City of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa - City Council Meeting Minutes (10/27/26)

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 Council Chambers

501 4th Street;

Sergeant Bluff, IA

1. MAYOR/MAYOR PRO-TEM TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER: 5:30pm

1. Roll Call

2. Pledge of Allegiance & a Moment of Silence

Attendee Name Title Status

Shari Zenor Kiple Council Member

Present

Kirk Moriarty Council Member

Present

Ryan Panowicz Council Member

Present

Mark Reinders Council Member

Present

Andrea Johnson Council Member

Remote

Ron Hanson Mayor Present

2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:

Motion by Shari Zenor Kiple, seconded by Mark Reinders to Approve the Agenda. Motion Carried. [Unanimous]

3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:

3.a Approve the minutes of the October 13, 2026 Regular Meeting

3.b Approve the minutes of the October 21, 2026 Special Meeting

Motion by Andrea Johnson, seconded by Mark Reinders to Approve the minutes of the October 13, 2026 Regular Meeting and the October 21, 2026 Special Meeting.

Motion Carried. [Unanimous]

4.  CITIZEN'S INPUT:

Donald Dunning, 702 Coffie Farm Road, said that he appeared before the City Council on August 11th. At that time he raised concerns about the widespread deterioration and death of maple trees throughout Sergeant Bluff. He reviewed the items he discussed and asked for at that time. He had said that individual homeowners cannot reasonably be expected to independently investigate what appears to be a community wide problem. He asked Council to consider it's responsibility to the community, taxpayers, and property owners by taking three steps: Conduct or sponsor a survey to determine the extent of maple tree deterioration throughout Sergeant Bluff, consult a State forestry specialist or plant pathology experts to investigate the cause, and inform the residents of the finding and provide guidance regarding possible prevention or treatment. It has been more than 2 1/2 months since he brought the matter to their attention, he is asking for a progress report.

Ryan Panowicz said he reached out to a forestry individual at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He had said that there are a variety of factors that affect silver maple trees. We're in a seven-year drought which affects the trees nutrient availability, the Loess Hills soils in the area doesn't benefit maple trees because those trees are not native to the Loess Hills soil type, the drought situation makes them susceptible to bugs and insects. They are fighting for water with the grass and when pesticide is put on the grass it impacts the nutrients available in the soil as well. That person recommended that we contact an urban forestry specialist who can make recommendations based upon our soil. In cities people plant the same trees so when there are diseases there is a mass kill-off. If different trees are planted in different areas when a disease comes through it doesn't impact all the trees. In addition, because they are a cross-bred (cloned) and designer tree which makes it more susceptible to problems.

There was additional discussion regarding soil sampling that previously occurred, the PH levels being too high, the difficulty in absorbing magnesium when the PH levels are high, methods of treating the trees, providing the remedy to the public, and the number of dying trees in Sergeant Bluff.

Don will meet with City staff to discuss this further.

5. DEPARTMENT HEADS' REPORTS:

Parks & Recreation

Tyler Tweet said that in October they had 4 all-day gym rentals, there were 28 hours in the Fireside room. Beginning on October 9th they had the gun show, on the 13th there was a Halloween Craft, on the 17th there was the Big Bash event, on the 21st they held the CommCon event, on the 24th they had the Spooky Fest event which had 700-800 people and Trick-or-Treat Trail they estimated an estimate 1k people. On Saturday they are teaming up with the Library to have the Howl-O-Ween trail so people can do trick-or-treating with their dogs. Basketball and volleyball rentals are picking up. They had to cancel the 26-on-26 litter clean up event due to weather, he thanked everyone who participated this year and he thanked Aggie's for sponsoring. Basketball registration is open until December 6th, people can register on the Parks & Recreation website. On Friday they are asking pickleball players to dress up for Halloween. The D Street median trees were planted last week. On November 14th they will have the Turkey Trot event, people can e-mail Danielle to register.

Library

Mary Torgerson said that in September they had 945 people come through the doors, last year they had 920. They had an issue with Facebook which resulted in the need to create a new Facebook page. Libby which is used for e-books is being updated to require a pin with your card when you login. They've had the opportunity to go to the Middle School for a book club and it has gone very well. They had a blast at Spooky Fest, it was a little cold on the trail. Tomorrow they have their cursive writing club. There will be a teen night which involve pizza and music trivia. On Saturday they will participate in the Howl-O-Ween event. Beginning November 1st they are starting American Sign Language workshops. Jody Adams will be coming, she wrote a book called Many Little Squiggles which includes artwork from Sergeant Bluff kids. The Bob Ross experience is coming back, there are 13 slots left.

Inspections

Aaron Johnson said that since the last report they have had 85 inspections and site visits, 12 permits issued, 15 are pending payment and issuance. Year-to-date they are at 138 permits compared to 140 permits at the same time last year. The total project valuation is down but the permit fee revenue is up compared to last year. There are currently 9 new homes under construction, 14 home permits have been approved this year. Construction continues over at The Archives at 106 Port Neal Road. Plans have been submitted for a 1,500 sq ft interior buildout for Sgt Bluff Nutrition. They met with KP Construction for preliminary discussions about a proposed operations facility down in the Dogwood area. Harvest church as an interior remodel underway. They're reviewing plans for Sprig & Stem Mercantile which is a new business. Year-to-date there have been 126 rental inspections completed.

The part-time rental inspector position is still open. Code enforcement has included property maintenance, nuisance complaint, outdoor storage issue, parking issues, and regular red tags for disconnected utilities. The 2026 sidewalk assessment letters have been sent out, outstanding issues from 2025 have been reviewed and follow up notices are being prepared. He attended residential inspector training in Ames. He passed the ICC E1 Residential Inspector certification examination. He will begin doing residential electrical inspections beginning January 1, 2027. He is preparing for the Residential Mechanical and Plumbing Inspector certification exams.

Ron Hanson said we will begin sending letters to the railroad to address the mess by the railroad.

Public Works

John Robinson said that Builders Electric are nearly done, but they have a couple cabinets to set. Regarding The Archives at 106 Port Neal, they are ready for electric. The Stormwater report is due at the end of the month, Shawn Koch is working on that and doing a great job. The sidewalk is going in on the School's East Campus. The Rec Center paving is done. Hydrant Flushing is done for the fall.

Airview Drive paving should start next Thursday. The winterization of the Splash Pad, pool, B Street ballfields, and Rec Complex are done. Fall Cleanup week is going on right now through Saturday.

They've done some tree trimming. Mowing season is almost done. Regarding the sewer backups at the school, that was unrelated to the City and not caused by the City. The school has provided their sewer diagram so that we can help them if needed. The water tower restoration is done and looks great. At the water plant we hit our peak of 1.88 million on July 29th, in July the average was 958k per day. In January we run about 450k per day. There were a couple plugs at the lift stations which have been resolved. They did a server update, the traffic signals are connected into the server, but they're still working on some issues related to that. They delivered 59 red tags. We spent 22 years upgrading our water meters but we're now beginning to replace them, they have a battery 10-20 year lifespan. Street painting is done. There were some recent electrical problems that were related to tracking, they're contacting someone who is specializes in cleaning the cabinets.

Fire Department

Darren Tooley, Fire & EMS Captain, said that they have their ISO review coming up in the first week of November. They appreciate the hydrant flushing that was done. They had a lot of member training recently and pushing to get their facility training done. They have quite a few new members that they're training. Calls continue to trend up. They completed a recent honorary breakfast which is now being done quarterly. They're doing a kitchen remodel which is being paid out of their fence. The outdoor patio project is being worked on as well as a fence that will be installed, that is being funded via a grant from Lowe's. The old tower is getting resided, the Sioux City Career Academy will do that for them.

Police Department

Jereme Muller said they had a total of 409 calls. They had 8 arrests. Last week they worked on the President's visit to the area. They're redoing their Axon contract, they'd like to get a 10 year locked-in price which would cover body cameras, car cameras, tasers, and training. We currently pay about 30k annually, they are look at 50k. Jory Ward has announced his retirement after about 29 years, they are planning a luncheon for him. They will be testing candidates in 2-3 weeks.

Andrea Johnson left the meeting at 6:21pm.

6. APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

6.a Tax Abatement Application: 504 Zach Road

6.b Tax Abatement Application: 508 Zach Road

6.c Tax Abatement Application: 813 Cottonwood Trail (Accessory Structures)

6.d Bills: Check numbers 94428 to 94472 and ACH transactions 90000102 to 90000116 in the total amount of $528,641.33

Motion by Shari Zenor Kiple, seconded by Ryan Panowicz to Approve Consent Agenda Items:

6.a) Tax Abatement Application: 504 Zach Road

6.b) Tax Abatement Application: 508 Zach Road

6.c) Tax Abatement Application: 813 Cottonwood Trail (Accessory Structures)

6.d) Bills: Check numbers 94428 to 94472 and ACH transactions 90000102 to 90000116 in the total amount of $528,641.33

Motion Carried. [Unanimous]

Name Description Amount

3E ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING GENERATOR ANNUAL INSPECTIONS 5,539.90

ABT MAILCOM CUSTOMER NOTICES 445.12

AGRIVISION EQUIPMENT GROUP REPAIR 1,417.12

ALEX AIR APPARATUS 2 CUFF/GLOVES 298.60

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE WORKSH WORKSHOPS 225.00

AMERICAN UNDERGROUND SUPPLY CURB STOP BOX PARTS/HYDRANT REPAIRS 981.53

ANALYTICAL & CONSULTING SERVICES SAMPLE ANALYSIS 708.00

BATTERIES PLUS BATTERIES 31.75

BENTSON PEST MANAGEMENT PEST CONTROL/REC CNTR 105.00

BOMGAARS BUILDING SUPP/CLOTHING ALLOW/SAFETY SUPP/DETAILER 755.39

BOMGAARS-FD SUPPLIES 11.99

BUILDERS ELECTRIC LLC 2025 ELECTRIC UPGRADES PAY ESTIMATE #02 54,416.62

CINTAS SUPPLIES 29.70

DGR ENGINEERING SERVICES/C STREET/W RIDGE ROAD 45,000.00

DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP LEGAL EXP/GO CORPORATE BOND 30,000.00

DRAIN SPECIALISTS CITY HALL 580.00

EMC INSURANCE COMPANIES INSURANCE AUDIT 49,498.00

FP MAILING SOLUTIONS POSTAGE MACHINE RENTAL 149.85

GARRISON, MATTHEW ENERGY EFF PROGRAM-AIR CONDITIONER 100.00

GENERAL TRAFFIC CONTROLS INC LED INSERT 415.00

GILL HAULING INC OCT-DEC 2026 LANDFILL CHARGES 29,117.65

GROVES EMERGENCY LIGHTING INSTAL 2025 REPAIRS/2026 POLICE CAR 15,892.16

HAWKINS WATER TREATMENT CHEMICALS/CHLORINE CYLINDERS 80.00

JACKS UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT CAR 126/CLOTHING ALLOWANCE 409.75

K & W COATINGS LLC PAINT 618.52

K.P. CONSTRUCTION INC REC CENTER PARKING LOT 29,354.00

LAUTERS, DEAN CELL PHONE STIPEND 150.00

LAYNE CHRISTENSEN COMPANY MAINTENANCE TESTING 1,800.00

LINCOLN, AARON TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT 47.00

LONG LINES LLC TELECOMMUNICATION EXPENSE 43.40

MARCO INC (FD) COPIER CONTRACT 94.04

MENARDS-SIOUX CITY SPORTS COMPLEX/TRAINING/WATER PLANT 166.74

METERING & TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS METER/EQUIPMENT 1,894.00

MOBREN TRANSPORT INC ROOM DEPOSIT REFUND 100.00

MUNICIPAL ENERGY AGENCY OF NEBR SEPT 2026 POWER PURCHASED 235,924.66

NIPPON SANSO MATHESON INC ACETYLENE 88.99

NYSVEN, CATHY ROOM DEPOSIT REFUND 100.00

PIONEER AUTO 2006 SILVERADO/2025 FORD 575.32

QUALITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS PHONE LEASE 275.00

RESCO STRIPPING TOOL 665.10

RIVERSIDE TECHNOLOGIES INC BOND PAPER 138.00

SAM'S CLUB POOL/TABLES 485.61

SAM'S CLUB-FD BUILDING SUPPLIES 74.42

SEXTON OIL COMPANY BULK FUEL 11,123.18

SIGNS BY TOMORROW WHITE REFLECTIVE STRIPE 25.00

SIOUX SALES COMPANY LOCKOUT KIT 109.95

SOOLAND BOBCAT TRACK RUBBER 2,258.26

TADLOCK, SUZANNE ROOM DEPOSIT REFUND 100.00

TCC MATERIALS RAPID PATCH 50.74

UNITY POINT HEALTH AT WORK DRUG SCREEN 314.00

UTILITY EQUIPMENT COMPANY CLAMP/GASKET/REDUCER 905.81

VAN METER INDUSTRIAL INC WATER PLANT 194.75

VAN WERT COMPANY ERW 2,497.04

VERIZON WIRELESS CELL PHONE EXPENSE 1,023.95

VESTIS MATS/LINENS 278.32

WARD, JORY REIMBURSE CLOTHING ALLOWANCE 235.40

WENDEL, WALT OR BEVERLY ENERGY EFF PROGR:HEAT PUMP/DISHWASHER/FRIDGE 470.00

WESCO RECEIVABLES CORP ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES 52.00

YOUNG AT HEART PUBLISHING PROGRAMMING 200.00

Total: 528,641.33

7. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:

7.a Discussion and Potential Action Authorizing the Sale of Fire Department Snowmobiles and Trailer and the Reinvestment of Sale Proceeds and Grant Funds for UTV Acquisition

Darren Tooley explained that they received a grant to get a new ATV/UTV, but they're also looking to trade off two snowmobiles and a snowmobile trailer so that they can update the ATV to have tracks. They get occasional field fires where it can get muddy and they get stuck, the tracks would allow them to get around. Once the ATV is received they would trade the oldest Polaris and the funds would be used to put on a new skid unit. They'd have less maintenance, less to insure, and the same capabilities as they do now. The grant funding

amount is 20k.

There was discussion regarding the financials, the value of the ATV/UTV and tracks and updated skid unit, value of the existing equipment, timeline for obtaining the new unit, whether this could be a budgeted item for next year, how funds are handled for sold equipment/vehicles, how the equipment is used, etc.

No action was taken as more information is needed to be brought back at a future meeting.

7.bPresentation of Project Status for the C Street Watermain and West Ridge Road Improvements

Tom Low, DGR Engineering, explained that he has been working with City staff on the C Street water main replacement which includes the West Ridge Road extension. It will start off at C Street replacing the existing water main from 1st Street up to 8th Street, a section on 2nd Street from C Street to D Street, and along 8th Street from the east side of B Street to the east side of D Street. It will be broken into three different stages, the first stage will be from 1st Street to 5th Street, the second stage will be from 5th Street to 8th Street, and the third phase will be 8th Street and B Street intersection. He reviewed how traffic and access will be maintained. Regarding the West Ridge Road extension, it is about 1,200 feet of water main and about 600 feet of sanitary sewer. The water main will be looped back around to South Ridge Road. The roadway will be realigned to South Ridge Road.

Mark Reinders asked about the timeline.

Tom said that on Thursday they will submit the water permit to the IDNR which usually takes about 3 weeks. January 19th is the proposed bid letting. The work on C Street would start in mid-to-late April and could last until about the middle of October. For West Ridge Road it could begin anywhere from late April to mid-June to start on that and could end in the middle of October.

Aaron Lincoln said that we have IDNR loans for the water and the sewer. The work for C Street will be paid back through water rates. He explained that there could be lead or galvanized water pipes that the IDNR and EPA will require us to replace.

Tom said that if the contractor encounters that the property owner and city will be contacted and a new service line will need to be installed at no cost to the homeowner.

Kirk Moriarty asked how many will need to be replaced?

John Robinson said it could be up to a third (of the total 36 homes).

There was additional discussion about how many homes could need replacement in each phase, which side of the road construction will occur, and the impact on sidewalks. The public information meeting will occur on November 5th 5:30-6:30pm in the Fireside Room at the Community Center. Information about the project will be mailed out to residents along C Street and posted on the City website.

7.c Discussion and Potential Direction for Old Town Traffic Control Amendments

Aaron Lincoln explained there have been some citizens and elected officials that have expressed concerns about yield signs and other traffic control in Old Town. A map was reviewed with City Council showing yield signs and stop signs throughout Old Town. Potential changes included switching yield signs to stop signs along C Street and D Street, switching a yield sign to a stop sign along B Street and 2nd Street, and installing a four-way stop at E Street and 2nd Street. An additional request from a citizen, Drew Baier, requested changing the yield signs to stop signs at the corner of 2nd and B Street and on 2nd and C Street.

Kirk Moriarty explained that the traffic from B, C, and D Street traveling up to 2nd Street over to E Street and up and out is being used to avoid all stop signs/traffic lights. On E Street there is all of Long Lines, Post Office, and City Hall traffic that travels that road. On the corner of E Street and 2nd Street there are some handicap individuals who have difficulty safely crossing.

Ryan Panowicz asked about potentially adding a stop sign added at Coffie Farm Road and Cottonwood.

There was discussion about where to place the stop sign. Further discussion will be had on this possibility.

The consensus was to act on these changes at a future City Council meeting. A resolution will be brought back for approval.

8. ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT:

Aaron Lincoln said that there will be public hearings on the TIF changes at the next meeting. The asphalt on Airview Drive will be grinded on Thursday November 5th. The school has been great, they've allowed us to use their parking facilities for the residents during construction. If there is anybody in the project area with mobility issues, contact our Public Works Department and we will help them out in any way we can. At an upcoming meeting there will be some financial reports as well as ordinances related to Home-Based Businesses and Community Action Team.

9. COUNCIL MEMBER'S COMMENTS:

Shari Zenor Kiple thanked all the volunteers that help with voting and she thanked the Parks & Recreation Department for their assistance with setting that up. She encouraged everyone to vote.

Kirk Moriarty thanked all the Department Heads for doing great things for the City. He also encouraged everyone to get out and vote.

10.  MAYOR'S COMMENTS:

Ron Hanson thanked all the citizens who attended CommCon (Community Conversation). We received a lot of good comments. The Parks & Recreation, Pub 52, and singer all did a great job. He wished good luck to the girls volleyball team and boys football team. He encouraged everyone to exercise their right to vote.

11.  ADJOURNMENT:

Motion by Kirk Moriarty, seconded by Ryan Panowicz to Adjourn at 7:15pm. Motion Carried. [Unanimous]

Mayor/Mayor Pro-Tem

Attest:

Danny Christoffers, City Clerk