Adel City Council August 25, 2025 - Meeting Minutes

Adel City Council August 25, 2025 - Meeting Minutes The Adel City Council met in regular session at Adel City Hall, 301 S. 10th Street, Adel, Iowa on Monday, August 25, 2025. At 6:00 p.m., Mayor Peters called the meeting to order. The following answered roll: McAdon, West, and Selby. Staff Present: Deputy City Administrator/Finance Director Sandquist, City Clerk Erickson, Public Works Director Overton, Police Chief Book, Library Director Jayne, Parks & Recreation Director Schenck, and Community Development Director Nichols. CONSENT AGENDA 1.a. Consider Approval of City Minutes Dated August 12, 2025 1.b. Consider Approval of Class C Liquor License for Ninth Street Smash and Tap Ownership Amendment Motion by West, seconded by Selby, to approve the Consent Agenda. Roll: Ayes - Unanimous. Motion Carried. NEW BUSINESS 2.a. Hold Interviews with Council Candidates 1. William Oldes 2. Eric Trout 3. Nate Hawkins 4. John Sparling The Council asked each candidate to come to the podium and present why they were wanting to hold the office of City Council Member. The Council then proceeded with asking each candidate a series of questions. William Oldes, 29456 Old Portland Rd., presented to the Council how he does a lot of volunteering and that was what interested him in the position of the City Council vacancy. Oldes is a foster parent and has adopted. He finds it important to teach kids to do what you can to make the world a better place little by little. By joining the City Council that would be his way of trying to make his corner of the world a better place. Council Member West asked if it would be Oldes intention to run for the open seats in the fall. Oldes responded that he is not planning one way or the other, but if he is helping people he will. West asked what Oldes sees as the main priorities for the City. Oldes responded that the biggest thing is this is a community where kids play outside together. There is a lot of potential growth and we want to make sure we don't lose what people move here for. Council Member McAdon asked Oldes what he considers to be the primary responsibilities of a city council member. Oldes resonded that he sees the first responsibility to be a filter for the community and second to be a responsible steward of the village. Eric Trout, 1415 Rapids St, shared that he has been attending council meetings for awhile. He and his family moved here seven years ago and live in the older part of town. Before moving to Rapids Street they lived on the square and experienced the melting pot of Adel. Trout has four kids in the ADM school district and he spends a lot of time in the community as a pastor at a church in town, selling ice cream at Billy's and coaching baseball. Council Member West asked what Trout sees as the main priorities for the City. Trout responded that first the city needs more communication and collaboration, second public safety is a huge deal, and third field upgrades for parks and rec. Council Member Selby asked if Trout is planning on running for council this fall. Trout responded that he is. Council Member McAdon asked how Trout thinks his background has prepared him for becoming a council person. Trout responded that he has led volunteers and teams to work together for community events. He has also done a lot of training for strategic planning and goal setting where he finds it important to not just set goals for goal sake, but making sure they get done. Nate Hawkins, 1106 Luther Dr, shared that grew up in Adel and loves Adel. Hawkins took advantage of the tax abatement when he and his family moved back from another town close by so he has seen both sides growing up in Adel and being part of the growth. Hawkins loves this town and he is trying to find ways to give back. He is the president of the ADM Alumni Association Board and he knows he has more capacity to give back. Council Member West asked what Hawkins sees as the main priorities for the City. Hawkins shared that first is the need for more ball fields, with the 40 acres by the water tower earmarked for parks and rec he would like to navigate the ways that we can move forward with that to attract tournaments to bring revenue, jobs, and hotels to the town. Second priority is commercial and manufacturing growth as it would be a positive economic impact for the city. There are ways to go about that like TIF out by Southbridge to help attract businesses. Council Member Selby asked if Hawkins is planning on running for council this fall. Hawkins responded that yes, he has the forms printed off and needs to get the required signatures. Council Member McAdon asked how Hawkins thinks his background has prepared him for becoming a council person. Hawkins responded that being on the alumni board has taught him a lot about how boards function. Mayor Peters has taught him a lot about the importance of staying on task during meetings. Hawkins also volunteers around town and listens to residents as to what their concerns are. John Sparling, 2909 Greene St, said that he saw there was a need and felt it is his time to jump back in. Sparling had his name on the ballot for mayor a few years ago, worked in Adel seventeen years for the police department and then went to De Soto as Chief of Police. Sparling commented that he's seen two different types of government and now that he's retired he can give back more. Sparling commented that he loves this town. Council Member West asked what Sparling sees as the main priorities for the City. Sparling responded that the first priority is bringing in more businesses. Second, Sparling sees a need to get the traffic issues in town under control and that the current traffic is atrocious. Third, Sparling will always have a focus on public safety. Council Member Selby asked if Sparling is planning on running for council this fall. Sparling nodded his head. Council Member McAdon asked how Sparling thinks his background in law enforcement has prepared him for becoming a council person. Sparling responded that he is ornery enough to argue, but he also listens. He believes it is important for the Council to be good stewards of the money and for the citizens in town. Council Member West thanked the candidates for stepping up and applying to serve the community as a Council Member. There will be two seats opening up in fall and whatever the appointment is at this meeting, the Council encouraged all candidates to run. 2.b. Consider Approval of Resolution No. 25-61, To Fill Council Vacancy By Appointment Council Member West started the conversation about the applicants by mentioned that Eric Trout has been attending council meetings for 4-5 months, has been very engaged and openly declared that he will be running for one of the open seats that is up in the fall. By appointing Trout that will allow him to get his feet wet on Council if he would be elected in the fall. Council Member McAdon mentioned that the Council has been working on some complicated issues and it gives Trout a leg up as he has heard those discussions by attending meetings. McAdon also mentioned that there are four really good candidates, but the interest shown by Trout is valued. Council Member Selby agreed that it is very beneficial that Trout has been at meetings to listen to the discussions. Council Member Selby brought up Nate Hawkins as another mentionable candidate. Hawkins brought some good information to his interview and he has some nice ideas on how to bring growth and revenue to the city. Hawkins grew up in Adel and knows Adel. He is the president of the ADM Alumni Association Board. There would be more of a learning curve, though. Council Member West seconded Selby's comments and said that it is positive to have some focus on commercial development and he appreciates that Hawkins understands the history of Adel and as the city grows we need to pull our history along with us. Motion by West, seconded by Selby, to appoint Eric Trout to fill council vacancy and approve Resolution No. 25-61. Motion by Selby, seconded by West, to amend the main motion and to appoint Nate Hawkins to fill council vacancy and approve Resolution No. 25-61. Roll: Nays - Unanimous. Motion to amend failed. Roll on main motion to appoint Eric Trout to fill council vacancy and approve Resolution No. 25-61: Ayes - Unanimous. Motion Carried. 2.c. Oath of Office for Newly Appointed Council Member - Administered by Mayor James F. Peters Eric Trout took the Oath of Office for City Council Member, Administered by Mayor James. F. Peters. **** NOTE: Council Member Trout is active in roll calls from this point on **** 2.d. Consider Approval of Mayor Board and Commission Appointment: Library Board - One Opening Motion by West, seconded by Selby, to appoint Tara Loterbour to the Library Board. Roll: Ayes - Unanimous. Motion Carried. 2.e. Consider Approval to Pay $4,108.56 to the City of Audubon, Iowa for Related Contract Costs of City of Adel Police Officer Candidate Police Chief Book spoke to the Council that the invoice was related to moving costs for the proposed full-time police officer when he moved from Maine to Audubon, Iowa. As this certified officer would be leaving Audubon Police Department to start a full-time position with the Adel Police Department, this is the cost that would need to be paid to relieve him of his contractual duties with Audubon. The cost to put an uncertified officer through the police academy is roughly $10,000. Motion by Selby, seconded by West, to approve paying the City of Audubon, Iowa, $4,108.56 for contract costs. Roll: Ayes - Unanimous. Motion Carried. 2.f. Discussion / Possible Action on Moving All Regular City Council Meetings to the Library Community Room Starting January 1, 2026 City Clerk Erickson shared the concerns that have been rising over space needs for Council meetings as well as the desire to upgrade the audio/visual technology for public meetings. Erickson suggested the option of moving the regular City Council meetings to the Library Community Room as there is already some audio/visual setup there as well as more space. Council Member McAdon responded that microphones for each seat would be a good idea and recognized that having a presentation with any kind of audio/visual is tough in the current council chambers. McAdon was not sure about how video streaming would work, but live audio would be great. Council Member West said that he would like to see the cost options for both outfitting the current council chambers with the needed audio/visual technology as well as upgrading the technology in the Library Community Room. West asked what staff thought the current chambers could be used for if Council meetings were moved to the Library Community Room. Deputy City Administrator/Finance Director Sandquist said that it creates an opportunity for more office space or a conference room. Sandquist also mentioned that the Library is a better location for the public to attend meetings as far as handicap accessibility and better restrooms. Library Director Jayne mentioned that there is the issue of storage in the Library and staff would need to figure out where to store council chairs. Council Member Trout mentioned that it is important to also consider who would be in charge of audio/visual control during a meeting. West asked staff to determine the capacity of each room including square footage. 2.g. Consider Approval of Resolution No. 25-62, Approving the City Administrator Recruitment Agreement with Theia Mangement Consulting Motion by West, seconded by McAdon, to approve Resolution No. 25-62. Roll: Ayes - Unanimous. Motion Carried. DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORT 3.a. Update on Public Safety Needs Assessment Project Deputy City Administrator/Finance Director Sandquist shared with the Council that we are continuing our planning meetings with Bray Architects and McGrath Consulting on the Public Safety Needs Assessment project. McGrath will be in Adel the first week in September to do site visits with the police and fire departments. The police and fire chiefs have been working on compiling data for McGrath. The expected timeline is for the analysis to be done by spring. 3.b. Staff, Mayor, & City Council Stakeholder Interviews with Theia Management Consulting, LLC - Thursday, August 28th, 2025 ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned at 6:53 p.m. James F. Peters, Mayor Attest:Carrie Erickson, City Clerk Publication Dates LIOW0363507