Nicole McAlexander provided an update on Southeast Linn Community Center’s contributions to Mount Vernon at the Jan. 5 Mount Vernon City Council meeting.

SELCC had 3,400 food pantry visits last year, which included visits from 110 Mount Vernon households which served 300 Mount Vernon residents.

Additionally, McAlexander said that $8,000 was provided in crisis assistance funding for 20 Mount Vernon households.

SELCC also provided pool scholarships for 72 households and 300 individuals, provided school supplies for 68 Mount Vernon students and provided 210 scholarships to the Lester Buresh Center for discounted memberships for 51 people.

The community gardens provided more than 7,000 pounds of produce, which was enough for roughly one pound of produce for every citizen in Mount Vernon and Lisbon.

Two thousand six hundred and sixty-six meals were provided over the course of the summer, with an average of 49 every day.

“As we’re headed into budget season for the city, I want you all to know we’ve seen a 40 percent increase of the pantry in the last two months over the same time period in 2024, and I think that’s only going to grow,” McAlexander said. “Cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies for health insurance and limits on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs are only going to make that need an issue.”

Collaboration was a key buzzword for SELCC this year as well, as the agency has started a food pantry to help serve Cornell College students and also helped to increase options in the community of Ely, who does not have their own food pantry.

The holiday food boxes this year was another of those partnerships, helping SELCC to serve more families in need in the area by partnering with efforts across the region.

MV City hall to get new awnings

Mount Vernon City Hall will get new awnings installed this year.

The cost of replacing the awnings is roughly $11,561, but staff was looking to include an extra $1,000 to cover the costs of the awnings being installed.

City administrator Chris Nosbisch said that the city pressure washed the awnings back in 2020.

“They’ve held up for years of storms and the derecho,” Nosbisch said.

Council member Paul Tuerler said the awnings were on the building back when he was mayor, which was more than 20 years ago now.

Plat work approved for EMS plan

The city of Mount Vernon approved moving forward with a plat for the EMS district with Snyder and Associates. The cost for the plat is $7,500, and is the next phase for the City of Mount Vernon to have this up for an upcoming special election. City administrator Chris Nosbisch said that Snyder will have the plat mapped in the next 30 days.

Linn County elections worker said that the special election will be the responsibility of the board of supervisors, not the Linn County Elections office.

New cruiser approved for MVLPD fleet

Mount Vernon City Council approved of the purchase and equipment of a new police cruiser for the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department.

The cost will be roughly $65,000 to fully equip the vehicle, and Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police chief Jason Blinks said this is replacing a vehicle that was part of the Lisbon fleet of vehicles.

City administrator Chris Nosbisch said that this is also in the Capital Improvement Plan of the budget, with a squad car replacement budgeted roughly every five years.

Council member Paul Tuerler said that budgeting for vehicles on a replacement schedule was one of the best moves the city has done in keeping fleets operational for the service.