OAKLAND ACRES CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

7:00 p.m. Monday, August 13, 2012

Oakland Acres Maintenance Building

Call Meeting to Order: Mayor Lennie Smith called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Roll Call: Barb Arthur, Roger Fisher and Ted Schultz were present. Absent: Robin Elliott and Garrett Roche. Also present: John Halferty (Jasper County Chief Deputy), Jim Heishman, Dustin Ver Ploeg, and Christina Machin.

Inquiries from the Community: Smith stated that he received a suggestion from another resident to put electricity in at the park. The cost of the monthly electricity could be run through Community Betterment. Arthur will contact Alliant Energy to research further.

Smith reported that he has seen geese down at the lake again. Heishman stated that the golf course had purchased fake coyote and fox in which they move around every couple of days. This has completely eliminated them from the golf course. Smith asked the Council to think about it for next season since they’ll be gone in another month or so for this year.

Approval of Minutes: Schultz moved to approve the minutes of the July 9, 2012 meeting as submitted. Arthur seconded. Ayes: All. Schultz moved to approve the minutes of the July 12, 2012 special meeting as submitted. Fisher seconded. Ayes: All.

Treasurer’s Report: Fisher moved to approve the July treasurer’s report as submitted. Arthur seconded. Ayes: All.

General Fund	$180.60
Community Betterment	$711.67
Road Use Fund	$1,091.36
Total July Revenue	$1,983.63

General Fund	$1,761.01
Community Betterment	$0.00
Road Use Fund	$0.00
FEMA Grant Fund	$0.00
Total July Expenses	$1,761.01

Payment of Bills: Schultz moved to approve payment of the bills. Fisher seconded. Ayes: All.

*Payable to:*	*Amount:*	*Description:*
IPERS	$50.58	Retirement fund
Alliant Energy	$87.91	Electricity
Greg & Tom’s Mowing	$700.00	Mowing for July
Central Iowa Water Association	$1,000.00	City portion of sewer hook up
Marengo Publishing Corp.	$44.00	Snow removal ad
News Printing Company	$28.00	Snow removal ad
Christina Machin	$310.00	Salary for July
Christina Machin	$164.09	Reimburse for municipal institute
Lennie Smith	$681.10	Mowing and tree removal/clean up
TOTAL	*$3,065.68*

Mayor’s Opening Address and Report

Mayor Lennie Smith did not have any additional address or report that wouldn’t be covered in old or new business.

Old Business

Snow Removal Contract: Jim Heishman and Dustin Ver Ploeg of SnowBall Removal submitted bids for snow removal for the upcoming winter season. Discussion was tabled until the next meeting at which time the Council members have had time to review each bid in more detail.

Neighborhood Watch: John Halferty (Jasper County Chief Deputy) reminded the Council that the Sheriff’s office has jurisdiction of Oakland Acres, but made the following recommendations to prevent issues in the community.

1. Council is entitled to make extra patrol requests to the Sheriff’s office.

2. If residents are gone for a lengthy time, they may make a request for a home check.

3. Halferty encouraged citizens to report suspicious vehicles. When they do routine checks, they don’t always know what vehicles are part of the community and which may be suspicious.

4. Be neighborly. Know your neighbors.

Halferty directed the Council to canvass the area to see what interest there is in the community for an organized Neighborhood Watch Program. It is important to have people around all hours of the day to make it work. There would need to be a Neighborhood Watch captain who would oversee the program. The Sheriff’s office would assist the Neighborhood Watch captain.

The Council requested to have a monthly report sent by the Sheriff’s office which would detail the times they patrolled the City and any other calls made to them. The Council also requested that the Sheriff’s office patrol at specific times to help reduce the speeding problem in the City.

Fore Seasons Drive: The city clerk offered to research who owns it for sure. The City has received two different communications from people claiming that they own the portion of Fore Seasons Drive and Parkview Drive in question.

Iowa League Conference: Fisher moved to approve up to $600 to send Smith to the Iowa League of Cities Conference in Sioux City. Schultz seconded. Ayes: All.

Ordinances and Incidents: The Council instructed the clerk to mail letters out to homeowners regarding the condition of their properties.

New Business

Street Financial Report for FY 2012: The Council passed resolution #2012-04 to approve the Street Financial Report for FY 2012.

Directory Update: The Council discussed the need to update the city directory with all the new residents in Oakland Acres. Smith will split up the list of residents and have at the next meeting for the Council to use to gather information.

Bids for Tilling and Seeding the Park and Corner: Smith reported that he had not received the specifications from Chuck Griffith. He offered to do it himself. Heishman then told Smith he could use the golf course’s tiller. Smith will do the work towards the end of September.

Library Contract: The Council reviewed a contract sent by the Drake Community Library for library services. It was decided to table discussion until resident input is obtained.

Other New Business: None.

Council Report:

Transportation: Fisher reported that he has not been able to make connections with Chuck Griffith regarding a timeline of getting the roads fixed.

Community: There was none.

Treasurer: There was none.

Maintenance: There was none.

Interest and Events: There was none.

Clerk Report: There was none.

Maintenance Report: Smith reported that most of the trees have been cleaned up. The dead pine in the park is the next to go. He also organized the maintenance building. Duane Venenga brought the stains and paints he used at the park to be stored in the maintenance building.

Smith stated that he really appreciated everything that Venenga had done for the City. He has been a great volunteer for the City.

Smith would like to remind people that any trees on personal property in need of trimming are the responsibility of the homeowner. Residents may hire a tree trimming service to do so or Smith will be renting a lift in the next couple of weeks and can be hired to do so as well.

Adjournment: Fisher moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:22 p.m. Arthur seconded. Ayes: All.

The next regular meeting of the Oakland Acres City Council is scheduled on Monday, September 10, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Oakland Acres Maintenance Building.

These minutes are as recorded by the City Clerk and are subject to council approval at the next regular City Council Meeting.

Lennie Smith, Mayor Christina Machin, City Clerk