City looks at purchasing property

The Clear Lake City Council has announced the purchase of a property which someday could serve as a gateway site for the Surf Ballroom district.

Monday night the Council set a public hearing for March 5 to consider the purchase of 813 Buddy Holly Place, located on the south side of the railroad tracks which run parallel to Highway 18.  The city intends to pay $29,000 for the property, which is owned by Ted Christensen.  That amount represents approximately 80 percent of the $34,000 assessed value.

According to City Administrator Scott Flory, the city does not have any immediate plans for the property, but will demolish the building later this year.

“It could potentially be used to locate a gateway feature for the Surf District,” said Flory. 

City budget

In other business Monday, the Council heard a second presentation of the proposed 2019 fiscal city year budget.  Flory initially presented the budget at the Feb. 5 meeting.   On March 5 a public hearing will be held, allowing the public to comment on the spending plan.

Highlights of the proposed budget include a drop in the city’s portion of the property tax asking for the third straight year.  The proposed tax rate is $9.70 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.

For fiscal year 2017 the city’s tax rate decreased from $10.54 to $10.04; for fiscal year 2018 the rate was cut to $9.80;

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the fiscal year 2019 rate, which begins on July 1, 2018 and ends June 30, 2019, goes down 10-cents more, to $9.70.  Therefore, the city’s tax rate has decreased by nearly 85-cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation over the last three years.

The city’s tax rate continues to be among the most enviable in the state, ranking it fourth lowest among Iowa cities with a population over 4,000.

The Clear Lake School District receives about 37 percent of the consolidated tax asking, while the city is approximately 35 percent, county is 24 percent, and NIACC and sanitary district about 2 percent each.

Clear Lake’s taxable valuation for the 2019 fiscal year continues the positive trend of growth in the community, according to Flory.  The taxable valuation is $607,348,889, which is a $21,052,154 increase (3.6 percent) from fiscal year 2018.

The proposed 2019 budget reflects total expenditures among the various programs of slightly over $13.5 million, of which $8.3 million is directed toward operations and maintenance; $4.7 million toward capital; and $500,000 to debt service.

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