the chickens better up. I know that's been um around for a

[26:28] while, but was it simply an oversight that we

[26:32] didn't include all R R1, R1A, and our R2 in it? Or did we on

[26:37] purpose not put R2 in it, right? I mean, it doesn't even matter. That I think you

[26:41] could make an argument for. We were easing into something like this. It's

[26:44] just and and who knows, you know, there there

[26:47] are in this town especially, R1 is not there's not a standard lot. That's even

[26:53] more true for R2. So, that I get. I just it's the bureaucratic red tapey stuff

[27:00] that we've added to make the process I don't know. I mean

[27:06] The other piece of that though, Rob, is they do live in town.

[27:09] And I'm a farm kid, right? I love chickens, but I moved to town. So, it's

[27:13] going to take me a little bit if I I feel like I shouldn't invest something

[27:17] if I'm going to have something that typically would not even be in my

[27:20] backyard in town, right? So, I think we just include this and if we

[27:26] as we go through, we just make sure we put a fine tip on what we're asking and

[27:30] to make sure that if we were the ones applying that we would feel okay with

[27:34] doing it and it wouldn't not saying there's not red tape and it's not

[27:39] bureaucratic at some level, but just doing the best we can as we move

[27:42] forward. My thoughts.

[27:46] » [snorts] >> I think part of I guess

[27:49] beyond. Would it make you feel better if we did

[27:53] a one-time or a first-year application fee of $50 and then reduced it for

[28:00] subsequent years? Would that make it you feel better or is

[28:03] it the whole education part? Is it everything or I mean,

[28:09] in the in terms of making progress, I yeah, if you if you we change the amount

[28:14] and get rid of the class requirement.

[28:19] Got it. I think class requirement is

[28:23] definitely a necessity and especially if it's somebody that never grew up with

[28:27] chickens just to make sure they've got that base line. And you can have it this

[28:32] way. But it that's >> Again, that's my opinion. Yeah, and and

[28:36] I get that. But we're pretending like the city's going

[28:39] to make people do homework. We're you know, you can buy eggs for

[28:44] much cheaper than you can spend time raising them. So, to assume that people

[28:49] are just going to blindly go to Tractor Supply Company and throw a couple of

[28:54] chickens in their backyard and hope for the best is

[28:58] is just is not going to happen. And and so, we can add a class that wastes their

[29:03] time and a little bit of their money and pretend like it's making something

[29:07] better, but in actuality, it's not.

[29:11] I felt that same way about going to college.

[29:15] There were a lot of classes that I didn't want that I didn't want to fund

[29:19] that ultimately were good for me. Um I I'm one of those people

[29:26] I want to know that if my neighbors have chickens, that they have gone through

[29:30] the education process and they know what's required of them and how to take

[29:36] care of chickens. Chickens are not easy to take care of. I realize that they

[29:41] invest money in a coop and stuff like that.

[29:44] You know, a coop is a piece of it. Education is a

[29:48] really important part of it.

[29:54] Yeah, I would say I I could get behind looking at the the permit fee, but I I

[29:58] can't agree with that. I think the training is a necessity. Um not

[30:02] necessarily for the homeowners, but just trying to reinsure to their neighbors

[30:07] that might not be fans of chickens that at least they did some due diligence to

[30:11] understand how to take care of those. So,

[30:14] um but I would entertain potentially looking at changing the permit fees.

[30:21] Would somebody include that in a motion if you're going to approve the first

[30:25] reading tonight that you would like for us to adjust the ordinance for the

[30:29] second reading? What I'm hearing is leaving it at a $50 permit.

[30:35] And you it's it's a one-time permit instead of an ongoing permit. Well, if

[30:39] we're not collecting past one year anyways, we need to. I think I think it

[30:44] makes a ton of sense. I will tell you, and Cody can chime in here, too.

[30:49] It takes 1 to 2 hours of Cody's time to go out and make sure they meet the

[30:54] setback and the lot size requirements. So, if you can just recoup that cost, I

[30:59] I don't think there's an issue with it. The likelihood that once it's there that

[31:03] they're going to be moving it around their yard is pretty slim. There are

[31:06] there's regulations against it if it is caught. It's just It's a pretty onerous

[31:11] process to be out there counting chickens when there's other things on

[31:15] the the list to do, as well. So,

[31:21] What do you need the motion to say? Could you if you're if you're going to

[31:25] make a change to what is in the packet tonight, if you can explicitly

[31:31] state the other change so that we can get that on the next council agenda.

[31:39] I just want to make sure I heard Chelsea right. It's a one-time permit fee, not

[31:43] an annual permit fee. Yes. If it's one-time, then no, I don't think

[31:47] we should change it. No. Oh, sorry. No, it's it's a reoccurring.

[31:53] It is It is reoccurring? Yeah. So, we're looking to make a motion to make it a

[31:56] one-time fee. >> [snorts]

[31:59] » Um I would entertain

[32:03] reducing it to $25 for each subsequent year after the first year.

[32:08] Or is that just too complicated? I think that's too complicated cuz even James

[32:12] said, I mean, we pointed out that people haven't been collecting it after the

[32:16] first year. So, if we at least recoup Cody's

[32:21] investment on his time for the first year,

[32:24] then So,

[32:26] let me get this straight. We're We're requiring education for people to

[32:32] do this at at a collegiate level, I guess, somehow, but then we're not even

[32:37] willing to follow up on our own ordinance that says it's it needs to be

[32:42] collected annually. Yeah, I think that's a good question. Why aren't we following

[32:46] up on that? There to date, I think I've received about

[32:50] five permits that have actually been issued, and it'll be

[32:55] getting to that point where some of them will be expiring. So, there will be a

[33:00] period that it'll it'll come across my expired permits that I will be following

[33:04] up with them. So, so if if that comes across your desk that the permit is

[33:09] expired, and it's $50 to renew it, then that $50 that they're paying is paying

[33:16] for you to go out and make sure they're doing everything correctly. It would be

[33:22] a recheck of making sure that their coop is where it's supposed to be. They've

[33:25] got the right numbers. Um Right. Etcetera. With how they

[33:30] Basically the same application again, and they would go through the same

[33:33] process in paying that. Because Because we know better, and we want to verify,

[33:37] and of all the things that Cody can be checking, this is worth his time.

[33:42] » I think we're we're trying to get to a motion where we get rid of it.

[33:47] I thought we were changing No, we Just so it's a one-time thing so

[33:51] he doesn't have to keep going doing it wasting his time.

[33:55] Okay. So, the man And the education thing is a one-time deal, deal, too.

[34:00] Correct. Yep.

[34:02] They would still have the same certificate from the first application

[34:05] if it was an annual reoccurring permit. That would just get re-uploaded, but

[34:09] yes. So, they put 75 bucks into the game. They put some skin into the game

[34:15] because they want to do this, and then basically They got their coop, and on

[34:18] top >> Well, okay.

[34:21] Okay.

[34:23] Yeah, well, so they get some skin in the game, and they educate themselves

[34:29] on how to raise chickens so they can explain to their neighbors that they

[34:35] have watched a video on how to raise chickens

[34:38] and stuff. So, we're notifying their neighbors when they get the permit? No,

[34:43] I I'm pretty sure that their neighbors would probably let them know if they

[34:47] didn't think it was growing very well. >> so they've got skin in the game. They're

[34:50] doing that. Justifying all this bureaucratic stuff

[34:55] and then pretending like it's having the effect that you're stating it is, which

[34:58] it is not, is very misleading. Well,

[35:03] um [clears throat] I I Having some standards is not a bad idea

[35:08] as far as I'm concerned and it we're asking it to be a one-time deal.

[35:12] » without an application. Yes. I'm going to motion to approve

[35:18] the chicken first ordinance 20

[35:23] 2026-300 amending chapter 58 um to include to

[35:29] change the annual to a one-time subscri- uh

[35:35] the permit permit fee and to then add it to all the zoning

[35:40] districts or all the uh

[35:44] R1A or the R1 R2. I'm sorry. So, R2. As long as it's single detached dwelling.

[35:51] Correct? Yep. Okay. And

[35:53] » Seconds. Wait, what about the fee for the

[35:57] education? It's not changing. It's not changing.

[36:00] Okay, that's not changing. >> Okay, it's not changing. All right, we

[36:04] have a motion. Second.

[36:06] No, I thought you were the motion. He was the motion. I was

[36:09] » You were the motion. Oh, I didn't realize you were also moving that, too.

[36:12] So, motion, second, roll call. Bell. Yes. Otis.

[36:17] Yes. Sarchat. Yes. Savage. >> Yes. DeBora.

[36:21] » Yes. Thank you, Cody.

[36:24] Moving on to item number seven, reports and particulars. Let's begin with staff.

[36:28] Anything from staff? Um anything from Chelsea? I I do have

[36:35] something and I want to share this information so that it goes in the

[36:39] council meeting minutes. Um Parker Boulevard and the Broadway

[36:44] intersection will be closed for the street repair project beginning Monday,

[36:48] March 16th. The contractor will have 25 working days to complete the

[36:54] intersection improvements, but the contractor's intentions are to be done

[36:58] sooner um if weather cooperates. There will be two detour routes. One

[37:04] will be for normal residential traffic and they will take Jester Park Road to

[37:10] Cherokee to Wakanda to Parker. The other will be for truck traffic and uh that

[37:17] detour route will be Broadway to third to bridge to Parker. The city is working

[37:22] on some maps to put out on the city's website uh for ease. We will also post

[37:28] this on the city's um social media channels, city website, and we'll put

[37:34] out a Winds notification as well. That's all I had. Thank you.

[37:39] » Question. Oh, yep.

[37:41] » name already come up, uh

[37:44] is uh Broadway itself going to be

[37:47] obstructed during this construction?

[37:51] Uh well, no, it will not be, Nick. It may be slightly reduced, but it'll have

[37:56] two two or one lane of traffic in each

[37:59] direction. Thank you.

[38:04] I just had one quick question on the detour on Cherokee.

[38:09] Will parking be allowed on the street during this detour?

[38:15] I don't think we've talked about that. Good question.

[38:18] » That's a That's a valid question that we should probably discuss before they

[38:22] start next Monday. So, we will look into that and we can get back to you all.

[38:27] James, that is a good question. Having both lived on Cherokee,

[38:31] » [laughter] >> we know. Real tight. Real tight.

[38:35] The school district is aware and they were at the pre-construction meeting.

[38:42] Anything [clears throat] else from council?

[38:45] Okay, and I don't have anything either. So, let's move on to item number eight,

[38:50] which is adjournment. So, I'll ask for motion and a second to adjourn. So

[38:54] moved. Second.

[38:57] All in favor say I. Any opposed, same sign.

[39:01] We adjourn till March 23rd.

[39:06] Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

City Council Meeting: Polk City IA March 9, 2026

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