Grundy council awards audit contract

GRUNDY CENTER – The Grundy Center City Council awarded a contract to Rachelle K. Thompson, CPA, for annual city audit services for the next three fiscal years as part of regular business at City Hall last Monday, March 6.

City Clerk Kristy Sawyer noted the city has a good working relationship with Thompson over the past five years. The city also received bids from Gronewold, Bell & Kyhnn and T.P Anderson & Company, PC, the latter of which is working on a first audit for Grundy Center Municipal Utilities.

After discussion, the contract was unanimously awarded to Thompson for the Fiscal Years 2023 through 2025.

The council tabled a resolution regarding street closures for the upcoming Felix Grundy Festival, currently scheduled to be held from July 7-9 this year. Earlier in the day, the Grundy County Board of Supervisors had rejected a request from the Felix Grundy Board of Directors for use of the Grundy County Courthouse grounds for the festival. The resolution was tabled until further questions could be answered.

Mayor Paul Eberline discussed with the council a recent Neighborhood Revitalization Grant application for the city that was denied. The city can take steps before the next grant cycle but collecting letters of support from multiple stakeholders, appointing a special committee for project planning, and completing surveys and projects that will better help understand the conditions within the target neighborhood.

Eberline also expressed that the city was caught off-guard with the recent closure of the Richelieu Foods factory on A Avenue in Grundy Center, noting that the city was not approached by Richelieu prior to the announcement at the end of February that it would be closing as a cost-saving/consolidation measure.

It was noted that no applications have been received for the Concessions Manager position at the Wilhelm Sports Complex, with future action on the position delayed until pool jobs are posted closer to the warm season.

In FY2024 budget matters, discussions were postponed to the March 20 meeting as counties across the state continue to adjust to property tax rollback percentages that were corrected with a new bill signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds on Feb. 24. Before the valuations come in from the county, the budget process has been put on hold.

Jeff Carson, GCMU manager, informed the council in a department update about the recent power outage in the city, potentially adding a fourth generator to the city grid, an upcoming boring project for all underground lines and updates to air storage/compressors.

In other business, the council:

- Approved as part of its consent agenda the approval of an annual liquor license for the Grundy Center Community Center, 705 F Avenue.