The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, approved by a vote of 5-to-1 (with Councilman Dick Casady absent), an Order to Approve a Contract with SWIPCO (Southwest Iowa Planning Council) for supplementary services, with regard to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Councilman Chris Jimerson was the lone No Vote.

City and Zoning Administrator John Lund, said when he was hired as an Assistant City Administrator in 2011, he was tasked with taking over administration, zoning ordinance, planning and zoning, Board of Adjustment duties. When he became the full-time City Administrator, he slashed his full-time assistant and took on those duties as well. Lund said while he’s very capable of understanding Administration and budgetary aspects of the job, Urban Planning is a separate discipline.

That focuses more or the dynamics of technical and spatial-related issues of development, population growth, urban system and design. Because he has no education in the area of Urban Planning, he suggested SWIPCO provide the City with those services, as a supplement to the P&Z, on an as-needed basis, at $50 per hour. Issues such as the constant problems with Bull Creek (storm water run-off related), and Sub-division planning, he said are better left to those who understand those issues and work hand-in-hand with the P&Z to help them make better decisions.

In his regular report to the Council, Lund say his attention now turns to the City’s Budget. In his report, Mayor Dave Jones said “There are a lot of good things going on in Atlantic. We’ve got some problems we’ve need to take care of, [by] just going after them and focus on the positive parts of Atlantic. We’ve a lot of things going on. And I would challenge anybody  to take someone (who has never been here) around, and showcase Atlantic…look around and see what we’ve got…all the things we’ve done here in the last 10- 15- or 20-years.”

Jones also set Halloween Trick or Treating for Oct. 31st, from 5:30-until 7:30-p.m. city-wide, and Downtown Trick-or-Treating from 3:30-to 5-p.m. on that date. And, the Council approved the temporary closing of certain streets downtown on Oct. 12th, in preparation for the Fireman’s Parade that begins at 6-p.m. The parade line-up for floats and other participants, is at 2nd and Sunnyside Streets, beginning at 4-pm. The Oscar Meyer Weinermobile will be in the Hy-Vee parking lot from 2-until 5-p.m. for entry into the parade, which features marching bands that include the popular Isiserette’s, Salem Stepping Saints and the Pleasant Green Baptist Church Marching Saints, as well as bagpipes, fire trucks & apparatus, EMS and other participants.

On a related note, the Atlantic Fire Department will hold their Annual Fireman’s Donation Breakfast this Sunday, Oct. 6th, from 7-a.m. until 1-p.m. at the fire station. For your Good-Will donation, you will receive and eggs, sausage, bacon and pancake breakfast.