(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council’s agenda is packed this Wednesday evening. City Administrator John Lund says “This is the big Budget meeting,” so the agenda packet for the Council is bigger than normal. The meeting takes place at 5:30-p.m. in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall, in Atlantic.

First-up, is a presentation by Dolly Bergmann on the City being designated once again as “Tree City USA. It includes a signing of a related proclamation by Mayor Grace Garrett. Next-up is a Public Hearing at 6-p.m. on the Status of Funded Activities for the CDBG-CV Project, and what Lund says is needed as part of the “red tape” required of the CDBG CV program. The project is being funded through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) by the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

The Council will then review and act on, make a recommendation to committee, or reject a bid for 1014/1016 3rd Street Place. Dexter Dodson, with the Atlantic High School, has placed a bid to build a single-family home on the lot, using students in the Building Trades Program. If the bid is accepted, it will be sent to the City Attorney to draw-up the paperwork for the sale. In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on an Order to Approve an Agreement with Fusebox Marketing for website design & development, website hosting, security, & site health, website enhancement plan and photography and video services. The agreement is with regard to the re-launching of the City website, which is currently not user friends, and makes basic tasks exceptionally time consuming. The contract amount of $12,350, John Lund says, is considerably less than was budgeted for in the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Progress fund for website updating.

Then the Budget discussion begins. It includes a Public Hearing on the proposed, FINAL, Fiscal Year 2024 Budget for the City of Atlantic, and a resolution adopting the FY24 Budget, which totals $14,794,803…an increase of 4.36% ($618,676) from the FY 2023 Budget ($14,176,127). Under the Budget, the City’s combined property tax levy will increase from $16.56/$1,000 to $16.79/$1,000, which Lund says is “To favorably position to the City if the State Senate’s version of property tax reform is implemented.” The Legislature has yet to come to an agreement on the State’s Budget that they can forward to the Governor for her signature, but Lund says the budget must be adopted before the legislative session ends. While the outcome is unknown at this time, “this budget,” Lund said, “will proceed on the idea that the current system will remain in place.”

The budget includes a seven-percent increase in compensation to all City employees, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allowing unionized employees to see this benefit. No increases to existing, non-utility fees are proposed. The final budget must be certified by the County Auditor and submitted to the State, by April 30, 2023. There will also be a public hearing, Wednesday, on the adoption of the City’s FY2024 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), followed by action on a resolution adopting the CIP, which amounts to $21.926-million, of which $8.375-million is financed by new debt.  John Lund says that’s a reduction in debt funding by $1.625-million and over $3.54-million in total capital improvements required.

Other Atlantic City Council business includes action on passing resolutions; Adopting wages for Seasonal Parks & Recreation Pool Employees for the 2023 Season; Setting salaries for Appointed Officers and Employees of the City of Atlantic for the FY beginning July 1, 2023 and continuing through June 30, 2024; and, a resolution approving the sale of City-owned real estate (1410 Chestnut), following  a public hearing on the matter; and, a Resolution Designating the distribution of sales tax revenues to various funds for specific purposes. The Council will hold the third & final reading of an Ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances, by removing a chapter pertaining to “Peddlers, solicitors, mobile food vendors and transient merchants,” and establishing a new chapter entitled “Mobile Food Vendors,” as previously mentioned in our newscasts/posts.

Other matters include an amended Sewer Service Charge Ordinance, which phases-in increases over a two-year period, beginning July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2025. Current charges for the wastewater utility have not changed in nearly 10-years, according to Lund. The new rates fall inline with the increased Consumer Price Index and increased construction costs. Effective July 1, 2023, the minimum charge (under 3,000 gallons) would be $30, with gallons in excess of 3,000, $6.00. There is a one-dollar increase each of the following years (2024- & 25) of one-dollar per year, to a final rate of $32/<3,000-gallons, and $6.25/>3,000-gallons.

And finally, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, will hold public hearings on the Dissolution of the Community Promotion Commission and Cable Television Commission.

Check out the agenda here:

Click to access April192023CityCouncilMeeting.pdf