SLATER SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING

NOVEMBER 14, 2007

A special meeting of the Slater City Council was called to order by Mayor Rick Rewerts at 7:00 P.M. on November 14, 2007 , at the Water Treatment Facility, 205 Greene St. , Slater, Iowa .  The roll being called the following Council members were present and absent:  Present: Dave Cook, Louise O’Donnell, Gene Staples and Don Schick.  Absent: Mark Pritchard.  Others in attendance were Public Works Director LaDonna Chriswell, Mary Beth Chinery and Attorney James Wainwright.

Attorney James Wainwright presented brief comments regarding the status of attempting to bring the Pool Construction Project to closure.  Pursuant to authority under Iowa Code 21.5(c) he suggested the Council go into closed session to discuss strategy on matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation.  

It was moved by Cook and seconded by Schick at 7:05 to adjourn the regular session and go into closed session.  The motion passed with record vote as follows:  Yes: Cook, Schick, Staples, and O’Donnell.  No: none. 

At 7:40 it was moved by Staples and seconded by O’Donnell to terminate the closed session and reconvene the regular meeting.  The motion passed with record vote as follows:  Yes:  Staples, O’Donnell, Cook, and Schick.  No:  none.

No action was required in open session at this time.  A brief recess was held to move the council to their regular chambers in City Hall at 105 Greene St .  In attendance were members of the Planning and Zoning board and Gary Reiners of PMRG.

The council discussed the chapters presented by the Planning and Zoning Commission.  Reiners provided the council with the ground work to consider permit fees.  He suggested making a distinction between habitable and non-habitable structures for building permits.  After discussing the Uniform Building Code fee schedule the council asked Chinery to estimate actual time and city cost for filling for the next meeting. 

The council discussed if there inspections were necessary and decided that they were for the safety of the public.  The council has heard proposals from third party inspectors at previous meetings and expressed in interest in looking into services and rates.   

The meeting continued with an analysis of fees for special use permits, variance permits, home occupation permits, zoning amendment requests, annexation requests, water connections and sewer connections.  The council expressed an interest in covering the city’s costs with the permit fees, but not in setting them to make a profit.  Chinery will work with Chriswell to put together estimated costs and recommendations for the next meeting.

Cook moved that the proposed ordinance entitled: AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING SPEED LIMIT SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS be considered and approved on first consideration.  Staples seconded the motion.    The Council Members voted on the motion as follows:  Yes:  Cook, Staples, O’Donnell and Schick.  No:  none.  The Mayor declared the motion carried. 

The council agreed by consensus to approve the permit for Fireworks submitted by Fred Mason on behalf of the Community Club for the Christmas on Main celebration.

Mayor Rewerts informed the council that he had been in contact with Jeremy Schlee of Snyder and Assoc. about the floodplain survey.  The survey will not be complete by the Nov 19^th meeting.  Schlee suggested a public meeting be held once it is completed and when a FEMA representative can attend to field questions.  The city will still send letters to residents in the proposed floodplain area with the updated information.

It was moved by Staples and seconded by Cook to adjourn at 10:11 p.m. , the motion carried and the meeting adjourned.

______________________________                _____________________________

            Mary E. Chinery                                               Richard Rewerts, Mayor