January 12, 2026

Summary

The January 12, 2026 Regular City Council meeting opened with the swearing-in of Mayor Potter and Council Member Curtis Coffin. The mayor delivered a detailed report outlining priorities for his first 90 days, the council elected a council president, and routine reports and approvals were handled. Discussion also covered the ongoing water project and concerns about gravel roads and a blocked culvert.

Key items

• Oaths of office: Mayor Potter and Council Member Curtis Coffin were sworn in. A council member (Mike) noted he had been sworn in previously.
• Mayor’s report / first 90-day priorities: The mayor outlined plans including:
  • A property tax review to produce a plain-language explanation of how taxes work, what portion goes to the city, and what drives increases.
  • A water project workshop to address open questions (hookup permit requirements, whether a lot survey is needed, timeframe between meter set and connection, how residents use/pay at the water fill station, whether residents can connect themselves or must use a licensed contractor, and operator/staffing needs).
  • Continued meetings with staff to understand operations and identify bottlenecks.
  • A proposal to return to twice-monthly council meetings for about 90 days, then re-evaluate.
  • Establishing quarterly town halls, with the first hoped for April.
  • A discussion of animal control and vicious/dangerous dog ordinances, noting existing ordinances and inviting residents to raise concerns publicly for future consideration.
• County radio repeater: A council member raised the county’s offer to install a repeater system on the city tower, which had been held up by prior engineering cost requirements. It would benefit fire, police, and dispatch communications. Suggested checking where engineers stand on it.
• Council president election: Mike was nominated and elected council president (motion made, seconded, and passed by vote).
• Minutes: The December 8, 2025 meeting minutes were approved.
• Vouchers: Approved in the amount of $128,904.02. Total income reported was $96,266.
• Citizen participation change: Participation is now split into two sections; the first is for agenda items (three minutes each, 30-minute session max), during which council may ask clarifying questions. A question was raised about the legality of a sign-in sheet; the clerk indicated comment can be given in writing or orally.
• Sewer/lagoon: The award/letter of intent for the lagoon expansion was signed (Thursday or Friday) and is now with USDA. A pre-construction meeting will set start and end dates.
• Roads department / truck: More bids are being gathered on a truck purchase, expected to come back to council in February.
• Water project: Pay requisition No. 7 to Nowak (name uncertain) in the amount of $4,852,388 was moved and seconded (the transcript does not clearly state the final vote outcome).
• Gravel roads / blocked culvert: Residents raised complaints about gravel roads and a culvert reportedly blocked by the contractor, obstructing water flow. Council indicated repairs would generally wait until work is complete since roads will be torn up again for meter installation, but agreed the contractor should restore anything they cover up. The culvert issue had not been formally reported; council discussed following up.

Follow-ups

• Set up a water project workshop in the coming weeks to address the outstanding questions.
• Property tax analysis, water workshop summary, water/sewer operator staffing needs, operational improvement recommendations, and a public update all to be delivered within the mayor’s first 90 days.
• Council to consider returning to twice-monthly meetings.
• First quarterly town hall targeted for April.
• Truck bids to be brought back to council in February.
• Fire department year statistics to be provided.
• Follow up on the reported blocked culvert and gravel road concerns (staff to locate and address).
• Pre-construction meeting to be held for the lagoon expansion once USDA review is complete.