An eye toward 2024 was the theme Monday night for the Waterloo City Council – the last such regular meeting of the year. 

In addition to approving a tax levy for the fiscal year that ends this coming April 30, aldermen took action on a recently condemned mobile home park and a future fast food restaurant location, among other agenda items.

The council approved Abate-Pro for an asbestos survey and removal of asbestos material at the former Greenbrier Trailer Court at 500 and 506 West Mill Street in the total amount of $10,525.

“There’s a little bit of asbestos pretty much everywhere in that park,” Waterloo Zoning Administrator Nathan Krebel said. 

Also approved was a contract with low bidder SOIL Excavation & Hauling in the amount of $19,460 for the demolition  of seven mobile home trailers, a 2,500 square foot cinder block building and 280 square foot block office building on that property.

The demolition timeline is sometime between Jan. 2 and Feb. 2, weather permitting. 

“What we’re looking at is complete removal of everything on that property, fill in all the holes, the void and straw it, seed it, and move on from there,” Krebel said.

Following a months-long process earlier this year, the city condemned all of the building associated with the mobile home park after it was abandoned by its owner, West Mill Properties LLC.

The property owner stopped paying its monthly water bill to the city early in 2023, after which unsuccessful attempts were made by the city to collect payment. 

All of the residents of Greenbrier Trailer Court had been relocated prior to the city revoking all of the occupancy permits. 

Some of the trailers there date back 50-60 years.

In September, aldermen approved a resolution authorizing the law firm of St. Clair, Gilbreth & Steppig to file suit for the condemned trailer court. 

Also on Monday, the council approved a commercial site plan for a new Taco Bell location to be built at Waterloo Commons just south of CleanCar Express Car Wash near Schnucks off Route 3.

The site plan received its OK from the planning commission prior to council approval.

During the Oct. 9 meeting of the Waterloo Planning Commission, Kelly Long of Desco Group, owners of Waterloo Commons, said Taco Bell is interested in purchasing one acre of the nearly 1.5-acre lot, with the other portion conceptually used for other businesses.

If all goes according to plan, Taco Bell would build a stand-alone location in this new spot and the existing KFC/Taco Bell at 918 N. Market Street in Waterloo would continue as just KFC. 

A Truth in Taxation public hearing took place immediately prior to Monday’s regular meeting regarding the city’s request for the maximum levy under the Property Tax Extension Law Limit, which is $1,714,200. 

This represents an increase of 6.84 percent from the previous year – although it was explained that due to new property added into the city, the average increase per resident would amount to less than 2 percent higher than the prior fiscal year.

There were no comments made from the public during the hearing, and the council approved the tax levy request during the meeting.

In other city news, a job opening was recently posted seeking a new zoning/subdivision administrator – the position currently held by Krebel.

Waterloo Mayor Stan Darter explained to the Republic-Times that Krebel is remaining with the city, with plans to ultimately assist Waterloo Director of Public Works Tim Birk as he nears retirement sometime in 2024. 

An ordinance meeting took place Tuesday afternoon, during which the plan of restructuring Birk’s current scope of employment into two separate city positions was discussed.

Darter said the shaping of these two important city positions will be taking place over the next couple of months.