Everly trying to tweak zoning rules

Anyone planning to change their properties in Everly will enjoy a streamlined permitting process if the city council gets its way.

Mayor Brad Behrens on Dec. 21 proposed removing the requirement that makes building permit applicants submit a sketch of their project to scale. Behrens said several people have had issues with trying to draw out their plans on graphing paper, and he didn’t feel like it was necessary.

“It’s the same problem all the time,” he said. “This policy was not made for a town of 600. It was made for a town of 10,000.”

Behrens believed the rule does “no good” and could be nixed. The council agreed to send the issue to the planning and zoning commission, which will either approve or deny the change. If the board does vote to remove the rule, it would have to be approved by the city council before it goes on the books.

“I don’t care about a drawing that says six squares on a piece of graphing paper equals 50 feet,” Behrens said. “If somebody wants to put up a building, we’re going to be happy to approve it because we can put it on the tax rolls.”

In other business, engineer Brian Schmidt updated the council on the sewage pond improvement project east of town. Work is approximately 70 percent complete, with very little dirt work left to finish in the spring.

“For the most part, it really went pretty smooth,” Schmidt said of summertime construction. “I’ve been pleased.”

A majority of pipes have been installed and one lagoon has been sloped with most sludge removed. Work on the lift station and electric infrastructure will start after the first of the year.

Schmidt said the contractor, King Construction, has not shared a potential completion date. The company has a hard deadline of Oct. 15, 2021 to finish the job; however, Schmidt didn’t think it would take that long.

“Just by how they’ve talked, they’d just as soon get it done. I would hope by June,” he said. “As far as physical work, there’s just not a lot to do.”

• Council approves raises

Four city employees will receive 5 percent raises once the calendar flips to 2021.

The council approved wage increases for Kristi Fliss, Nathan Fitzgerald, Jeannett Palmer and Miguela Hildreth following brief discussion. Behrens originally recommended a 3 percent raise, but Council Member Tara Patrick suggested 5 percent with the caveat there might not be any wage increases in upcoming years.

The council feared the COVID-19 pandemic may start adversely impacting annual budgets in the future, thus making wage increases difficult or impossible.

“This is the year to do it, because as I see it, things are going to get worse, revenue-wise, for the city over the next two or three years,” said Council Member Shaun Iske.

New hourly wages are as follows: $20.48 for Fliss, $21.79 for Fitzgerald, $15.75 for Palmer, and $16.67 for Hildreth. The council also recommended the utilities board approve 5 percent wage increases for both Josh Rinehart and Andrew Hanson, which would put them at $28.69 and $21 per hour, respectively.

Behrens commended the employees for great performances during the last 12 months.

“They’ve all done an excellent job this year,” he said. “They’ve made my job a lot easier.”