The West Liberty City Council moved forward on several annexation requests, including an 80/20 annexation request for property owned by All-American Concrete, Don Schrader and Brew Properties LLC.
At the Nov. 19 meeting, city manager Lee Geertz recognized Lisa Wertzbaugher with Brew Properties LLC, saying she appreciated the Wertzbaughers patience as the city worked through the legal issues involving annexation.
“It took way longer than we wanted it to take for them, but with some additional assistance at the state level, we feel confident that we are in a good place with the annexation,” said Geertz.
The council approved the annexation on a 4-0 vote. Geertz said the next step was for the state to review the request. She said the review was necessary in part to make sure there were not “islands” of unannexed land. After that, the council will begin to work on an ordinance officially accepting the land into the city. Geertz also told Wertzbaugher she would communicate with Muscatine County to keep them updated on the progress of the annexation.
Illegal dumping ordinance
The council approved an amendment to the code of ordinances prohibiting dumping in privately owned dumpsters without express permission of the owner. Violators will be fined $100 per event, plus the cost of abatement of the nuisance and an administrative fee.
Short Street traffic issues
Mayor pro tem Cara McFerren asked city engineer Leo Foley if there had been any discussion about possible engineering solutions for reports of speeding on Short Street. Foley said that extra patrolling would be one solution, followed by installation of a speed bump or a radar speed sign.
“I must go at the wrong times, because the times I’m over there, there’s hardly any traffic,” said Foley. “I’m certain there’s people speeding. I’m positive. But it must be at like, 5:30 at night or certain times is when it’s happening.” He said he thought a speed bump might be the best solution, but McFerren said that might cause problems for the streets department, including with snow removal.
Foley said there were also temporary speed bumps that could be bolted into the pavement. “I really don’t know if it’s going to help you 100 percent. The people that are driving four-wheelers or whatever else they’re doing on those roads, it’s hard to stop those people.”
Geertz and police chief Joshua Houser said that, because the road is on a curve, it often gives the impression that a vehicle is going faster than it actually is. Houser said there were more patrols going on in the area.
Open burning extension
Geertz asked the council to consider extending the open burn dates until the end of November.
“I think this is an annual discussion that seems to come around, and more so because our weather patterns have not been cooperating with our ordinance.” She added that the burn ban at the end of October had also cut down on the number of days residents could burn yard waste, as well as the number of wet days in November. While the vacuum truck has been running on a daily basis, wet leaves are harder for the truck to pick up.
Council member Tim Parizek said trees in his yard were still shedding leaves, and he had noticed this around town as well.
Geertz said her suggestion was to extend the burn dates until the end of November and also review the burning ordinance. McFerren agreed that the conversation on extending the dates seems to happen every year.
The council agreed by consensus to allow open burning to continue through Nov. 30.
Right-of-way request
The council voted down a request by Jose Toribio of West Maxson Street to place access stairs to his home in the city right-of-way. City clerk Shari Hoffert told the council the request had been made because the area near Toribio’s home is steep and he wanted easier access to get his garbage can up and down. Hoffert said there was one other home in the neighborhood that had stairs down to the street, but they had been there for quite a while.
Geertz relayed city building inspector Terry Goerdt’s recommendation the council not approve the request due to the liability to the city. For instance, if someone were to fall because of the stairs, the city would be responsible for any injury or other damage. “Once it’s placed in the city’s right-of-way, it becomes our liability,” said Geertz.
“I’m not opposed to doing what homeowners want to do,” said McFerren. “But the catch is, if we’re going to be held financially liable, that’s a big concern.”
Geertz said that she and Goerdt would have more discussion with Toribio to try to find a feasible solution.
Brick Street Gallery building renovation
Council member Joshua Shiltz asked Wertzbaugher about the status of the building that houses Brick Street Gallery at 104 W. 3rd Street. The south wall of the building is in disrepair, and the gallery temporarily relocated to 116 E. 3rd Street while the building is being fixed. Wertzbaugher and her husband Jason own the building and received a City Economic Development Grant for the repairs in July.
Wertzbaugher said they were working to get a contractor secured to do the repairs. She said they had reached out to five masonry contractors so far, and three had scheduled site visits.
“Basically, the wall is four full layers, and it’s just that outer layer,” said Wertzbaugher. “They said there’s probably at least four walls on the back side of that structure, is essentially how they’ve explained it to us.”
She said that one of the largest problems she and her husband were facing in getting a contractor lined up was because many were already scheduled to repair brick buildings elsewhere in eastern Iowa. The influx of repairs came in the wake of a building collapse in Davenport in May of 2023 that killed three people.
“We feel good about the amount of contacts that we have out now. This is a high sense of urgency for us, just because we want this taken care of and off our plate. So, we will keep you updated. I would say by the first week of December … to have at least the options to consider.” She said the couple would work with Ken Brooks of WELEAD to make sure they were fulfilling the terms of their grant.
Council member Dana Dominguez joined the meeting via Zoom and did not participate in voting matters.