At the public forum portion of the May 14 Harmony City Council meeting, Harmony resident Ann Lyons addressed the council about her concerns with communication, saying that she feels like she’s spent much of her five years in Harmony “in the dark.” She acknowledged the city’s use of Facebook to notify residents of things, but felt that it was not the best option as the website’s algorithms often mean that news doesn’t reach the people who need to see it in a timely manner. Lyons also mentioned that it can be difficult to watch the council meetings online as the microphones don’t pick up voices well and there are often sounds such as tapping that make it even harder to hear. Lyons said that she tried to attend the latest library board meeting based on the information available online, but when she arrived, she found out that the meeting had actually been held the week before, potentially violating open meeting laws.
The consent agenda was approved and included the minutes of the April meeting, the claims and April checks, the cash in CD, and the cash balances.
The city brush dump had been temporarily closed due to having multiple items dumped there that are not allowed, but it has been reopened with a camera in place. Jesse Grabau said that he felt that a minimum of two more cameras are needed at the brush dump to fully monitor it. The council agreed to have one more camera installed for the time being and will reevaluate at a later date.
Due to ongoing vandalism and garbage dumping on various city-owned properties in Harmony, the council approved a motion to install multiple cameras at several locations. A quote from Bluff Country Computer Works was approved for the project.
Doug Ofstedal asked if Harmony had a noise ordinance, noting that he and his wife often hear trucks using their jake brakes in town. Council member Jesse Grabau said that the city does have a noise ordinance, but that a jake braking ordinance may be easier to enforce, although police officers would have to be in the right place at the right time to enforce it. A sample ordinance regarding the use of jake brakes was reviewed and adopted by the council. Signs will be placed at the roads coming into town informing drivers of the ordinance, and the ordinance will be published in the paper for public notification.
Five bids for financing the upcoming proposed street project had been opened earlier in the day. The council reviewed the bids and adopted Resolution 24-07 authorizing the sale of bonds to Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.
Multiple liquor license applications from Harmony businesses were approved.
The council approved a quote from Spring Valley Overhead Door to replace a broken garage door on the city shop.
A complaint was received regarding a food truck that had been operating in Harmony along with a request that an ordinance be considered to address the issue as the city does not currently have one. Council member Michael Himlie asked how that would work during events such as 4th of July when multiple food trucks are in town. City attorney Greg Schieber said that an ordinance would address that and that he would be willing to look into how other communities handle similar situations. Several council members felt that having a food truck in town periodically would not be a problem if it was on private property, but that local businesses should be the priority. Mayor Steve Donney said that before making a decision, he would prefer to have the Chamber and Harmony food service businesses involved in the discussion, noting that as a former restaurant owner himself, he understood the issues it could cause. The council agreed to have city clerk Samantha Grabau put together a survey to obtain opinions on food trucks from local restaurants.
After reviewing the industrial setbacks in the city ordinance, Planning and Zoning would like to change the rear setback from 30 feet to 15 feet. As the ordinance change will require a public hearing, the council approved a motion to set a public hearing for June 5 at 7 pm.
Planning and Zoning asked the council for their input on the matter of a property split and development request. A Harmony property owner would like to split part of his property off and allow someone else to build a residential home there along with storage for semi tractors. City engineer Brett Grabau recommended that more information be obtained from the property owner before moving forward. The council discussed the possibility of platting a road through the property to allow better access. The landowner and prospective buyer will be asked to attend the June council meeting to discuss the matter further.
An update on the UV project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant was reviewed. The design approval will take place in July so that the project can move on to its next phase.
The EDA reported that the groundbreaking ceremony for the bike trail extension went well with around 60 people in attendance as well as several news stations.
Beth Weedman was hired as the new Harmony Area Chamber of Commerce director.
The Park Board reported that the splash pad will be open soon, but may not be ready in time for Memorial Day. The board recommended that the city adopt an ordinance regulating water usage during times of critical water deficiency which would be enforced any time the governor issues an executive order for drought conditions. The council approved the ordinance.
The library board met last week and reviewed some material reconsideration forms that had been submitted by patrons. The board opted to move the materials to the adult resource section for the time being and will revisit the matter as needed.
Rucker League began on May 12 with a good turnout and will continue to take place each Sunday afternoon.
The Arts Board announced that Arabella Wolfgram and Clarice Mathison had won the 4th of July button design contest. Reymi Love, Todd Ragan,and Jolene Cannon were chosen as the winners of the 2024 Harmony Postcard Project. The board also approved the scholarships for the Fillmore Central Senior Awards Night.
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