(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic City Council will meet in a regular session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, in their Chambers at City Hall. On their agenda is a Public Hearing on a proposed amendment to the plan for the Atlantic Urban Revitalization Area. City Administrator John Lund says Iowa Code requires the hearing as part of the steps in updating an Urban Revitalization Plan (URP) Area. The Council passed a Resolution providing notice of the hearing on August 17th. The hearing will be followed by action on a Resolution to Adopt the URP as amended. Lund said the City’s Finance Attorney, John Danos, has prepared the proceedings so that the Council may readopt the policy, which has expired. The only change would be to remove the expiration date, as the Council has not shown an interest in ending it, and “The sunsets are proving to be a bureaucratic burden,” according to Lund.

In other business, the Council will act to pass a Resolution “Setting the date for a public hearing on [a] proposal to enter into a General Obligation Land Acquisition Loan Agreement, and to Borrow Money thereunder in a principal amount not to exceed $700,000.” The hearing is expected to occur during the Council’s regular meeting on Sept. 17th.  As part of an effort to tackle the lack of housing in Atlantic, an option to secure land from the Comes Family Trust in the area northeast of 22nd and Olive Streets, was approved, thanks to the work of Bob Camblin, who also put down $10,000 of his own funds to lock down the option. The cost of the land is $830,000. The purchase will be financed through general obligation debt, according to Lund, who said also, the actual borrowing will be much lower than the $820,000 required. The principal borrowed would be $500,000, with the remainder coming from the City’s share of ARPA (Covid) relief funds, and supplemented with excess funding provided to the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Downtown Facade Project, and LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) Progress funds.

The Atlantic City Council will also hold the second reading of an amended panhandling ordinance, the first reading of: an amending mowing of properties ordinance; an amended ordinance pertaining to removal of solid waste; and, an amended ordinance with regard to the removal of snow and ice accumulations. In his report to the Council, Wednesday evening, John Lund will follow-up on Beautification Committee, and Personnel and Finance Committee, meetings. He’ll also discuss the possible renewal of an agreement with “The Retail Coach.”