Friday, May 27, 2011
Memorial Day Parade
Don't forget, the Roland Memorial Day Parade starts at 10AM on Monday at the Legion. Then it takes a pause at the Bear Creek bridge. Then everybody will head to the cemetery for a program. I think I have gone every year since I have lived here. A very simple parade and event, but very appropriate in remembrance of our veterans.
Pool's open!
The pool opens on Saturday. Yay! Pools are expensive, and they have a lot of stuff to break, and have leaks, and all that. But our Pool Board has done a great job on the prep work, and our city staff has done a great job keeping everything working. I know in years past we have had delays, due to late issues popping up. But no problems this year. So grab the suntan lotion, and enjoy our pool.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
May 23 council meeting
We cut it close at the council meeting. We did not have a quorum at 6PM, but got it at 6:04, so we were able to have the meeting. Here are some highlights....
We had the public hearing, and approved the sale of the land from the park area on the east side of Arthur Drive. Still some more legal stuff to do, but getting closer to being done, so that is good.
We also approved the sale of the lot the city acquired on Cottonwood. We had 2 bids for the parcel, for $2100 and for $6000. Not what we wanted, and less than what we paid to have the rat trap demolished and all that. But hopefully we can get a dwelling on there, and paying taxes, so that will be good. Still awhile for all the legal hoops for the city selling something, but we have started the process.
We approved the continuation of having the Story County Sheriff's Dept be our police department for Roland. Our other options are to restart our own police dept, contract with someone else, or form our own jointly with some other communities. Though occasionally there is some idle chatter about one of the other options, but for now, we are staying with Story County.
We got a report on the opening of Bryan and Arthur. The barricades are down, feel free to drive on it. No official ribbon cutting. Still need some minor work, so there could be temporary closures, but we are good to go. Our citizens have noticed. I'm seeing a lot more walkers going by my house now, as they can complete the loop around Bryan and Arthur.
We asked our city guys to get an inspector up to check out our old library for soundness. We want to make some effort towards moving City Hall into that building, if it is sound. Not a done deal, but certainly interest in getting City Hall out of the water plant, and into a building on Main Street.
We talked about unmowed properties in Roland. The city can send a notice, and then bill the landowner. About half of the problem homes are in foreclosure though. Getting contact with the bank is tough, so we can just apply the bill to the taxes.
Lastly, we decided to go forth with applying for the mitigation grant regarding flooding. Still not too late to turn in copies of your receipts if you haven't, but time is close. Folks did not turn in as much as we expected, due to various reasons. That may limit what project we can attempt. But we are going to start the process, and hopefully that goes well. If it does, we might expect to receive $200,000 or so that we can use towards projects to help prevent flooding/sewer backups.
We had the public hearing, and approved the sale of the land from the park area on the east side of Arthur Drive. Still some more legal stuff to do, but getting closer to being done, so that is good.
We also approved the sale of the lot the city acquired on Cottonwood. We had 2 bids for the parcel, for $2100 and for $6000. Not what we wanted, and less than what we paid to have the rat trap demolished and all that. But hopefully we can get a dwelling on there, and paying taxes, so that will be good. Still awhile for all the legal hoops for the city selling something, but we have started the process.
We approved the continuation of having the Story County Sheriff's Dept be our police department for Roland. Our other options are to restart our own police dept, contract with someone else, or form our own jointly with some other communities. Though occasionally there is some idle chatter about one of the other options, but for now, we are staying with Story County.
We got a report on the opening of Bryan and Arthur. The barricades are down, feel free to drive on it. No official ribbon cutting. Still need some minor work, so there could be temporary closures, but we are good to go. Our citizens have noticed. I'm seeing a lot more walkers going by my house now, as they can complete the loop around Bryan and Arthur.
We asked our city guys to get an inspector up to check out our old library for soundness. We want to make some effort towards moving City Hall into that building, if it is sound. Not a done deal, but certainly interest in getting City Hall out of the water plant, and into a building on Main Street.
We talked about unmowed properties in Roland. The city can send a notice, and then bill the landowner. About half of the problem homes are in foreclosure though. Getting contact with the bank is tough, so we can just apply the bill to the taxes.
Lastly, we decided to go forth with applying for the mitigation grant regarding flooding. Still not too late to turn in copies of your receipts if you haven't, but time is close. Folks did not turn in as much as we expected, due to various reasons. That may limit what project we can attempt. But we are going to start the process, and hopefully that goes well. If it does, we might expect to receive $200,000 or so that we can use towards projects to help prevent flooding/sewer backups.
Tour of Innovative Lighting
After the council meeting Monday, I was invited to go on a tour of the Innovative Lighting plant on the west side of town. A group of REC folks were in Des Moines for some conference, and they took a field trip to Roland to see the plant, with some eating at our community center just prior.
I had not been in the plant for a couple years. Very impressive, and interesting what they are doing with making industrial lighting. Very bright, and very energy efficient. LED technology continues to improve, and we have something on the leading edge right here in Roland.
They split the group up into 7 different groups of about 8 people. One of the gentlemen in the group was from Georgia, and was on his first trip to Iowa. He was very complimentary of our state and our town. That is always nice to hear. Of course it was sunny and 75. I told him it was like that all the time here. I don't think he believed me.
I had not been in the plant for a couple years. Very impressive, and interesting what they are doing with making industrial lighting. Very bright, and very energy efficient. LED technology continues to improve, and we have something on the leading edge right here in Roland.
They split the group up into 7 different groups of about 8 people. One of the gentlemen in the group was from Georgia, and was on his first trip to Iowa. He was very complimentary of our state and our town. That is always nice to hear. Of course it was sunny and 75. I told him it was like that all the time here. I don't think he believed me.
Did my goal a week or so ago
In an earlier post I said my goal was to bike down every alley in Roland. Finally did that a week or so ago. Biggest excitement was stopping to talk to someone, and then causing a giant dog fight/circus. Dogs barking, and chasing, and just a lot of general commotion.
As for the alley tour, it is interesting to see another side of Roland that you don't normally see. I highly recommend trying the same thing.
As for the alley tour, it is interesting to see another side of Roland that you don't normally see. I highly recommend trying the same thing.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Monday May 23 Council Meeting at City Hall
We are going old school, and moving the council meeting back to City Hall tomorrow night. The Community Center is booked with a group coming up to tour the Innovative Lighting facility, and they are having a meal at the Community Center.
So if you are attending the meeting, go to City Hall.
So if you are attending the meeting, go to City Hall.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Housing Rehabilitation Grants
NEWS RELEASE
The City of Roland still has funding available to process approximately two more houses under the Housing Rehabilitation Program. This Program is a grant through the State of Iowa to help pay for the cost of rehabilitating single-family, residential structures located within the City limits.
The purpose of the Program is to assist low to moderate income persons to rehabilitate their homes in compliance with Iowa’s Minimum Housing Rehabilitation Standards. Typical repairs may include re-roofing, foundation repair, window repair and/or replacement, painting, re-siding, electrical, heating and plumbing work.
The City can provide assistance to made needed repairs for qualified applicants in the form of a deferred payment loan. If the owner occupies, and there is no sale or transfer of the house for five years, there will be no repayment obligation on the deferred loan portion. A sale prior to the five years would likely require at least a partial repayment of the grant funds. A mortgage and promissory note (lien against the property) will be executed and recorded. The amount of the assistance will be based on value of property and amount of work needed.
The home must be a single-family structure. The applicant must be the owner-occupant and must have resided in the dwelling for at least six months prior to application, and the household gross income must be below the following guidelines:
1 person and the total household income is below - $41,450
2 persons and the total household income is below - $47,400
3 persons and the total household income is below - $53,300
4 persons and the total household income is below - $59,200
5 persons and the total household income is below - $63,950
6 persons and the total household income is below - $68,700
7 persons and the total household income is below - $73,450
8+ persons and the total household income is below - $78,150
Other eligibility requirements include verification that property taxes, special assessments and mortgage payments are current, and the condition and type of property. Properties being purchased under Contract Sales or mobile homes are not eligible.
Applications are honored on a first-come, first-qualified basis. Applications are available to pick up at City Hall, or by contacting Simmering-Cory, Inc. (the City’s Program Administrators) at 641-357-7554. Questions can be answered by calling Melanie Mitchell at Simmering-Cory, Inc. at 641-357-7554. Equal Housing Opportunity
The City of Roland still has funding available to process approximately two more houses under the Housing Rehabilitation Program. This Program is a grant through the State of Iowa to help pay for the cost of rehabilitating single-family, residential structures located within the City limits.
The purpose of the Program is to assist low to moderate income persons to rehabilitate their homes in compliance with Iowa’s Minimum Housing Rehabilitation Standards. Typical repairs may include re-roofing, foundation repair, window repair and/or replacement, painting, re-siding, electrical, heating and plumbing work.
The City can provide assistance to made needed repairs for qualified applicants in the form of a deferred payment loan. If the owner occupies, and there is no sale or transfer of the house for five years, there will be no repayment obligation on the deferred loan portion. A sale prior to the five years would likely require at least a partial repayment of the grant funds. A mortgage and promissory note (lien against the property) will be executed and recorded. The amount of the assistance will be based on value of property and amount of work needed.
The home must be a single-family structure. The applicant must be the owner-occupant and must have resided in the dwelling for at least six months prior to application, and the household gross income must be below the following guidelines:
1 person and the total household income is below - $41,450
2 persons and the total household income is below - $47,400
3 persons and the total household income is below - $53,300
4 persons and the total household income is below - $59,200
5 persons and the total household income is below - $63,950
6 persons and the total household income is below - $68,700
7 persons and the total household income is below - $73,450
8+ persons and the total household income is below - $78,150
Other eligibility requirements include verification that property taxes, special assessments and mortgage payments are current, and the condition and type of property. Properties being purchased under Contract Sales or mobile homes are not eligible.
Applications are honored on a first-come, first-qualified basis. Applications are available to pick up at City Hall, or by contacting Simmering-Cory, Inc. (the City’s Program Administrators) at 641-357-7554. Questions can be answered by calling Melanie Mitchell at Simmering-Cory, Inc. at 641-357-7554. Equal Housing Opportunity
Sunday, May 15, 2011
May 9 council meeting
Not a lot on the docket for this meeting. We moved forward on getting some property sold along Arthur Drive, and discussed the procedures for selling the property on Cottonwood. Bids are due this week by the way.
We talked about our mitigation grant application, and what it was going to take, and how many receipts are turned in. We don't have quite the expected amount of receipts yet. So if you have any from flooding, please turn in copies, it will help the city.
We approved a payment for a housing rehabilitation grant. We heard about that some concrete trucks did a washout at the end of a dead end street off Bryan. And we heard about pool cleanup and opening, which I think is around May 26.
Lastly, I asked about fireworks, and they are going to be on the night of July 3, with a rain date of July 5. And that is about it, as mentioned, a pretty light load.
We talked about our mitigation grant application, and what it was going to take, and how many receipts are turned in. We don't have quite the expected amount of receipts yet. So if you have any from flooding, please turn in copies, it will help the city.
We approved a payment for a housing rehabilitation grant. We heard about that some concrete trucks did a washout at the end of a dead end street off Bryan. And we heard about pool cleanup and opening, which I think is around May 26.
Lastly, I asked about fireworks, and they are going to be on the night of July 3, with a rain date of July 5. And that is about it, as mentioned, a pretty light load.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
While I'm ranting...
I have my previous post, and since I am in the spirit of ranting about stuff in Des Moines, here is another one.
Republicans are all about cutting the size of government. Right? Bzzzzt, wrong answer.
The Governor pushed for a new government agency, and the legislature OKed it. This agency (for now!) is going to cost $150,000 a year. It is to levy fines and punish local officials who knowingly break open meetings laws.
Ok, I'm not coming down on the side of breaking open meetings laws. But we already have the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Besides making sure candidates do the right thing at elections, they also investigate issues with city councils and school boards who skirt the open meetings law. We don't need another government agency to handle this, when we already have one doing essentially the same thing.
This all started with the shysters at the Iowa Association of School Boards who pocketed a bunch of money. So apparently the solution is more government.
My 2 cents on the unintended consequences of this. It serves as a disincentive for the vast, vast majority of people across this state who honestly and diligently serve on city councils and school boards--people who are just trying to help their community.
Most of these elections are uncontested. It is not like people are widely clamoring for these jobs. So now, if some citizen gets all honked off at the city council, they can call this new agency, and we potentially could get dinged with a fine for breaking an open meetings law or some other issue.
Not that we try to, but in the case of Roland, with Deneen, our city clerk out of the office, the council and I have been taking on a lot more things. Speaking for myself only, I am not proficient on all of the rules and such of city procedure. I try to do the right thing, but I don't want to end up with a fine for an honest mistake.
The Iowa Ethics board in the past has done a good job of keeping on the line of wagging the finger with an education component to help government officials across the state. I would say that state agency took the appropriate measures to help people do the right thing.
So another state agency. Rejoice! {sarcasm off}
Republicans are all about cutting the size of government. Right? Bzzzzt, wrong answer.
The Governor pushed for a new government agency, and the legislature OKed it. This agency (for now!) is going to cost $150,000 a year. It is to levy fines and punish local officials who knowingly break open meetings laws.
Ok, I'm not coming down on the side of breaking open meetings laws. But we already have the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Besides making sure candidates do the right thing at elections, they also investigate issues with city councils and school boards who skirt the open meetings law. We don't need another government agency to handle this, when we already have one doing essentially the same thing.
This all started with the shysters at the Iowa Association of School Boards who pocketed a bunch of money. So apparently the solution is more government.
My 2 cents on the unintended consequences of this. It serves as a disincentive for the vast, vast majority of people across this state who honestly and diligently serve on city councils and school boards--people who are just trying to help their community.
Most of these elections are uncontested. It is not like people are widely clamoring for these jobs. So now, if some citizen gets all honked off at the city council, they can call this new agency, and we potentially could get dinged with a fine for breaking an open meetings law or some other issue.
Not that we try to, but in the case of Roland, with Deneen, our city clerk out of the office, the council and I have been taking on a lot more things. Speaking for myself only, I am not proficient on all of the rules and such of city procedure. I try to do the right thing, but I don't want to end up with a fine for an honest mistake.
The Iowa Ethics board in the past has done a good job of keeping on the line of wagging the finger with an education component to help government officials across the state. I would say that state agency took the appropriate measures to help people do the right thing.
So another state agency. Rejoice! {sarcasm off}
Property taxes
There is a bill being proposed by Governor Branstad that will change how property taxes are paid in the state of Iowa. In theory, it is ok, in that the goal is to make Iowa more competitive when it comes to attracting businesses.
However, make no mistake about it. It is going to shift the property tax burden from commercial enterprises to homeowners. There are no spending cuts with this. It is all about who is paying the bill.
This is what really honks me off about what goes in Des Moines. And it comes from both parties. There are no spending cuts, but the legislators often talk about cutting property taxes and blah blah blah. Well, the deal is, that is not their revenue stream. Their main revenue stream is income tax. But if they were to cut that, then they would have to make the hard choices about cutting spending and such.
But if they dink with the property tax system, then the city councils and school boards across Iowa have to make those tough choices. And in this particular case, if we want to maintain our current services in Roland, we more than likely are going to have to bump property tax rates up for homeowners. And then we are the bad guys.
I would like to see the governor and the state legislature try attracting businesses by cutting personal and corporate income taxes. Wealthy business owners would be more likely to come here, if their personal tax burden were lessened, and their corporations would be paying less taxes. But of course, that would involve making tough spending decisions in Des Moines.
The good news for Roland, if this passes, is that we are not highly dependent on commercial property taxes. We have our businesses, but it is a small percentage of where we get our property tax. We are not a major retail or industrial hub. Cities like Ames are going to get hammered--with all their businesses, and shopping areas.
However, make no mistake about it. It is going to shift the property tax burden from commercial enterprises to homeowners. There are no spending cuts with this. It is all about who is paying the bill.
This is what really honks me off about what goes in Des Moines. And it comes from both parties. There are no spending cuts, but the legislators often talk about cutting property taxes and blah blah blah. Well, the deal is, that is not their revenue stream. Their main revenue stream is income tax. But if they were to cut that, then they would have to make the hard choices about cutting spending and such.
But if they dink with the property tax system, then the city councils and school boards across Iowa have to make those tough choices. And in this particular case, if we want to maintain our current services in Roland, we more than likely are going to have to bump property tax rates up for homeowners. And then we are the bad guys.
I would like to see the governor and the state legislature try attracting businesses by cutting personal and corporate income taxes. Wealthy business owners would be more likely to come here, if their personal tax burden were lessened, and their corporations would be paying less taxes. But of course, that would involve making tough spending decisions in Des Moines.
The good news for Roland, if this passes, is that we are not highly dependent on commercial property taxes. We have our businesses, but it is a small percentage of where we get our property tax. We are not a major retail or industrial hub. Cities like Ames are going to get hammered--with all their businesses, and shopping areas.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Potpourri
I was down at City Hall tonite signing the Poppy Proclamation, and saw some flyers of the Fire Department selling a truck and a heater/furnace of some kind. It was kinda dark, so didn't get all the details. But check out the bulletin board in front of City Hall if you are interested.
Don't forget, the city is still accepting bids for the lot on South Cottonwood.
And if you are down looking at the bulletin board, also check out the info for Garage Sale Day in Roland on June 10 and 11. Information is also on the front page of the city's website www.cityofroland.org
And lastly, there is a fund raiser for an electronic sign at the Community Center on May 5 from 5-7. RADC is putting that on. There is a free will donation for some eats. Sounds like a good time.
Don't forget, the city is still accepting bids for the lot on South Cottonwood.
And if you are down looking at the bulletin board, also check out the info for Garage Sale Day in Roland on June 10 and 11. Information is also on the front page of the city's website www.cityofroland.org
And lastly, there is a fund raiser for an electronic sign at the Community Center on May 5 from 5-7. RADC is putting that on. There is a free will donation for some eats. Sounds like a good time.
Poppy Proclamation
I signed a Proclamation tonite declaring May as Poppy Month. The American Legion Auxiliary will be around Roland distributing poppies. Always a good cause with those folks, so keep you eye out for that.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
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