Waterloo saw the appointment of a new city official and approved purchases for multiple utility departments during Monday’s city council meeting.

Aldermen approved Mayor Stan Darter’s appointment of Mark Herrmann as building inspector/code administrator effective Aug. 5. That role was previously held by Brad Yearian, who is set to become a fleet mechanic for the city under a union contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

This position involves repairs, maintenance and equipment regarding the city’s fleet of vehicles. 

“He will remain in City Hall for a few weeks training Mark before he transitions to the new role,” Darter said.

On the topic of city vehicles, aldermen approved a couple of related measures Monday night.

First were equipment attachments from Fabick CAT in the amount of $58,662.40 for a newly purchased skid steer loader being used by the street department.

Another such purchase was for a 2025 Ford F-150 crew cab pickup for the city’s power plant from Sunset Ford in the amount of $51,465.70. This truck will replace an older model, Waterloo Public Works Director JR Landeck explained.

Also approved was a new natural gas odorizer for the city’s natural gas system from RKA Applied Solutions in the amount of $67,050. This will replace a 20-year-old part, Landeck said.

In his report, Landeck pointed out that the U.S. reached new records for peak electricity consumption on July 28 and July 29 at 758,053 and 759,180 megawatt hours, respectively. 

While neighboring residents who have Ameren as a supplier are seeing an estimated 18-22 percent increase in their electric bills this summer due to higher wholesale costs, Landeck said Waterloo is not impacted by the increase other than on a minimal scale due to transmission lines.

“That’s very good for the City of Waterloo,” Landeck said.

Later in the meeting, Alderman Joel Vogt asked if an update will be provided on the city’s recent water sampling delays, to which Landeck replied he plans to provide such an update during the monthly utility meeting set for 6 p.m. this coming Monday.

In other action, the council approved a contract with AO Creatives for digital marketing services at a cost of $9,435 to be paid out of the city’s hotel/motel tax fund. 

The next regular meeting of the Waterloo City Council takes place at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at City Hall.