Council tables action on B Avenue/Wolfe Lane parkingThe Mount Vernon city council tabled action on restricting parking along B Avenue from Third Street N.E. to Wolfe Lane N.E.
Council member Debra Herrmann said she was concerned with the no parking signs along the east side of Wolfe Lane N.E. around the skate park. By mandating no parking on both east and west sides of the street, that would severely eliminate parking at that location and would not be something she favored.
Council member Paul Tuerler said he had not noticed the signs in previous bike rides along the road, but would concur with Herrmann that the council should table to make sure that the correct portion of the road has no parking along it.
Police chief Doug Shannon had received comments from citizens including Bob Axtell, Catherine Poduska, Rich and Deb Herrmann, Bill and Deb Ender and Tom Stephens on the matter, noting the curve of the roadway along B Avenue with traffic on both sides of the street makes traversing the road difficult for normal vehicles as well as emergency vehicles.
MV moving from Nixle to Hubspot The City of Mount Vernon will move away from using Nixle and instead move to Hubspot instead.
Hubspot comes at a price tag of $900 per month, which is $700 more per month than Nixle.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch, however, noted that working with Nixle, especially on communication for important information via texts or email communication can come with significant delays.
“Nixle is cumbersome and doesn’t always work,” Nosbisch said. “It’s SMS format can be glitchy, and getting all of a message across in limited characters is an issue.”
Nosbisch said he knew Hubspot will probably not be perfect when it comes to SMS messaging as well, but that it will work easier with the new city website that is being designed and the social media platforms the city uses.
Hubspot will also require a $6,000 set up fee for DeNovo to create the site, and a $500 a month fee to DeNovo for ongoing support.
Council member Debra Herrmann asked if citizens will have to provide their email or phone numbers to sign up for SMS or email communications, and Nosbisch confirmed that.
New part-time officer hiredThe Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department will be adding a part-time officer to their staff.
According to police chief Doug Shannon, the request came from a certified law enforcement officer who previously worked with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and is now working in the private sector.
Shannon said that would allow flexibility with holidays coming up as well as coverage for law enforcement during the festivals.
Traffic inspection looking at Hwy. 1 and First Street intersectionThe City of Mount Vernon will be doing a traffic study for the Hwy. 1 and First Street intersections to see if prohibiting right turns from eastbound and westbound traffic would make the intersection safer.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said the request came from a citizen, noting the new planters can make it more difficult seeing traffic traversing the southbound and northbound lanes on Hwy. 1 at the stop light, and many drivers do not stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks before attempting to make a right-hand turn.
The study will need to be conducted by V and K Engineering and work alongside the Iowa Department of Transportation, as it involves a state highway.
Council member Paul Tuerler said knowing the number of accidents in the area and how they are caused would help with any decisions.
Council member Debra Herrmann also noted she was in support.
MV City Council briefs June 19
June 29, 2023