1. Roll Call

2. Public Hearing – Budget Amendment #1 FYE24 @ 7:30 pm

3. Information On County Hazardous Mitigation Plan Update – (Gail Thomas)

4. Consent Agenda

Note:  These are routine items and will be enacted by one motion without separate discussion unless a Council member requests an item be removed for separate consideration.

1. Minutes of November 1, 2023
2. Bills for Payment
3. CD Renewals
4. WEDC Semi-Annual & Development Agreement Reports

5. Citizen Forum

The Mayor and City Council welcome comments from the public for items not listed on the agenda.  You are asked to state your name and address for the record and to limit your remarks in order that others may be given the opportunity to speak.  The Order of Business is at the discretion of the Chair.  No action will be taken.  

6. Unfinished Business

7. New Business

1. 2023-24 “City Budget Amendment #1 & Certification Resolution FY23/24”
2. 2023-25 “Engineering Services Agreement” (North Plains Estates – Plat 2)
3. 5-day Special Class C Retail Alcohol License Application – Your Choice Restaurant
4. 2024 Energy Efficiency Rebates

8. Adjournment

BNSF has notified Des Moines County that the following Railroad crossings will be closed for repairs, weather permitting.

Please refer to the list below for RR crossings and their information.

Contact BNSF with any general questions.
RR Crossing- Road- City- Closure Date – Open Date
063010E S Main St Burlington 11/14/2023 – 11/16/2023
079192R Gear Ave West Burlington 11/15/2023 – 11/17/2023
079191J Washington Rd West Burlington 11/15/2023 – 11/17/2023
079190C N Sunset Dr West Burlington 11/15/2023 – 11/17/2023
079186M Private Middletown 11/15/2023 – 11/17/2023
079159R Prairie Grove Rd Middletown 11/15/2023 – 11/17/2023
079185F 165th Ave Middletown 11/15/2023 – 11/17/2023
063327W Boundary Ave Middletown 11/16/2023 – 11/20/2023
079183S Private Middletown 11/16/2023 – 11/20/2023
079181D 180th Ave Middletown 11/16/2023 – 11/20/2023
079180W Private Middletown 11/16/2023 – 11/20/2023
079179C Private Danville 11/16/2023 – 11/20/2023
079177N Roosevelt St Danville 11/17/2023 – 11/21/2023
079176G Private Danville 11/17/2023 – 11/21/2023
063328D 125th St Danville 11/17/2023 – 11/21/2023
063329K Main St Danville 11/17/2023 – 11/21/2023
079174T 24th Ave Danville 11/20/2023 – 11/22/2023
079171X Jimtown Rd Danville 11/20/2023 – 11/22/2023
079170R 145th St Danville 11/20/2023 – 11/22/2023
079168P Private Danville 11/20/2023 – 11/22/2023
095162P Private Danville 11/21/2023 – 11/21/2023
079167H Private Danville 11/21/2023 – 11/21/2023

At approximately 10:28pm on November 11^th, 2023, Keokuk Police Officers were dispatched to 3405 South 7^th Steet in reference to a subject discharging a firearm towards a group of people.

Officers arrived on scene and learned that a male subject, identified as Martin Alvarez, 37, of Keokuk, had armed himself with a rifle and fired the rifle multiple times in the air, at windows of his residence at 3405 South 7^th Street, towards a wooded area, towards South 7^th Street, and in the general vicinity of a group of individuals on his property. The group of individuals were not on the property unlawfully. Alvarez then went into his residence with the rifle.

At that time, the Iowa State Patrol and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene to assist the Keokuk Police Department during this incident.

Officers attempted to make contact with Alvarez multiple times with no success.

The Keokuk Police Department then applied for, and received, a search warrant for the residence. An armored vehicle was requested from the Iowa State Patrol to be utilized in the service of a search warrant. Once the vehicle arrived, an approach was made to the residence. The offices employed the armored vehicle’s public announcement system to make contact with Alvarez, who then surrendered at that time without further incident.

A search of the residence was conducted, and multiple items of evidentiary value were collected.

Martin Alvarez was arrested and charged with Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, a class C felony, and Reckless Use of a Firearm, a simple misdemeanor.

There were no physical injuries related to the discharge of the firearm reported.

The Iowa State Patrol, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lee County Consolidated Dispatch assisted the Keokuk Police Department during this investigation.

The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board met in regular session on Monday, November 13^th.

During the Superintendents report, the looming question of “what next” regarding Iowa Wesleyan property was brought up. As of Sunday, November 12^th, the due diligence period has ended, and the attorneys are meeting to discuss a closing date for the 1.135-million-dollar purchase of “central campus.”

Reports from last night show that HOWE Hall, Student Union, and the Chapel, would cost the board just shy of 50 million dollars if they were to construct those buildings new. Of course, those buildings sit vacant, and the board is looking to purchase them for a fraction of the price.

For the practice field, the board is currently researching the best avenue for constructing a 6ft fence, and then building a 15-20ft netting on top. This is to prevent soccer balls from getting into neighboring lawns.

The board also discussed the possibility of building a traffic control light at the intersection of S Grand Avenue and E Harvest Drive, which is the entrance to the Highschool. This has been tabled for the time being as they perform more research and discussion.

The Des Moines County Engineer has announced the closure of Beaverdale Road between 150^th St and Lynx Road. This closure will begin on Tuesday, November 14^th, at 8:00am for culvert repair. This is a quick process, and the road will only be closed for two full days. On Thursday, November 16^th by 3:30pm, the road will be reopened, weather permitting.

You see flashing lights up ahead. What do you do? According to the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa State Patrol, the best thing to do is move over if possible, or slow down as you pass the scene.

The professionals who respond to crashes and other incidents on Iowa’s highways are using National Crash Responder Safety Week, Nov. 13-17, to remind everyone to watch for flashing lights ahead to “Protect Those Who Protect You.”

If you are involved in a traffic crash, you’ll likely be relying on various trained professionals to ensure you and everyone else at the scene are as safe as possible. To keep everyone safer on the road, states across the country have enacted Move Over Laws to encourage motorists to either move over or slow down, if moving over is not possible, when they come up on a crash scene. In Iowa, our Move Over Law states that you should move over or slow down whenever you come upon any vehicle with flashing lights. National data shows that nearly 30 percent of people are unaware of these laws.

When a crash happens, the priority is to make sure all victims are quickly treated and out of harm’s way because many vehicles do not slow down or move over. But there is also work to do to document and clean up the scene and restore the flow of traffic as quickly as possible to get you on your way. Those who come to your rescue are more successful when all the responders work together in a coordinated way. Crash Responder Safety Week is in place not only to remind you that you should move over or slow down but also to highlight the benefits of coordination training for first responders.

Col. Nathan Fulk, Chief of the Iowa State Patrol said, “It is essential that our troopers know how to coordinate with all parties at the scene so we can treat those who may need help and get traffic flowing again. Our troopers investigate the crash and work with the Iowa DOT, local firefighters, our towing partners, and others to clear the crash scene as quickly as possible to reduce the likelihood of additional crashes. These secondary crashes often occur due to drivers paying more attention to the initial crash scene than to the task of driving.”