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City goal: Create a golf course
by Rick DeClue · News · September 25, 2014
The West Branch City Council wants a golf course.
In its annual goal-setting session last week, the council added pursuing creation of a municipal golf course.
West Branch already has a golf course: Fox Run Golf and Country Club is for sale for $1.275 million, according to LoopNet.com. But the City Council did not specifically mention purchasing a golf club.
Other ideas include raises for the mayor and city council members, adding a fourth police officer, allowing residents to pay for city services online, and additional flood retention work on the city’s north side.
Mayor Mark Worrell said the pay issue would only affect future councils. City attorney Kevin Olson said the current council cannot approve pay increases for themselves or the current mayor.
The suggestion that the city create a municipal golf course also came from Worrell. He said he wanted to get the item on the city’s radar, knowing the park department is working hard on its own capital improvements plan. He was clearly surprised at the number of priority votes the suggestion received.
Worrell acknowledged the city’s existing full agenda, including park improvements and a proposed recreation center, development of a capital improvement plan and other ongoing initiatives. He also noted that this was the first goal session for two council members, Brian Pierce and Tim Shields.
Other goals approved, some carried over from past years, include:
• continue street upkeep
• completion of Phase-2 work on leaky sanitary sewer lines
• creation of five stormwater best management projects
• extension of city office hours to provide greater access
• fund Hoover Hometown Days inflatables and fireworks
• review “grey areas” in city code
• implement Capital Improvements Plan into 2016 budget
• continue creek clean up
• adopt city employees Paid-Time-Off policy for disabilities and maternity or adoption leave
• place cemetery information online
• continue trail expansion.
City administrator Matt Muckler said that he had worked a previous city job in Arizona that operated on four ten-hour days in order to provide better citizen access to city offices.
Worrell suggested that a review of city codes covering areas like signs, parking and sheds should start with the city’s department heads. He noted that the city conducted a code and policy review approximately five years ago, but agreed some areas need attention.
The council eliminated several suggestions because they are considered part of the city’s normal ongoing activities. These include building a parking lot in Wapsi Park, sealcoating Green View Drive and the cemetery drive, placing bike racks downtown and annexation of the cemetery and a small commercial property into the city.
Bike racks are approved for locations in front of Reid’s Beans and the Agave Restaurant, with other locations being considered.
The goal-setting process sets priorities for budgeting, policy making and staff direction. Recommendations come from city staff, the mayor and council members, plus previously listed goals.
After Worrell started the meeting by confirming the importance of “this process that I hated so much about five or six years ago,” he thanked the council for its work in the past year which saw six of 12 council goals completed and several others started.
“I think we’re making some good progress,” he said.
Muckler said he was pleased at the diversity of sources for suggested goals, noting the council added six ideas during the course of the discussion.
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