The 2023 Mt. Pleasant Community School District special election was held on September 12^th. The two items on the ballot, Melinda Huisinga for Director District 2, and the renewal of the Revenue Purpose Statement, were both approved according to a release from the Henry County Auditor’s office.

Huisinga received a total of 261 votes compared to 16 write in votes cast. She will retain her status as a member for the next 7 weeks until the school board election on November 7th, where all seats will be in the running. Huisinga took over for Willy Amos last August after he moved to another residence in the school district.

The Renewal of the Revenue Purpose Statement faced more opposition, but still passed with flying colors receiving 226 votes to renew versus 89 against. 320 total ballots were cast for this measure, and the community passed this with 71%.

September 13, 2023, 12:30 p.m.

Henry County Public Health- Conference room

Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Agenda

1. CALL TO ORDER –
2. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES 7/12/23

• PUBLIC COMMENTS

1. ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
   1. Complaint follow-up
   2. Statistics
2. PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT
   1. Back to School Health Fair Update
   2. Vaccines RSV/COVID
   3. HHS Realignment Update
   4. Financials and Statistics
3. NEW BUSINESS

• ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ADJOURNMENT
  1. NEXT MEETING

The Mount Pleasant City Council will meet in Regular Session Wednesday,

September 13, 2023, at City Hall, 307 E. Monroe Street, second-floor meeting room at 5:30 p.m.

AGENDA

Roll Call

Consent Agenda: To the Public — All items with an asterisk (*) are routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion and a roll call of the Councilmembers. There will be no separate discussion of items unless the Mayor, a Councilmember or citizen so request, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered in its normal sequence on the Agenda.

Receive & file communications.

Approve agenda.

* Approve minutes of previous meetings.

* Approve payment of bills.

* Receive report of Officers including Transfer Resolution approving August transfers.

Old Business

5:30 p.m. Public Hearing to vacate alley at College Addition Block 13.

Resolution to vacate alley at College Addition Block 13.

3rd reading/adopt proposed ordinance on City murals.

d) Outdoor Amplified Sound Permit for TapestryFest in Central Park, October 7^th 1-5

p.m. Rain date (October 14).

e) Renewal of a Special Class C Retail Alcohol License for Main Street Mount Pleasant at 101 W. Washington Street.

New Business

Approve FYE23 Road Use Tax Report.

Approve a Cigarette Permit for Greenleaf Tobacco & Vape at 904 N Grand Avenue.

Approve contract with Wesley Barton Construction for sidewalk and driveway reconstruction on Washington Street.

Approve contract with LL Pelling Co. to resurface portion of East Lake Park Roadway.

Approve Change Order #2 for Henry Street Project.

Resolution authorizing the acceptance of Henry Street Project.

Resolution approving application for purpose of receiving benefits from Washington County Riverboat Foundation to preserve Historic Second Baptist Church Project.

Approve mayoral appointments to the Community Development Committee and Board of Adjustment

Public Forum.

Adjourn to meet in regular session on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 5:30 p.m.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources annual statewide Volunteer Day is coming right up. Iowans are invited to lend a hand by volunteering at several parks and forests across the state on September 23^rd. There will be volunteer events which will serve to spruce up trails, buildings, and other park amenities.

“Iowa state parks are beloved places for many Iowans, and we greatly appreciate the help volunteers provide,” said Sherry Arntzen, chief of Iowa Parks, Forests and Preserves Bureau.

Each park will have unique clean up efforts and may include services such as litter pick up, staining/painting buildings, clearing trails, planting trees, and more.

If there is inclement weather in your area on Saturday, September 23^rd, contact the individual park office. They will let you know if the date, time, or meeting location changes.

Citizens interested in volunteering can learn more at www.iowadnr.gov/volunteer.

There will be a public meeting on the historical and architectural survey project in the meeting room on the third story of the Union Block in Mt. Pleasant. This will take place at 6:30pm on September 18^th, and is for the buildings in downtown Mt. Pleasant.

Project consultant Rebecca Lawin McCarley of SPARK Consulting, Cedar Rapids, will present information on the project.  This historical survey began in June, and it will continue into early 2024.

This project is spearheaded by the Mount Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission and funded by Certified Local Government (CLG) grant. Main Street Mount Pleasant and Henry County Heritage Trust are partners with the commission on this project, supporting their efforts to recognize the significant history and architecture found in downtown Mount Pleasant.

The goal of the historical and architectural survey is to research and evaluate the significance of the individual buildings in downtown Mount Pleasant, as well as assess the possibility of listing a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in the future.

The survey area for the project encompasses the buildings around the square, as well as additional historic commercial buildings extending out from the square along Jefferson St, Main St, Monroe St, Washington St, and adjacent blocks.  A total of 139 downtown properties are included in this project.  The resources in downtown Mount Pleasant are primarily commercial, with some additional public, religious, and residential buildings as well.

The public meeting on Monday September 18 at 6:30 p.m. will be followed immediately by a volunteer meeting for current volunteers and training for any additional residents interested in volunteering to assist with the project.

They currently are looking for volunteers who are needed to complete research, type summaries, and take photographs. Interested volunteers of all backgrounds can make positive contributions to this project.

The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board met in regular session on Monday, September 11^th. There were many items on the agenda, which led to great discussion and updates on many current happenings.

Due diligence is moving forward with the purchase of the Iowa Wesleyan buildings. Inspections occurred on September 5^th for the building exteriors, roofs, and windows. The mechanical and electrical inspection is scheduled for this week. The practice field title review is completed, and the closing date will be within “the next few weeks.”

The school resource officer, Brad Gillis, provided an update on the start of the school year. He begins and ends his day at the high school by patrolling the parking lot. Officer Gillis spends the lunch hour at the middle school and attempts to reach every elementary school each week. He mentioned how “things are going rather smoothly,” but is unsure if one officer can be effective enough for the entire school district.

Brady Martin, FFA Advisor at the Mt. Pleasant Community High School, requested an overnight trip for ten FFA students. They will be attending the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, from November 1^st-3^rd. This trip was approved.

Paperwork is due on Thursday, September 21^st, for all interested in running for the Mt. Pleasant Community school board. Applicants must have 50 signatures from registered voters and turn in all paperwork by 5pm.

The next school board meeting will be on Monday, October 9^th, at 6pm in the high school media center.