This week’s Toledo City Council meeting moved through the agenda items pretty quickly. First up, the council approved the acquisition of ag land for the 300th Street Bridge project.

The council also approved amending the ordinance regarding peddlers, solicitors, and transient merchants. The update to the ordinance is to clarify and streamline the process, as well as add an assessed late fee. After the ordinance was approved, the council approved the waiving of the second and third reading.

Curt Graff and Dustin Wagner, both achieved a grade 1 in Water Treatment and Distribution and were approved for a fifty-cent wage increase.

The council also approved changes to the language in the Reinig rental contract. The change includes a half refund to those who cancel within 90 days of the contracted event.

The public works department reported working on a water main on the north side of the park. Manatts should begin road repair later in the month. The lights of the crosswalk have been malfunctioning, and are being worked on.

The city attorney reported things are relatively quiet, and is doing work on nuisance issues.

Toledo Police Chief Dan Quigley reported that between May 26th and June 9, the department responded to 102 calls to service and affected seven arrests.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate nominated Officer Vern Jefferson for the Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award. The department also received a bronze-level award for policy management from Lexipol. The explorer had its alternator replaced.

The clerk reported working on ordinances and the assistant clerk is attending clerk school. Also, they are getting ready for the annual audit.

The council had a work session after their official meeting. The biggest topic during the work session was Economic Development. Council member Cathy Cook stated her feelings about the actions of The County Supervisors with Economic Development.

“What the county did was short-sighted. I can’t say enough negative about that decision,” Cook said. “I don’t get it. I’ve never seen anything that was more your head in the sand, and that’s not something to be proud of.”

The council discussed the possibility of hiring Katherine Ollendieck, the Executive Director of Tama County Economic Development who has just resigned from her position. The council talked about plans going forward, including the possibility of finding Ollendieck an office, some of the projects she could work on, and possible sources of funding.