The Lisbon City Council set a public hearing date regarding franchise fees with Alliant Energy at their meeting Monday, April 27, and is looking to potentially pursue another franchise fee with another service provider in town.
Public Hearings, Ordinances, and Resolutions
Returning to the discussion of an Alliant Energy franchise fee would eliminate the local option sales tax on utility bills in Lisbon, a franchise fee that would eliminate the local option sales tax in Lisbon, Lisbon’s city administrator, Brandon Siggins, cleared up some confusion.
According to Siggins, Alliant Energy will not keep any portion of the funds that the city gains by pursuing a franchise fee over the local option sales tax.
The only way in which Alliant Energy would benefit from the city adopting a franchise fee would be if the city used the excess funds to pursue projects that would require Alliant Energy.
Currently, the city only has a franchise fee in place with Mediacom, but the City would also like to pursue a franchise fee with Mechanicsville Fiber, originally Mechanicsville Telephone Co.
No percentage was established for the Alliant Franchise Fee; the council only decided that they would like to pursue the franchise fee going forward. A public hearing for the Alliant Energy Franchise Fee Ordinance was set for June 8, 2026, at 7 p.m.
The council also discussed approving the Well No. 5 pay estimate No. 3 to Wendler, Inc. for $34,483.50. According to Lisbon’s city engineer, Dave Schechinger, this payment would make the city current on payments to Wendler, Inc. for the Well No. 5 project.
Discussions regarding Budget Amendment No. 2, the hiring of Evan Coleman as summer help for his fourth summer with the city with a pay increase to $17 per hour, as well as the approval of Stephanie Hoklotubbe as a Lisbon Public Library board member with a term ending on July 1, 2031, ensued.
The council voted unanimously to approve all items.
Reports
The current excess of rain has caused problems for multiple departments across Lisbon, including Public Works and Parks and Rec.
For public works director Travis Bagby, the rain has posed the challenge of not being able to complete the painting of the pool at the Lisbon City Park splash pad.
“Hopefully the rain will quit so we can paint the pool. I need two weeks of dry time before we can do that. With that being said, if I can’t get the two weeks, I might not be able to paint the pool, or we have to prolong the opening of the splash pad,” Bagby said.
For parks and rec director Drayton Kamberling, the rain has caused a different setback.
“We are in the middle of our soccer season. The weather looks to be a lot better moving forward, but we did have to push back one week, so now our last day is May 14 instead of the week before,” Kamberling said.
Looking forward, however, the parks and rec department’s registrations for third through sixth grade baseball and softball just ended, and their practices began last week. Registrations for Lisbon’s Parks and Rec intro, t-ball, and coach pitch teams ended Friday, May 1.
Alongside the public works department and the parks and rec department, Lisbon’s Fire Department will be pursuing projects of its own.
“The state fire marshal has requested agencies to submit surveys. They’re looking to potentially do more regionalized firefighting. … I don’t know where that’s going to go, but the sheriff’s involved with that, so we’ll see where that transpires after this survey is done,” Fire Chief Brandon Siggins said.
Siggins also shared good news for the fire department: over $11,000 in donations for the St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser have been raised.
The police department shared good news as well, with Siggins stepping in for police chief Jason Blinks.
“Officer Macke graduated the academy last Friday. … There’s two more heading to the academy on May 4,” Siggins said. Once the two officers who are currently at the academy have graduated, the police department will officially be fully staffed again.
As for Siggins’s role as the city administrator, he shared that the city has been working on several nuisances recently, including one on South Washington Street as part of a sheriff sale, one on Marth Street, one on the 400 block of West Main Street, and one on North Jackson that will not be on the court docket until September.
Regarding the house on West Main Street, the city officially has a demolition permit completed and ready.
“That’ll be coming down shortly, and they’re putting in two smaller houses on the two lots there. They’re going to start with one, sell that, and then build the other one,” Siggins said.
Other upcoming projects for the city include concrete and dugouts at the sports complex that will be getting finished up as weather permits, hydrants will be getting flushed around the end of May or beginning of June, and Memorial Day flags will be put up shortly.