Royal council agrees to comprehensive ordinance update

After several months of discussion, the process of updating the City of Royal’s code of ordinances will soon get underway.

During a Zoom meeting with Darren Bumgarner, of Northwest Iowa Planning and Development, council members agreed on Feb. 10 to move forward with the first comprehensive update of Royal’s ordinances since 2002.

Discussion centered on what services will be provided for the $4,500 fee that NWIPDC will charge the city.

Bumgarner said Royal’s code book will be “substantially updated.” All pertinent sections of the Code of Iowa and any ordinance amendments made since 2002 will be included. Input from council or community members on pertinent topics will also be considered.

“I do know your nuisance section can be updated to be better and more effective,” Bumgarner noted.

According to discussion, a committee could go through the ordinances and summarize proposed changes for the council, or council members could take on the task themselves.

Bumgarner will participate in up to five meetings. While having fewer meetings would not reduce the final cost, Bumgarner said he would answer questions by phone or email at no additional expense.

Mayor Josh Toft asked if updated ordinances from other communities could be used as a starting point “with a few tweaks here and there” to create language specific to Royal.

“I’m not saying you can’t do that,” Bumgarner responded. “But you need to spend time to make sure it reflects your community and not Rossie, Iowa or Peterson, Iowa.”

Council Member Matt Goyette suggested the city submit all ordinance amendments to NWIPDC and let them incorporate those and any code revisions. Council members could then meet with Bumgarner to review the new language and offer suggestions.

“The council could spend five meetings going over the proposed changes,” Goyette said. “Then we would have focused meetings and not a hodge-podge or shotgun approach.”

“That’s doable,” Bumgarner responded.

A rough draft of the updated ordinances could be ready by the middle of April. It will take approximately six months to complete the entire process. The city will then receive 12 bound sets of the ordinances along with an electronic version.

Following the discussion with Bumgarner, council members said they feel better about the process and the value of NWIPDC’s services.

“I’m a lot more comfortable after this meeting than I was before,” Goyette admitted.

“It hasn’t been done since 2002, so it would be about $250 a year to keep it up to date,” said Council Member Jim Virelli. “I believe the $4,500 to get it done is worth it.”

• Copier lease

The council agreed to enter into a three-year lease agreement with Loffler for a new Canon Imagerunner Advanced DX copier.

According to information provided by City Clerk Barb Fletcher, the lease payment for the new copier would be $60 per month compared to $58 currently paid by the city. The maintenance fee, however, would be reduced from $213.40 to $87.60.

The other option would be for the city to purchase the current copier for $3,500.

“I think we should lease,” Fletcher said.

Council members discussed whether leasing a copier was the best option, but they eventually agreed to do so for the present time.

“We’re not spending more than we were before. We’re just continuing with it,” Virelli noted.

• Licenses, updates

A hearing was held regarding the maximum tax levy for FY22. The hearing on the final budget estimate is scheduled for March 10.

Liquor license renewals for Frederick’s Market and Haggy’s Inc. were approved. The clerk was authorized to grant approval for outside vendors to sell alcohol during events at The Great Hall of Royal. Vendors will still have to follow state licensing requirements.

Mayor Toft contacted Iowa’s Ride to see if the bicycle riders would pass through Royal this summer. The ride was scheduled to pass through Royal in 2020 but did not due to the pandemic. According to the event’s website, it is scheduled for July 18-24.

Royal’s Fun Days are scheduled for July 17-18 and according to discussion, there are no plans to change the date to coincide with Iowa’s Ride.

Council members also discussed Royal’s 125th celebration. They feel a committee should be organized to plan the event that will be held in 2025. Residents are encouraged to volunteer to be part of that group.

A citizen expressed concerns about not being able to access a property near Ag Partners and asked that snow be removed from the west end of Park Street. The situation is temporary due to the explosion at the elevator. Maintenance Superintendent Sherman Nielsen agreed to remove the snow as requested.

Owners of rental properties will receive a certified letter requesting that an appointment be scheduled to replace the water meters. Water to those properties may be disconnected if an appointment is not made within 14 days.