The Atlantic City Council met in a regular session Wednesday evening. During their meeting, Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Anderson presented her annual report, during which she mentioned visitor/user statistics.

Anderson said there were over 51,000 visits to the library over the past fiscal year, which was higher than in past years. 6,321 people attended 367 programs offered inside and outside the Atlantic Public Library. There were over 15,000 Wi-Fi connections, which was up 10% over last year. There were 7,700 public computer uses, which was down from the previous, because more people are using personal devices to access what they need from the library. Circulation (checking out material) amounted to 58,477, which was a slight drop from last year. Online resources usage nearly doubled to 13,190.

Michelle Anderson said also, Library Youth Services Librarian Julie Tjepkes is retiring after 32 years of service. A public retirement party to honor her is set to take place Saturday, Dec. 7th, from 1-until 3-p.m., at the Library. Anderson mentioned some other future events as well: Renovation of the lobby and Children’s Library will begin Dec. 2nd. Work is expected to take about three months, and includes plaster repair, LED lighting upgrades, a new ceiling, flooring and paint, new furniture and a new layout for easily defined areas.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council, by a vote of 6-to 1 (With Chris Jimerson the only No vote),  approved an engineering study to try and find ways of dealing with Storm Water run-off issues in the area of the Atlantic Golf and Country Club, and Palm Street area near the golf course. The cost of the watershed will amount to approximately $8,700 (less than previously thought), and will be paid for through the Storm Water Utility Fund.

The Council, Wednesday, tabled action on approving a Resolution pertaining to the Hotel Whitney Urban Renewal Area Revenue Fund, with regard to TIF obligations. City Administrator John Lund said there was an apparent confusion and/or misunderstanding with regard to the legal language of the agreement. The matter will come before the Council on Dec. 2nd. Lund said also, the Department of Management has released information pertaining to the Residential Rollback. He said “It took a big dive…down about 1%,” which is good news for property owners, and which shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the City, but he still has some concerns about the impact it may have on any growth in tax revenue the City may encounter.

And, the Atlantic City Council approved the FY 2019 Urban Renewal Report which is required by the State and is a summary of accounting in areas the city has spent funds, including the Road Use Tax Fund. The Council then approved a bid of $37,340 from Pierce Pump, Inc., for the Ash Street Sanitary Sewer replacement/repair project (in the vicinity of 14th Street). In other news, Councilman Chris Jimerson announced Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees is stepping down. He will remain with the fire department, and an election will be held in December to replace him.

One moment of humor during the meeting came when Councilperson-elect Grace Garrett introduced herself. Her opponent in Tuesday’s election, Councilman Dana Halder, congratulated her on her win – and made a reference to the Mueller Report when he said “I think you colluded with Russia but I won’t say anything…”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Chuck Grassley doesn’t agree with calls from President Donald Trump and other Republicans to reveal the identity of the whistleblower who first reported concerns about Trump’s dealings with the Ukrainian president. Grassley, who wrote significant portions of federal whistleblower laws, says they ensure anonymity for whistleblowers and should be followed.

Grassley told reporters in a call Wednesday that it’s important not to reveal the identity of intelligence agency whistleblowers because it could endanger them. He says the whistleblower is less important now that documents have been released of the call that led the U.S. House to begin an impeachment inquiry into whether Trump sought favors from the Ukrainian president that would help Trump’s re-election campaign.

Trump and Sen. Rand Paul called on reporters to release the whistleblower’s identity this week. Grassley says he doesn’t advocate journalists violating professional ethics.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says an Ottumwa police chief and the local civil service commission were right to fire a police sergeant for failure to be truthful during an internal investigation into a January 2017 arrest. Former Ottumwa police Sgt. Mark Milligan was disciplined for remaining in his car during a stop involving a possible stolen car.

Milligan, the supervising officer at the scene, didn’t intervene when another officer argued with a juvenile female and arrested her on a charge that was later dropped. Milligan claims it was cold and he didn’t want to get out of the car.

After an internal investigation, Police Chief Tom McAndrew concluded Milligan lied about his interactions during the incident and fired Milligan. The civil service commission upheld the decision. A district court judge in August 2018 found his dismissal harsh and arbitrary and reinstated Milligan with back pay.

The appeals court judges disagreed Wednesday, saying Milligan’s termination was appropriate discipline for dishonesty and is in the public interest. Milligan’s attorney says he plans to appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.