T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — During Monday night’s meeting, the Marshalltown city council voted unanimously to approve a $12,000 annual utility reimbursement agreement with the Marshall County Communications Commission (MCCC) for the use of space at the Police/Fire building at 909 S. 2nd St. Mayor/Acting City Administrator Joel Greer also declared that 911 dispatch employees will again be allowed to use the gym. The council voted to terminate the previous $1 a year lease with the MCCC last February.
Almost exactly a year after voting to terminate a lease that provided space to the Marshall County Communications Commission (MCCC) at the new Police and Fire Building in Marshalltown, the city council unanimously approved a new utility reimbursement agreement during Monday night’s meeting.
When the previous lease, which charged the MCCC just $1 a year for the use of the space, was first terminated by a 5-1 vote last year, charging the MCCC as much as $18,000 a year in rent was discussed, but the parties settled on an annual utility reimbursement of $12,000. During a brief public hearing, there were no comments, and City Clerk Alicia Hunter said the MCCC would also need to hold a public hearing at its April meeting before the new agreement would go into effect on July 1.
Gary Thompson, the lone councilor to oppose the lease termination last year, said he would still vote yes on the resolution but found it “hard to believe” that the exact utilities the MCCC uses, whether more or less than the $12,000, couldn’t be determined.
“Maybe I’m out of the loop, and I know I am, but maybe the cost to do that after the building’s already been built is so astronomical that it makes sense to do this rate that it is,” Thompson said. “I just find it absurd that a tenant has to pay a rent fee based on an unknown.”
With no further comments, a motion to approve the formal resolution passed by a 7-0 vote. Greer also indicated that he had made an executive decision as the acting city administrator to allow the 911 staff to have access to the gym. Previously, they had not been granted access because they are not city employees.
“For the morale purposes of those that are taking these 911 calls and the morale of the fire department and the morale of the police department, they’re gonna be able to use the gym from now on,” Greer said.
MCCC Director Rhonda Braudis was happy about the news on the gym access front for her employees.
“It’s nice that they’re being included again. When we (first) moved into that building, we did have access,” she said. “It’s something that my folks felt excluded from, so to offer the inclusion, again, from Mayor Greer, it’s just very appreciated. My dispatchers are thrilled. They’re absolutely ecstatic.”
