#12062144 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING WITH BUDGET WORK SESSION CITY HALL, 105 W. MAIN ST. JANUARY 22, 2026  6:33pm Mayor Beard called the meeting to order and roll call was taken; Present: Hill, Pascuzzi, Johnson, Adams. Absent: Perisho.  Johnson motioned to approve the agenda. Hill seconded the agenda. Motion carried 4-0.  Council discussed allowing Mayor Beard to represent the city in the civil mediation case between Schnormeier and the city regarding his deck. Ideally the council would like this to be settled in mediation. Pascuzzi motioned to allow Mayor Beard to represent the city. Adams seconded the motion. A roll call vote was take; Ayes: Hill, Pascuzzi, Johnson, Adams. Motion carried 4-0.  There is maintenance around the lagoon that needs to be done, such as volunteer trees to remove and fence repair work. A cleanup day of February 21st has been put on the calendar, with February 28th as a make-up day, if needed. The city dump truck repairs that have been discussed at the last two meetings were discussed again. The cylinders can be rebuilt and the exhaust repair will depend on a couple factors. Best case scenario for this truck repair is going to be a minimum $1500. Adams motioned to go ahead with the repair not to exceed $5,000. Pascuzzi seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0.  Discussion was had on the city’s insurance coverage. While it seems the company we use is a good fit for a city our size, it seems the policy we carry may not be. It was decided that we should at least examine our policy options. Pascuzzi motioned to look at our insurance coverage, see what we have, see what is out there and at what price. Adams seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0.  Discussion was had on removing Schlesky from the planning & zoning board, reasons cited being personal conduct as well as failure to follow procedure. Hill motioned to have our attorney draft a letter of removal. Pascuzzi seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0.  The council, mayor, and clerk moved into looking at the expense side of the FY27 budget. Department budgets will be held to similar budgets as this current fiscal year, until the FY25 AFR is finally finished and we know more about what to expect from the revenue side.  Pascuzzi motioned at 8:23pm to adjourn the meeting, Hill seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. Marlin Beard, Mayor Zearing, Iowa Attested: Amy Womeldorff, Zearing City Clerk   Published in the Ames Tribune on February 6, 2026 (1T)