Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will give way to occasional snow showers in the afternoon. High 24F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 40%..
Snow showers early. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 17F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 40%.
Updated: December 29, 2021 @ 2:39 am
Clinton, Iowa
DEWITT — Bills seeking repayment for work done to sidewalks on DeWitt’s northeast side are being sent to property owners.
The city contracted with Precision Concrete to examine and repair sidewalks that do not meet federal standards for the Americans with Disabilities Act. The law says sidewalk segments must be within ¼-inch of height difference from each other. Most areas of repair were rises and falls from one sidewalk section to another. Precision used a laser system for the repairs.
Each year the city will inspect — and repair if necessary — a quadrant of the overall town.
More than 100 property owners in the northeast quadrant now must pay for the work, with prices ranging from $30.75 to $963.50 based on the amount of work completed.
The City Council opted to place liens on all the 105 properties that required sidewalk repairs. City Administrator Steve Lindner said property owners were notified of the liens. Property owners who owe less than $500 have one year, or by Nov. 9, 2022, to pay the bill. Those who owe more than $500 must pay off the bill by Nov. 9, 2025.
One resident, Duane Meyer, attended the Dec. 6 council meeting and questioned the $30.50 charge on his property. Meyer said he’d hired a company to mud-jack his sidewalk. Mud-jacking is a concrete-leveling process that pumps mud under the concrete to raise it.
Lindner said he inspected the sidewalk and deemed Precision’s work “necessary to comply with the city’s code.”
Councilmember Garey Chrones said the city should check with Precision to ensure that it had indeed conducted the work, and whether it was needed, before requiring payment.
“Maybe when they were doing their thing they didn’t realize it had already been done (by someone else),” Chrones said. “We are going to check with Precision and see what they say about it.”
“I’ll give you a call,” Lindner told Meyer.
The DeWitt Police Department is receiving new radios as a part of the county-wide emergency communication infrastructure revamp. Police Chief Dave Porter said it will be the only radio the officers will use and will be attached to their uniforms.
To protect the radio, the council opted to approve Porter’s request to spend $1,467 — or $73.37 apiece — to equip all officers with belt holsters to protect and carry the radios. They will be used by all officers, including reserves.
The council also authorized the purchase of new computers for Porter and Capt. Matthew Whalen. Their machines are beginning to fail, Lindner said.
In other business, the council:
• Approved new wards for the city of DeWitt. The 2020 census results necessitated changes to the boundary line that separates DeWitt’s two city wards. The council approved the new boundary line following a public hearing, per state law. Lindner determined the new boundary, which essentially divides the city’s population physically in half. Ward 1, which encompasses the western part of the city, is made up of 2,758 residents, and 2,756 people live in Ward 2. The boundary starts where Sixth Avenue meets the city limits on the south side of town. It then goes north to Lake Street, west to South Ninth Avenue, north to Third Street, then west to 10th Avenue, continuing north to Eighth Street, east to Ninth Street, then north to 12th Street before going east to Eighth Avenue, then north to Northridge Road, then northwest out to the city limits.
• Approved the release of a lien on 703 Third St. in DeWitt. The city installed sidewalks on the property as a part of the 2017 Third Street reconstruction project, and the $367 due has been paid in full.
• Approved a forgivable loan mortgage release for Kathleen Ryan’s property at 1423 Seventh Ave. Ryan participated in the city’s 2016 low-to-middle-income home rehabilitation program and was given a $12,025 loan. Lindner said Ryan has met the terms of the agreement and completely depreciated the loan.
• Approved a 28E agreement (or an operational agreement shared among multiple entities) with Clinton County, the city of Clinton, the city of Camanche, the Clinton Regional Development Corp. and the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce to purchase lobbying services from Eide-Walton. The firm was selected through a request-for-proposal process to lobby for those involved in the 28E at the statehouse. Lindner said the work done by the previous representative, Advocacy Strategies, was good, but that it was a time to seek bids for new lobbyists.
• Approved the purchase of a new furnace at the headworks building at the city’s wastewater pollution control plant. The previous unit failed. Lindner said the “much needed” replacement has a cost of $28,814. It was not an expected expense on this year’s budget, he said.
Nick Joos is the DeWitt Observer’s news editor.
Sr. Yvonne Gehant, OSF, age 93 of Clinton, passed away Friday, December 24, 2021 at The Alverno. Private services will be held with burial in St. Irenaeus Calvary Cemetery. The Pape Funeral Home is assisting.
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