The City of Mount Pleasant’s taxable valuation was up one and a half percent…not as much as it has increased in the last two years but Wednesday night Mayor Steve Brimhall was still happy to about a new fiscal year budget reflecting a levy decrease from $11.94 to $11.56 per one thousand dollars of taxable valuation. The total levy breaks out into the general levy of $8.10, $2.68 debt service and the employee benefit levy of 78 cents. The full council passed the new budget that still allows for two and half million dollars in capital improvements, the purchase of a new water truck and a police car, a new trail head at Saunders Park, and staff pay increase while still holding the line on expenses and reducing taxes by 38 cents.
In other business from the Wednesday night Mount Pleasant City Council meeting….the council approved hiring Genus Landscape Architects to provide design and construction oversite of the proposed trailhead in Saunders Park. The consulting fee is $7,475. The Mayor’s recommendation to appoint Lauren Giarmo to the Construction Board of Appeals for a three year term was approved. Giarmo is an engineer with the Department of Transportation. The first reading to amend the Sanitary Sewer flow fee ordinance was approved . The fee will go from $5.90 to $6.00 per one thousand gallons of water. This fee increase is necessary to help pay for the decommission of the northeast lagoon and the pumping of that water down to the main water plant. The council also approved the first reading of the ordinance to increase solid waste fees from $3.95 to $4.05. This is a pass thru administrative and recycling fee charged by Des Moines County Regional Solid Waste Commission.