During the recent Clear Lake City Council meeting, the council and members of the fire department had a discussion about hosting an open house event. 

The council had received advice from their attorney that it could be dicey to spend city funds on giveaways, such as a bike raffle for the kids. There was some back and forth discussion on whether that meant nothing could be given away, including items such as stickers, coloring books, and food. However, the council reached an unofficial consensus that items given to all attendees would be fine, but larger items given to a select few would have to come from donations. They planned to bring the topic back at the next meeting with an official public expenditure policy. 

Next, the fire department representatives asked for an update on their budget for next year. Council Member Stefany Janish said that she had met with Bud Stimmler, representative of Clear Lake Township, regarding the budget proposal. She reported that Stimmler asked for several changes, including a two to three year lease so the rates wouldn’t increase and that capital expenditure items, including saving for new fire trucks and protective equipment, be removed from the budget entirely, and that funding for those items be requested when they were needed. Both members of the council and representatives of the CLFD were upset by the requested terms. Matt Lunser of the CLFD said terms such as these were why the fire department recently has had so many budget issues. He reported that inflation has drastically increased the prices of trucks and protective equipment, which left the department scrambling to find the money to replace their gear. Council members and CLFD representatives intended to visit with Clear Lake Township representatives again to find a solution.  

In regular business, Chief Ron Koren reported 19 calls for service for the month, and the council approved job descriptions for the department. 

Building Inspector Request

The city’s building inspector, Nancy Scott, requested that the council hold a special meeting with their attorney present so she could voice complaints she had about the council. The council recently decided to hire a new building inspection firm for their needs. 

The council seemed generally unimpressed with the request, saying that she had already voiced her complaints. Mayor Tim Goenner believed they should hear her out, however. In the end, the council decided to invite Scott and their attorney to a to-be-determined upcoming regular meeting, where Scott would have a place in the agenda to say her piece with the attorney present. 

In Other Business, the Council:

• Heard the sheriff’s report for the month;

• Approved opening an Amazon account for the city so departments could purchase needed materials;

• Heard the public works report;

• Set their Truth in Taxation meeting for December 1 at 6:30, with the regular meeting to follow;

• Reminded the audience that the next council meeting would take place Tuesday, September 2, instead of their usual Monday (due to Labor Day).