By Casey Jarmes | The News-Review
KEOTA – During the Dec. 1 meeting of the Keota City Council, the council approved purchasing two cloud-connected radar signs, each costing $4,445. These electric signs will show drivers how fast they are driving, urging them to slow down if they are speeding. The city plans to place one sign on Broadway and place the other on Davis Street, by the school. City Clerk Hunter Bruns stated that she had sent out a community survey, which had received 44 responses, only six of which said they opposed placing the signs. She stated that one business owner in town had stated she was willing to raise money to purchase two additional portable signs, each costing $3,049. Bruns stated that she had spoken with the Iowa League of Cities, who stated that the city could use the police budget to purchase the signs and could accept donations for the signs.
Councilman Heath McDonald noted that there was a problem of kids speeding by the school. Councilman Keith McDonald noted one response to the survey, which stated that the city should not by speed signs and instead add more stop signs; Conrad called this ridiculous, saying they couldn’t put a stop sign on every block of Broadway, because it would take a month to get out of town.
Also at the Monday meeting, the council approved purchasing a property located at 302 N. Green Street for $12,500, pending attorney approval. This property contains a burned house, which the city plans to tear down before selling the lot. Conrad stated that the burned house would continue sitting there for at least a year if the city didn’t purchase the property. McDonald stated that, if they had condemned the house, that would have taken $8-10,000 in lawyer fees. He stated it was easier to buy the house and have it gone in a couple months. McDonald stated that no one wanted to look at the house through the winter and into next summer, and that the city didn’t want to deal with the liability if a kid went into the house and got hurt.
During the public comment time, now moved to the end of the meeting, Ryan Carr, who was elected mayor in November, stated that he understood the house was an eyesore, but that the city had now set a precedent that it will bail out people with burned houses. Carr is set to take office in January, along with newly elected Councilmen Chad Greiner and John Mather, who also spoke out at the Monday meeting. Greiner stated that people across town were becoming more and more frustrated with the amount of properties the city is purchasing. He stated that, while they didn’t have to deal with the $8-10,000 legal fees to condemn the house, the city would have to spend $10-15,000 to tear the house down, ending up with a $10,000 lot. He stated he struggled to believe they would get that much, saying his gut feeling was that the city would only get $5,000.
Greiner stated that the city can’t go backwards on every piece of property, saying it cost $60,000 to deal with the Green House on Keokuk. He stated that the city can’t solve all its problems by spending money and that maybe this needed to be a civil matter, with the city putting maximum fines on the property owner. He stated that the owner had gotten insurance money and that it was their responsibility to take care of the property, not the taxpayer. Greiner stated that, even if the property has to be there longer, it shouldn’t be the taxpayers’ responsibility to pay the costs for every dilapidated property. Mather agreed with this, saying the property owner should be responsible for their bad decision and that the city shouldn’t have bailed them out.
The council approved selling an old AR-15 to former Keota Police Chief Doug Conrad for $900.
