At the January 13 Harmony City Council meeting, the consent agenda was approved and included the minutes of the December meeting and the December planning session, the claims and January checks, the investment report, cash balances, and the budget. An agreement renewal for 2026 with Gundersen Health System was approved as was a letter from SMIF thanking the city for its donation. The 2026 city appointments were set with all positions staying the same as 2025 except that Steve Donney will serve on the EDA board instead of Kyle Scheevel.
Pay request #3 from Olympic for the wastewater treatment plant UV project was approved in the amount of $205,135.87.
A donation in the amount of $20,785 for the ambulance service was accepted with gratitude from the council. The money was used to purchase a ZOLL AED defribrillator device for the ambulance.
The council reviewed the ambulance service’s annual report. Currently, the service covers an area of approximately 140 square miles in and around Harmony, including Canton and several other townships in Winneshiek County, Iowa. The total number of ambulance calls in 2025 were 280, up 17% from 2024. Four new EMTs and two EMRs have joined the crew since 2024. Two 11th graders are currently taking the EMR course and will begin their training at the end of January.
An internal bank transfer for the Fire State Aid and Supplemental Aid for 2025 in the amount of $26,628.66 was approved.
A joint planning session for the proposed Data Center ordinance is scheduled for January 21 at 6 p.m.
Katina Hurley is no longer with CEDA, but has offered to continue working with Harmony on the Data Center planning process. The council approved a motion to pay her $200 per meeting as well as mileage for meetings attended in person.
The annual meeting for the Harmony Area Chamber of Commerce will be held on January 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Harmony Spirits. All chamber members are invited and reminded to RSVP. The chamber is currently working on the guidebook. The Holidays in Harmony event went well and local businesses reported good sales numbers that evening.
The new outreach programs at the Harmony Library are going well. A winter reading program is underway and open to children and adults. The library board is going through all of the library’s policies and updating them as necessary.
The Arts Board donated funds for a plaque dedicating the Fillmore Central theater to former teacher and director Robert O’Reilly. The dedication will take place at the One-Act performance on January 22 at 6:30 p.m. The Arts Board will also be supplying refreshments for the event.
The new truck for the fire department should be ready in February. The final inspection will take place on January 29 and then will be shipped to Minnesota to be outfitted for service.
Dan Dornink is retiring from the ambulance service after dedicating over 22 years as an EMT. “The city extends gratitude for his 22 ½ years of service,” Mayor Steve Donney said.
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