At the December 10 Harmony City Council meeting, Harmony resident David Kiehne requested a reduction in his 66-foot assessment, stating that his footage measured 40 feet. He was aware that the minimum footage assessed per city policy is 60 feet so wasn’t sure why his property was assessed at 66 feet. He also noted that the assessment policy had last been reviewed in 2014, and that it would probably be wise to review it again. A motion to adjust Kiehne’s assessment to the 60-foot minimum was approved.
The consent agenda was approved and included the minutes of the November 12 meeting, the claims and November checks, the cash in CD, cash balances, the budget with revenues and expenditures year-to-date, and a service agreement with MMUA for safety management.
Resolution 24-16 regarding three additions to the 2024 street and utility assessment roll was adopted.
James Skaalen from the Harmony Fire Department brought a request to the council to increase the yearly pension amount for retired firefighters. The pension has not been increased in three years. The council approved the request, with Kyle Scheevel and Jesse Grabau abstaining.
The Truth-in-Taxation hearing was opened and closed with no public input. Resolution 24-17 accepting the 2025 levy at a total amount of $957,836 was approved.
Resolution 24-18 designating the Harmony Community Center as the official polling place for 2025 was adopted.
Only one proposal for accounting services for the city was received from Smith Schaeffer. A motion to accept the contract with a request to change it from a three-year to a one-year contract.
Resolution 24-19 regarding the 2025 utility rates was approved with only a few changes to the sewer and water rates.
Eddie Swartzentruber applied for the Downtown Revitalization Grant in the amount of $40,000 for tuckpointing. The EDA recommended that the application be approved, which the council did.
A motion was made by Michael Himlie to approve the EDA agreement as submitted. The council had reviewed it last month and tabled it for further discussion and possible changes. The motion was approved with the stipulation that the section that required the floor to be painted every five years be changed to as needed.
The Harmony Area Chamber of Commerce reported that Small Business Saturday was a very busy shopping day with lots of support shown for local businesses. Breakfast with Santa was also well attended.
The Park Board is making plans to move forward with the pavilion at the Splash Pad in memory of Bruce Bigalk.
Jeff Weiss and Vicky Christianson were reappointed to the Harmony Public Library board.
The Arts Board recently held a Paint Your Pet Portrait event that was fully booked with 20 attendees.
The winners of the holiday light contest were announced. Phil Burkholder and Cindy Einck, Matt and Heidi Brown, and Domingo and Mindy Kingsley were the winners with a number of honorable mentions.
Leave a Reply