Water, sewer rate increases approved
The City of Mount Vernon approved rate increases for water and sewer rates for the coming fiscal year.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch requested raising the sewer rate by 8 percent for the coming year. The new rates are due to the upcoming Phase II Nutrient reduction which will be required by the state. The project has a 1.5 million price tag for the Phase II improvements, and bring the cost of improvements to $5.8 million overall.
Citizen Keith Huebner spoke out against the proposed rate increases, saying the city is not operating in a fiscally responsible nature by borrowing for projects like the police department, pool improvements while other infrastructure is not addressed, including Palisades Road.
Nosbisch addressed those concerns, noting that the sewer rates need to increase as the city has more than $800,000 in sewer work that will need to be completed in the next three years, and the nutrient reduction is required by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to have a permit for wastewater treatment plant.
“That’s something we have to comply with,” Nosbisch said. “The cost for our improvements is a far cry from the costs others are facing elsewhere in the state.”
Council member Stephanie West said that the need for the wastewater improvements have been discussed for a while by the city, and the rate increases are not a surprise to council members. She moved to increase the sewer and water rates for the coming year.
Council approves Iowa DOT project advancing
The City of Mount Vernon approved working with the Iowa Department of Transportation for engineering improvements to Hwy. 1 for roughly $300,000, equivalent to 10 percent of the road improvement costs.
The project, according to city administrator Chris Nosbisch, is slared for construction in the 2026-27 season, but bids for the project will be entertained in 2025-26 fiscal year.
The project is planned to be completed in two phases, and stretch from Hertz Farm Management to Third Street as one phase, and then north from Third Street to the Union Pacific Railroad crossing in North Mount Vernon.
There is potential for a right turn lane to be installed at Hwy. 1 and Seventh Street intersection, and there will be investigation into a pedestrian crossing at South Fourth Street with a potential traffic signal there.
All crossings will need to be American with Disability Act compliant, and Nosbisch said that the project will not be widening the road, just working on the span of road between curb and curb.
Cemetery commission to be approved
A commission for Mount Vernon cemetery will be established.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said that the city has spent the past year and a half working to establish a commission or group who can make corrective actions at the cemetery. The need for the commission was brought up following the August 2020 derecho.
The commission would be responsible for finding ways to repair stones and cemetery plots as needed. Funding would be made by requests from the commission to the city council for the amounts they might need.
A public hearing will be held June 17 for the forming of the commission.
Glenn Street extension approved
Glenn Street’s extension east and connection to Business 30 has been approved. The 600 foot extension of the road and north/south connection to Business 30 are the City of Mount Vernon’s infrastructure improvements needed for the low to moderate income housing project being completed along Glenn Street this summer. Bids for the project are due to the council by June 27 at 2 p.m., and a public hearing will be held at the July 1 city council meeting